Jack, a quick tool tip, and Disney.

Image by Strublay

Long live the Pumpkin King! 

Come on, did you think that with 3 ghost pumpkins I wouldn't have ONE dedicated to Jack? 

How To Moment: I HATE the plastic things for cutting away the skin of my pumpkins, I like using Linoleum cutters instead.  Linoleum cutters can be found in art stores in the printing area. All you need to pick up are the blades and a handle, and there is really no need to purchase the fancy handle, just pick up the cheap wooden one by speedball. I used just a #2 Speedball Linoleum cutter blade to do Jack and Scarz. 

I've always had a fascination with Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas, and I tend to have a Christmas themed around Tim Burton's exploration of what might happen if Halloween and Christmas collided. 

I also have a fascination with all things Haunted Mansion, but that goes w/o saying. 

So, what are you getting at Strublay?

Well I'm also taking my time posting on other Haunters for very specific reasons. 

First: In January I start an 8 month internship with Disney at the Disneyland Resort. So you can bet that there will be a gap of posting come mid-January. I'll be extremely busy with the move to Anaheim, and my first few weeks of work will be exhausting.

Second: My Sig. Other and I are considering houses at the moment. So while I'm in Anaheim, I'll also be coordinating a house move via phone webcam and weekly or bi-monthly visits. 

Countdown from MickeyPath.com

My 2011 is going to be insane, so I'm using HalloweenForum.com as my main resource and STUFFING my favorites folder to the brim with photo-sets from my fellow Halloween fanatics displays. So lets see if this works out.

Scarz of countless fights

Image by Strublay

Scarz, Halloween Night.

Taking Halloween geekery to the next level. POSSIBLY TMI.

I hit up a wallyworld today, and they had a 75% off sale of every Halloween item in the store...... I picked up a shirt, and two pairs of Halloween Underwear.
They are soft, and comfy, and orange and black stripey.
*Supremely amused laughter*

Scarz

Image by Strublay

Scarz, on Halloween Eve.

He was the one that took the longest to figure out, I wanted to use the natural features and scars on the pumpkin to my advantage, so I had his mouth grow together, and his eye deformed..... worked out great I think.

Old books, Incense smoke, and Jars

Image by Strublay

I love this picture because of the incense smoke.

The Beast, and wheres the posts about everyone else?

Image by Strublay

Beast, Halloween night.

So where are the posts about everyone else?

Well, I know I normally post about other haunters awesomeness, but at this time, I'm letting the data base build up, I'm letting people post pictures, get back to normal, and THEN I'll start covering the awesomeness and beauty of the home haunters 2010. 

I've got to stretch this out over the next 361 days you know!

Trust me, I have a VERY full favorites folder.

Pumpkins, Jars, and the Soul Cage.

Image by Strublay

Halloween Night, I love how you had to right up on him to see Beast. He's up there, by the door, you just can't see him from this angle. 

Witches Kitchen

Image by Strublay

Another from the Halloween night Still Life. 

The Beast before his moment of glory.

Image by Strublay

The Beast before Halloween night, freshly carved. 

I think you can kinda get an idea of his size.

He was huge. 

I should have lit his candle last night and taken a photo of him sitting on the corner of the dumpster. 

I threw the rest in, smashing them against the door that was in the dumpster already, but Beast was set gently on the corner of the dumpster, ready to greet the trash guys in the morning.

The Tiny Terror

Image by Strublay

Best Tombstone Ever For Nevada

http://www.jjchandler.com/tombstone/

I don't normally "do" politics, but this race was really scary for my state. 

Thought I would share my glee to see her lose.

Thank the gods, my states honor remains intact.

A Dumpster is no place for a Jack o Lantern.

Image By Strublay

Scarz, Beast and Psycho, Two Face is sitting on the Table.

Unfortunately I had to throw out my pumpkins tonight. extremely fuzzy mold grew all over the insides of Beast and Psycho, and Jack was turning a sickly orange from its original white. 

I actually teared up. 

I look forward to the day when my pumpkins can languish and rot in my back yard instead of being thrown in to a dumpster....

Dia De Los Muertos, The Skeleton Collection!

For those of you that don't know, I live in Las Vegas Nevada, and we have a thriving Mexican-American community here in town. As such this southwest town has the occasional Dia De Los Muertos celebration. There are a lot of Skeletons and Skulls featured during this Mexican holiday.

Thus a post on my Paper Skeletons.

First is my pride and joy of my Die-cut collection, the only real vintage Halloween decoration I have, and I received him as a hand-me-down from my grandmother. 

Image by Strublay

He is a Beistle die cut, one sided Paper Skeleton Halloween decoration.

Isn't it awesome? 

It was manufactured sometime in the 50's or 60's and it is from my Grandmothers collection, which means that the Skelly was used during the time that my mom was a kid. 

