I'm not even gonna get the post-Halloween Blues, because now I can finally officially start my plans! This coming year's theme is a lab again, this time with monster plants as the main attraction. Because I'm planning on dressing as a version of Poison Ivy, and my husband is probably dressing as the Riddler, I decided to give it a slight Batman theme as well.
I want to try making one structure, and then really using the house and yard layout to my advantage. So far I've only decorated two main rooms & done a little with our porch/yard. Gotta change that for next year. So here are my plans for now.
Colors: Green, Black, Orange (Maybe purple.)
Outdoor:
- A covered walkway leading up to the front porch, with a plywood ramp
- Signs designating different areas as various research spots (for instance, the chicken coop will be a dinosaur enclosure.) Some signs will point off the property, implying that the facility is bigger than it appears.
- A front door sign with the name of the facility, which I haven't chosen yet.
- Vines, giant pumpkin leaves, and other monster plant bits
- Lights! Still attempting to work something out with lighting. I'm leaning towards battery operated, since solar doesn't work well here. Aiming for $50. Probably I'll go with battery operated lanterns that are put in or near things.
- A roadside sign holder that looks like creepy tree branches & vines are holding it together.
Walkway:
- plant monsters
- specimen displays
- A variety of carved & painted pumpkins
- Interactive science activities
- Fake notes from various imaginary experiments & evil plots
- clues & riddles
Indoor:
- A research center that looks like someone just abandoned it in a hurry. This will be on a downstairs desk. Should have:
--- a fake lab set, with beakers full of colored water & horrifying edibles
--- interactive experiments, like matching 'antidotes' with '.poisons.'
--- A microscope, with viewable slides decorated with monstrous specimens.
- a 'Periodic Talking Book Of The Elements' people can use to figure out which chemicals they should mix together for the perfect potion.
- A suggestion box for ways to capture the Batman
- An illustrated research book of poisonous plants. This should take all year to put together, and should be a classic sturdy book.
Parting gift:
- A test tube with seeds & garden-themed experiment
i'll be refining this list over time. I want to decide what exactly the clues will be for - leaning towards prizes. I'm trying to aim low as far as cost goes, so if I can splurge, it'll be to make my plans over the top. If I keep at it, this should all be doable.