New Website

Hi Haunt Fans,

If you have somehow found yourself here, I just wanted to let you know that this blog is no longer active.  I have moved up a bit in the food chain.  Chabby House now has its own website -

chabbyhouse.ca.

We look forward to seeing you at the new site!

Chabby House in September Project 1: Wishing Well

Hi Halloween fans,

It has been a hot summer.  Unfortunately it was so hot it was hard to do anything outside and then we had smoke blow in from B.C. It was pretty unpleasant outside a lot of the time so things slowed down a bit and I didn't get as much accomplished over the summer months as I wanted to. However, I did get some props started and I am finally getting them finished.

After I decided to collect donations for Made by Momma I realized I would need something to collect them all in.  I asked around and found that quite a few haunts just build a wooden box.  I wanted to do something different. The one idea that came to me and stuck was a wishing well. Made by Momma posts a wish list every few weeks with the things their clients need, so a wishing well to collect these wishes in seemed appropriate.

The structure is built of a round wood base, scrounged and purchased Styrofoam and Great Stuff.  First the round base was cut and I placed that onto a left over and damaged piece of pink Styrofoam.  This was to protect the wood from the elements and to catch any falling Great Stuff.  I then cut up the scrounged Styrofoam into blocks of approximately the same size.  Next I used wooden skewers to attach the blocks together leaving gaps for the Great Stuff.  I had to build the structure a couple of times. 

The first attempt I built in the house because there was less smoke and it wasn't so hot but I ran into a problem when I tried to get it out my back door.  It wouldn't fit. So it was damaged and had to be rebuilt outside. It took 2 cans of Great Stuff to fill in the cracks and create the "mortar".  Once it dried, I took a Dremel and smoothed out the "mortar".

I then added the top ring of stones which overhang the rest of the well. These were cut from a 1 inch piece of Styrofoam in order for them to be as even as I could get them.  It gave a nice finish to the top.

Next I painted the interior of the well with flat black exterior latex paint. Then I added a form of Monster Mud all over the exterior surface.  I did not measure the drywall to paint so I think it was a bit thin but it did the trick and gave a good base coat to the well.

A day or so later, I did the dry brushing in light gray and then white using acrylic paint.  I added a sponging technique using a green/brown mix of exterior latex on the mortar to give it a more aged and mossy look

Finally, I sprayed the entire exterior and part of the interior with Leak Seal clear spray to give the prop more weather proofing.  I am expecting a bit of snow or rain for Halloween this year and want to be prepared.  

So this is it.  I will be adding a few more atmospheric effects but I won't show them off until Halloween.


Next Prop: Pumpkins!

Changes

The new haunt year has begun.

The CHA Awards for 2016 are over.  (A great show by the way -  available on YouTube if you haven't seen it.)

But I did not win. I wasn't even a finalist. Of course there were many entries and not everyone can win.  Still, it did sting a bit, discouragement set in and I began to think about giving up.  But I love Halloween and my Haunt so I came to the conclusion I can either quit or get better. I am going with getting better. If I am going to get better, I have a lot of work to do this year to get ready for October.

Ch-Ch-Changes

There was an issue in Calgary last year with one of our largest and best haunts which is likely going to result in changes to our regulations on building and running a haunt.  Currently I am small enough that no building permit is required, however, in a couple months that may change. There are plans to have meetings with the city.  I will keep you all posted on how that turns out.

If you haven't noticed the new tabs, I am now working with a charity - Made by Momma.  I will be collecting donations on their behalf this year.  I will post a list of what is urgently needed closer to Halloween. Their website address is posted under the Location and Dates tab. 

I am also adding a few new pages this year.  The back story of Chabby House. 

Next, props.  If you are going to build a larger haunt, you need things to put in it.  Things to scare and delight.  I have a long, long, long list of things I am going to build. I am not sure if I will get it all done but I am going to try.  I am planning on adding about 3 new rooms and changing the design a bit. 

Lastly, actors/actresses.  I am hoping to get a few volunteers to help out with the haunt this year. So, crossed fingers, we will have more living, moving bodies in the haunt.

Happy Haunting - and in the words of Allen Hopps - go make stuff. I know I need to.

Canadian Haunters Association Awards 2016

I thought it was about time I posted the link to my video entry for the CHA awards.  I hope you enjoy it. 

CHA Awards Entry

I will be posting more updates soon.  I am already working on new props for this year and an expanded set up.  I have also added a page for my location and hours this year and will be adding a couple more for our backstory. 