I LOVE my Vintage Skelly.

Image by Strublay

It's a bit beat up, but it is awesome, and it looks good on turquoise!

Image by Strublay

Here is my late 1980's early 1990s Skeleton Die-cut, I know less information about it, other than the fact that it is wearing a belt that says Dem Bones 1892 on it.

It's cool, one that my mom used to put up every year. The shirt my mom made for me the same year my mother and father discovered the combination of cheese cloth, starch, glow in the dark paint, and fishing line to create a ghost. EVERYTHING was glow in the dark that year. The year after I had grown out of the shirt and we put it on Dem Bones. 

Image by Strublay

This is an older Skeleton Die Cut, not old enough to not be printed on both sides, but it is made out of matte paper and is strictly black and white.

I think it is also a hand-me-down from my grandmothers collection.

Happy Dia De Los Muertos!

A picture from the witches kitchen, and Recovering.

Image By Strublay

I am exhausted.

Seriously.

Did a still life last night, as you can see, I set it up around the idea that my witch would surround herself with the objects that protect her, even after the stroke of midnight.

I'm taking it easy the next few days. I deserve it.

Then It'll be time to pull it all down and get back to normality until Yule. 

The Trials and Tribulations: Halloween 2010

Image By Strublay

Well things went wrong. I found out that the building defect in my condo complex involved the overhangs, the drywall was so water damaged (Unsealed drywall outside........ even in vegas: WTF) that I couldn't hang any of the witch jars as planned. As such my display became much much simpler this year. 

Ah well.

Thats life.

Above is the sight that greeted my eleven trick or treaters (ELEVEN!! I had 2 last year!!! *Happy Dance*).

We kept the Door open as my friends and I enjoyed the evening, the night was in the 60's so we could keep all the doors and windows open with out freezing out like last year. 

Image by Strublay

Top To Bottom: Psycho, Scarz, Jacobs [PUMPKIN], Jack(Nightmare before Christmas), Jeffs Stitches.

Image By Strublay

Two-Face: Hyde

Image by Strublay

Little Giggle

Image by Strublay

Lloyds Souless.

Only had one this year..... thank god.

Image by Strublay

The Beast.

Image By Strublay

Tiny Terror, the Soul Cage, and the Witch Jars.

This was a wonderful evening, I didn't get my first ToT until WELL after sundown, and I had to send out my Husband to get more candy because we got more kids than we expected. 

I also still have a full bag of Smarties!

*Grin* Yummy!

I also got to see and hear something I never thought I could pull off. I was sitting fussing over my Guild Wars Halloween Event, when my comrades and I heard the sounds of kids whispering downstairs, I walked to the door and poked my head around the corner.

Several Women, in thier 30's I'd say, were cowering behind a 9-10 year old boy. They were arguing about which of the women would go up the stairs with the boy. When they noticed me they covered by saying that the boy was scared and they all thought that someone would jump out of the door and scare them. 

I got 30-somethings to hesitate, just for a second, like scared 8 year olds. 

Simple display, but it worked out wonderfully.

I went through and did a photo session, and I'll put those pictures out in time.

I hope everyones Halloween was as good as mine.

Now for some sleep... ah..... sleep.

The Big Day

Today is the Day of Days, The High Holiday. 

The Reason this blog is here.

Halloween.

Carved 7 pumpkins and completed many of my final prep in the last few hours. 

The largest Pumpkin I carved was a 25 pounder, and his smile is nearly two and a half feet wide.

I also completed my second round of Witch Jars. This one is a round with Labels.

You see my witch likes to recycle. 

She takes the Labels from the smaller containers she purchases and sticks them on Jars she likes to use for storage, when she runs out of the component she puts the Jar in the pile of used Jars that are moldering in a corner of her abode. She doesn't like to throw them out.

They get REAL dirty after a while.

Image By Strublay

Image By Strublay

Image By Strublay

I had to have this one. Its a Lemonade Flavored Laxative. Makes me giggle.

Image By Strublay

I worked pretty hard to try to make the Labels and the outside remains match.

Glycerin is typically a clear liquid so I kept the jar very clear.

Image By Strublay

When I get Ideas from other Haunters I like to give credit.

I don't have a grave-yard, so no headstones. Labels For Jars and Potions and Herb Mixes have to work instead.

This year I am using a lot of witch Jars, so I'm giving credit to Rot for the idea.

"Monsieur Rot's Plant Animation Powder (DO NOT USE NEAR GRAVES!)" 

Shoulda' done it in French, but hey.

The more ideas I get from the Halloween Community, the more labels will bear the names of the community members who came up with the original idea.

Oh and this one smells awesome, because the plant animation powder stand-in is cinnamon, which has been rubbed on the glue prior to the glue drying.

