Trading tips for dark displays and prop production.
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By jen d.
#42759
I've been trying hard not to peek at this thread because I wanted to see it all at once... but I couldn't help it, the antici....pation was killing me! Awesome job on the projects, mesmark!! So cool! One of my friends just moved to Osaka, so I'm sure he'll be happy to hear there's a little bit of Halloween happening there somewhere. :)
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By mesmark
#42968
jen d., thanks for peeking in. it's been fun putting it all together. And, Halloween is really gaining steam here in Japan. i'm sure in a huge city like Osaka, your friend can find parties and small things happening here and there.

Well, this might be the last update I have time for. The clock is ticking and there are more than just decorations on the plate. Anyway, I picked up some more things from the hardware store and these trees from the nursery.

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the one on the left is going to go in the photo corner scene and the two on the right are going to go on the stage flanking the guards by the doorway.

Looking at them I'm thinking I shouldn't make 2D foam vases for the scene. They will look really out of place with real trees in 3D vases. So, one project crossed off the list and onto making some pillars. Finish those and I'm officially done with decorations.
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By mesmark
#42969
mudd wrote:show me the mummy!
I wish I could. Certainly, the one thing that's going to be missing is a mummy. If I had another week, I could do it. Or if I wasn't going to be carving this week and next I could do it. But, I'd rather be carving.

It's not completely off the list. If I can get some good work done over the next few days, there is a small window. A ray of hope ... but I wouldn't put any money on it.

Maybe at the next Egyptian theme Halloween party I throw ... :D
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By Dadja
#42970
mesmark wrote:
mudd wrote:show me the mummy!
I wish I could. Certainly, the one thing that's going to be missing is a mummy. If I had another week, I could do it. Or if I wasn't going to be carving this week and next I could do it. But, I'd rather be carving.

It's not completely off the list. If I can get some good work done over the next few days, there is a small window. A ray of hope ... but I wouldn't put any money on it.

Maybe at the next Egyptian theme Halloween party I throw ... :D
You just started preparing too late Mark, be honest :P
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By mesmark
#44477
Dadja wrote:You just started preparing too late Mark, be honest :P
That could have been it :? :D

Well, maybe the last update before the final shots. Nothing impressive. I've made a little staff type scepter to hold. Goes to show some ideas are better than others ...

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It will do.

We made a little hat for our Sphinx but she hates it. We have to bribe her with candy to leave it on for 2 minutes to take pictures.

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Somebody needs to tell my wife there's no "I" in team. Look how nice her costume turned out.

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On the decorating front, I had a little bit more of the fabric left over so I made 26 scroll type decorations to hang all about the place.

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I might give them away to the kids as prizes during the games.

I made some pillar covers and bought some chicken wire to set them up. I haven't tried to put all of this together yet. I'm going to give it a go on the day ...

Anyway, wish me luck.
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By Zombie Pumpkins!
#44492
I'm out of adjectives to use to compliment your prop building and your wife's costume making. So I'll just say.... wow.
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By monstermash
#44617
Brilliant! Have a great party Mes. You deserve it after all of your hard work. :D
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By mesmark
#45492
Thanks everybody for going on the journey with us. Here are some shots from the party. There's a full write up of the event with more pictures here.
the Egyptian theme Halloween party

One part that I hadn't thought out was the 3 hours I need to spend ironing all those backdrops the night before :)

The corner picture spot: pyramid tomb backdrop, sarcophagus, a small tree and bones of intruders

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This spot turned out pretty good. No complaints for my part. There are a lot of pictures of the guests in the corner scene on my school's homepage. Check it out if you have time.

While we were playing a group game, I had a friend steal the sarcophagus and run around the outside to put it in the stage scene.

Here's the stage: pyramid tomb backdrop, two columns, 2 plants, 2 Anubis statues, a doorway, 3 cobras, and a sarcophagus

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We had some troubles with the columns, getting them straight and securing them. I planned to just have chicken wire in 3 sections. Turns out the chicken wire wasn't sturdy enough. If i ever do columns again, I'll buy some wood supports for inside and maybe a sandbag or something to hold it in place better. Do and learn.

I had imagined the sarcophagus being set a little bit further back with its own lighting, but you work with what you have.

I barely had time to snap those pictures and I didn't really work out the best lighting possibilities. There were some nice yellow spot lights, that would have made for better pictures. Oh well.

The rest turned out great, imo.

For some Egyptian snacks my wife made Rice Crispy pyramids
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and a new version of the eyeball this year - look how nasty that looks:
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I also made a couple bottles with printed labels, inspired by the previous thread from CB, not nearly as nice, but simple and fun.
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I also took off the drink labels on the 2L bottles and pasted more of those labels on them. I thought they'd look really cheesy, but they looked pretty good.

On to next year's theme ...
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By CorpseBride
#45514
Looks fantastic! You really knocked it out of the park. I especially love that eyeball treat! How did you make it?!?

I bet the kids had an amazing time. Great job on everything!
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By Zombie Pumpkins!
#45528
Well, it all came together beautifully. Were your party guest blown away by your efforts? Or by this point do they just say, "Ah, that's typical Mark for ya." Well, from a guy that has some experiencing with Halloween decorating and costuming, I can tell you... I'm impressed.

Glad you got a lot of photos, but I know what you mean about barely having time to snap photos of everything. Especially in a social environment. Not to mention while being in costume... (my costume this year included long hair in my face and clawed fingers... imagine trying to work a camera in that condition!)

So much creativity, even with the games fitting the Egyptian theme. Looks like everyone was having a good time, and really getting into it this year with all those costumes. Especially like those mummies. ;)

So was it worth it? Hope so, because I can't wait to see what you do in the future. I know it's a lot of work, but just think about how many times that sarcophagus was photographed! King Tut lives on forever.
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By CombichristGirl
#45687
wow everything look fantastic!!!! so much work well worth it i love the family pics!!! all the mummys from smallest to largest to great :)
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By mesmark
#45690
Thanks everybody! With almost a week under my belt, I feel a bit more myself. I might be back to 100% or whatever percent I was before Halloween :)
zombiepumpkins wrote:Well, it all came together beautifully. Were your party guest blown away by your efforts? Or by this point do they just say, "Ah, that's typical Mark for ya."
I think they were pretty impressed with this year. Maybe more so than last year. While the effort was about the same, the scale was a little bigger this year. The stage scene was a full scene where last year it only covered about 2/3 of the stage. Also, a few people commented on the decorations this year. A couple of them asking in disbelief if I had drawn all of that on those sheets.

It's kind of flattering when you make something yourself and people think you must have bought it.

Anyway, I think we kept the bar up there or raised it a little.
zombiepumpkins wrote:So was it worth it? Hope so, because I can't wait to see what you do in the future. I know it's a lot of work, but just think about how many times that sarcophagus was photographed! King Tut lives on forever.
Personally, it was worth it. I really enjoy making this stuff and seeing it go from paper :
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to the real deal:
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Also, it's a hobby my wife and I can share. While we usually work separately on everything, it's still a team effort.

Also, the tale of the parties seems to be getting taller and taller. That's good news for my school and reputation in this area. So, on a business front, it's also good for us.
CorpseBride wrote:Looks fantastic! You really knocked it out of the park. I especially love that eyeball treat! How did you make it?!?
Thanks! I'm not sure if you are aware of how sad food comments make me :P , but ...

That eyeball is really cool. My wife wasn't so proud of it. Maybe she had expected something better or had a different vision, but I loved it.

I will get you that recipe for ...











$1,000,000
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