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.