Show off your pumpkin pics and tells us about the experience.
User avatar
By sloaner
#54277
I love the cereal trio. I may try one of those this year. 1 question about your outside display. In the last picture you have a NBC window covering. Did you make or buy that. And if you made it could you share your secrets? :wink:

mesmark wrote:
Here they all are sitting out side with our new red/orange Halloween lights as accents:
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User avatar
By SuperSonic
#54308
SOO CUTE!!!.....okay, I'm NOT freaking out... Awesome job mesmark!
Last edited by SuperSonic on Sun Oct 13, 2013 11:31 pm, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
By mesmark
#54311
Thanks for the nice comments. With some decorations up and a few pumpkins on the porch, it's starting to get a little exciting. Making the ghost minion was fun. And I'll let my daughter know that you guys liked her jac as well.

The window covers: I made those myself. I bought some black felt and orange fabric. Felt is great because it blocks out all of the light. It's very durable. You can roll it up, store it year to year, and it looks great. However, it's a little expensive.

I took some pumpkin patterns and blew them up to 250%. Then I pinned them to the felt. I may have checked the placement and then using an exact-o knife, I just cut through the pattern and felt.

Once I was done, I glued pieces of orange fabric to the back. I just used plain wood glue.

I was a little cheap with the orange fabric, because I was just planning to use them at my party. Last year, I started putting them in the window to my classroom. To my amazement, they look great from the inside too. However, I should have covered the entire back with orange fabric. Or cut the orange fabric in a pumpkin shape. See:

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User avatar
By ghostface
#54313
I really like those window covers!!!! :D
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By Zombie Pumpkins!
#54321
Every time I see the Cereal Monsters carved, I'm starting to like those patterns even more. I may need to carve at least one of those myself. They look great. Your daughters little jack looks cute too. She's got the right "spirit."

Felt window covers. I love the idea of being able to roll them up for storage. For future ones you can cut the openings into pumpkin shapes, but they still look good. Bonus if they work from both sides of the window too.

Did you have twins? The two kids sitting in the chair, I mean. Not to tell you how to parent, but they look like they could use a meal or two.
User avatar
By monstermash
#54421
Haha are those the skelletons of the Shinning twins? The look pretty creepy sitting together, smiling. :lol:
Your display is really lovely. Sorry to hear that the kin situation is rubbish for you too. I hope mine hold out. Are there many other houses in your street with great displays or are you the talk of the neighbourhood?
User avatar
By mesmark
#54576
I don't think there are any other house in the city that decorate for Halloween. I may be just one of a few people in the entire prefecture.

My road is really small and just a few cars an hour pass by. I have always had pumpkins out, but I started having more of a "display" last year. I used to put my kins on the porch and they were a little difficult to see. Last year, I started putting them out front a little, and now they're more visible. This year I have the orange lights which should be drawing more attention to the house. I change the window covers each week and the last weekend before Halloween I have the Hallo-window CD playing.

I can't have the Hallo-window playing during the week, because I have classes.
User avatar
By mesmark
#55537
Well, I did a couple more this evening. And since Nosferatu has thrown down the gauntlet, I decided to work on my picture taking technique.

Here's the Cars 2 heros with their friends, set in a nice Halloween scene:

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And then we thought ... that's lame :twisted:



Here they are not backing down. With a big rig bearing down on them, our heroes just barely escaped.
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That was a little close and so Mator needed to clean up a few skid marks:

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Then it was off to Radiator Springs to take a picture on the new road!

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Tired from all their travels, our heroes stopped off at the 7/11 for a little break before heading home.


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By Ajax
#55540
:lol: Those are wicked pictures. Best friends just hanging out sipping soda. Hanging out at the laundry mat. You took your photos to a whole nother level. I like how your pumkins are so bright and visible and you can still make out the patterns really well still a technique I have yet to master. It's even day time in that laundry mat and you can still make them out perfectly. I wonder what the staff at the laundry mat were thinking :) .
User avatar
By Zombie Pumpkins!
#55548
This is the kind of creative photography I'm talking about! And not just one street photo, but you took your Cars 'kins in a literal road trip. I love it. Nice carves and photos as well, not to mention the fun settings. Keep the creativity coming.
User avatar
By staticfurball
#55549
mesmark, I love those curtains!! I was just thinking of a way to make some awesome curtains for my party. Great carves too:)
User avatar
By mesmark
#55552
Ajax wrote::I like how your pumkins are so bright and visible and you can still make out the patterns really well still a technique I have yet to master.
It's actually just a long exposure with no flash. Generally, I use a tripod, but for the Cars photos, I had to get down on the road and so I was pretty stable. For those I just hand-held the camera, keeping elbows in and the camera tight on my face.

the laundromat photo was take at 11:00pm. With the long exposure, it looks pretty light. Also, the lights inside are pretty bright.

Zombie Pumpkins! wrote:This is the kind of creative photography I'm talking about! And not just one street photo, but you took your Cars 'kins in a literal road trip.
It was fun. My wife even asked me "Do you think they needed to stop for cash?" She was thinking an ATM shot would be good. However, ATM's close at 8:00pm in Japan and this road trip was after the little ones went to bed. The ATM my wife was talking about was in the 7/11 which would have been too bright.

Anyway, they're off to a new adventure outside my house. Entertaining young kids and lighting the way for weary travelers ...
User avatar
By SuperSonic
#55553
I would've loved to go on that particular road trip! Awesome photos mesmark.

How did they escape the big rig? :wink: That rig looks like in two more seconds they would've been flattened.
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By CorpseBride
#55563
:lol: Great photo set mesmark! Especially with Mac coming down the road...thats hilarious! I bet you moved quick after that photo though ;) I love this idea of setting up a little story with your kins. I might have to swoop your idea and do one of Poe's poems along with the carving of his likeness.
By Ajax
#55567
Pretty soon we will probably be able to act out the whole nightmare before Christmas with pumpkins alone. Just need the Mayor!