# Gothic Victorian Halloween Party 2018



## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Got a deal on these small ornate picture frames. Want to make it look like this tree. Going to fill it with gothic/Victorian style photos.


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## Saki.Girl (Aug 22, 2012)

i can not wait to see what you do with this theme


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Oh my, look at these sad Halloween trees. Was planning to rewire the branches today and turn them into weeping willows. But they are so old the paint is coming off the tree itself. Guess this will be a spring/summer project now. My plan is to put black construction bags carefully through a shredder to make the weeping willow. The top branches can top out at 6'. 









The dream is for something that looks more like these old Grandinroad trees.









I also picked up two 4' weeping willows at JoAnn Fabrics during their after Halloween sale for $15. This link claims it's still in stock if anyone is interested. http://www.joann.com/makers-halloween-4ft-drooping-halloween-spooky-tree/15448277.html


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## pumpkinpie (Jul 9, 2011)

Live it all!!!

Btw if the trash bags don't work in the shredder u might look for black raffia or maybe a black curling ribbon


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Finished a bunch of horror portraits on heavy stock paper and added printable frames. Some are from HFer Kelloween who was nice enough to share her home made portraits with the group. These are mixed among all of my actual lenticular horror art. I plan to have them all lining our basement stairs as well as the ceiling (30' of space).


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

If anyone is interested, I found an artist named Marion Peck who does slightly creepy portraits. Good if you're trying to fill in a wall, add googly eyes, etc. http://www.marionpeck.com/paintings/2006/emily.html









The artist Angela Wrona also has some wonderfully creepy big eye art. https://www.pinterest.com/mylovetom/angela-wrona/ Allposters.com had a 60% off framed art a week ago. I was able to score this piece. Will be a nice addition for my portrait wall.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

I've been saving paper towel and toilet paper rolls to make lots of candles for this year's party. There's so many uses that I think I'm going to finish up the painting portion closer to the party date. It would look very dramatic across an entire table. Or I might split them up to fill in decor spots. My kitchen will be themed to Phantom of the Opera so I might paint these red and black (instead of white/wood stain) and have them along my deep kitchen window sill.

BTW, if anyone wants to do this project, it's very easy. The key is getting paper towel rolls as they will enhance the depth and height of your candle display. I did 65 candles and used up about 30 glue sticks. Suggest doing a second pass with the glue gun to get more depth and drips.

My progress:














Paint ideas:


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## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

dawnski said:


> I've been saving paper towel and toilet paper rolls to make lots of candles for this year's party. There's so many uses that I think I'm going to finish up the painting portion closer to the party date. It would look very dramatic across an entire table. Or I might split them up to fill in decor spots. My kitchen will be themed to Phantom of the Opera so I might paint these red and black (instead of white/wood stain) and have them along my deep kitchen window sill.
> 
> BTW, if anyone wants to do this project, it's very easy. The key is getting paper towel rolls as they will enhance the depth and height of your candle display. I did 65 candles and used up about 30 glue sticks. Suggest doing a second pass with the glue gun to get more depth and drips.
> 
> ...


Wow!!! I get tired just looking at them all!! But they are going to look fantastique!!!!


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Painted a cake platter so I could have a base for my large cloche. Not sure what I'm going to put in there or where this will end up in my house. Might go in my Edgar Allan Poe living room or Phantom of the Opera kitchen as a centerpiece.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Some Goodwill finds these last few months. Some of these pieces are material but most are curtains. Was really happy to find these colors. Our Goodwill sells them for $2.99 each. A better buy than going to a fabric store where, plus the edges are already sewn. Planning to hang these on our archways and doorways. 









Some more finds. A bunch of Victorian style frames to place around the house. Two valance holders that I might use with this material or elsewhere. The heart shaped box was a nice find. Planning to paint it black and hide some scavenger hunt treat in there for the kids who come to our party.


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## Saki.Girl (Aug 22, 2012)

Those are some great finds


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## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

I know, sometimes you can nice, expensive material for cheap at goodwill as a curtain, or a huge tablecloth of some sort. Also expensive in the retail stores but cheap at thrifts if you can find them is edging and cording. Sometimes some pretty lacy, or silver or gold edging I have bought for several dollars and it s was yards of the stuff! Love the colors of the fabrics you found....


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Another nice find. 12' of red satin, some battery operated candles and the frame with Victorian style poster. Poster is paper so I won't be able to make any drastic changes to it.


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## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

Wow that vignette right there with the red fabric and painting look fab. Even though I know you just threw it together to show us....


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

By chance, has anyone watched Raul Garcia's animated Extraordinary Tales (2015) on Netflix? All Poe tales in a variety of different animation. I really enjoyed it. This is going to be my "go to" movie to watch when I'm crafting for this party.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

OMG, finally got to work on a project! My sister found this art and thankfully asked if I wanted it.. Yasss! I've been looking for a portrait to do one of those moving eye portraits forever. And the art is wonderfully Hammer film style gothic. The frame and poster have seen much better days. But that just adds to the Halloween charm for me. It's nearly 2'x3' so it will be a real showcase piece wherever I put it. This is the half ping pong ball technique with a red craft gem in the center. Very simple and cool effect.

Wish HF would let us upload videos. Got a few pics.


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## MorganaMourning (Jun 10, 2014)

This portrait is creepy cool. I've never seen that done before. That will definitely be a show stopper!


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## TheEvilTwin (Aug 26, 2016)

I am loving everything so far. Your great finds from op shops have inspired me to make a trip. Here is hoping I can find anything as nice.


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## lilibat (Aug 10, 2015)

This just looks like regular home decor to me. hee hee


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## panther93 (Mar 25, 2015)

I know Michael's sells Gothic Halloween.


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## Saki.Girl (Aug 22, 2012)

dawnski said:


> By chance, has anyone watched Raul Garcia's animated Extraordinary Tales (2015) on Netflix? All Poe tales in a variety of different animation. I really enjoyed it. This is going to be my "go to" movie to watch when I'm crafting for this party.
> 
> View attachment 539265


i will have to watch this


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

I found some interesting items for the party. I want to repaint the dog art to either Hound of the Baskervilles or a hell hound. The gazing ball is pretty cool. I need to get some mirror spray paint to put it back to its former glory. If you've had a chance to look into a gazing ball, it offers a fun fish bowl look to everything around you. I might set up a fortune teller area but if I have time, what I would really like to do is make some kind of spiritualism mini room. A sign would say, "Contact the spirits." When you sit down in the room, you'll see all sorts of ghosts and hanging objects around you. Figure it would make for a good selfie pic for guests. Always thinking on the fly when thrift store hunting. You never know what you'll find.

Spirit Halloween has a halfway to Halloween sale. I picked up a roll of transparent fencing to spice up the boring areas of the house. Prices are cheap but they make up for it in shipping.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Finally getting some projects done. Before and after pics. For newbies, I did a light brushing of black over the green background. I primed the frame first, then did 3 coats of black acrylic. While not scary, this art will be used as Victorian style filler.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

I felt I just had to rescue this Great Dane at Goodwill. Pamela was so loved that the owner had a painting done of her. She gets new life as my hell hound. Step 1 was to mask the dog. Step 2 was to create the background.

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Step 3, add details. At this point I went "Ack! Too much red." I tried as best I could to remask the dog. My plan was to add in some mist, but that was a BIG fail. I ended up painting the top half gray. After a major panic, I added the stormy clouds and felt better. Not the best clouds but it works for me.

Step 4, paint the dog. This was 3 layers of black paint, followed by many more layers of red, white (for bone and teeth) and then painting back in some of its hide so the wounds are peeking out, rather than fully gaping wounds. This turned out way better than I had hoped. 

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## chocolatemice (May 2, 2014)

Oh Dawnski, the photos in your last post aren't showing up at all for me - is anyone else unable to see them?


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Ah, here are those dog art pictures that weren't showing up. Right now I'm working on a canvas painting of a hearse but I don't want to unveil it yet. But since then I've learned how to blend in the clouds in the background. This one looks more like a surrealist painting in comparison.

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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Amazing gothic finds at a community garage sale. This giant plaster gothic wall art was $20. The owner painted it a very nice brown, metallic color. Found it online for $375 --Ka-Ching!! Don't know where to put it yet but I couldn't find a better prop for this year's theme. 

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This woman was a gothic fan. I got this tall floral arrangement (to paint black), smaller globe to go with the larger one I found earlier and the column console table. also snagged a large frame (plan to have a ghost come through it) and the family tree picture holder to goth up. 

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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

The same woman that had the gothic items above also had some very neat looking gothic jewelry. I now have all my costume accessories. I love those rings! going to wear as many as I can for the party.

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Sorry I don't have more prop builds to show you. Bringing hubby home after knee replacement surgery today. And planning a rustic glam baby shower for my sister late June. It's been a bit crazy here lately.


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## im the goddess (Mar 10, 2012)

Dawn, I can't wait to see all you do. you do a great job.