I have also made arrangements with Made by Momma, a charity here in Calgary, to collect donations for them this year. They are a great organization and support families with small children. You can check them out at madebymomma.org.

More to come. .  .

Halloween 2016

Well, another year has come and gone.  It has taken a couple of weeks to put up some pics.  I am still putting Halloween away and we paused for Remembrance Day.

I am working on my video to enter the Canadian Haunters Association contest.  I don't expect to win anything, I have very stiff competition, but I would like to get my haunt out there.  After speaking with a few people who did the walk through this year, I am thinking of doing a charity haunt next year. So admission would be a donation.  We will see though.

There were a few mistakes made this year in the rush to open and get everything finished.  A major one that I will mention is that I forgot to turn on our front door light.  I think I lost/missed a few kids because of it.  I ended up with about the same number of kids as last year and definitely more adults. This was okay because I had kind of expected less, being a Monday.

I am also looking to recruit a few more scare actors next year but that is easier said then done. 

All in all it was another fun Halloween, with screams, giggles and candy.

The Cemetery

Two of the Ladies of the Kitchen.

The invited guest in the parlour.

Lilly's room.

Count Down

The count down to the big day has begun.  I have been very busy trying to get all my projects finished.  I am just taking a quick break to post a few pictures of the Haunt so far this year.


This is the improved archway.  We have replaced the pumpkins with stonework.  This was done because the pumpkins didn't light properly and as a result were not glowing very well.  They are going to be used elsewhere in the haunt.

In the second pic you can see the cemetery going up.  The ghosts and ghouls have not arrived yet but I hear they are coming.  The veil just isn't thin enough for them to cross over yet.

The last pic is a quick glimpse of the walkthrough being built.  I have most of it finished.  You are looking down the hall past the parlour and into the kitchen.  I am hoping to have everything ready by Saturday so I can have a friends and family night preview. 

Well, I need to get back to contacting my ghost friends and finishing up props.  And if I don't get a post in before Halloween - have a fun and safe one. 

Happy Halloween!  Happy Haunting!  Happy Samhain!

The Promo is Here!

Hello all you Halloween and Yard Haunt fans,

I have finally - finally finished my first Chabby House promo video.  I know it may be a bit rough around the edges but I can't help but be proud of it.  So, here it is at last.

Chabby House Promo 2016

Moving Along

Sorry I haven't posted in a bit. I have been busy with modifying plans, building props and trying to keep dry.  Calgary has seen a lot of rain this summer and it has really affected everything from being able to work and build outside to how I am feeling from one day to the next. 

So, lets get this show on the road and give you a quick preview of what I am working on.  First, I have written a back story for the haunt which, of course, called for new props to bring it all together.  I started with new tombstones.

While working on them, I went into our shed looking for my Surform Shaver. I never found the shaver but met Mr. Mouse. He should have been a little gray mouse but due to munching on the bird seed I had left in there, he was a pretty big mouse.  This meant we now had to pull everything out of the shed  to clean up the mess and bleach it down.  During this process I discovered that several of my old tombstones had been used as nests. It was suggested that I keep them and just chalk up the damage to age and wear but I could not find any real reason a piece of  'stone' would have a perfectly round hole in it. Off to the dump they went.

Now I had to replace them. On the bad side was the extra work (and cost) I wasn't counting on.  On the good side -  I could remake them better than they were before.  When I first made tombstones I used the white Styrofoam and trenched out the backs to add PVC that would slide over rebar. This always meant they could only really be seen from the front.  My new tombstones have the PVC in the middle so now I don't really need to worry about which direction they are seen from.  More flexibility in setting up the graveyard. I am also using a combination of pink and white Styrofoam. More expensive  pink for the carved front and cheaper white for the backs.  In all I will have about 9 new tombstones this year. 

Next I decided I needed to replace my witches' old spell book.  My original was carved out of white Styrofoam.  The cover was just a piece of construction paper.  The open pages were printed out and glued to the inside of the open book.  Then I Mod-Podged the entire thing to make is a bit more resistant to the elements - which around our neck of the woods is usually snow.

Well, that old book is now looking a bit worse for wear so I decided to do up a new one.  I am still working on it but this is what I have so far.

I started with some old legal size paper that was lying around my house.  I folded sections of it in half.  Then I put them in a pile.  I had an idea of what I wanted to do but decided to google and see if I could find some actual info on building a book.  I loosely followed the instructions on

http://geekygoblin.blogspot.ca/2011/07/binding-book-pages-together-sewing.html


I also sew so I went through some old material and found some left over white broadcloth and grabbed a needle and thread. Then following the instructions on the above blog, sewed the pages together.  I now have the basics of a book. 

