sandbox serendipity

the theme for '09 was "the bride of frankenstein/mad scientist lab". we created the lab inside the garage because the weather was rainy. it was a lot easier because that gave us more time for set up than when it is all outside. we were able to set up with the door down and raise it for 'showtime'. a lot of people felt this was a scary year, but we didn't think it was as scary as previous years. maybe we are jaded?

the creepy cafeteria and the bone chilling butcher shop were our themes this year. we served up candy and popcorn as treats but it was the show most people came for - and what a show it was.....click on the thumbnails to see a full photo and caption

some pics from halloween at the smart house. this year we did a scarecrow theme with hay covering the front yard and a row of cornstalks set up. the trick/treaters had to pass the zombie farmgirl and scarecrow, then head up the row past me (as another scarecrow) to get to sam and samuel for the candy....we set up a strobe/fog machine in the center to add to the spooky factor. it was a huge success, we had probably 150-200 kids come through....

photos of our spooky house on halloween night. i like to make a lot of our effects and props to keep costs down and add to the originality. plus then if i decide to change it out, i don't feel guilty for spending a lot of money. keeps my creative goth side busy....

a peek into our house this holiday season....