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## im the goddess (Mar 10, 2012)

dawnski said:


> OMG, finally got to work on a project! My sister found this art and thankfully asked if I wanted it.. Yasss! I've been looking for a portrait to do one of those moving eye portraits forever. And the art is wonderfully Hammer film style gothic. The frame and poster have seen much better days. But that just adds to the Halloween charm for me. It's nearly 2'x3' so it will be a real showcase piece wherever I put it. This is the half ping pong ball technique with a red craft gem in the center. Very simple and cool effect.
> 
> Wish HF would let us upload videos. Got a few pics.
> 
> ...


You need to do a tutorial on this.


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## im the goddess (Mar 10, 2012)

dawnski said:


> Finished a bunch of horror portraits on heavy stock paper and added printable frames. Some are from HFer Kelloween who was nice enough to share her home made portraits with the group. These are mixed among all of my actual lenticular horror art. I plan to have them all lining our basement stairs as well as the ceiling (30' of space).
> 
> View attachment 534746


 I have a few files of creepy photos from the internet if you want them.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Ugh, I had a big fail today. I never used mirror spray paint. I wanted to fix a big smudge on the mirror ball I bought and turn a smaller ball into a mirror ball. Well learn from me, that's not how mirrored spray paint works. It turned the old white ball silver. It did not make any of the smudge marks on the big ball disappear but it lessened how much it stood out. But now the ball looks foggy instead of the nice mirrored look it had before. I will repaint he small ball. I may have to rethink what I was going to do with this now. It's gone from cool to meh.

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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Before I unveil my art, I have to tell you this story. I've been looking for some big horizontal art for sometime. There's this old Night Gallery haunted painting I wanted to try my hand at painting. So last month I walk into Goodwill and there it is. A big 2'x4' canvas with a pretty frame. I am giddy with excitement. But when I go to pick it up, this polite gentleman by the art bin tells me that this is his. Another woman was going to take a different piece of art and he says, "I'm sorry, it's probably hard to tell that this is mine too." Goodwill dumped a whole bunch of old framed, canvas art and this guy had hoarded all of them in a pile. 

I was bummed but took a walk to see what else was around. Circling back, I see the framed art back in the bin. Holy crap! I run over there and grab it, "Yoink!" As I do, I see this gentleman turning the corner at the end of the aisle with a cart. He made the mistake of forgetting a cart and couldn't carry it all at one time. Oh man, this is mine fair and square. I wait in line to pay and the guy is a few people away from me. He asks if I'm going to refinish the frame. Clearly that's what he was going to do with it. I told him, "No, I'm going to repaint this for Halloween." No reply, he's probably thinking what a waste of a frame. But not to me!

So here's the original art piece

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I read up a little on blending after the hell hound art I did earlier. Not too bad. You can see the places where the canvas is ripped.

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Here I realized my error of white all the way across when I added these silhouettes. That took two extra coats of paint in that section to even it out.

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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

I don't know how many of you remember the old Rod Serling show Night Gallery. I was just a pup back then and these episodes don't stand the test of time. But each episode showcased a macabre piece of art, most truly unnerving by the artist Tom Wright https://makeupmag.com/night-gallery-inspires-new-exhibit/

I came across this particular one and just loved it. The hearse, the cloaked figures, what's not to like. 

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And here's my version. I printed out the original and made a grid pattern of it. That's what I worked off of. I had to repaint the silhouettes 5 times for full blackness. I would have liked to add some more details including background leaves and the rolling fog at the characters' feet. I felt that was really past my beginner painting abilities. This turned out way nicer than I thought it would. This may end up in my Edgar Allan Poe room or on a wall that needs some gothic atmosphere. I plan to spray paint the frame black later.

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I do have a question for painters. Do I need to put some kind of sealer over this. I picked this up but haven't used it yet. Is this the right product to spray over a canvas? 

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## Saki.Girl (Aug 22, 2012)

dawnski said:


> I don't know how many of you remember the old Rod Serling show Night Gallery. I was just a pup back then and these episodes don't stand the test of time. But each episode showcased a macabre piece of art, most truly unnerving by the artist Tom Wright https://makeupmag.com/night-gallery-inspires-new-exhibit/
> 
> I came across this particular one and just loved it. The hearse, the cloaked figures, what's not to like.
> 
> ...


yes that is the sealer i use for my stuff i paint  just go light so you do not get any drips you can always do 2 light coats and you will be good to go. 
painting looks amazing


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## im the goddess (Mar 10, 2012)

dawnski said:


> Some Goodwill finds these last few months. Some of these pieces are material but most are curtains. Was really happy to find these colors. Our Goodwill sells them for $2.99 each. A better buy than going to a fabric store where, plus the edges are already sewn. Planning to hang these on our archways and doorways.
> 
> View attachment 537745


Dawnski, I bought a bunch of curtains like that a couple of years ago and used them for walls in my fortune teller's tent. Keep them, you never know when you might be able to use them.


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## im the goddess (Mar 10, 2012)

Duplicate post, sorry. I use to know how to delete these.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Here was a fun project. Found this large 3x1 foot wall art at a garage sale. 

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I spray painted a white base. Then I printed the letters and images on Avery full size labels. Hardest part is cutting the shapes. I took Elmer's glue to make a ribbon or scroll design on the edges. Then spray paint and pull off the labels. To remove the Elmer's glue, run your blow dryer over it for a minute. It should peel off. Pretty easy. This is fun to do with white canvas too. 

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Finished prop. I love how this turned out. I used an Edward Gorey style font. I plan to have this on a wall above a coffin. My plan is to have cascading fabric behind it.

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## nightbeasties (May 22, 2008)

100% following this. I'm loving what I'm seeing so far.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Here's another easy way to having moving eyeball art. All you have to do is frame 2 of the same images on top of each other with an object of your choice to add space between the two. Cut the eyes out of the image that is showing in the frame. I used 4 round magnets (2 one each side). This allows the eyes in the back to appear to move. It's not as dramatic as the ping pong ball one I did with the large framed art, but it will definitely be noticeable to guests.


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## Atropos (Oct 6, 2016)

Love it! We're doing some of the paper towel/TP tube candles too! We never got around to completing it last year! 

Your party sounds like it will be epic


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Found this awesome shifty eyed Rembrandt on canvas at our local Godowill along with some black/white sided material. I cut out the eyes and, low and behold, the holes match that Creepy Eyes app for the iPhone https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/creepy-eyes-you-are-being-watched/id1074439212?mt=8 It looks so cool!

However, after a certain point the eyes dim and then the phone shuts off. Does anyone know of a work around so the phone will stay on for the whole party? Otherwise i'm going to do like my earlier art and use ping pong balls.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Just finished hosting my sister's rustic shabby chic baby shower this weekend. It's amazing how much of my gothic pieces (spray painted pink) can go with that theme. Finally, I can put my focus on Halloweening. Today I scored a whole bunch of tall cardboard from a company installing windows at a house in my neighborhood. That saves me from buying foam board for a project I'm doing over my fireplace. And our ash tree had some die off from ash borers so now I have a bunch of tall dead branches to use in my front urn. Hope to get to some more projects soon.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Feeling lucky today. Scored a 4' x 20' section of this material at the local Goodwill. I'll have to find an area where I can use this as Victorian style wallpaper. I love the bright color but the back side also looks pretty cool for a faded appearance.







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## Atropos (Oct 6, 2016)

That is an awesome Goodwill find!! <3


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

I was super excited to see that Pier 1 is selling affordable floor standing candelabras--the black gothic kind. It's a cheaper base construction than the $200 versions I keep seeing but that's fine with me. https://www.pier1.com/black-jeweled-floor-candelabra/3610770.html


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

I've been wracking my brain for some over the top idea based on the gothic theme. Something our guests would talk about. I decided to have an absinthe tasting event. I went to an absinthe tasting at a Vom Fass store last summer, learned about the history and how to do the correct procedure to enjoy the drink. And I have a bottle at home. I can only do 4 at a time so I'll have a sign up sheet. Weather permitting, I'll have this outside next to our outdoor fireplace. Just ordered an absinthe fountain. Think I'll throw some green light sticks in there for effect.

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## revengemaiden (Sep 4, 2014)

Gothic Victorian Halloween Party! Sounds amazing! I can't wait to see how it progresses as I have had this as a potential Halloween Party for a few years now.

I cannot recommend enough have some type of tea setting and a multi-level service tray. Nothing says 'English' like a multi-level serving dish. There are TONS of tutorials on Pinterest for this or you can usually find a cheap one at Home Goods (my preference). Tiny sandwiches are easy to make (cut up big sandwiches ) and suddenly, you have a Tea Buffet!

Another idea I had was to include Dickens, particularly "Great Expectations" as Mrs Havershim is super scary, sitting there in her decrepit wedding gown. I want to have small white tea cakes (like tiny wedding cakes) and lots of "cobwebs" on the chandelier and all over the room.

