Nikki's Yearly Yard Haunt http://halloween.nlb-creations.com Mon, 31 Oct 2011 19:13:48 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Happy Halloween! http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/news/happy-halloween http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/news/happy-halloween#comments Mon, 31 Oct 2011 19:13:48 +0000 admin http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/?p=217 I hope everyone is enjoying their Halloween. Trick or treat starts in just a handful of hours. I’ll be posting photos of this year’s display later this week.

To all the ToTers out there, just a few things to remember:

  1. Don’t trick or treat alone. Always stay in sight of your parents or your group of friends.
  2. Never, ever go into a stranger’s house.
  3. Be respectful of people’s decorations. Don’t touch, climb on, or play with the displays.
  4. Be careful when you cross a street. Make sure to look in both directions and make sure that there are no cars coming.
  5. If you are an older kid or young teen, and going out with friends, make sure that your parents know where you are going and who you are going with.
  6. Carry a flashlight… it gets dark early in October.
  7. If your mask is hard to see out of, take it off between houses.

Have fun and be safe!

]]> http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/news/happy-halloween/feed 0 Almost ready… http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/news/almost-ready http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/news/almost-ready#comments Fri, 28 Oct 2011 13:47:15 +0000 admin http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/?p=213 Well, I’ve got my candy, I’ve got my pumpkins, and I’ve got my costume.

This weekend, I’ll be finishing up my yard display, and getting ready for the big night. Trick or treat hours are 6pm to 8pm in my town, so I’ll be cutting it close getting off work at 5, but I think I’ll make it home on time.

This year the display is a little more generic than the last couple of years. Starting a new job over the summer means I didn’t have the luxury of taking time off the week before to set up… but I think I’ve put together a pretty decent effort. At least this year I’ll be home to enjoy it, unlike the year I started my former job and missed the entire holiday due to having to work until 1am on Halloween (you’ll notice there are no 2007 photos on this website… that’s why).

Treats will include an assortment of full-size candy bars, and glow bracelets.

I am happy to say that I did acquire a new fog machine to replace the one that died last year. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and it won’t be so cold that the fog just goes straight up. :)

]]> http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/news/almost-ready/feed 0 Welcome to the all new Nikki’s Yearly Yard Haunt http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/news/welcome-to-the-all-new-nikkis-yearly-yard-haunt http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/news/welcome-to-the-all-new-nikkis-yearly-yard-haunt#comments Fri, 30 Sep 2011 02:25:56 +0000 admin http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/?p=202 This site has been long-overdue for a revamp, so this is the year it’s finally getting one. Keep an eye on this space in the coming days, as I’ll be ramping up to Halloween with updates of the progress of this year’s display and other goodies.

]]> http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/news/welcome-to-the-all-new-nikkis-yearly-yard-haunt/feed 0 Photos from Halloween 2010 http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/year/photos-from-halloween-2010 http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/year/photos-from-halloween-2010#comments Fri, 30 Sep 2011 02:19:13 +0000 admin http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/?p=160 Continuing with the idea of themed displays, 2010 was dubbed the Witch’s Kitchen. It was also the most pumpkins I’ve ever had, rounding out at an even dozen. Incidentally… I dyed my hair black for this costume, with dye that was supposed to wash out in 21 days. It’s almost a year later and it still hasn’t completely faded out.

Me in my witch costume... Almost a year later and that "temporary" hair dye still hasn't completely faded... Me in my witch costume Me in my witch costume Me in my witch costume Me in my witch costume and dad as a zombie Sabrina stole my costume! Sabrina as a witch Sabrina and her tombstone Sabrina in the graveyard The witch is back to cook dinner Mom in the witch's kitchen The witch again This pumpkin was so cool as it was, I couldn't bring myself to carve it. Poor pumpkin... that has to hurt. They were practically sprouting from the ground Spidery pumpkin Seriously... that has got to hurt Spidery pumpkin I think someone had a snack before dinner Tricks and treats galore I hope they're not on the menu... The graveyard at night Yum? I guess? If you don't eat your veggies, you get fed to the spider Getting ready for dinner Can I just have some water? Interesting place for a cafe... Still hard at work Stirring, stirring, stirring The big skull is back The graveyard by day The Guillotine by day The big skull is back The graveyard by day Sabrina's personal tombstone in my cemetary The reaper is just waiting for dessert The giant skull is back Does that qualify as soup and a salad? Finally, something edible. The giant spider is back ]]> http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/year/photos-from-halloween-2010/feed 0 Photos from Halloween 2009 http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/year/photos-from-halloween-2009 http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/year/photos-from-halloween-2009#comments Fri, 30 Sep 2011 02:10:47 +0000 admin http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/?p=116 This year was the first time one of my displays had a theme. Since so many people I knew were getting married, I decided that 2009 would be the Wedding of the Dead.

