# Nightmare before Halloween Party Pics



## Mandathewitch (May 19, 2009)

So I'm finally getting around to posting the Pictures from our Party this year! The pics are all clickable (thumbnails for quick loading on the interwebs!). We had a major issue with power this year. We kept blowing circuit breakers all night long.... It was a success despite losing power about 20 times in 6 hours, and eventually disconnecting the power to half of the party....

So without further ado, here are the pics I should have posted 2 months ago!!
I know. Tsk Tsk on me!

Here they are:


----------



## Mandathewitch (May 19, 2009)




----------



## Mandathewitch (May 19, 2009)




----------



## Mandathewitch (May 19, 2009)




----------



## wristslitter (Nov 21, 2008)

Awesome , I really liked looking at your pics,great job!


----------



## yardhauntjunkie (Feb 26, 2009)

The coffin bench turned out awesome. I was hoping to see how it turned out. Party looked fun!


----------



## Mandathewitch (May 19, 2009)

The coffin benches turned out phenomenal. Unfortunately we had nowhere to store them after the party and my *pardon my language* jackas* for a roommate refused to hold onto them for a few days so I could figure out where to put them and trashed them along with most of the decor. I refused to allow him to touch my graveyard fencing though. I have it stored aty parents currently and am moving it to my storage as soon as I have time.

The patio was once again the best part. I am so grateful for my generous parents. I painted their patio green, hung double stick tape everywhere and put about 1000 staples in their patio. They then allowed us to have about 150 people at their house for a party! 

God I love Halloween.


----------



## Mandathewitch (May 19, 2009)

best pic I have of a coffin bench in action.


----------



## yardhauntjunkie (Feb 26, 2009)

Oh man! Sorry to hear about the benches. I guess its part of the Halloween game. Almost all of my haunt suffered a similar fate. Except that I knew going into it that it would all be sacrificed(pun intended). I actually built most of it so that it was in the right lengths so that afterward it could be cut up to fit in the fireplace.


----------



## hallorenescene (Dec 28, 2007)

your haunt is very nice. disturbing those coffin benches are gone. they were sure nice looking


----------



## Mandathewitch (May 19, 2009)

Building those benches has taught me a lot about construction... And how to do it cheap. We had 2 benches for a total cost of $62... With the fabric costing $20 of that! (I think we could of gotten cheaper fabrc but we special ordered the stuff we used at $8 a yard) They were very ecconomical and if anyone wants or needs the schematics I can post em.... I spent a LOT of time working on the numbers....


----------



## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Great pics! That was a really nice set-up.
Looks like the party was a lot of fun.


----------



## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

Just went through your slide show and Christmastown looked terrific! How creative. Absolutely loved the coffin benches (yes please post schematics, may come in handy when I do my vampire theme and I'd be grateful to benefit from your number crunching; thanks), the Christmastown arch turned out great (it made a wonderful picture taking op), also I really loved all the fencing design and how you handled the garage roof. Looked like a very fun, successful party. It was great to see so many adults dressed up (150?!) and it was fun looking at all the costumes to see what people came up with to wear. I have to admit I'm jealous of all you southern climate locales that get to enjoy a pleasant temperature Halloween night.


----------



## Scatterbrains (Nov 16, 2008)

Mandathewitch said:


> Building those benches has taught me a lot about construction... And how to do it cheap. We had 2 benches for a total cost of $62... With the fabric costing $20 of that! (I think we could of gotten cheaper fabrc but we special ordered the stuff we used at $8 a yard) They were very ecconomical and if anyone wants or needs the schematics I can post em.... I spent a LOT of time working on the numbers....


Of course we want to see the plans


----------



## Spookilicious mama (Feb 27, 2008)

*All I can say is WOW!!!!! These pictures look fabulous! You did a wonderful job and should be very proud! It looks like everyone had a blast and Im sure they enjoyed looking at all of your hard work Thanks so much for sharing with us I totally enjoyed looking at each and every pic*!


