Thread: Looking for new ideas and places to shop

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Well I just signed on to this site. Halloween is by far my favorite time of the year. My whole getup is probably worth around $700. Been adding to it every year. Now my costume is more of the goth vampire. Much like Dracula movie with Reeves and Gary Oldman. The scene where dracula walks through the streets of london with his gray outfit. That's sort of the look I have but in black and red. I built a life size coffin last year with a prop on the inside. However what I am looking at to doing this year have a 6 foot table set up outside and I want to put together a gothic flower vase with silk black roses. And Spirit Halloween has some new skeleton candles that would look great to put on both sides of the flower piece. Question I have for everyone out there is, where can I shop online for materials that would last a long time and yet be fairly inexpensive. I have a very limited budget. And I don't want some cheap stuff that will break or be ruined the same night. And if anyone has any ideas what to add to the table would be great. Im not into the gory bloody stuff. Just more into the goth, skeletons, or reapers. Thanks in advance.

Hello and welcome. I also am more into monsters and ghosts than the gory stuff. You could always put a couple skulls on the table, some spiders, and such. I bought all my skulls from cryptic imports, they are fairly cheap and look pretty good. Also I know you said tight budget but you also said reapers and ghosts. You can check out www.kentuckyspecialfx.com also www.crypticimports.com

they have some cool ghosts that are not too expensive.

Where are you located exactly? maybe there is a local retail place near you that you may find what you seek. We here can better help you that way!

Welcome!

My advice is "make your own!" It's a lot of fun, and you know it'll be original and good quality.

As for what to add... maybe some old books and cobwebs?

Originally Posted by thud

Welcome!

My advice is "make your own!" It's a lot of fun, and you know it'll be original and good quality.

As for what to add... maybe some old books and cobwebs?

I agree with Thud - make your own. You'll be happier in the long run. Check the monsterlist for lots of how-to projects - or the tutorial link here. There's so much talent. I end up spending more money at Home Depot and yard sales than the retail stores usually. Thrift stores are another great source too. Alot of props people make are usually everyday items that were "hauntified"....

I admire your taste and the feelings that you have towards Halloween. In fact, I would advise you if you are looking for cheap and quality goods, it is best for you to look for them offline. Check out for retail stores that are around your area, or travel a little bit in order to get the perfect piece for the picture. Online goods are great, but at times, you can’t see them and all you have is pictures. You can’t determine them whether it is good stuff or otherwise.

what does my name mean

We have an online store Lordgrimley.com where we sell quality Halloween props masks and costumes. They may cost a little more but are worth it. We also offer a free mail order catalog. If you want one go to the announcements forum and follow the instructions there.

Welcome to the best Halloween forum on the net.

Welcome aboard!

You definitely sound like a prospect for Design Toscano. Most of their pieces are made of resin which, although a little brittle, will last pretty much forever. Definitely sign up for their mailing list, as they run 20% off sales fairly frequently, which helps keep the price down.

I love their medieval and renaissance stuff in particular, so I can second the recommendation by BlueFrog for Design Toscano.

Also, if you are looking for black roses, do you have a Jo Ann's near you? If so, sign up for their email mailing list, go to the store and sign up to receive their sales circulars through snail mail, and check the Sunday papers for sales and coupons. I've seen really dark red roses there, almost black, more like a burgundy black, and they are especially cheap if you have a coupon or get them during seasonal clearances.

I didn't even know about the JoAnn's dark roses. Michael's sells black roses year-round. You'll have to scout around as they're in an odd spot (at least at both of mine) but they're there.

A Design Toscano shopping tip I forgot to mention earlier: search on terms like "raven", "reaper", "skull", etc. A lot of their gothic decor isn't filed as such on their web site and it's easy to miss some great pieces.