As I said, I have been collecting ideas (and props) for this item for the last few years. Please feel free to check out my Pinterest board. I even have some links to recipes for easy-to-make meat pies and similar 'British-inspired' food:

https://www.pinterest.com/revengemaiden/halloween-horrors-in-victorian-london-party-decora/

I look forward to your progress and your finished party. Cannot wait to see more of you wonderfully spooky ideas!

PS Don't forget the fog machine. Nothing says "Victorian England" like London Fog!


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Thanks revengemaiden, you have me all excited about Miss Havisham! For my Christmas Carol scene I was going to use my wedding dress to do both Jacob Marley and ghost of Christmas past. But now I think I'll use it for my dining room. That would be a wonderful scene with the decrepit wedding cake and cobwebs. And perfect to use that area for desserts. Now I just need to find a home for my 2 gothic vampires that were going to be in that area.


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## Saki.Girl (Aug 22, 2012)

dawnski said:


> Feeling lucky today. Scored a 4' x 20' section of this material at the local Goodwill. I'll have to find an area where I can use this as Victorian style wallpaper. I love the bright color but the back side also looks pretty cool for a faded appearance.
> 
> View attachment 550629
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what a fantastic find i can not wait to see what you do with this


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Finally tackled my tree project from page 1 of this thread. I had bought some Halloween trees cheap but they were beat up. Most of the black paint had disappeared from the elements. I did a total rewire for support. I'll have to do a how to and materials list on the prop or craft forum page. They turned out great. Unfortunately I ran out of orange string lights. Will have to wait until closer to Halloween to get another set.















I was going to try and make these weeping willows. I even lengthened each branch for it. But now that they're done, I like them the way they are.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

My Pottery Barn 48" candelabra came in. This is going to stay out all year round. I always felt I needed something next to my Alba magician poster. I will say that 48" is just not tall enough. It would have been easy enough for Pottery Barn to include one extra rod for a full 5 feet. I have the candelabra standing on a 10" box. For the price though, it was worth it ($69). Wonderfully gothic but not too Halloween-ish.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

My husband's Marvel/DC wall art collection doesn't quite set the mood I'm trying to make. An easy way to hide your art without taking it down is with a floor length backdrop. I picked it up after Halloween last year. I like it so much I might hang it in my office wall after the holiday.









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## richardharrison (Jul 4, 2018)

too good..............


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## revengemaiden (Sep 4, 2014)

dawnski said:


> Thanks revengemaiden, you have me all excited about Miss Havisham! For my Christmas Carol scene I was going to use my wedding dress to do both Jacob Marley and ghost of Christmas past. But now I think I'll use it for my dining room. That would be a wonderful scene with the decrepit wedding cake and cobwebs. And perfect to use that area for desserts. Now I just need to find a home for my 2 gothic vampires that were going to be in that area.


I love your idea of making the Miss Havershim Dining Room as a place for desserts! Bloody brilliant. How many rooms are you decorating for your party?

Your progress is amazing! I am so glad you got in your Pier 1 chandelier --- I have been looking at that online for quite some time. I think it is fantastic! You could put it on a overturned garden planter (painted black) to give it more height. 



dawnski said:


> My husband's Marvel/DC wall art collection doesn't quite set the mood I'm trying to make. An easy way to hide your art without taking it down is with a floor length backdrop. I picked it up after Halloween last year. I like it so much I might hang it in my office wall after the holiday.
> 
> 
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I LOVE YOUR BACKDROP!!! I love the photographer backdrops that can be purchased on Amazon for a reasonable price are are not only a great way to cover a wall, but help the mood. I have a dozen or so -- I am a firm believer in this backdrops! I have the one you show for my "Hocus Pocus Halloween" -- think the cemetery doors that Binx walks through in the end...

It is really tough finding Victorian London backdrops. I think I have only seen one -- and another perfect one that is a shower curtain, so it is a bit small. Good thing the British loved heavy drapes in Victorian times! LOL.

Can't wait to see it all come together!


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Showing a before shot in here so you can see what I'm working with. We have an entire basement wall with TVs and bookshelves holding DVDs. Plus side shelves of Marvel/DC statues. It is impossible to move these statues without breaking--they are that delicate. So every party I need to find ways to cover this area without damaging the statues and allowing me to decorate.

That material I found at Goodwill was the perfect coverage for this area. I threw some art next to it to give you an idea what it will look like for the party. It looks really impressive at first glance when you walk into the basement.

























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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Our fireplace has this huge piece of art that I cannot move. I wanted to put an overlay on it.









Not sure if I posted earlier but I saw some window replacement guys in our neighborhood and they were nice enough to give me the huge boxes the windows came in. The cardboard is around 6' x 7'. I stapled a nice Goodwill table cloth find for the middle. Then I stapled black material as curtain sides. I made valances for the top. Looks pretty Victorian. Guess what, perfect spot for that hearse art I painted! I reinforced the back with 2 clearance pieces of doorway molding. It's still top heavy (especially with the art). I'm going to have to drill some eye hooks on the wood edge of my fireplace to keep this up for the party.

I do have 2 - two candle sconces to put on the sides of the art. I have to figure out a way to keep it on the cardboard. 









On a side note, this is a handy little hanger. This is holding the art up on the cardboard. It's made for wire shelves. It's just the perfect size to hook onto cardboard or plywood. Not sure what it's called.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

If anyone wants to make this type of valance, here is what one looks like unfolded. The widest width is 53", the smallest width is 26" and the side length is 36". It looks like a portion of a super huge Christmas tree skirt. I did not sew the top and bottom--any jagged edges are tucked in. I did fold over and sew an inch on the sides so I could slide a dowel rod through it. 









When it's up, this panel is 20" tall by 26" wide -- could go shorter or wider depending on how you position it on the pole.


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## revengemaiden (Sep 4, 2014)

Wow! Love your "Bugatti" wall covering! The stripes and the black drapes & valance are fantastic! I also really like the damask fabric you have to cover the walls in the basement -- great Goodwill find and a perfect Gothic Victorian Halloween textile!

You really do have so many rooms to decorate! Wow! It is kinda of a blessing...and a curse! So much space to express different Victorian Gothic themes and stories, but so much decor to have to get to do it all! 

I like how you are testing the room decorating before hand and sharing with all of us. Some really great ideas and work! I am truly inspired and can't wait to see what you do next!

Keep up the great work! Your Gothic Victorian Halloween ideas are brightening up my July!

PS Love the door or wreath hanger you are using. I've used them to hang Halloween wreaths. I also swear by 3M hooks! If you read and execute the directions, they are a perfect way to hang things without drilling holes or hammering nails!


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Half done on my headless horseman project. I have a headless mannequin but wanted to bulk him up. I used an old Hulk costume I had lying around. I cut a Ghostface costume in half so I could use the arms as sleeves and the hood to fold over the headless area. Got some random gray material to swag over the front along with a belt. Then I took a Goodwill red curtain and raped it behind. It had a high hem which helped create the top collar look. He'll have high boots and some embellishments by party time.

This guy is going to stand by our front door.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

This is the first year I've actually started decorating in July. I've had some chronic pain for awhile so I find doing a little at a time helps me out. Haunters, don't get old, LOL. Here's the bottom view entering our basement. Middle picture is animated art with moving spider.









This is our basement bathroom. The skull is animated (lights up and speaks).

















I combined 2 different scene setters here. I wanted to hide a witches cauldron in the middle. A desk is going to go in front of it with occult memorabilia.


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## Saki.Girl (Aug 22, 2012)

everything is looking so great


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Finished another wall section in my basement. There will be a table/slab with the body of Madeline Usher from Poe's Fall of the House of Usher. BTW the black material is simple landscaping fabric.


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## Minshe (Jul 7, 2011)

Very impressive work--can't wait to see it all come together! How many people do you plan on hosting? Do you do all your own food and drinks on top of all this decorating? You must have super powers!


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Minshe, we get anywhere from 50-80 guests. We cater and hire a bartender. That helps us so we can actually enjoy our own party.



Minshe said:


> Very impressive work--can't wait to see it all come together! How many people do you plan on hosting? Do you do all your own food and drinks on top of all this decorating? You must have super powers!


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Finished out my scene for that memento mori wall today. Close up with candles









Madeline Usher laid out in the crypt This is Haunting Helsa from Grandin Road.









I'm thinking about painting her hans red but I'm not sure if I would ruin them if try to remove it later. Has anyone tried that? I realize her hands were red with blood from scratching her way out of her coffin. I tried using this Spirit collapsible coffin but it looked too small (not life size). I thought she looked more elegant just laying out on the table. Oh to have Saki.girl's coffin!


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## SpookyFairy (Aug 17, 2015)

Love everything you've done so far! Can't wait to see more progress!


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## revengemaiden (Sep 4, 2014)

Dayam! The Memento Mori scene is wicked cool! What room is this going in?

You never cease to impress me!


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## revengemaiden (Sep 4, 2014)

dawnski said:


> This is the first year I've actually started decorating in July. I've had some chronic pain for awhile so I find doing a little at a time helps me out. Haunters, don't get old, LOL. Here's the bottom view entering our basement. Middle picture is animated art with moving spider.
> 
> View attachment 552031
> 
> ...


