[Frankie's Girl]

Thought I'd kick this off since I mentioned it on another thread....

Quite a few of us yard haunters have smaller yards, restricting the amount or the scale of props and displays we want to build. So all of you "tiny tomb" haunters, please post your ideas and builds (within the board's posting rules - Larry, please move or edit this post to conform) to your scaled-down projects!

For instance, I have always loved the "Beloved" stones (Terra's beautiful example stands out particularly) but know that even if I could build one just as good (ha!) that it would look ridiculous in my tiny yard.

So I built this:

http://www.halloweenforum.com/halloween-props/76930-angel-tombstone-started.html


I know there are other posters that have some great ideas, so let's see 'em!

 

[yardhauntjunkie]

How small of yards are we talking about?

 

[jdubbya]

WOW! That came out wonderfully! Excelent scale and color match. Looks like you "grayed" up the statute a bit as I remember them being more off white with some gold/tan hues. That is a great project! I'll be picking your brain for your paint technique on this one. Super job FG!

 

[jdubbya]

How small of yards are we talking about?

It's kind of subjective but I think yards that can't hold a lot of large stones or a lot of any size stones. Our front yard is roughly 30x25 so we're restricted to a small cemetery with only a few gravestones. I think this thread will be neat to see smaller scale monuments in the making and get ideas for how to construct them.

Our yard display during the day. Not a whole lot of space!

 

[scary1215]

well i have a small yard and this is my haunt

 

[jackpot]

Really like the first gravestone. So jealous of those who have a yard I'm stuck in apt for another year and have a 6 by 6 foot area that I get to work with-as I'm not allowed to use any of the grassy area.

 

[Baron Samedi]

This is a great thread Idea, as I myself only have a small one...(YARD, that is. Shame on all you evil minded souls out there)..
A small yard can accomodate a very impressive display, It's just a matter of getting the balance right so it doesn't look overcrowded.

FrankiesGirl..I love that tombstone, seems like Terra has found her protege! Thanks for the link to the how-to, as I seemed to have missed it first time round.
The marble effect and lettering are awesome..Great job!

 

[DaveintheGrave]

Wow!! Excellent job on the tombstone, FG! Awesome paint job--it looks like real marble.
The angel from Big Lots turned out great too!

 

[Frankie's Girl]

My yard is a bit bigger than jdubbya's, but it's still one of the smaller sized yards on here....

This was my yard setup last year:
http://www.halloweenforum.com/picture.php?albumid=383&pictureid=9412

But really, if you feel like your yard size restricts the amount of props that you can properly display and you've ever built stuff scaled down on purpose to balance the size, then please post what you built - I see this thread as a kind of inspiration/idea thread...

 

[DaveintheGrave]

If your yard is too small for a coffin or a regular sized groundbreaker I do have one tip. I made a few of these smaller groundbreakers last year and they turned out really good. I call it the "slimline" groundbreaker.

 

[Baron Samedi]

Thats a great idea Dave.
You could easily have several of those in a small yard, with different finishes or in various states of disrepair and they could be cut at different angles so they didn't look too "samey".

 

[DaveintheGrave]

You're right, Baron. I made a pair of them to house my Joking Skeletons last Halloween. (They looked better in the dark with a floodlight shining on them):

 

[Frankie's Girl]

Cool - I love the slimline coffin groundbreakers!

Here is something else I built:
http://www.halloweenforum.com/tutorials-step-step/69731-cheap-graveyard-columns-cardboard.html
I bought a folding wire fence at the local home improvement store that comes in 10 foot sections and stands about 2.5 feet high when staked into the ground. I wanted little columns to break it up, and the cardboard columns with JoL toppers fit perfect with the shorter/smaller fence. (I did put scrap cheesecloth on the fencing for better visibility and it looks very spooky waving gently in the breeze).

 

[Otaku]

If your yard is too small for a coffin or a regular sized groundbreaker I do have one tip. I made a few of these smaller groundbreakers last year and they turned out really good. I call it the "slimline" groundbreaker.

Hey, I like that! I have to use my driveway for my display - my yard is a postage stamp. The biggest challenge is getting things to stand up, I can't punch holes in the concrete. That groundbreakng coffin would be a nice addition. Thanks forthe inspiration, Dave!

 

[MHooch]

Great thread, FG!! And your 'Beloved' is beautiful. Just beautiful. Excellent work!! Thanks for the cardboard columns tutorial, too. I could use some columns for my fence, but storage is an issue. Your cardboard ones look great, and I wouldn't mind making them each year, they are cheap and seem fairly simple. Your yard looked awesome last year. I really like your witch!

jdubbya: your yard looks great!! I love your columns.

DaveintheGrave: the coffins groundbreakers are a great idea. My hubby could probably handle that.

scary1215: Nice looking decor, there!! I wish I had a nice big porch like yours.

Here's a pic of my yard last year, we weren't quite finished setting up (see tubs on the sidewalk ) but I wanted to check the fogger:

 

[GDfreak]

I think an advantage of a small yard is that you can create that "crwoding" effect alot more easier with lesser tombstones. I have a big yard so that crowding effect would take over 60 stones just for the middle section. Also a fence is out of the question because it would be over 200ft easily. Lighting is a pain to deal with and you need alot of long extension cords and covering the place with fog is also a challenge. When I was in High School I would barrow the F-100 fogger from my theatre department and that worked great...untill I graduated. So you people with smaller yards sometimes have an advantage than us with big yards.

 

[DaveintheGrave]

Thanks for the compliments, all!! Yea, Otaku--one or two of those would look good on your driveway. It'd look like the driveway was paved right over the buried coffins and now they are bursting through! LOL
FG and MHooch: You guys pack quite a bit into your small yards. They look really good! FG, I guess that huge tree growing at a 45 degree angle kind of takes up most of your yard! Looks pretty strong for hanging some props in, though.


Here's a pic of the underside of it (for those that want to make one):

 

[yardhauntjunkie]

I am just the opposite. I don't want things to look crowded. I think people cram too much stuff in and it ends up looking gaudy. I have a relatively small yard and I am actually trying to take things out so that it gives a more cohesive, less jumbled look.

 

[scary1215]

wow everyones haunt is so good. me being a kid i wonder if im going to grow up to be as good as all u guys.

 

[Mr_Chicken]

While this isn't actually a yard prop, it sure does free up space.

Here's the how-to: The Skeleton's Hand: 2008 Countdown #3