My next step is to find some cardboard to build the cover and attach it. I will then press the book open and glue the spell pages I created and printed into the middle. Then I think I will antique the entire thing. Lastly, I will either Mod-Podge it or pick up some clear Leak Seal and spray the entire thing to protect it.  I also don't want the pages to close while people are walking through the haunt.

A few other projects I have been working on are: getting the back story finalized to be posted, a couple of promo videos, a stirring cauldron, a flying crank ghost, building a prop wood stove, a few more wall frames, and a few more sections of fence.

I think that is it for now. Keep an eye out for my back story which I will be posting soon. 

Happy Haunting!

Flashback

I was looking through some pictures to find a couple to put up on my new Chabby House Facebook page when I found a Halloween picture from 2007.  My Halloween display sure has come a long way since then.

125 Days Until Halloween

So, things are chugging along.  I have cut out most of my new tombstones and hope to get two more done in the next couple of days - then aging and painting and more aging.  I built some new stones to go along with my background story I wrote this year.  I may still tweak it a bit before it is finished and ready for posting.  I am hoping to post it in a promo/movie style but we will see how it goes.  I am not on a Mac and it seems Mac has the best programs - especially since Windows stopped supporting its movie maker.  I have been looking into some other programs so we will see  how it goes.

I am not sure how much bigger the haunt will be this year - costs being what they are - but I am hoping for more detail, better lighting and more chilling. 

I was able to pick up a couple of motors from frightprops.com as well as a few decorations. I do like Frightprops.  They ship to Canada without too many problems, although shipping costs do add up if you aren't careful. 

More to come. . . .

Halloween 2016

The planning has started for Halloween 2016.  This year Halloween is on a Monday so that will likely affect the number of people heading over on Halloween night.  But I (we) are still going ahead.  I have written Part 1 of the Legend of Chabby House and the plan is it to turn it into a bit of a movie/promo so people will know the theme of the haunt and be prepared for what is happening inside.

I have a list of things I need to build, repair and improve for this year and purchasing has already started.  Once I get a few things built I will be posting the pics. 

I have a real focus this year and hope I have the time (and money) to get it all done. Although, like many a haunter, I probably won't. 

Until next time, Happy Haunting!

Halloween 2015

Well, haven't I been the lazy one?  Finally, here are some pics of Chabby House, Halloween 2015.

I go for a more creepy and chilling Halloween Haunt as opposed to the gore alot of haunts have these days. It scares a few of the little ones but the older seem to think it fun and not scary at all.  I will have to work on that.

I rebuilt the pillars again this year.  I went with a wood frame and covered in dry wall.  They looked really good. I also, at my hubby's suggestion, added electrical to one so we can hide a few of our cords. I also revamped the arch itself. I covered them up over the winter so, fingers crossed, I don't have to do a lot of work on them again in 2016.  We also added a better fence. I will be making more sections this year.

We built our first walk through this year.  The ToTrs were met with the Grim Reaper.  As the night wore on and it got colder, the batteries started to fail but it was cool while it lasted.  By the time it was really dying, the kids were pretty much done. We picked up the Reaper at Canadian Tire.  It lit up, spoke and had flapping wings.

This was the first section in the walk through this year. I was going for a creepy overgrown feel.

Our dropping spider hung out here, along with bugs and snakes. If you look close, you might be able to see him.

You can see the doorway into the next room, the witches' lair.

This is a pic of the witches' lair looking back toward the doorway.  It definitely will need more lighting next year.  It was too dark to see all the detail - potion bottles, etc. You can also see a bit of the altar beside the witch.  She is facing two other witches - part of my haunt since the beginning - one stirring her cauldron and the other reading from the spell book.

This is a close up of the altar.  We set up my hubby's monitor to show a ghost video - Ghostly Apparitions, from AtmosFearFX.  People seemed to enjoy it. I am using more Celtic flavour of props - due to my wanting to promote the past meaning of Halloween as Samhain, a time to honour our ancestors and the dead. 

The Scarecrow was at the top of the haunt where it turned to head back out.  I had my jumping spider and skeleton here as well but they were hard to see in the dark.  More planning to do for next year.

The last section to go through before you left the haunt was the crypt. This is where I had my ghosts. The one you can see lit up also made noise and moved which was pretty cool.