I really like some of the scene setters -- they are inexpensive, but pack a big impact. I used the red & black Haunted Mansion scene setter for a Haunted Mansion party I threw a couple of years ago.

I like your ghostly figure. I have begun AtmosFearX Ghostly Apparitions : Halloween Projection Digital Decorations. They are really cool and, as my projector is pretty decent quality, they show up in low light. I picked up a few more unusual projection apparitions at a Halloween Convention last year and I love, love, love them.

These are the AtmosFearX projections: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GV5oBX11Qy8

Can't wait to see your progress. How many rooms are you decorating?


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Memento Mori is in my basement. All of these decorated areas so far are in the basement. I'm decorating a family room (Ebeneezer Scrooge and Jacob Marley), living room (Edgar Allan Poe), dining room (Miss Havisham), kitchen (Phantom of the Opera), 2 bathrooms and the basement (House of Usher, Frankenstein, spiritualism and overall gothic Victorian style



revengemaiden said:


> Dayam! The Memento Mori scene is wicked cool! What room is this going in?
> 
> You never cease to impress me!


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

I've been working on pictures the last few days. Some are framed, some are hard stock paper. 

















A lot of the art is regular Victorian era photos with depressing quotes. This quote was part of Vincent Van Gogh's suicide note









I printed these out and filled in the silhouettes with black marker to make the images "pop" more.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

I found images of truly disturbing clay. It's so visceral. I'm planning on hanging these up in one of our bathrooms. Nothing worse than a bunch of eyeballs staring back at you in the bathroom.









Found this adorable mini candelabra at Goodwill. Can't wait to paint it.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Revenge Maiden, I'm planning on using the AtmosFX Ghostly Apparitions in the doorway of my office, if it works out. And I'll have the Haunted Portraits playing at our bar. I love those 2 DVDs. I'm going to try and have the Creepy Crawlies cockroaches playing on the Miss Havisham wedding table but I'm not sure if I can make it work. The projector would have to attach to our chandelier--must experiment with that. If not, I might see if I can project it onto the wedding dress.

For a previous haunted hotel party, I had the Ghostly Apparitions projected across an entire wall. That looked awesome and really wowed our guests.


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## revengemaiden (Sep 4, 2014)

dawnski said:


> Revenge Maiden, I'm planning on using the AtmosFX Ghostly Apparitions in the doorway of my office, if it works out. And I'll have the Haunted Portraits playing at our bar. I love those 2 DVDs. I'm going to try and have the Creepy Crawlies cockroaches playing on the Miss Havisham wedding table but I'm not sure if I can make it work. The projector would have to attach to our chandelier--must experiment with that. If not, I might see if I can project it onto the wedding dress.
> 
> For a previous haunted hotel party, I had the Ghostly Apparitions projected across an entire wall. That looked awesome and really wowed our guests.


Wow! You never cease to impress me -- you have so many great ideas and such seasoned experience. I purchased a great Lady in the Library, a Haunted Pirate Ship, a Ghostly Hearse and a Phantom of the Park from Spectral Illusions. Immediate digital download and they fit my then Haunted Mansion theme.

I also lost the digital copies and emailed them two years later -- and they sent me copies again! I cannot recommend their customer service enough.

Here is the link:

http://www.spectralillusions.com/effects/haunted-library-with-prudence

Just in case you need any additional ghostly projections! LOL.

BTW, what digital projector do you use?

RM


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## revengemaiden (Sep 4, 2014)

dawnski said:


> Memento Mori is in my basement. All of these decorated areas so far are in the basement. I'm decorating a family room (Ebeneezer Scrooge and Jacob Marley), living room (Edgar Allan Poe), dining room (Miss Havisham), kitchen (Phantom of the Opera), 2 bathrooms and the basement (House of Usher, Frankenstein, spiritualism and overall gothic Victorian style


I am quoting this so I can refer back to it as your decorating progresses. LOL.

So, is the Scrooge & Marley family room going to have a haunted Christmas feel as well? A creepy tree or spooky snow or decrepit gifts or stockings? Large chains? 

BTW, love your ghastly Victorian framed prints. The silhouettes are fantastic! Are these going in various rooms? 

Still LOVE LOVE LOVE what you did in the basement Memento Mori room!

RM


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Some recent spray paint projects. I like the double sided tree top family tree. So cute and perfect for a table where guests are sitting on both sides.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Some Goodwill finds. Wall candle holders and what will turn out to be a kneeler for my mourning scene.


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## Miss4x4 (Aug 2, 2013)

Part of my Victorian Funeral Parlor


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

That looks real cool Miss4x4. I like the curtains going all the way around.


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## VictorCreed (Jun 28, 2018)

Looks super cool and the vibe is really great!


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

I love when an idea works out for me. I picked up a ghost girl from the At Home store last Halloween with the idea to make a 3D haunted portrait. Found the perfect fabric cheap at Joann and voila. This was so simple to make. I put up a brief tutorial on it here https://www.halloweenforum.com/halloween-props/197629-3d-haunted-portrait.html


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## revengemaiden (Sep 4, 2014)

Ok, seriously?!?! This 3D portrait is amaze-balls! 

How do you continue to top yourself????


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Happened across an estate sale today and scored big. $20 a bag got me a bunch of Dickens collection books and other Victorian era books plus other items. 2 for $5 on those dark grey pillars. There's so much cobwebbing on it--I'm hoping it stays like that til the party LOL! I managed to snag 2 of these outdoor lamp, fan lights for $30 ea. My God, that's the price of a small animated Halloween prop at Spirit. I am in love, it's so Victorian looking for my party. I had hoped to get it in our basement but they are too tall. They will either be in our backyard or family room depending on the weather. I'd love to do our absinthe tasting on this table if I can make it work.

Big thanks to the hubby to drive his butt to the sale and take these apart for me. We are both steampunk fans and these are just our style for everyday use.


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## revengemaiden (Sep 4, 2014)

Boy, did YOU score! Some amazing stuff. Love the pillars and the fans. 

I have never seen anything that cool or Halloween plausible at a garage sale / estate sale around my neighborhood. 

I must live in the wrong neighborhood! 

Can't wait to see how you use your new treasures!


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Made some gothic Victorian style ornaments today!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Read every single page. Great ideas & beautiful construction


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Thanks Kdestra, you are a trooper to go through it all!



Kdestra said:


> Read every single page. Great ideas & beautiful construction


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Working on my Edgar Allan Poe room. I wanted to recreate the Tell Tale Heart story with the corpse under the floorboards. I'm not sure how many people would understand the reference (sadly not everyone has a love of gothic literature). I ended up creating a micro story in the slats of my floorboards. I'll have 2 chairs on the opposite side of the couch. I like the idea of the guests basically reenacting the police scene of the story when they sit here.


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## Spooky McWho (Jul 25, 2013)

You are doing such an amazing job! I am enjoying following you as your are getting everything together for your party. The Tell Tale Heart is my favorite Poe story and I love how you've incorporated it and added the story into it for those who might not be familiar. I have also been spending a lot of time going through your haunted hotel thread as that is my theme for this year. Great inspiration to be found there for sure!


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Thanks Spooky McWho, appreciate that! I loved the hotel theme. You'll have so much fun with it. Here's my massive collection of haunted hotel pins https://www.pinterest.com/zim2/halloween-haunted-hotel/ PM me anytime if you want to bounce off some ideas.

QUOTE=Spooky McWho;2460233]You are doing such an amazing job! I am enjoying following you as your are getting everything together for your party. The Tell Tale Heart is my favorite Poe story and I love how you've incorporated it and added the story into it for those who might not be familiar. I have also been spending a lot of time going through your haunted hotel thread as that is my theme for this year. Great inspiration to be found there for sure![/QUOTE]


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

You really need to make a road trip here to the east coast. 

1 Start in Richmond Va - Poe’s home city (he was adopted by wealthy Virginians “The Allans”
Check out The Poe Museum 

2 Drive to Baltimore & visit his grave
There is a Poe house here - it’s not the best

3 Philadelphia visit Poe House where he wrote the Black Cat. 

4 Boston Massachusetts paid tribute to Poe with an amazing statue. FYI - Poe hated Boston (city where his mother died & father ditched him). 
"The Tell-Tale Heart" was first published in the Boston-based magazine 

Then if you have time drive to Salem. It’s only about 20 Miles. 





dawnski said:


> Working on my Edgar Allan Poe room. I wanted to recreate the Tell Tale Heart story with the corpse under the floorboards. I'm not sure how many people would understand the reference (sadly not everyone has a love of gothic literature). I ended up creating a micro story in the slats of my floorboards. I'll have 2 chairs on the opposite side of the couch. I like the idea of the guests basically reenacting the police scene of the story when they sit here.
> 
> View attachment 556855
> 
> ...


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## revengemaiden (Sep 4, 2014)

Love the Poe "Tell-Tale" Heart floorboards! Can't wait to see the rest of the EAPoe room.

