Thread: 2012 DOLLAR TREE items for halloween projects

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OK I guess it's time to start a new yearly thread for Dollar Tree merchandise. I was on their website today and saw a number of promising items so stopped in today and came away with more than I planned.

Here's a few things that might be of use for your haunt projects:

Industrial household gloves in black latex. Saw them in my store and they come in Small, Medium and Large. Great costume accessory for your mad scientist with the white coat or maybe your actors in a Dot Room.

The tubular LED flashlights are back in stock. Quick inexpensive LED spotlight for props in your yard. Insert in PVC pipe with stake on the end for a simple spotlight. Add some lighting gel material to add colored lighting. To turn on light jush push in on flashlight and push again to turn off. No need to pull out of the PVC. I looked for these in the store today but didn't see them yet.

While generally available in the store during the year, they have the Sunbeam batteries back in stock. Here's a link to the button batteries which come in a few battery types. My local store had a good supply of several of these types along with various other size batteries like 9v, AA, AAA.

They have a fresh supply of faux floral including vines and tropical leaves. Also restocked their faux fruit and vegetables. I bought a number of green apples last year and plan on turning them into a witch's posion apple tree. When I get around to it I want to add a glowing "eye" to each apple hanging on my haunted tree to make them eerie looking.

In their toy area I found decks of Tarot Cards. They're more like playing card size but still useful if you are doing a circus/carnival theme and plan on a fortune teller booth.

I picked up a few wide jumbo test tubes of slime (comes in several vibrant colors). Will use it or the test tubes in my monster lab.

Oh and I almost walked past these but Dollar Tree has their fast-selling solar powered dancing daisies back in stock. Various colored plastic pots. I had the hardest time tracking a few of these down last year for my mad scientist lab (will be modified and part of the haunted flower botanical area). No sooner would they come into the store than they would sell out.

Maybe you might want to add some artificial nails to your skeletons or witch's hands. They can be cut, shaped, and polished (black or red maybe or green for an alien).

If you are planning on adding a quick, inexpensive prop alarm like someone posted about here on the forum (prop section I think) that uses the IntrudAlert door and window alarm, Dollar Tree has them in stock online and while I didn't notice them this trip into my store am positive I saw them in one of the DTs near me. BTW these alarms are now available to order online (ship to home or pick up at local store) in quantities of 10 now!

Some days it hard to get out of Dollar Tree for just a dollar! I'll come back tomorrow and post a pic of the some of the items mentioned above that didn't have photo links.


Update: here's the HF webpage I found the link posted by Redg8r on to his how-to for a prop alarm using the IntrudAlert. His post is at the bottom of the page.

As if it wasn't bad enough they've been having big sales on Mazzetta's pasta sauces lately ($1.99 when they're normally over $4-$5 depending where), you just HAD to mention dollar tree. All I've been thinking is I wish I'd bought some more black creepy cloth for witch's jars last year....

Great thread!! I found ping pong balls in the toy section of our Dollar Tree. We are using some to make eyeballs in a jar. I have also found that they make great eyes for my prop heads if I cut them just at the edge, glue on a printed out iris and paint with clear fingernail polish.

Ghost of Spookie, I would love to see a picture of how you transform a dancing daisy.

Picked up some of those Tarot cards and the big toothbrush, comb and sunglasses for my Carnevil theme. Got some more green, red and yellow tickets too. My Mom gave me a gift card from there for Christmas cause she knows how much stuff I get from there every year!

I bought Dollar Tree's plastic cemetery vases to fill with wilting flowers in front of my tombstones. Also, lots of bugs in a bag, and plastic snakes. And plastic carnival flags and popcorn containers. All available now (not just Halloween season).

Almost forgot, also Spanish moss and green floral moss in the floral area.

I used the Industrial household gloves in black latex for several props last year. Dollar Tree sells 4 packs of styrofoam balls. I grabbed some and painted them orange and purple then made hangers for them to use as ornaments for my Halloween tree ( I also painted some christmas tree ornaments in the same colors that I got for 30 cents a tube at Dollar General) . I'll have to see if mine has the tarot cards, they would would go well with my witch scene.

Originally Posted by chinclub

Great thread!! I found ping pong balls in the toy section of our Dollar Tree. We are using some to make eyeballs in a jar. I have also found that they make great eyes for my prop heads if I cut them just at the edge, glue on a printed out iris and paint with clear fingernail polish.

Ghost of Spookie, I would love to see a picture of how you transform a dancing daisy.

Have you tried cutting the balls in half and gluing the irises to the INSIDE of one half of the ball? It will make the eyes appear to follow you when you move in front of the prop. You also get a pair of eyes out of only one ball this way!

I haven't tried that yet, but it is certainly on my list of things to do. I have that tutorial for pictures bookmarked. Has anyone ever tried in on prop heads? I hadn't thought about that until just now... If that could work with the right lighting it would be perfect for fillers on my haunted hayride.

I think you need to have the eyes lit from behind to really see them though don't you? At least the tutorial I saw making a large window eye did. Or at the very least think you'll need a spot light on them in the dark to see the effect.

I bought two concave clear plastic bowls last year from Dollar Tree to do this effect on my window but it's still in my project box. The bowls were oval shaped and looked like giant sized eye wash cups. They should be the perfect shape for an eye.