Properly Attired For Halloween 2016

Halloween on Martin Place 2016 was fantastic! The weather was AH-MAZING, the food was plentiful, the kiddos creative, and we looked the part of a Victorian Era Couple.

More on that in a moment. And there’s also a time lapse at the end of this post!

The real star, of course, is the house. Here are the pictures from this year!

Five skeletons on the house….

Marina is such a good helper. She didn’t even eat one crow.

The wreath I made a couple of years ago still looks great. This is maybe one of my favorite crafty projects I’ve ever done.

On the door, I hung a black wreath and the black-glittered skeleton. I remember when we bought the house – I was willing to sacrifice a wreath on the front door, to have a house that had a screen door like this. But a couple of years ago, I realized I could just hang it on the outside of the door, attached to a screw on the backside of the door with a thin ribbon. Best of both worlds.

I made a broom out of a walking stick and some floral department twigs for my school costume (a witch, I decided to do that on a whim), and added it to the porch.

My apothecary station.

I added some more dollar store portraits, that change from nice to horror depending on how you view them.

The skull chandelier. So excited about this, still!

Last week, I showed you the breathtaking mourning gown that my friend Sky made for me. If you haven’t seen it yet, make sure you check out the post.

But of course, a dress for me is only half of the puzzle. Doug also got some Victorian garb, and my goodness, if he isn’t dapper. We found his Victorian Suit at Gentleman’s Emporium, and he looks so fantastic.

We did some pictures right before Trick-Or-Treat, and of course, I had to turn them into daguerreotypes immediately. I’m seriously in love with these. I just used the filters on PicMonkey to make these, and I kept playing with them.

I love when modern technology allows us to live in the past, for just a moment.

And our friend Lori said, “You should take a picture inside a big empty frame.” And of course, I had one, so we did!

The night was so much fun. We had friends over, and I would guess somewhere between 1,200-1,400 kids came to our house. This was the best weather we’ve ever had for a Halloween (mid-60s!) and we were so spoiled by it. And the great weather definitely brought out more people to Martin Place than the past few years!

The local paper took some great shots of the evening on our street! Check out the Daily Journal’s slideshow HERE. You can see some of our neighbors’ houses, including the Wizard of Oz and a Human Sacrifice Ritual (We cater to everyone’s Halloween needs here on Martin Place!).

Many friends stopped by with their kids, including two of my favorite co-workers Amanda and Laura!

There were SO many good costumes this year. My personal favorite? The kids who were the painting “American Gothic.” As I asked for a picture, the boy nudged his sister and said, “Remember, don’t smile.” Amazing.

Runners Up!

Whoopee Cushion:

Cruella (the wig was perfection):

Bob Ross (photobombed by Left Shark):

And Box of Donuts!

People ask us, “What’s it like, having over 1,000 to your house for Halloween?” It’s hard to explain. But you have to be outside – it’s why we’ve made it a porch party every year – and our friends help us take shifts passing out candy. It’s really crazy. This year, Doug set up a camera to make a time lapse video, so you can get an idea! I’m posting two : a 6-minute version where you can see a LITTLE more detail, and a 90-second version for those that just want a quick run down.

Martin Place Halloween in 6 Minutes!

Martin Place Halloween in 90 Seconds!

So, there you go! It was so much fun to match the house. And most everyone loved it. Except that one kid who was probably 9 who looked at me – then looked at the house – and said, “You call this scary?”

Nope, kiddo. I don’t. I call it perfect.

Until Next Year….