what i'm loving today . . .: The Nightmare That's Not on Elm Street

Right around the middle of October is when excitement really begins to fill our house. It's the beginning of our favorite stretch of the year - Holiday Decorating Season!!! From the middle of October through the end of the year, Eric and I have enough holiday cheer to power all the haunted houses, turkey-roasting ovens and glistening Christmas lights within a 50-mile radius (we are the Griswolds of our neighborhood, as we've been told).

Right now our house is bustling with preparations for this year's Halloween costumes, and to fill the gap until we unveil those creations, Eric has been busy, busy, busy making our house ultra-spooky for the hoards of Trick or Treaters that will come in just a couple of weeks!

Our front yard essentially begs for some spooky decorations. While I currently curse its ugliness throughout the rest of the year, the two gigantic pine trees, and the lack of grass that grows under them, make for the perfect backdrop for ghoulish decor, and because we are thinking of having those trees removed come spring, we had to make the most of it while we can!

Eric began the process last year, buying up discount tombstones from Halloween Express after the holiday had passed. We also found some ultra-spooky skull lights to line the front of the yard.

If you look closely, you can see miscellaneous bones strewn about.... the remains of all victims who dare to step upon these grounds...

Speaking of daring to enter, my sole contribution to the Halloween decor is the threatening sign that hangs above our front doorway. (Eric told me to "keep my Pinteresty crap out of the yard"... meaning he didn't trust me to make any "non-cutesy" decorations.... no smiling ghosts or happy pumpkins outside this house, folks!

We had picked up some free planks on the side of the road a couple of years ago, and I just attached them together to make one large sign, then hand-painted the warning and added my special touches of "blood."

Don't be alarmed, people. That red smeared handprint was NOT actual human blood.... (or was it??? No. It wasn't). But it was fun to cake my hand in red paint and smear it across.

So sinister.

Hanging from the awning out front is Eric's own masterpiece: "The Murderer's Charm Bracelet," as he calls it. He's strung various bones, severed arms and the like from a large chain.... thus creating the creepy charm bracelet. Eric has quite the twisted imagination.

One of my favorite things is the arms reaching out from its grave.... the undead is rising!!!!

And at night, there's a sinister black light highlighting it all... I'm sorry I don't have a photo, but trust me, it really accents the grave nicely.

I wouldn't be surprised if there were a couple more additions made before Halloween arrives. All I know is the spooky Halloween playlist is currently being compiled... sure to spook all the little kiddos that come to our house for Trick or Treat...... IF THEY DARE...