Image By Strublay

The Rules of Halloween: hand out treats, and ALWAYS check your candy.

I hand out Full-size candy bars, this year with Owl Cards (Which essentially say: Happy Halloween, Brush Your Teeth! Visit My Blog and the Forum PLZ) with Clip art from The Graphics Fairy Blog.

See that on the Right??? 

YEAH.

SMARTIES.

It's my Back Up.

I HAND OUT SMARTIES AS MY BACK UP!

*Indignant Strublay* 

What'chu gonna do 'bout it?

Don't Hate. Smarties are awesome.

Haters.

Image By Strublay

The Eye of the Beast, freshly cut.

So Kids, Remember the Rules: Wear A Costume, Hand Out Treats, Always Check Your Candy, And NEVER Blow Out A Jack O Lantern.

May Your Day be filled with preperation and your evening filled with Fear. 

Above All Else: 

Have a Happy Halloween.

~~~~Madame Strublay~~~~

Things that amaze me

Found on Flickr, Image by The Hot Box

Okay, so like 2 weeks ago I picked up two sticks of clove incense by WildBerry from my fave metaphysic Psychic Eye Book Shoppe here in vegas,  TWO. They are in a sealed plastic bag sitting on my dining room table... about 50 feet away. 

After two weeks of stewing, I can strongly smell the two sticks from my couch.

Sealed in a plastic bag, 50 feet away, TWO incense sticks. 

Those are going to be AWESOME on Sunday Night. I need to get more.... 

*squee*

Working Like Crazy.

The majority of my costume ideas got thrown out the window... I just did not feel like sewing this season, with 5 classes and a lot of stress, who the hell would?

So I'm not! (LOL)

Thus, I'm trying to figure out how to drape and pin 3 yards of 43 inch wide black fabric as well as drape and pin a dark purple king-sized sheet to look witch-y. 

Work with what you have, right? 

I'm thinking of going greco-roman with it. We'll see, I'll figure it out.

I've got a few more Jars begging to get witched, the Soul Cage is very nearly completed.

I've got treat bags to finish, Photographs to take, and props to set out.

Saturday is carving night. 

Sunday is Samhain!

The Pep Talk.

Okay, the Theater of the Mind segment on this months Haunt Cast.... Is Brilliant. 

Thank you Revenant, for putting this shit in to perspective. 

For those of you not patient enough to listen to it, Basically Revenant reminded all of us that this was originally a holiday of true terror for the ancient Celts. 

To be frank, thats what I'm channeling.

Perfect Pep Talk.

For those of you who aren't impatient, Hit up hauntcast.com and listen. 

Great Job Rev.

Let Hell Week Commence! And Introducing the Soul Cage.

Image By Strublay

I have a ton of Pumpkins, I have a ton of work to do, but I'm so psyched. Seriously. 

Image by Strublay

Introducing the Soul Cage, if your the observant type you'll notice I let it slip..... 

ah well.

The idea of the Soul Cage is that its essentially a hanging cage that holds a Ghost or Ghosts that rattles itself and makes noises. The spirit inside is held in by spells that glow creepily. 

This image is of a "draft", the final piece will be done in time for Halloween, and I'll have plenty of pictures of it coming up in the next few days. 

Image by Strublay

SO excited.

OMG.

Pumpkins and Paranormal Activity

Image by Strublay

Some of my pumpkins for this year, I have three standard oranges, three medium-small ghost pumpkins, and two partially green veined pumpkins: one large and one very small. 

I really love my stemmed ones,the small green-ish one has a stem and a length of the vine still attached. 

They are fantastic looking.

And my husband helped, he loves seeing the variations in the pumpkins so picking out freaky pumpkins is fun for him. 

Finally saw Paranormal Activity this evening, great movie.

Really really creepy movie.

I loved it.

The Alternate ending.... not so much. 

I hate gore.

IDK if I'm going to see PA2...

Can I just say the guy, Micah, is an absolute dumbass. 

Like, OMG let me slap you in the fucking face, dumbass. 

Provoking a demon, burning a cross... Good Lord, how dumb can you be?

Strublay does not mess with or tempt demons, I don't have enough evidence to know they exist, but if they do... oh hell no...  

Strublay does not play that game.

To Do List

Finish Linux Course Chapter 7 quiz and Final,
Find and Purchase Pumpkin Ale/or something else just as awesome,
Get Tipsy off of previously mentioned ale/awesome-ness,
Sew Circle Skirt/ dress ruffle/ apron/ cloak/ hat/ anything else, (SUNDAY)
Security Mid-term on Monday,
Arcane Herbalism, HTML, and Java Programming Mid-terms on Tuesday,
Pull out boxed Halloween Goodies
Purchase more Tea Lights and Neovana/Devotional candles,
Purchase more Pumpkins,
Purchase Samhain Incense, More Clove Incense, More Nag Champa incense, generally more incense.