The Gothic ornaments are epic! Can't wait to see how you display them.

I am getting very excited for Halloween!


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Kdestra, out of all I've only made it to Baltimore to view his grave. A very quaint, tiny cemetery right in the middle of downtown.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

I don't think I included this link. I've been having fun making those 3D style haunted portraits so I made a separate post on that. https://www.halloweenforum.com/halloween-props/197629-3d-haunted-portrait.html#post2462145 A nice way to take a lame prop and makes it look so much better. I've had this little fella for a long time. He only got to hang on a door knob--boring! But now, POP! I plan to put him in my Phantom of the Opera kitchen as a centerpiece for our island. That is, if I can make him fit with all the food up there.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

My husband is an enabler. I love Big Lots' animated haunted books prop. For $20 you can't go wrong to have books moving in and out. The hubby checks it out and says, you should buy a bunch of those to have a whole row of moving books. Yes please! I've ordered three and plan to change up the book bindings. Here's the link so you don't miss out on a cool prop. Plan to have these in the Poe room.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

dawnski said:


> Kdestra, out of all I've only made it to Baltimore to view his grave. A very quaint, tiny cemetery right in the middle of downtown.


We live in N Virginia so it’s easy to travel up and down the coast. Baltimore is 45mins from here. We’ve been to the grave many times. 

Not the best photo of the Poe Statue in Boston


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

https://www.bostonmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/2014/10/06/edgar-allan-poe-comes-back-boston/


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Thanks for sharing. The artist did a beautiful job. She really captured the essence of his work. You can tell a lot of thought went into this piece.



Kdestra said:


> https://www.bostonmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/2014/10/06/edgar-allan-poe-comes-back-boston/


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

So excited for this Goodwill find today. And at 5', it's taller than the way more expensive one I broke down and bought at Pier 1. As they say, "You can never have enough floor candelabras." I added some of my hot glue, toilet paper candles to this and it looks so wonderfully gothic. I can't wait to see this lit up for the party.


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## phobiafriends (Aug 21, 2018)

These look so awesome!


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## unlovedpoet (Aug 10, 2016)

Kdestra said:


> You really need to make a road trip here to the east coast.
> 
> 1 Start in Richmond Va - Poe’s home city (he was adopted by wealthy Virginians “The Allans”
> Check out The Poe Museum
> ...


You can't forget the Casemate Museum at Fort Monroe in Hampton, VA! They have a small Poe section from when he was stationed at the Fort.


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## revengemaiden (Sep 4, 2014)

dawnski said:


> So excited for this Goodwill find today. And at 5', it's taller than the way more expensive one I broke down and bought at Pier 1. As they say, "You can never have enough floor candelabras." I added some of my hot glue, toilet paper candles to this and it looks so wonderfully gothic. I can't wait to see this lit up for the party.
> 
> View attachment 557963
> 
> ...


Wow! You found that at Goodwill? We never have anything that good at Goodwill. 

However, I may get lucky on Craig's List. I found a Morticia Addams Peacock chair once on Craig's List...

Your Victorian Gothic Halloween is coming along nicely!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

unlovedpoet said:


> You can't forget the Casemate Museum at Fort Monroe in Hampton, VA! They have a small Poe section from when he was stationed at the Fort.


Jefferson Davis was prisoner there after the civil war ended. 

Last time I was there - they only had a cardboard cut out of Poe & not much else. I was underwhelmed


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## unlovedpoet (Aug 10, 2016)

Kdestra said:


> Jefferson Davis was prisoner there after the civil war ended.
> 
> Last time I was there - they only had a cardboard cut out of Poe & not much else. I was underwhelmed


They've had a mannequin scene for years now that features a young Poe at a desk writing away with a didactic about his time at the Casemate and his later career. I agree that there is not much there, but it is still a historically interesting place to visit and a fun stop for a Poe fan.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

I'm almost embarrassed to show this. I was able to sell some Halloween props I'm no longer using and I bought this for the front lawn. Not an inflatable fan but this one stood out for me. i think the guests will dig it.


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## Saki.Girl (Aug 22, 2012)

dawnski said:


> I'm almost embarrassed to show this. I was able to sell some Halloween props I'm no longer using and I bought this for the front lawn. Not an inflatable fan but this one stood out for me. i think the guests will dig it.
> 
> View attachment 559281


that is cool


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Picked up this dusty, old floral arrangement off FB marketplace today. Not sure if I want to spray paint it up or leave it as is. Wonderfully Victorian feel to it.


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## unlovedpoet (Aug 10, 2016)

dawnski said:


> Picked up this dusty, old floral arrangement off FB marketplace today. Not sure if I want to spray paint it up or leave it as is. Wonderfully Victorian feel to it.
> 
> View attachment 559595


I say leave it as is! It's hard to replicate that faded dusty color.


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## Muffy (Sep 25, 2006)

Dawnski what an entertaining thread you have here...really enjoyed reading through it and can't wait until you show it!


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Well I couldn't resist tinkering with this floral arrangement. Left out the vines and a few other sprigs. Hidden within, after some cleaning up, I found these wonderful mustard colored flowers which I put in the front. Spray painted the urn. Then I took select sprigs and spray painted them black, cranberry and magenta. Really pleased with the results. The new colors are quite vivid and add an elegant touch to this Victorian style bouquet.


















dawnski said:


> Picked up this dusty, old floral arrangement off FB marketplace today. Not sure if I want to spray paint it up or leave it as is. Wonderfully Victorian feel to it.
> 
> View attachment 559595


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

It was a cooler day outside so I am burning through my projects. Found some Goodwill frames. The house frame just screamed, "Buy me!" I filled it with John Kenn art. The other frame is being used for my Phantom of the Opera kitchen area.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

I've had this decorative birdhouse forever. It was an ugly green color. I used black gloss spray paint, but I think I should have gone with the matte.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

I know this is going to be one of my favorite pieces for this party. I've been holding onto these Sleepy Hollow action figures for a long time. They've been in a storage container because I never found a good way to display them. But this little shadowbox stand turned out perfect. I found a scary forest wallpaper to put in as a back drop. Now my mini Johnny Depp and Christopher Walken can be on display all year. On a side note, Walken's head comes off but I know if I separate it, I'm going to lose it.

View attachment 559921
View attachment 559923


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## Muffy (Sep 25, 2006)

Dawnski I am not very creative at all but I thank you for all the ideas I got from what you do with your small pieces. They look great!


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Muffy, I am not very handy with tools, but you can do a lot with spray paint and the right thrift store item. 



Muffy said:


> Dawnski I am not very creative at all but I thank you for all the ideas I got from what you do with your small pieces. They look great!


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## Hearthfire (Aug 14, 2017)

Hey. I’m just dropping by to see if y’all think there’s anything I can do to spooky this up. I bought it at a thrift store and thought and thought it needed some help


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## printersdevil (Sep 7, 2009)

Those are gorgeous as is IMHO. Maybe just some spider webs stretched around the corners.


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## Tannasgach (Nov 1, 2009)

Dawnski, just catching up on your thread - it's like watching a creative genius at work! I know your crazy busy but really appreciate the time you take to post your progress. Outstanding ideas, amazing displays and fun creative projects!


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Hi Hearthfire, I think the pic is great as it is. It's the items that you surround it with that will make it spooky. If this is hanging wall art, I would rather lean it up against a wall on a console table and surround it with Victorian style lenticulars, tacky stick a spider or two and a spooky bust, plus webbing. That will create a spooky little display.



Hearthfire said:


> Hey. I’m just dropping by to see if y’all think there’s anything I can do to spooky this up. I bought it at a thrift store and thought and thought it needed some help
> View attachment 560439
> View attachment 560437


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## Hearthfire (Aug 14, 2017)

Y’all are awesome! Thank you for the great suggestions.


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## gailcoffee (Sep 1, 2018)

dawnski said:


> If anyone is interested, I found an artist named Marion Peck who does slightly creepy portraits. Good if you're trying to fill in a wall, add googly eyes, etc. http://www.marionpeck.com/paintings/2006/emily.html
> 
> View attachment 535466
> 
> ...


Love to find new artists. Thanks for sharing. 
Mab Graves also has some wonderful artwork






.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

No reveal pics yet. We're doing some renovations in the house. Purchased a bunch of ceiling lights and now I have all this styrofoam. Seems like a waste not to do something with it. I'm going to try and make a mausoleum wall in a dead space area with some of the flat panels. And maybe extend the height of a couple of my indoor gravestones. I try to take advantage of any free materials that come my way.

Doing a bath and kitchen lighting remodel that is taking FOREVER. A supposed 15 day project is now two months long and counting. Construction dust everywhere--my allergies are out of control. Finally getting some professional cleaners in to help me out next week. Then it's time to start jumping into the decorations. Hopefully more to post later.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Forgot, hubby did take this artful photo of our Edgar Allan Poe living room


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

In a previous post on this thread I had come into a bunch of white styrofoam. Decided I would make a Fall of the House of Usher crypt to go opposite my Madeline Usher scene. I had a bunch of smaller styrofoam squares. I gorilla glued these to the center of the big squares. I cut a few in half to create a shelf. Didn't want to go to the trouble of painting all of them so I opted for a black light scene. This allowed me to simply print out the names because the paper will glow in black light (and I can re-use these with different names next time).









