The Haunting of Ivy Hall

A few more pics...

2008-11-06T02:16:00.000-08:00

A perfect evening.

2008-11-02T02:58:00.000-08:00

Halloween was just about perfect for us this year. We had gorgeous weather and everything went off with out a hitch. Who can ask for more? (Well, other than setting the time change back to BEFORE Halloween.)

Here is a pic - the full gallery will be updated soon!

Not the October I'd Anticipated.

2008-10-24T05:07:00.001-07:00

Where has Miss Crow been? Well, I've been SICK. On top of that, my business has usurped my life right now. I've got a major promotion going on this month and it has just sucked up my usual Halloween prep time. I had *planned* to have everything done for the promo by the end of summer, but well, that just didn't work out. SHAME ON ME!

That being said, my husband and I are wrapping up most of our planned Halloween props for 2008. (In truth, he's been riding my ass since August - I just haven't had the energy to get things completed. He is SOOOO disappointed with me!)

We have, however, managed to take our two year old son to a variety of farm markets, a pumpkin patch and the local cider press. This in my opinion, is more important, because he'll be two only once and it would be unforgivable to forgo those experiences.

In light of this, I submit a few pics from our Autumnal travels, until we take pics of our new props and this years display.

The Roses of Ivy Hall

2008-08-23T15:35:00.000-07:00

We've updated the cemetery fence that we built last year. Full pics when the fence is set up in early October.

Pumpkinrot: Favorite Pics

2008-08-22T13:28:00.000-07:00

Pumpkinrot has the best, most atmospheric haunt EVER! Here is one of my favorite pics from the 2007 season.

My Besom

2008-08-14T04:58:00.001-07:00

Halloween Paper Lanterns

2008-08-09T05:45:00.001-07:00

Halloween Paper Lanterns, originally uploaded by CerysCrow.

A shot I took at at a local farm market, in 2007.

Crow Hill

2008-08-08T05:14:00.001-07:00

Crow Hill, originally uploaded by Paul Grand.

Perpetual Autumn No. 1

2008-08-05T06:10:00.000-07:00

Considering that we LOVE Autumn and Halloween in our household, it's not surprising that our home improvements reflect this very fact. Here is a pic of our freshly painted front door:

Ignatius Teaser

2008-07-30T14:08:00.001-07:00

In Storage

2008-06-04T19:22:00.001-07:00

Vintage Postcard No. 2

2008-05-09T05:11:00.001-07:00

The Witch's House

2008-05-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

My kind of Beverly Hills home, that's for sure. It was built in 1921 and was originally on a Culver City, CA movie lot.

Vintage Postcard No. 1

2008-05-06T11:12:00.000-07:00

Litany for Halloween

2008-03-17T09:08:00.000-07:00

From ghoulies and ghosties,
Long-leggety beasties,
And things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord, deliver us.

-Anonymous

End of the 2007 Season

2007-12-14T05:06:00.000-08:00

Magnus Assists

2007-10-19T07:43:00.000-07:00

Ivy Hall's Haunted Library

2007-10-19T05:46:00.001-07:00

Ivy Hall Family Plot

2007-10-18T12:13:00.000-07:00

Kooky Cemetery Fence

2007-10-11T08:17:00.000-07:00

Our "Kooky Fence" exists soley because of my husband. The design and construction is his. I helped out, but he alone deserves the credit.

Better pics soon.

Cornstalk Tee-Pee

2007-10-11T07:55:00.000-07:00

The "Cornstalk Tee-Pee" is a tradition from my youth, that I still carry on today. The first tee-pee was created by my grandfather for me when I was 5. This year, we have two.
Me, on the left, in 1975. My daughter in 1997, on the right.

"Jack" Flag

2007-10-11T07:49:00.000-07:00

All of our scarecrows here at Ivy Hall have similar faces (perhaps you've noticed).

This year, we decided to make a flag with that face. The flag is put out mid-September to mark the beginning of the Halloween season.

"Jack" is the first scarecrow we ever made, hence the name.

Night Photos

2007-10-11T07:39:00.000-07:00

Zero
Septimus Rex

The growing cememtery.

