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Washington 2.0 Haunted House


KathieB

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I got one of those pumpkins longer ago than I care to remember, exactly for that purpose. It's still stashed on the shelf - poor thing.

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Today I happened into Big Lots in search of a new shower curtain. They didn't have one I liked, but in wandering through the seasonal aisle I spotted a string of 20 LED lights in the shape of cheerful little ghosts. They were too cute to pass up, and since I hadn't figured out any kind of lighting system for the Haunted House, I bought a string.

So, the ghosts have formed a greeting committee outside. Is it a warning-off committee or welcoming committee? I think the latter; they do babble on a lot in a friendly way. The photos show the string taped in place. The porch roof will mask the wires on the ground floor, and the Washington 2.0 has a nice overhang on the upper floor where the wires can be tucked away. Tomorrow I have to figure out how the string will be fastened. I'm thinking a series of two small holes drilled in the porch roof and the attic floor where it overhangs, then a thin wire around the light wires and twist to fasten. The twisted bit won't be seen in the attic, and the twisted wire on the porch roof can probably be hidden under a shingle or masked with moss or a spider or something.

I may have a better idea by tomorrow. (Suggestions welcome!)

I pulled out all of the autumn/Hallowe'en decorations I could find. Once the lights are fixed in place, I can start filling window boxes and adding shrubbery and vines to the house, along with a whole herd of spiders and bats and ...

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If you ignore the camera glare, the lights shine a nice spooky blue. It looks really good in real life.

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I have a couple of battery operated tea lights in the accessories box. Somehow they'll find a place inside. Don't want too much light on the subject. Might frighten the skeletons!

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Oh,what a great find,Kathie! Dontcha just love Big Lots?! I haven't been in a long while,but every single time I go I find something mini-usable. Last time it was a thick tablet of large scrapbook sheets to use as wallpaper. If no one has ever stopped in,you just might want to try your local store. My best find 10 yrs. ago was a $10 glass & wood house-shaped terrarium/box that is a miniature sunroom on my living room end table. These little skeletons are adorable! Can't help you with positioning the lights,but it sounds like your idea will work out. It's sure looking good! :clap:

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Kathie, your wee ghostie lights are da bomb! Our nearest Big Lots on Nine Mile Road closed, I think they lost their lease, but we still have one on Davis Highway, next to the strip center with Hobby Lobby. It's where I find all my skeletons; now I'm going to have to go look for that ghost garland!

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This house tickles me. I'm usually a stickler for realistic presentations, but the haunted house is pushing more toward almost believably whimsical. It's great fun.

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Very spooky! I love finding stuff like that in unexpected places! I miss Dollar Tree and Big Lots for just those kinds of things. Haunted Houses are so much fun because you don't have to be "realistic" in the least.......in fact the less the better!

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Today I worked on the outside of the house. Lycopodium worked well for some vines grown out of control on the chimney side and helped to camouflage the wires from the ghost lights. I used the wire method to hold the light wires in place. Worked a treat. :) More pictures and info on my blog.

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I'm blaming all you wonderful haunted house and witch house builders-my 24 yr old son has seen them over my shoulder and now wants me to build one!Kathie,yours just gets better and better-uh,creepier and creepier...? :)

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I often wish there was less "stuff" in the workshop, but to be able to pull out the lycopodium and other bits and bobs that are making this build come to life is worth the clutter. You never know when something will be useful.

Meanwhile, do you see the unfinished Pierce/Bohemian Inn in the background? It's giving me a lot of grief. I've got to get this Haunted House finished so I can give the Pierce the attention it craves.

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...Meanwhile, do you see the unfinished Pierce/Bohemian Inn in the background? It's giving me a lot of grief. I've got to get this Haunted House finished so I can give the Pierce the attention it craves.

My unfinished (and move-damaged) Pierce rehab, Mildred, gives me basleful stares every tiime I go out in the garage.

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I like the humongous spider next to the attic window, but the fly on the chimney is lovely, too. This is going to be the kind of house that visiting kids will get hooked onto, looking for things!

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I like the humongous spider next to the attic window, but the fly on the chimney is lovely, too. This is going to be the kind of house that visiting kids will get hooked onto, looking for things!

And some adults, too. :D Am busy looking for things to go inside to add to the whimsy.

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Like a skeletal hand hanging down from a fireplace, or a skull in the fridge?

Sure. But I'm thinking beyond skeletons, too. Like the oversized insects you spotted.

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One of those big black rubber flies glued to the attic ceiling might be fun, especially surrounded by a ring of weensy spiders; or a full-size plastic grasshopper or mantis to keep your roof witch company...

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One of those big black rubber flies glued to the attic ceiling might be fun, especially surrounded by a ring of weensy spiders; or a full-size plastic grasshopper or mantis to keep your roof witch company...

Good ideas ... but I think I'm going to have to stick to items I can actually find or make. And making flies is not high on my list of want-to-dos ... lol

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Got some goodies at Dollar Tree today, including a very large crow who I believe will sit on the chimney, and some "blood" stained cheesecloth that will become tattered curtains.

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Hobby Lobby is 75 miles away. Dollar Tree is a mile away. Anyway, I think I have all the bugs I can use now. The rooms in the Washington 2.0 are very small! Not going to have a kitchen, bedroom or bathroom. Skeletons don't need those rooms, eh? This is morphing from a Haunted House toward a Haunted Hangout.

Am having a devil of a time gluing the skeletons into the poses I want. Hot glue pops off. Tried Tenax (spell?), but however it's spelled, it didn't work either. Two skellies are sitting on the worktable with partial joints glued with E6000. I think those joins will hold. The problem with using it is that it takes so darned long to cure (24 hours). It's near impossible to tape the joints to hold them in place, and the magnetic jig is useless, so they need to be done one joint at a time. I'm having a hard time keeping my hands off once they're set in place.

While the glue's curing, I'm rummaging through boxes and drawers of mini stuff and have found several accessories that can be used. Thought I had at least one pair of eyeglasses in the stash, but haven't found them. Guess I can bend a pair from wire. The worktable is totally trashed.

Oh ... and about a base. I had a lazy susan on hand that I glued to a board with E6000. Let it cure over night. Put the house on it today and discovered it wobbles terribly. Can't be used. Tried to take the unit off of the board, but that E6000 is on to stay. I took the turntable base off, so now the house is on the board and the board is raised up an inch or so because the top of the lazy susan is still firmly affixed. The board itself is a tad too small, so I think I'll end up tossing the wretched base into the trash. Can't think I'd ever use it on a house.

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