I think you'll all agree that black tarp wall is just bleh. I recently bought 100 yds of 10 grade cheesecloth for $46 https://www.onlinefabricstore.net/grade-10-cheesecloth-100-yard-box-.htm My whole house is going to be cheesecloth by the time I'm done. I took a whole bunch and used two packs of RIT Whitener dye to make it glow in black light. I used these as wall panels. Then I cut thin strips to hang for a more textured look. 

I cut cracks in all the foam boards and filled in with white black light paint. The story shows how the Usher family is so corrupt that the stones of the house itself are evil and decaying. The Usher names are from the movie. I'll have to take a close up pic but the stones also say the terrible deeds they did, as Roderick Usher recounts in the movie. Added some tea lights and lit doll heads/hands for added creepiness.

View attachment 564699










Off to the side I had no real wall but I do have hanging ceiling. I picked up a Spirit Halloween coffin on sale. It is too flimsy for most things but works great for hanging. So I put a hanging prop in there. Pleased with how that turned out. I'll have to make her more black light friendly later.

I had absolutely no plan when I put this together. And now it's probably going to be a highlight photo op area for my guests. I love when a space reveals itself to you.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Finished my Jack the Ripper prop. Boy, this guy vexed me. First I was going to make a full size stand up. Then I wanted to make a frame with him coming out of it, fully clothed. I couldn't make anything work. Inspiration finally struck to make him ghostly as if coming out of the wall. That allowed me to secure all my parts directly to the wall and not have to worry about a full costume.

Here's what I did if you like this prop. One large frame. One hanging head. Pick up the Grandinroad creepy hands with lanterns (currently 30% off sale) https://www.grandinroad.com/creepy-hands-with-lanterns-2c-set-of-two/905506?&&prank=1 - I took the back off the frame and used a staple gun to secure the hanging head. Make sure you have enough length so the head sits straight when against a wall.









Found a Victorian style curtain at Goodwill and pinned to wall. Had a dickey (partial shirt and tie) to hide his neck. Use any material for that. I secured the hands to the wall. The I got black material which I shredded and draped around the hands and head. I used push pins to make it look more like an outer coat. I also used push pins to make it appear he has shoulders. The positioning helps create the illusion that the arms are where they should be in relation to his body.

He has glowing eyes. I'm hoping to secure a knife in one of the hands by party time.


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## gailcoffee (Sep 1, 2018)

You are incredibly talented. I love the finished product on "Jack the Ripper". Truly one of a kind and so professional looking. Bravo!


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Here is my foyer area. I managed to scavenge all this purple material throughout the year. 









I absolutely love my Boaris Karloff, my wild boar. Can you believe the hubby won't let me keep it up all year? What a party pooper. I'm hoping to make a monocle for him.

















This is an area in my basement. Wish I had bought 2 of these Target tablecloths. It looks great as wallpaper.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Guys, I didn't know I needed this in my life. But my Victorian style Halloween tree is going to stay up for Christmas too. I love it so much. It's a mix of clear glass ornaments, Victorian style ornaments, gothic images in white frames, purple accents and some Halloween ornaments. This makes me so happy inside.


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## gailcoffee (Sep 1, 2018)

I hope you entered your Jack the Ripper display in the Grandin Road Halloween contest, open until October 18th.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Thanks for the idea, I'll check it out.



gailcoffee said:


> I hope you entered your Jack the Ripper display in the Grandin Road Halloween contest, open until October 18th.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Upscaled my Big Lots moving books. Such a big difference!


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Finally got my fireplace facade put up. Wish my cardboard was a little taller but not a big deal. The bookcase also includes some fake books with a jumping spider.









This tree area is not complete. I'm going to have Scrooge and Jacob Marley in this area. Marley is not cooperating with me for the time being.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Scene above our front door. She is so stinking cute. My daughter appreciates that she doesn't have to look at something scary each time she walks down our staircase.









Cheesecloth chandelier - First year I'm working with cheesecloth and I absolutely love it. Creates a mood much better than the standard cobwebs.


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## DeadED (Oct 12, 2010)

dawnski said:


> Finished my Jack the Ripper prop. Boy, this guy vexed me. First I was going to make a full size stand up. Then I wanted to make a frame with him coming out of it, fully clothed. I couldn't make anything work. Inspiration finally struck to make him ghostly as if coming out of the wall. That allowed me to secure all my parts directly to the wall and not have to worry about a full costume.
> 
> Here's what I did if you like this prop. One large frame. One hanging head. Pick up the Grandinroad creepy hands with lanterns (currently 30% off sale) https://www.grandinroad.com/creepy-hands-with-lanterns-2c-set-of-two/905506?&&prank=1 - I took the back off the frame and used a staple gun to secure the hanging head. Make sure you have enough length so the head sits straight when against a wall.
> 
> ...


Consider this idea stolen.... by me


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

DeadEd, if you do it, I would love to see it. I have a thread for 3D haunted frames here https://www.halloweenforum.com/halloween-props/197629-3d-haunted-portrait-2.html#post2482007


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Finally finished my Jacob Marley for the Christmas Carol scene. I had him on a standing PVC pole but he looked real blah. Not that frightful, floating phantasm I wanted. Decided to use a flag pole on our wall. I used only half the pole. He's 9' high and impressive with all the cheesecloth hanging down. Tall enough for you to stand under him for a photo op. I like that he looks like he's coming out of the wall. Scrooge will eventually be seated in a chair across from him.


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## bettyboop (Jul 24, 2010)

Anyone else having trouble seeing the Attachments? I can't open.


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## bettyboop (Jul 24, 2010)

Wow, as usual you are knocking it out of the park! I love following your threads.


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## LouNroxLuv (Sep 15, 2014)

I love what you did to the big lots books. I have the same ones but yours looks so much better like that. I really like the area aboce your door as well.


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## Tannasgach (Nov 1, 2009)

Marley looks great up there! Also like the creepy toys around the tree.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Usually I won't be able to see the pics on my end if something went wrong, but I can see them here. Perhaps you were logged out before?



bettyboop said:


> Anyone else having trouble seeing the Attachments? I can't open.


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## Saki.Girl (Aug 22, 2012)

dawnski said:


> Guys, I didn't know I needed this in my life. But my Victorian style Halloween tree is going to stay up for Christmas too. I love it so much. It's a mix of clear glass ornaments, Victorian style ornaments, gothic images in white frames, purple accents and some Halloween ornaments. This makes me so happy inside.
> 
> View attachment 566207
> View attachment 566209
> ...


Everything is looking amazing girl and i love the tree


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## Saki.Girl (Aug 22, 2012)

bettyboop said:


> Anyone else having trouble seeing the Attachments? I can't open.


it could be your browser you are using


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

A bunch of crafts I made for the party.

These were Pride, Prejudice and Zombies postcards. I bought 2 sets and made 3D art out of them.















Don't think I posted this one. I picked up some ugly butterfly frames at a garage sale and did a total redo









I use this magnifying glass for every party. This year I found some Poe art that actually was concave so it was perfect.









These bottles were begging to be bought. Add labels


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Phantom of the Opera room - This is the main view when you walk into the room.









Basement entrance - I love this door full of sad children by artist Marion Peck. Yes, some of the art has googly eyes. Need to add some humor here and there.









All those toilet roll candles paid off. I have them all over the house plus it made a nice centerpiece. The base is cake display I picked up at a thrift store plus a non-working clock that I spray painted to match.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

I'm dressing goth for this party with a long black dress and spider web style netting. I wanted a really "wow" piece to go with it. I decided to make a headdress. Not bad for a first attempt. The images are from artist Joseph Vargo. I did a kind of how to here if you're interested: https://www.halloweenforum.com/hall...00019-goth-goddess-headdress.html#post2486535

My Ligeia is modeling for me.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Some more projects finished. The headless horseman turned out way better than I expected. I plan to have him old an ax in one hand, and if possible, a severed head in the other. The breastplate was from a 300 costume that was spray painted. The head rotates and talks.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

I put my ghost girl frame in the hallway to our "coat check" along with a console table. A few dolls, photos of Victorian children and an old lady lenticular. Added branches, cobwebs and lighting to up the creep factor. I like to tell stories when decorating. It gives the impression that the woman was a headmistress of some kind. This was tough area to take photos properly.







View attachment 571215


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

This was a fun piece.


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## GimpMama (Oct 15, 2018)

Awesome!
I cannot wait to start building my projects for next year and you have given me some ideas!


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Finalized our drink specials


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Finished putting together our scavenger hunt. All of the kids and up to some of the college aged students like to do this. I make them search through our props for clues and information. It takes them about a half hour at the most. Then they can choose prizes at the end.