Zero Materializes

2007-09-27T18:13:00.000-07:00

Zero is our spectral scarecrow and is new this year. He will be bathed in green light at night, once put on display. He is my personal favorite.

The Ascention of Septimus Rex, Lord of Mabon

2007-09-26T05:30:00.001-07:00

On September 23rd, the Autumn Equinox (also known as Mabon), Septimus Rex ascended Scarecrow Hill to begin his inaugural reign over the Halloween and Autumn festivities at Ivy Hall.

Our Familiars

2007-09-26T05:26:00.000-07:00

A Mama cat and her three babies have taken up residence in our yard, just in time for Samhain. There are two black kitties and one grey tabby kittie. Mama is also a grey tabby cat.

Glowing Lanterns

2007-08-28T13:34:00.000-07:00

Standard "Farmhouse Lanterns" with frosted glass and lit by LEDs.

Witch Bottles and Jars

2007-08-02T15:11:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics of the jars and bottles for our witch area. We will have several other props there, as well, but I'll take pics of those on Halloween. I don't want to give everything away!

(I made these out of Crayola Model Magic!)

(Juniper Berries)

New Light Fixtures

2007-07-31T09:13:00.000-07:00

We finally replaced our old, outdoor light fixtures on the house. The reasons are two-fold. One, the existing ones were well-worn, cheap-looking and did not truly fit the style of our house. Two, they used chandelier bulbs, which prevented us from using colored light-bulbs on Halloween.

Here are a few night-time pics of the fixtures equipped with the green bulbs we plan on using on the big day. There is also one daytime pic, to better show the fixture itself. (The orange light is inadvertent - that's just the way the incandescents from inside photographed!)

We couldn't be happier with the results!

The First Completed Headstone

2007-07-13T05:15:00.001-07:00

Made of flat plywood; hand-painted.

Thanks So Much!

2007-07-13T05:10:00.001-07:00

Thanks to all who voted for me at the Haunt Forum Sign of the Times Challenge. I really appreciate it.

CerysCrow's HauntForum Sign of the Times Challenge Entry

2007-06-20T20:51:00.001-07:00

Zero: Carved and Base-Coated

2007-05-16T05:36:00.000-07:00

The Beginnings of Zero

2007-05-04T07:42:00.000-07:00

Zero's face has (obviously) been drawn out and he is ready to be carved and painted.
Progress pictures will be posted.

New Ivy Hall Sign

2007-04-11T07:02:00.000-07:00

I made a sign last year, but I really wasn't happy with the way it turned out. It was rather plain. Our theme is more or less a haunted country estate so I wanted to make something more befitting the theme.

I purchased a wooden plaque from the craft store, and transfered the text on to it. (I used a computer to layout the text.) Then, I roughly carved out the words. Next, I painted the entire sign green. I had some gold leaf left over from gilding a frame, so I used it in the words and on the border. Lastly, I sealed it with an outdoor polyurethane. I still have to add a stake so that I can post the sign in the ground. (The sign is meant to be low and very close to the ground.)

The sign is fairly small, but it's really meant to be an accent, not a feature piece.

2007 $20 Prop Challenge

2007-02-16T09:31:00.000-08:00

HauntForum.com is running a $20 prop challenge. This is my entry. I already had on hand everything used to make it.

(However, I have posted my cost list on hauntforum.com as if I had purchased all items new.)

Goody Crowe's Grimoire

The Funkins have arrived!

2007-02-11T05:41:00.000-08:00

Our shipment of Funkins has arrived. Several will be used as heads for the new scarecrows that we have planned. The others are just to keep on hand for further projects. They were on sale, so we figured that it was good to buy a few extra.

These styles are so much better that the Funkins I can buy at the local Joann store. These look for more realistic in regard to their shape.

New Prop

2007-01-09T20:32:00.000-08:00

I have been working on a new Ivy Hall sign. Pics uploaded soon!

Whew!

2006-11-02T11:18:00.000-08:00

Halloween 2006 is over and our neighborhood yard haunt was a terrific success, despite the rain. We are now beginning to plan for 2007 and are eagerly looking forward to the additions we have planned. Check back to this blog periodically for news of our updates.

Happy Haunting!