Sluggish shed progress!

In case the last post didn't paint a clear enough picture: the shed was a MESS. I was terrified to clean it because I was convinced that there would be monster sized spiders, rodents, etc. lurking underneath the boxes that hadn't been moved in decades. I love the fake-scary stuff, but the real deal? No way.

Several spiders and a ton of clutter were the only things ultimately discovered. Greg did manage to scare me by letting out a blood-curdling scream when my back was turned. I thought that a rodent was unearthed so I hauled ass out of there without even looking back. I didn't peak inside until I heard his laughter.

It was a super productive day!

This is after a packed-full SUV's worth haul. We ended up taking 2 crammed SUV full loads to the dump and still have a few things that need to be disposed of. It was a long day but the work space is definitely looking better.

The rug is pretty disgusting, but it's going to have a fair share of paint and styrofoam bits covering it soon enough. At least I don't have to worry about ruining it!

Speaking of which-The other night I merrily made my way out to the shed. I was thrilled to start setting up storage! I threw my container of supplies down on the carpet, flicked the light on and to my horror noticed the dozen+ HUGE slugs all over the carpet. I stifled a scream and hopped backwards until I was out of the shed. The next morning I set up a slug barrier and luckily it worked. Slug free!

I still have to haul out most of my craft supplies (paint, brushes, etc.) Storage is nowhere near being finalized. As a crafter who has had craft spaces of all varieties, I know that the storage aspect will constantly evolve as I figure out what works and what doesn't. For now I am just really excited to have a space of my own to create in.



Tonight I start on my first mini-project. It's something I pinned years ago when I first discovered Pinterest. I will be back with progress on that. Hopefully there will be no additional mollusk adventures to share.

Setting up a work space

My husband is pretty amazing. He doesn't flinch when I ask him if I can order a pallet of styrofoam heads. He lets me use 1/3 of the crawlspace to store decorations and listens to me ramble on about Halloween for far longer than most people could tolerate.

Greg also recently agreed to let me convert our shed to a prop-building and Halloween storage space! We have been in our house for 14 months now. Unfortunately, the previous owners never cleared it out. It's full of...questionable cleaning agents and hazardous things.

Yup, that weed killer (however many years old?) on the 3rd shelf down has corroded the metal container AND the metal shelf it is on. The good news is that we contacted our county and can dispose of this stuff for free. The bad news is we have to carefully pack it up and bring it to the local landfill for proper disposal. Heavy duty gloves are in our near future. 

So tomorrow we begin gutting this space and transforming into my Halloween prop-building space. I am thrilled to have the space! I will be back with progress pics. Meanwhile, I'll leave you with a picture illustrating how we feel about cleaning the shed out:

On finding your niche

I have been spending an obscene amount of time on Halloween-focused forums lately. For the most part, Halloween isn't a huge deal around here.  Richmond has a few festive blocks and there are plenty of Halloween festivals but the majority of people don't do anything more than pumpkins on the porch. 

One of my favorite Halloweens was in 2010, not long after I married my husband. We were living in a 500 sq ft ground-level apartment. We were incredibly broke because I just started a job after 7 months of unemployment. It was our first year having a place where we could display decorations. I ended up buying a couple things from Dollar Tree and Big Lots while borrowing several of my sister's decorations:

The fun part was when our next door neighbor started competing with us. I'd come home from work and they'd have a couple new things, I'd go pick up one thing, etc. The shared enthusiasm/competition fueled me. 

The internet is kind of amazing/terrifying in that you can pretty much find like-minded people no matter your niche. I have found endless inspiration via Halloween communities and am so excited to start building my own props. There have been so many times where I sit there nodding my head when someone posts about asking for props instead of flowers for Mother's Day, or how their spouse is really understanding regarding  how much space it takes to store props. It's like having a built-in neighbor. Just competitive enough to fuel your creativity while knowing that they truly "get it." 

Over halfway there!

It's hard to believe we are over halfway to Halloween. Last year I realized (far too late) that if I want to improve the outdoor display without splurging on ridiculously expensive store bought props, I am going to have to dive into the world of prop-building. With very little DIY skills this should be an interesting ride.

The goal list over the next couple months:

• Review last year's setup photos and find the areas needing the most improvement
• Make a general layout sketch for the 2014 display
• Clear out the shed to make room for prop building
• Research and purchase a digital projector
• Research lighting ideas/information
• Re-do the foam "boards" for all 5 windows
• Carve and paint tombstones
• Prep the existing tombstones so that they stay in place when staked

Time to get cracking!