----------



## Mandathewitch (May 19, 2009)

My comp is currently in maintenance mode right now (I'm on my iPhone). I'll scan the info for the benches tomorrow... I'm a numbers nerd...
My pictures don't really show everyone but we killed a full keg, and 22 large bottles of hard liquour in about 5 hrs. (keg was done in 4). I had a falling out with my 2 partners shortly after the party and so they both refused to give me copies of their photos from the party. Sucks but what can you do? One actually Said that I was telling people she was having an affair!! I don't know how or why she came up with that but it effectively ended our already rocky friendship. I don't mess around with liars. Anywho. It has spiraled out of control and next year if I even have a party it will be MUCH smaller. Probably 30 people or so. Back to year one numbers where I don't have to cordon off my garage to get to the bathroom and I can decorate the inside of the house!

The whole drama really depressed me about Halloween, but I have a renewed purpose and my family is still supportive. I went to dinner with 15 ppl for my brothers bday today and all of them can't wait to see what I pull out of my hat for next year! I'm thinking a twist on a pirate theme.


----------



## Mandathewitch (May 19, 2009)

Finally got around to uploading my schematics for the benches. Also added some pics of the progress of the benches... visual aids always help!

Halloween Forum - Mandathewitch's Album: Coffin Benches

We used 2x2x8's and 3/4 in Plywood (well we actually ended up with 5/8's plywood so had to adjust some measurements as we went...) Don't use these measurements as gospel. Just use them as a good general guideline for what you need. There are a few pieces missing. I didn't include a 1x1 piece for the bracing, or the extra 2x2 for the back bracing. Sorry, but that was something we added later 'on the fly' =)

Basically it's pretty simple. Build the frame of the bench, then all the plywood gets screwed onto the frame. Then sand everything for smooth corners and edges (we have power tools so it made it super easy). Then PAINT it all. 

We used twin size foam bed toppers from walmart for the cushioning, cut in half and doubled. We glued it all together with commercial grade yellow and white glue.... it wasn't going anywhere! hehe. 

before you glue the cushioning, make sure you have the added the fabric to the top and under the edges of the cushion... we then pulled the fabric tight against the back edge and stapled it to death to make sure it held. 

at this point you just have to attach the coffin lid. we ended up bracing the ends with 1x1x10" pieces with screws, and after screwing on the lid to the back face of the bench, we then braced it even more with a 2x2 running up the middle and screwed into place.

They were quite heavy when all was said and done, but VERY sturdy and it took quite a bit to break them apart. They certainly did not go quietly into the night. =)


----------



## hallorenescene (Dec 28, 2007)

those are simply beautiful. i think it will be on my todo list


----------



## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

Thanks for all the measurements. I've added them to my "vampire" file. The photos of the build were great too. Nice that you took them as you went along. 

Nice find on the fabric, good color and the puckering added a nice richness and interest to the bench. Plain fabric just wouldn't have had the same impact.

Sorry to hear about all the mess surrounding the party tho.


----------



## Trinity1 (Sep 5, 2009)

Love the pics! You did an amazing job. It's ashame that you had to trash the coffin benches though...they looked awesome! I also love your idea of including Christmas Town. Wouldn't be the same without it right?


----------



## Mandathewitch (May 19, 2009)

Lol I personally could of done without christmastown and done a bigger halloweentown but my partners both love Christmas. I HATED those standing houses. Here in socal in october we get Santa ana winds and I had to brace them cuz they kept falling over. Plus when the morning dew hit them it reactivated the acrylic paint and got paint All over me. Especially because I had to redo the lighting on them every time the wind knocked them over. It was also the least visited area of the party with the majority of people congregating elsewhere. Last years Alice party had a large number of people in the queens garden (christmastown this year).... I think it confused a lot of people because everything else was so Halloween.... Lol


----------



## Glass 'eye' (Jul 22, 2007)

Great job, I loved the benches!


----------



## savagehaunter (Aug 22, 2009)

nice pictures of your party.


----------



## Bobamaltz (Dec 27, 2009)

How fun, i love it.