Get some pumpkin dessert
Get the mixin's for Sloppy Joe's
Purchase candy (!!!!!!!!!!)
Scribe Glyphs,
Entrap Spirit in Soul Cage.
Photograph Soul Cage
Dig Out more Jars
Prep herbal/salt mixes, pine needle carpet, hangings, candles, luminaries.
Set out offerings for the dead
Carve the Pumpkins.
Hand Out Candy, Carve arcane inscriptions in to small Pumpkin, pray the souls don't kill me.

Good Morning.... Okay, thats just creepy

Image By Strublay

Normally I wouldn't post as soon as I got up, but I had a moment of supreme WTF this morning.

One of my witch jars re-lit itself in the night.

...

O_O

...

o_O

...

My logical side is telling me that either it was really really weakly lit, or that the wick drew up some of the wax and the embers kicked back to life, but seriously, I lit that tea-light 7 hours ago.... tea lights usually only last 4-5 hours...

So my inner witch is SCREAMING AT ME about it, and it REALLY freaked me out after I just woke up.

My husband got a good laugh at my expense, "Well honey, there's only one logical explanation, it is a WITCH JAR!" and he busted in to laughter. 

...

*-_-

...

Punk.

...

Then add in the Lightning and Thunder, and it was a kinda cool way to start the morning...

*SIGH* sheesh.

Bolts from Heaven

Found On Flickr, Image by Joe Decker

Ooooooo oOooOOoooooOOo Pretty!

We have been having a helluva lot of rain and lightning lately, so much so my pine cones have folded up... 

Luckily I brought in my Witch Jars before the rain. 

The downpours were AWESOME.

*GLARES AT THE INTELICAST RADAR* COME BACK RAIN!!!!! COME BACK NOU!

Hoarder

Found on Flickr, Image and Artwork by TheoJunior

The Caption: "The hoarder becomes what he accumulates."

Have any of you seen that show hoarders?
OMG. There needs to be a Hunted house on that. Seriously, that is modern horror right there..... every-time I watch it I get the itch to clean and organize.
It really freaks me out, honest to God.
ughhgghgghhhghghghghgbleh.

The Paper Graveyard.

Image by Strublay, Artwork by my Mom!

Halloween consists of my earliest positive memories, and this is the majority of those memories. My mother, a Halloween nut herself, made these intricate paper dioramas to fill the front window in our Apartment. 

They were handed down to me, and grace one of my windows in their late-eighties glory.

Image by Strublay, Artwork by my Mom!

It is a rare stormy day in Las Vegas, we had lightning and rain has been on and off all day.

Image by Strublay, Artwork by my Mom!

I always LOVED the grass.

Image by Strublay, Artwork by my Mom!

The paper ghost is my creation, sitting behind the diorama. 

Trick 'r Treat, WHY DIDN'T I SEE THIS SOONER?!??!???!

Found on http://moviepenguin.blogspot.com

Finally saw it!

What a work of brilliance, I want to live in THAT town. Beautiful.

Honestly, the houses down the street and the festival, and the music, and the intricate stories... 

It just blends together in this confection of a Halloween movie that embodies the fear, humor, and.... I can't put this any other way... texture of Halloween perfectly. 

 I really really really love the character of Rhonda and every one of her Jack O Lanterns. I suppose I identify, especially with the obsessive element of Halloween. I respect a character like her, the kids called her an idiot savant, but those were kids and kids can be very very cruel. I'm always one too pull for misunderstood, socially inept misfits like her:

Found on http://moviepenguin.blogspot.com

Those little pricks who played the trick on her COMPLETELY DESERVED it.

Sam is the best mascot for Halloween ever. 

Found on http://moviepenguin.blogspot.com

A child, thats not a child, goes around ToT'ing, and enforcing the rules of Halloween, violently. 

Instills fear, laughs like a kid.

He honestly is cute at some points in the film, terrifying at other points.

Kills with candy, and will stop hurting you if you give him chocolate.

PERFECT.

Just the thought of that character makes me grin.

I love this movie.

Of rotting pumpkins, and another still life

So, we picked up pumpkins while returning from Knotts, and at the time all of the pumpkins looked sound.... 

But alas, I was wrong. One of my pumpkins was slowly rotting. I happened to actually touch it today, and it was a little... squishy.... 

Checked the others, so far so good.

And THANKFULLY it wasn't one of my stemmed beauties. 

So I carved me a pumpkin last night, and did a full blown still life..

And I fixed the photography problem!

Lower ISO's for the win!

Image by Strublay 

Image by Strublay

Image by Strublay

Image by Strublay

Image by Strublay

This is the first part of the still life, I'm saving some of the rest.

I hope you enjoy!