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## bettyboop (Jul 24, 2010)

Fun game!!


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

We usually get 60-70 people but this year we are up to 110, yikes!! Also it might rain so the overflow might not go out to our backyard. Need to do some emergency decorating in our garage. Gak!


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## bettyboop (Jul 24, 2010)

that's a lot of people!!!


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## Allamy (Nov 4, 2018)

I loved “walking” through your set up. What a beautiful, creative set up. Thanks for sharing.


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## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

Genius idea with the books!!


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## spiney99 (Nov 1, 2010)

WOW!! I just had the absolute pleasure of looking at this post from the first page on. Do you happen to have a complete walkthrough on Video (If I missed it I apologize, I am just awestruck with the amount of work that you have undertaken)!

Incredible and amazing job. Your guests should understand just how lucky they are that you have shared your talents with them. The monumental amount of work is amazing. Really really nice job


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Spiney99, finally ready to post some party pics. I will never top this year. We've had guests enjoy my previous parties but they were completely blown away this year. Wasn't sure if people would get into the gothic Victorian theme but wow, did they ever! I can honestly say that our guests had an "experience." They treated it like a museum checking out everything. We had guests comment on the storytelling and the amount of detail involved, how long it took to set up, that I should set up a business for myself, etc. I was so happy to see everyone having such a good time. I'm going to try and go room by room on these party pics.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Front entrance - When you walk in there is a small foyer/hallway. This is what people see when they walk in.

















I had tons of these pictures all over the house. But I am paying the price. I have flat paint and the tacky stuff left oil marks everywhere, ugh!









This is my Boar named Boaris Karloff. Kids had to find his nameplate as part of my scavenger hunt.









This was the sign on the door when people exited the house.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

To the left of our front door is my office. This is Edgar Allan Poe's Tomb of Ligeia room.

View attachment 577777
View attachment 577779


View attachment 577781


You might see some duplicate props from an earlier post. We ended up having 125 guests. I was humbled by how many wanted to come this year (the most I've had was 80). So this room and our garage were last minute additions to help with overflow. A couple people asked what this room was so I guess I did a good job hiding all the office equipment.

View attachment 577783


View attachment 577785


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

This photo shows how the office leads into the hallway where Boaris is located.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

The living room is the Edgar Allan Poe room. The art on the wall and the globe are part of our normal decor, but they went perfect with the theme. I ought to leave that candelabra up all year round.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

The Raven poem was taped onto the Spirit Halloween animated spell book. Those doing the scavenger hunt were instructed to clap and see if Poe might make his presence known. The pen would move and the books on the bookshelf would move. The guests had "little kid" moments with this scene, it really tickled their imagination.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Edgar's living room leads into the Great Expectations room with Miss Havisham and young Pip. I didn't get a pic of it, but I had a mirror off to an angle next to the bride. Across the room was a projector with AtmosFX creepy crawlies special effects. Because of the angle, the insects were able to project onto the mirror which would then reflect up to the ceiling as well as on the bride. It was a neat effect. This was one of many areas where guess would tell us that they thought they had seen a room, then would walk in a second time and catch more details.









This is actually my old wedding dress. Ran out of time on Miss Havisham's face. I had a white vampire lady mask and it simply disappeared. Still can't find it. But I found these face stickers for the prop.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

I bought a giant box of size 10 cheesecloth from the Onlinefabricstore. Definitely came to use in this room. The dessert table served as Miss Havisham's wedding table.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

I have a feeling those Tomb of Ligeia pics didn't show up so I'm posting them again here.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

The family room was Dickens' The Christmas Carol with Scrooge and Jacob Marley. We added a flag pole to the wall for a better spectral look.

































The mantel had two talking busts and some fake books with a spider that jumped out. For anyone that hasn't read thru this thread, this is a false back to the fireplace wall. We have some large art that didn't go with the theme. It's a giant piece of cardboard with a gothic style tablecloth and black bunting. We added screws to the side of the fireplace to tie it up. I painted the artwork of the funeral scene.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

The Christmas tree had "gifts" underneath. As part of the scavenger hunt, guests were instructed to write down what was in the jack in the box. As they kneeled down and turned the crank, they also unwittingly activated all the animated toys.

















Finally, a theme that went well with all our vintage magician art. People actually asked us if we purchased them just for the party.

















Our entertainment center had different Victorian style items on each shelf. These photos are of my grandparents as children and of their wedding.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

This room had a very nice display on top of our entertainment center of a mummy and more steampunk items. Forgot to get a photo of this in regular lighting.

















A full view of Scrooge looking up at Jacob Marley. Under his chair, I also had a frame with an image of the 2 of them and a quote from Scrooge. "You may be a bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a fragment of an underdone potato. There's more of gravy than of the grave about you, whatever you are!"


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

This was a creepy doll art wall near our bathroom.









Our bathrooms had Victorian signs on the doors.









I didn't want to leave out H.P. Lovecraft so I dedicated our powder room to the old ones. This room is painted in a very dark berry. Makes it great as a black light room. Art is printed on bright white paper. This room looks cooler in person. Hard to take photos in the confined space. Quote on wall said, "The Old Ones were, the Old Ones are and the Old Ones shall be. Not in the spaces we know, but between them. They walk serene and primal, undimensioned and to us unseen."


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

The dessert table - guests brought the desserts. The buffet table catered. The Phantom of the Opera room got put together just before the party. Forgot to take non-party pics. The two entrances into the kitchen had red curtains. Our double pantry door was hidden by a gothic photo backdrop--really completed the look of the room. The frames on the cabinet doors were plastic gothic frames from Dollar Tree (they had skulls on them). I replaced with Phantom art. The gothic window had a Phantom of the Opera mask, not shown here.

























These toilet roll candles looked fantastic. I had them in many areas of the house but they looked so impressive together. Several people commented on them and couldn't believe it was a simple craft project. Well simple but time consuming!


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

This was the backdrop I used in the kitchen. You can find it on Amazon if you do a search for gothic photo backdrop. If you can imagine, there were red curtains everywhere.









One of the curtains from the kitchen leading into the dining room.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

This is the entrance leading down into the basement. Darn, I just realized I never took a photo leading down the stairs. I had some hanging talking busts and a bunch of wall candelabras.









This is the basement bathroom. I had a second moving eye portrait in here. For the party the eye were lit up from behind. Looked pretty cool.

















One of the candelabras--this was an excellent Goodwill find many years ago.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

This is what you see when you reach the basement. To the left is that Spirit Halloween animated spider art.









View of the bar. I had a Spectral Illusions haunted house simulated ride on repeat all night. We had many drink specials. The candied hibiscus flower and champagne drink went crazy fast. People sampled everything.









This was our set up for the absinthe tasting. My husband did this for one hour. Four would sit down while he described the history of absinthe. People got into the whole ritual of setting up their drink with the sugar cube and letting the water drip down. A crowd gathered the whole time to watch and see how guests liked the drink. Guests seemed to be impressed by this bit of entertainment. It definitely gave an air of authenticity to the Victorian era. If you would like this for your party, here was the cheapest absinthe fountain I found. It's made of glass and looks very nice. https://barsupplies.com/absinthe-fountain-glass-4-spout.html


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Some detail shots near the bar. We already owned those head cornices but they went with the party.

















This area is next to our bathroom. It was a mirror haunted portrait.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Long view of our basement entertainment area. We have two TVs. They are synced together. During the party I played Fall of the House of Usher and Tomb of Ligeia with Vincent Price. I also played Hammer's Curse of Frankenstein and Dracula has Risen from the Grave.

















Yass, my moving eye portrait art looked fantastic. She was dead center and no matter where you walked, her gaze followed you. I had a little bell with a framed note asking people to ring to summon her spirit. When you did, the animated urn would activate.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Some details from this area. I usually don't like to add spider webs but this theme definitely called for it. Looked good with the lighting.

















AtmosFX Haunted Portraits was playing all night in the corner. Always a crowd pleaser.

















I had wanted to put a pair of gardening shears in her neck, like from the movie the Ghost of Mr. Chicken with Don Knotts. But the backboard was difficult and I ran out of time. Added spider webbing instead.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Couple detail shots


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

This was one of my favorite areas. As part of the scavenger hunt, people would sit down and ring the bell to summon the spirit. A sign offered, Solitary Seance, ring the bell to summon the spirit. Then the animated spirit board would talk and spell out a message. The double framed pictures of children suggested those were the ghosts being summoned. Some guests never bothered to check these areas out and were surprised when people began to sit down and interact with the table. Guests doing the hunt also had to go to the bartender and say, "Quoth the raven." He would answer, "Nevermore" and hand them a black feather.

The Frankenstein prop is the Gemmy frankenstein. I put the Universal mask over it's head. I use it as a stationery prop and I like the classic look over the Gemmy face. I planned to have him more formally dressed but ran out of time.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Corner of basement with my Jack the Ripper wall art. It transitions into my House of Usher room. Material was hiding some of our window wells. Added cardboard to help block out the light.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Additional photos - These are goth style pillows I already had by the artist Ruben Ireland. I would say our themed costume guests were evenly mixed Gothic Victorian and Goths.

