It was a lovely ceremony. The happy couple during the day I need to find out who their planner was The happy couple Sabrina stopped by to fill in as flower girl Sabrina and her tombstone Me as a zombie usher Me as a zombie usher The scarecorw and the spider I love this thing A wedding cake and yummy treats This has to be one of the cutest pumpkins ever The witch was invited to the wedding I hope she wasn't the one who baked the wedding cake... Who doesn't want a guillotine at their wedding? The guillotine at night The reaper standing watch The spider, all lit up The witch is still cooking Another view of the wedding That isn't what we had for dinner... is it? Something smells good... One of my pumpkins One of my pumpkins One of my pumpkins One of my pumpkins One of my pumpkins One of my pumpkins The graveyard by day The spider returns! Getting ready for the reception Looks almost good enough to eat Tricks and Treats I'll take the treats... you can have the tricks. The wedding cake. Ready for chopping The guillotine during the day I had more pumpkins than I knew what to do with this year. Creatures haunting the yard The yard during the day The spider during the day The yard during the day ]]> http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/year/photos-from-halloween-2009/feed 0 Photos from Halloween 2008 http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/year/photos-from-halloween-2008 http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/year/photos-from-halloween-2008#comments Fri, 30 Sep 2011 01:56:58 +0000 admin http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/?p=81 2008 was the year of the pumpkins. I hand-carved eight of them over the course of two days on my own, which is more than I’d ever done.

Me, as the Phantom of the Opera The Bride and Groom were indoors this year, because it was threatening to rain The display looked awesome, but I'm never buying staw again... what a mess. I did nintendo pumpkins this year. A kitty! This one was carved to look like the ones in Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow remake. If you can't figure this one out, you need to watch more slasher movies I love the expression on this one This fly had great timing Love the mouth on this one I did nintendo pumpkins this year. I did nintendo pumpkins this year. New this year. A corpse on a revolving rotisserie. We even used a rotisserie motor to power it. Creatures and graves by day The graveyard, by day The graveyard, by night The graveyard, by night The giant spider is back again View of the front yard Charlie in his costume Charlie in his costume Charlie in his costume Princess China on her throne Princess China on her throne Princess China on her throne ]]> http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/year/photos-from-halloween-2008/feed 0 Photos from Halloween 2006 http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/year/photos-from-halloween-2006 http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/year/photos-from-halloween-2006#comments Fri, 30 Sep 2011 01:52:58 +0000 admin http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/?p=57 In 2006, I introduced the corpse bride and groom to my display. It was also the last Halloween at my parents’ house, as I moved out before the next Halloween.

This year's pumpkins The pumpkins, all lit up A torch and severed head in the window Me in my witch's costume next to the giant pumpkin Me with the corse bride and groom Nothing like a rotting corpse on your front lawn My favorite decoration is back again! This was the first year for the witch. She stirs her cauldron, thanks to an old record player in the base. Ready for the wedding Ready for the wedding Does "til death do us part" apply here? The bride and groom with the pumpkins This is sort of a failed decoration. It was supposed to open and close, but we couldn't get the mechanism working in time. Sabrina got her own tombstone this year My giant spider's second year The spider in the graveyard, by night Some poor soul ended up hanging around out front I bought this off a friend of mine. It's huge and it's awesome. The graveyard, by day The graveyard, by day The graveyard, by night The graveyard, by night ]]> http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/year/photos-from-halloween-2006/feed 0 Photos from Halloween 2005 http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/year/photos-from-halloween-2005 http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/year/photos-from-halloween-2005#comments Fri, 30 Sep 2011 01:41:03 +0000 admin http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/?p=4 In 2005, I did a nifty display that included a 6 foot tall family crypt made out of styrofoam. Sadly, the crypt had to be dismantled after Halloween since I had nowhere to store it, but it looked awesome. One of these days, I’ll make another one.

One of my pumpkins One of my pumpkins One of my pumpkins One of my pumpkins One of my pumpkins All my cute little pumpkins in a row The guillotine makes it's return this year Some of the graves out front Some of the graves out front It's hard to see, but the black light gave it a creepy purple glow you could see halfway down the street My giant spider My giant spider Another angle on the graveyard The graveyard during the day This spider was made from the frame of an old popup picnic tent. The crypt in position in the yard Closeup of the finished Crypt The finished crypt Another angle of the finished crypt The Crypt from the front, fully painted Closeup of the door Closeup of the columns The Crypt from the side, finally painted The Crypt's main structure before textures and decorations were added The Crypt from behind The Crypt with some of the main texturing done. We did this with a propane torch and a soldering iron. The columns are old gutter downspouts. From behind. We made it hollow and left the back open so we could slide it over some plants in the front yard. Another view of the textured but unpainted crypt ]]> http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/year/photos-from-halloween-2005/feed 0 Photos from Halloween 2004 http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/year/photos-from-halloween-2004 http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/year/photos-from-halloween-2004#comments Thu, 29 Sep 2011 15:46:03 +0000 admin http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/?p=41 This was the first year of the guillotine… which quickly became one of my all-time favorite decorations, and hopefully will be around for many years to come.

My parent's front yard once all the decorations had been set out You can see the fog machine going... unfortunately it was pretty cold this year and the fog kept rising. Getting ready for the big night More graves in the yard Ready to chop some heads One of the skeletons standing the in yard My Reaper scarecrow Dan found this at a garage sale. The thing is huge. Two of my pumpkins sitting on a bench out front Some more of my pumpkins Giant hand woven spide web Our favorite trick-or-treater, Sabrina! My sister Kerri in the Graveyard My sister posing next to one of the skeletons ]]> http://halloween.nlb-creations.com/year/photos-from-halloween-2004/feed 0