Thread: I've been missing out

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well I have lurked in the background for a while and only this year started to participate and contribute to this fantastic forum. It's now like the family I will never meet. Well it is for me living in the UK . I made most of my props this year from scratch using ideas off here or other links to people sites off here.

However I recently have been spending a lot of time looking through the member albums as I'm off sick with flu please no sympathy. ok go on the just a bit lol.

I am in awe of what I have been seeing, and I have been leaving so many comments that my 2 fingers hurt from all my typing .There is no end to the talent on here, and there are so many people that are a great inspiration to so many of us.

I have now started to complie a job list for next Halloween, thanks for that lol.Anyway I decided to upload a few albums from our little even this year and started to receive some nice comments about the props.This is very appreciated as over in the UK if you want something you have to make it as there's very little in the shops to chose from especialy if you want to cater for the more grown up TOTs and adults.And as normal I left everything to the last mnute and things didnt turn out as I'd have liked them.

so whilst I'm off I've got my foam wig head and some das clay. the projects start again.

Not sure if this is the place for this thread, I'm sure the grown ups will move it it's not. Thanks to ALL on here for making Halloween such a special time of year.

I was looking at joining a UK halloween forum and the most users ever online was 3 ...just shows how things are different over here

Nice to meet you scarybella, and welcome to the discussion arena.

I'm so glad you found this forum and I can't wait to see the things you start to create! Please don't forget to post pics of your progress!

Hi scarybella. I'm curious, any ideas why Halloween has been slow to be generally embraced by Europe? I mean, that's where it all started. There certainly are pockets in the US where its not enthusiastically followed, but in general most kids will put on costumes and go door to door for candy saying "trick or treat". And even some of my neighbors who don't participate in decorating still enjoy stopping by to see our yard haunt (saw one neighbor three times on Halloween laughing and enjoying our singing pumpkins).

Again just curious as to what most people in the U.K. think of Halloween. And I salute you for being enthusiastic about it!

Originally Posted by Demon Dog

Again just curious as to what most people in the U.K. think of Halloween. And I salute you for being enthusiastic about it!

and being ex Army I salute you back

We had a small party a couple of years ago and threw up some wooden frames with masks and cheap black gown on and people loved them.. Last year we went to a major theme park,Alton Towers as it was there scarefest which meant it stayed open til gone midnight and thay had those large crazy scary maze style haunts which I think would have cost $20 per person. it was ok but we missed entertaining.

So this year we had a larger Halloween party and invited friends, a lot didn't come... I can understand that some strange people dont like Halloween and the thought of dressing up lol. some even said they were coming and didnt come My thoughts were that they missed out we were a bit dissapointed but what made it all wortwhile wass we left everything up until Halloween night for the TOTs and we had around 100!!! yes this isn't a lot by some standards but for the UK this was great!!. I think the adults loved it as much if not more that the younger ones. wifes went home to drag their hubbys down to see what mess we had made. people were running to tell their friends to come. I dont think they would have been bothered if we didn't have candy. I even had to remind some TOTS to take theirs as they were walking away lol.
Now what we made this year was very basic although some did even move and didn't break down.

I think we would have been the only house for MILES that would have done anything like this. I was even letting them look around some bits of the house which were still dressed up from the party. Some said you should charge people to come in.. what for such a small event I thought... they wont know what's hit them next year. And god help them if they woke up in America on Halloween

The stuff for sale is predominantly aimed at the younger market with hardly any larger quality props at all. oh well just as well I have a heated shed and 2 working hands and a helpfull wife.Fortunately creepy cloth has now made it over here lol

If just a few of those that came this Halloween dress just a little bit of their house up next year I would have done my bit for the TOTs here.Our next door neighbour didn't have any TOTs and she didn't turn off the lights and TV like some here do

As it happens I have just been in the shed working on the first basic thing for last year, which suprisingly was on the list for this year but time waits for no man

Hi ScaryBella,
I'm from UK as well. I agree we are fighting an uphill battle here. More scary stuff gradually making its way over, but we seem to pay in £, what the US pay in $, so quite expensive.

I was the only house in my street that had any sizeable display, one or two with skeletons and pumpkins, but other than that very little.

Halloween is my wedding anniversary and last year, I went overboard and left my wife in a house in darkness, with only the odd flickering candle on our 1st anniversary. Needless to say I was not too popular. So I did not do much this year, only decided to do a display the day before, so grabbed what I had. Still had about 50 TOTs though.

We have agreed that we will have a party/major house decoration every two years, and low-key decs on alternate years. Still this gives me two years prep time!!

Hope to see more of you online, and keep us up to date on any projects you are working on. Unfortunately, I am a man with big ideas, but little talent and less money, so my projects are rarely successful.

Regards

Ian in the UK

Nice pics scarybella, thanks for sharing. You've done quite well on your own with the prop making. Sometimes I feel it's better to not have too much stuff available. The things you make always turn out better than a lot of the garbage they have for sale.

Keep it up and maybe Halloween will someday make it big across the Pond.

Welcome to the forum, Scarybella! We are glad to have you here.
Plenty of helpful people here if you need advice or help finding a prop and supplies you need.

Hi Scarybella & welcome to the forum! I too was one who lurked for a long time before joining. So many talented peopel here. From the looks of your albums you are going to fit right in. Great use of materials.