One of the Jack the Ripper bulletins on our wall.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Here is the "selfie" wall where most people took photos. The two entrances into this area had purple curtains with black floral pullbacks.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

The crypt of the House of Usher. Amazing how white styrofoam and a little bit of black light paint could look so good under black light. Truly the most bang for the least amount of work on a prop for this party.

The wall had an info card containing the speech from Vincent Price in the Fall of the House of Usher movie. He describes how the land here was fertile until a plague of evil descended across the land--the Usher family. The history of the Ushers is a history of savage degradations. It's a great speech. It sets the tone for the individual Usher crypt stones. In the movie, Vincent Price names all the depravities. I added these on the stones. These names were on the crypts in the film.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Other crypt titles


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

The resting place of Madeline Usher.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

The Black Cat was in our basement window well. It's become a favorite place for me to decorate. An info card on the wall explained the story. For the scavenger hunt, guests had to find the cat's name on her collar. This would activate the cat into moving and screeching.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

An area of the basement I think I missed. The clock has found its way into every party.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

The front yard included the Headless horseman. So happy I found a way for him to hold onto the head. The headless Ichabod Crane was off to the side. The inflatable looked impressive. Really loved it. Unfortunately, my husband got lazy and didn't want to turn off the inflatable or the lighting. In the morning it shifted, burned into the lighting and now I have 2 softball sized holes in it. Ugh!! Gorilla tape is not holding. Lucikly it's in the black area. I'm thinking of trying to sew umbrella material over it and then taping. If anyone has a suggestion, let me know.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

The backyard is always more of last minute decorating job as the Midwest weather is hard to predict. We have a lot of seating and many of the guests hung outside. The paddle fan pub tables were a hit. As was my John Doe who stepped in for Edgar Allan Poe's story, The Case of M. Valdemar. A definite read if you don't know the story. Once again his rising corpse scared the bejesus out of some unsuspecting guests.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

A few night time photos


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Because I'm a glutton for punishment (and I promised a little neighborhood boy I would do it), I moved some of the props into the garage for a quickie garage haunt on Halloween. I posted in our HOA Facebook page. Estimate I got about 80 kids. I know people liked it because some people actually drove over and said their neighbors told them to come by. Lot of family pics. I set up the front with my two "ladies" as a photo station but most people wanted pictures with my Madeline Usher prop.

For those doing cheapo garage haunts like me, I liked this set up with the 1/3 tarp partition and the rest open. I've done the full diorama and the maze walk thru. With the diorama, kids can see the whole thing and some would decide not to go in. With the maze where everything is hidden, more kids would not go in--especially the older kids who I think were worried how it would look to their friends if they got scared. But this one showed enough but also had a little hidden, enough to pique their curiosity. No one does a haunt or has any decent outdoor decorations in our subdivision as well as the surrounding area that I know of. The kids and adults enjoyed it so I was happy to spread some Halloween cheer.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Well peeps, that's the end of this party. We do one every other year. 2020 will be Back to the 80s which has everyone excited. After the rave reviews from our guests, I've got a lot of work ahead of me. If planning goes the way I want it, I want a Take on Me hallway with photo opportunity (the black and white world and real world collide). I want to make a Terminator, Hellraiser and Freddy area. There's going to be a Caddyshack bar, an ode to geek parties basement (Lamda, Lamda, Lamda Revenge of the Nerds, Sixteen Candles, etc), a prom room (Prom Night Footloose, Carrie, Thriller, Pretty in Pink), a Stephen King homage room, Beetlejuice waiting room, Ghostbusters room and garage entrance through a cabin containing Evil Dead, Jason and Michael Meyers. Bill and Ted will probably make an appearance and I might squeeze in Poltergeist, some Batman and possibly Star Wars. And I'd love to have a Weekend at Bernie's prop hanging out somewhere too. We'll see...


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## Tannasgach (Nov 1, 2009)

OH, oh, oh, Dawn, this is utterly ah-mazing!! Love everything, you really nailed the eerie Gothic Victorian vibe. You always put so much detail and creativity into your displays and I love how you decorate every room/area. Sounds like the scavenger hunt was a blast! Thank you so much for taking the time to post pics and descriptions, really. Your thread is one I look forward to every year. It's unbelievable how you find the time to post your progress throughout the season but we certainly appreciate it. I think the reason you do a theme every other year is because it must take you 6 months to break down and 6 months to set up, lol. 
Excellent...Bravo!!


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Thanks so much Tannasgach. Yes the break is needed for prop making and a little break for me. The hubby will say definitely for his own sanity! 



Tannasgach said:


> OH, oh, oh, Dawn, this is utterly ah-mazing!! Love everything, you really nailed the eerie Gothic Victorian vibe. You always put so much detail and creativity into your displays and I love how you decorate every room/area. Sounds like the scavenger hunt was a blast! Thank you so much for taking the time to post pics and descriptions, really. Your thread is one I look forward to every year. It's unbelievable how you find the time to post your progress throughout the season but we certainly appreciate it. I think the reason you do a theme every other year is because it must take you 6 months to break down and 6 months to set up, lol.
> Excellent...Bravo!!


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

Dawnski, this has got to be one of the most elaborate and gorgeous party settings I've seen. I am just wowed by everything you did. LOVE the vintage theme. I haven't followed the thread from the beginning but will be going back over it and looking through everything. 

The webbing came out fabulous and really made it look like you walked into an old long abandoned room. Was that with one of the webbing guns? Curious how everything cleaned up afterwards.

I have never seen an absinthe glass fountain before (was aware of the drink) and can see why it was a bar attraction for your party goers. Any chance you have a video of it in action? I was reading the description of how the drink changed and just fascinating. Super cool and fascinating period piece for your party!

The John Doe prop on the bbq island(?) couldn't have been better staged. How well did it trigger? So perfect with the Poe inspired framed description. 

Who was your lovely deceased lady in the third to last photo just above? One of the GR ladies? Looks very real lying there. **Went back in your thread and see your earlier photos of GR Helsa. I have her too and thought she was one of the loveliest.

Other favorites of mine were the Marley's ghost and your christmas tree area and your Jack the Ripper 3D frame came out SO GOOD!. You are so creative.

The "drippy" eyeballs in the downstairs bathroom showed up neat and I can only imagine how the moving eyes went over with people as they were taking care of business! SO much more I could comment on that I particularly loved. Glad you had a great time and thanks for sharing your photos. Rated this thread 5 stars!


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Ghost of Sppokie, thanks for the compliment. We did not get a video of our absinthe tasting but You Tube has one - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fI0HCa68XUM

The webbing was standard spider webs--I just spent a lot of time coaxing it apart. The John Doe trigger is good enough where people can come by and not notice anything amiss. I love that prop. On the other hand, I have an animated mirror that is so trigger happy and LOUD that I just can't stand it.



Ghost of Spookie said:


> Dawnski, this has got to be one of the most elaborate and gorgeous party settings I've seen. I am just wowed by everything you did. LOVE the vintage theme. I haven't followed the thread from the beginning but will be going back over it and looking through everything.
> 
> The webbing came out fabulous and really made it look like you walked into an old long abandoned room. Was that with one of the webbing guns? Curious how everything cleaned up afterwards.
> 
> ...


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

I was trying to contact an HF member about these items but she is missing in action. Would anyone like to pay postage to get this Halloween care package? A bunch of items I no longer need. It's got some scene setters, wall candle holders (perfect item for a hearse!), ceramic doll, creepy doll head angel and vintage Victorian style doll clothes, some gothic masks, cheese cloth, bottle labels, a gothic curtain and a bunch of the eyeball and gothic pictures I had hanging around the house. This all fits in a shoe box--I'd have to check on postage for you once I get to the post office. Let me know!

View attachment 578337


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

Dawnski I might be interested but your attachment doesn't show up. Are attachments tied to your computer and if your computer is off they don't show up? I'm signed in but just can see any image. Thanks.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Going to try a second time with the pic. I had trouble posting half of my photos, frustrating!


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

Ah, can see now. Thanks. Yes, I would be super appreciative of receiving the gothic shoebox! I'll PM you.

BTW I have the Uncle Creepy Mask. Is that who you used for your Scrooge prop? Thanks again.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Yes, that Uncle Creepy mask has served me well as Scrooge and as a butler for my hotel party. I think he'd also make a great Riff Raff from Rocky Horror Picture Show.



Ghost of Spookie said:


> Ah, can see now. Thanks. Yes, I would be super appreciative of receiving the gothic shoebox! I'll PM you.
> 
> BTW I have the Uncle Creepy Mask. Is that who you used for your Scrooge prop? Thanks again.


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## Saki.Girl (Aug 22, 2012)

everything looks amazing
man i wish i had a house the size of yours . 
another job well done


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## memnet (Jul 23, 2017)

Absolutely awe inspiring!


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