Again, this past year we suffered through the winds of late October but the temperature was good and we had more kids than ever before. 

I have already started planning for 2016.  I have picked up a couple of deer motors from FrightProps so I will have a couple more animated props. 

This coming year will be harder as Halloween is on a Monday night but we will do our best. So, hope to see you in October! Bigger and Better!

Happy Haunting.

13 DAYS!

Yup, only 13 days left until the big night.  Just a quick post.  Still working on fixing up my props - painting, painting and more painting.  I hope to get things up this week.  Hubby is helping but we still haven't got the walls up yet.  I hope it doesn't take too long to put them up and decorate.  I have a few new and awesome props this year.  Not sure where they will go.  More info to come.

October 1, 2015

Well, it is the first day of October and I am far from ready for Halloween.  Most of September I was sick so now I have to go into overdrive to get the yard ready.  I will post pics as I get things done. Now starts a marathon run.

93 Days Until Halloween!

Another Halloween is on the way!  I have drafted up my layout, bigger with more scares.  I am building a walk through that will go into the backyard.  I am having a bit of an issue with how scary to make it.  Don't want it too scary for the younger kids but don't want it boring either.  I guess I will have to use my son as a guide; although things that should scare him don't but things that shouldn't scare him do. Oh well, I will do my best and learn from it.  I will be posting my progress here for you to see the development of the haunt.

Happy Haunting!

Good Bye Halloween 2014

Another Halloween come and gone.  This year was a very good year.  Only real wind was during the set up.  The evening was great - warm and very little to no wind. Tons of compliments on the set up.  We have expanded as much as we can in the front - next year growing into the backyard. 

Not many new things this year.  We built a grave digger and picked up a jumping spider.  We also put together a "witches' lair" and finally got the sound going.  We picked up a sound system we found in the Christmas decorations.  It coordinates sound and light.  The speaker isn't the best but it worked great. 

Halloween 2014 In Progress

Purchases for this year have been made.  Might need a couple more things but we have already exceeded the budget so now it is put together, paint and get ready time.  Too late today to start painting but I can't wait until tomorrow.  Thinking of working on the PVC tonight to get the witches and grave digger started.  Fun. Fun. Fun.

Update - Halloween 2014

It is that time of year again.  Time to start the posting and count down to the greatest day/night of the year.  I have already hit both the Halloween Superstore and Spirit Halloween.  Here is my take on both stores.

The Halloween Superstore on Macleod Trail (just South of Chinook Centre) is great this year if you are looking for costumes.  You have to go way into the back to a small room for props.  They have a couple of good ones and their prices aren't too bad. The front of the store is everything for costumes and for in-house decorating.  The in-house decorations are pretty nice but kind of "cutesy". 

Spirit Halloween (on 32nd Ave NE beside Michaels) is okay this year.  I think they had a bigger store last year on Macleod Trail and  it had more props and accessories for the yard haunter.  Either way, it was a great time wandering through the store.  We picked up a couple of things that I hope we can put to use this year.  I am hoping to check out the other Spirit Halloween store to see if it is any different.  They also have a decent selection of costumes.

As for our progress, I pulled out the pillars out today for a look over and started the process of repainting - again.  Yes, I will need to find a better way to store them over the winter.  The main issue is that we usually have snow by Halloween and putting things away can be a real hassle.  I will need to do some repainting of the archway too. 

I am looking at building a grave digger this year and we are working on walls to enclose the witches and possibly building a Mummy room.  I will post pics once things are under way. 

Happy Haunting! 

So Ends another year

Halloween 2013

Well, it went okay.  People liked the display.   I would really like to do something bigger next year and switch it up a bit.  We had a real problem with the wind during the final set up on Halloween day.  It was very frustrating and I almost lost it several times. 





So this is how the Archway turned out.  I wanted to put a few more cobwebs onto it but ran out of time.  It looked pretty cool though.


The Haunted Tree turned out well.  My son thinks I need to "lose" the leaves.  He says they take away from the "scariness".  Not sure, maybe next year.










The next pictures are of the Tree and a far away shot of the entire front yard.

Progress

Well, I have been working on both finishing the archway and my haunted tree.  I still have detail work to do but it is coming along.


It has been pretty busy lately and the weather is only partially cooperating.  Today is supposed to be pretty warm so I hope to start getting stuff set up.

Here is the tree with his coat of monster mud and a bit of Great Stuff around the bottom of the tree.  Next will be spraying on the rubber sealant and hoping it works, then painting and detail work.