Thread: Do You Buy or Make Most of Your Props/Decor?

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I was wondering do you make most of your items or do you buy them?

I'm trying to make most of mine. Partly because I'm poor and creative and partly because everything I seem to find these days are over-priced pieces of junk. That doesn't keep me from be sucker into buying somethings though. I just can't help myself. Some of my best items weren't meant for Halloween, but had that 'creepy' feel.

I'm about half/half in recent years but did buy a lot more in the past.

Shameful, but I have no talent. But if you count my dear Grumpy, it's maybe 70/30? (math is hard) He made our skull head fence last year, the bar for the skellies, and the little tables for our skellie customers. This year, he'll be making some kind of roof support for the tiki thatched bar for Club Dead, and who knows what else. It's a work in progress in my head, right now. Those creeps who robbed us last year will not have such an easy time of it, this year!

Used to be mostly buy, though I always put together some things myself. Hoping to make it more like 50/50 from now on.

There's always some things that just aren't worth doing on your own.

I think everyone starts out mostly buying and then as the years go by and they start looking at what's out there, realizing they could do it better and more unique and they start building. It's a good way to tell how long someone has been "haunting" - the more home-made, the longer they've been doing this.

I buy only only only only on sale. Only.
I do make quite a bit as well. But I don't have a gory haunt...gory is fine, but just not for me.
I got really burned my first few years haunting. 90 percent of the items I bought were crap and I was so mad when I realized haunt items are made so poorly.
If I buy items, I know I must like them static- b/c they ain't gonna last long.
I buy on sale, get free or reduced shipping, and try to be happy!

If its a good deal I will buy the prop, but I like to make most of them.

I try to get stuff at yard sales, I got some of my best pieces there. I may buy new but its rare, it has to be a limited edition or something.

After the first year I really had to be more fickle with my buys and say to myself if I want it or need it, can it wait or can I make it better myself and for cheaper/same price?

Ive made a few things here and there, usually little things like detail pieces. This year Ill be going into the bigger animated stuff I hope. Usually my setback is funds because all the little things can add up.

If I buy a Blucky and a Walmart pumpkin, then put PVC in the Blucky and use the walmart pumpkin for the head instead of the original Blucky head, is that buying a prop or making a prop?

I build/modify whenever I can't find exactly what I'm looking for. It's easy enough for me to find "acceptable quality" tombstones, pirate flags, and ground breakers. But, it was impossible for me to find cemetary fence, fence columns, toe pincher coffins, obelisks, and specialty lighting that matched my needs, so I built all of that. When I wanted some talking skulls, I bought the skulls, modified them to meet my need, and ended up with what I imagined, as opposed to what I could buy commercially (for big bucks).