----------



## a witch from canada (Jul 13, 2005)

wow very cool


----------



## IshWitch (May 19, 2006)

The benches are great! Would fit in nicely with my vampire theme for my party this year.
If anybody had seen the movie then the Christmastown section should not have been a mystery. 
Fantastic use of a theme!


----------



## Witch Hazel (Sep 6, 2008)

Very cool!! Looks like a great time!


----------



## Mandathewitch (May 19, 2009)

IshWitch said:


> The benches are great! Would fit in nicely with my vampire theme for my party this year.
> If anybody had seen the movie then the Christmastown section should not have been a mystery.
> Fantastic use of a theme!


Ish, We TRIED so hard to get people to watch the movie. We had info on it on the invite, on the website, we offered to let people borrow one of our 6 copies! (my partners and I all had original dvd and blu ray copies)... I even offered to burn copies (I know naughty me, but whatever. not a single person asked for a copy). Our invite had music from the movie on a CD so you could get into the spirit. There's a thread somewhere on here with pics of our invite...

I really loved the mashup theme we used. It was sort of a throwback to our first party in 2007, which was a mashup of Indiana Jones and Pirates. We turned the patio into a ship with tattered sails, hung Pirate Flags and then had skeletons and a Golden Idol... It was primitive as far as halloween decor, but we also threw it together in like 10 days, so I can't complain! People actually used the Spa as a Spa that year! LOL. It was definitely a more laid back Halloween, which I think is what I'm gonna strive for this year. I did most of the hard work for the 2009 Party, and I was exhausted by the time the Party started. 

This year I think I can make my graveyard transform into a pirate GY, with a Giant Pirate Ship that will surely make the neighbors scratch their heads, especially when I figure out how to put it on the roof!!


----------



## HallowSusieBoo (Aug 11, 2009)

Hallow and WOW Manda! Your haunt photos are great! I too love the theme and share the sadness that those benches bit the dust. . . How could anyone trash something so PERFECT for a party! Do you have a tutorial on how you made them - especially the seat covers? Very cool - and I hope you can re-build another set and store them for all eternity!! Buwaaa haa haaaa! BOO!


----------



## 8LeggedBabe (Aug 4, 2004)

Gorgeous benches! Sorry to hear they didn't survive--that sucketh mightily. I hear what you're saying about wanting a more laid-back holiday next year. Smaller plans mean having more time to enjoy what you do without losing your mind getting it done.


----------



## Mandathewitch (May 19, 2009)

yeah, the last 2 years my mind and body have been killed by Halloween. This year I ended up physically sick from it. But I love Halloween so much. My family doesn't understand... I started drawing up designs for new gravestones this weekend, and they all asked me if I was sick... They reminded me that we were doing a laid back version this year, and I said I knew, but I just HAD to do something halloween throughout the year. I really want some nice tombstones, and the only way I'm gonna get that is if I start early. =)


----------



## Junit (Sep 1, 2008)

Looks like you had an awesome party! Thanks for sharing all your pics  What a loser to trash those benches!!


----------



## Mandathewitch (May 19, 2009)

Added some new Night Shots to my arsenal from the party... finally got a copy of them from a friend... Halloween Forum - Mandathewitch's Album: Nightmare Before Halloween 2009


----------



## Bobamaltz (Dec 27, 2009)

Cool displays! It looks like a ton of work.


----------



## star_girl_mag (Aug 5, 2008)

Your decorations are AMAZING! Where I'm at, ALL outdoor decor for Halloween has to be weather-proofed. I'm jealous of your nice weather. We average an 80% chance of rain on the holiday. 

So spill it. How much was your budget? Also, and more importantly, how much time and people did it take for the set up! It looks INSANELY time-consuming!


----------



## Mandathewitch (May 19, 2009)

Our final budget ended up being right around $4000. It took 3 people the better part of 7 days for the bulk of the setup wIth 4-5 friends helping in the last day or two to finish. My Halloween this year will be MUCH smaller due to budget and life...so this was the last huge party to be thrown... At least at this location.


----------

