Meet Chuckles — Free Printable

A paper skull doesn’t give me that creepy feeling that I get with the ones that are formed from some plastic concoction . . . I hope it’s some plastic concoction and not the real thing, but it makes me wonder. . . they do look and feel real. Yeah, like I would know.

The image and Free Templates are Courtesy of http://www.ravensblight.com

I’ve named him Chuckles, because as I’m looking at him from over my laptop, he is happy about something. I’m sure I don’t want to know. The joke may be on me.

He may be anticipating visiting you at your house sometime very soon.

Here are the Free Templates to print out on heavy white cardstock:

Print out the Instructions on regular paper.

Chuckles Assembly Instructions

Chuckles

Optional Base

Chuckles doesn’t like the base, he likes to be “free standing” in all his skullness.

I wonder if he’d like to visit my dentist. Chuckles is a true testimonial to brushing and flossing after each meal and limited sugary snacks.

I have a great Haunted House I’d like to share with you with free templates. It’s a true treasure with a secret chamber.  The construction is quite involved, but well worth the effort.

Thanks for stopping by!

Impressive Coffins You Can Make — Free Templates

Coffins and Skeletons come to mind when the word Halloween is spoken. Well, those same images come to mind when the word Cemetery is spoken, too.

These are impressive coffins that you can make with the free templates. Select the ones you like or make them all by printing them on a thick white cardstock.

The words that come to mind when you see these coffins have more complex dimensions feeding the imagination with sinister words or of Halloween icons. The chained coffin may bring thoughts of something evil inside that should never be released. There’s a simple rusty coffin and more elaborate ones. Each is unique and would appeal to someone on your party list. The serious question is what will you put inside of each one . . . and who is to receive each one.

I have my collection on a shelf right now, but I’ll be moving them around as the days get closer to Halloween. I may make more, because they do attract attention and they’re so irresistible that friends and family ask to take one home. Some have been bold enough to ask for the whole set.

coffins1(Coffins measure 6 inches long, 2 1/2 inches wide and 1 1/4 inches deep)
Image and Templates Courtesy of http://www.ravensblight.com

Free Templates for the Peculiar Coffin Boxes:

Assembly Instructions

Black and Gold Coffin

Black and Silver Coffin

Gold Filigree Coffin

Silver Filigree Coffin

Rusty Coffin

Chained Coffin

Now that you have the templates and the instructions, you can have a quiet evening of watching television or listening to music and putting a few sets of these coffins together.

But wait, http://www.ravensblight.com has Deluxe Coffin Boxes to go along with the Peculiar Coffin Boxes above. I do like the wood grain finish on this Deluxe Coffin Boxes collection. They do have interesting names that make them quite appealing.

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Here are the Free Templates for these 6 inch Deluxe Coffin Boxes

Deluxe Coffin Boxes Assembly Instructions

Modern Mahogany Casket

Oak ‘Toe Pincher’ Coffin

Mahogany ‘Toe Pincher’ Coffin

Walnut ‘Toe Pincher’ Coffin

Weathered Crate

Now you have eleven different coffin boxes to print out on heavy card stock, cut out and assemble. They each come with a skeleton, but you can add candy and trinkets to these boxes as the mood inspires.

To be honest with you, http://www.ravensblight.com does have smaller Coffin Gift Boxes to add to your coffin boxes collection. These Coffin Gift Boxes are 4 inches long and there is a 4 1/2 inch stone tomb that will allow one of the other three coffin gift boxes to fit inside. These are for smaller gifts, but they are just as interesting to make.

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These Coffin Gift Boxes may be smaller in size, but there is an added surprise template for you to print out.

Coffin Gift Boxes Assembly Instructions

Pine Coffin Gift Box

Cherrywood Coffin Gift Box

Mahogany Casket Gift Box

Tomb Gift Box

Gift Box Coffin Occupants

Now you have 14 coffins and one tomb to print out, cut out and assemble for a very nice collection to decorate and delight your friends and family.

Do you feel like something is missing? I was wondering if there were any trinkets that could be made to fit into the gift boxes since they deserve to have something special added to them.

http://www.ravensblight.com didn’t disappoint. They have a collection of rings that seem just right for the occasion.

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Oh yes, these Spooky Rings are exactly what I had in mind.

And there are Free Templates:

Spooky Rings Assembly Instructions

Spooky Rings

How would you like some Spooky Pendants? They do seem to go well with these Spooky Rings. http://www.ravensblight.com delivers once again:

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Spooky Pendants

Except for putting everything together, I  believe you have enough to keep you busy for some time.

The coffins along with the Spooky Rings and the Spooky Pendants would make creative party favors. You may also find other uses for them as well.

 

Pop-Up Vampires Toy You Can Make With Free Templates

Have you ever considered making a pop-up toy for Halloween? This would also make a great gift for those who are interested in Vampires. You may think it foolish child’s play and not for tweens, teens, young adults and even adult Vampire fans. You may be right, but you may change your mind once you see what you can do with these Vampires that pop-up out of their coffins when you try to steal the coin.

But it’s made from paper, what good is it? You may be pleasantly surprised. I see it as a novelty gift that will be cherished because you made it.

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Image, Free Templates and Instructions Compliments of http://www.ravensblight.com

Pop-Up Vampires Assembly Instructions

The Count

The Countess

Nosferatu

I hope you enjoyed this Pop-Up Vampires Toy and it’s out waiting for someone to grab the coin so you can scare them just enough to make them realize it isn’t nice to steal from vampires.

Outstanding Haunted House You Can Make

I love making things out of paper using Free Templates.

Occasionally I run across something that grabs my attention and just won’t let go. I know there are many products to buy that create some interesting haunted scenes, but something you can make either for yourself or friends seems to be much more meaningful and fun.

Yes it’s paper and it’s a craft, but it’s a fun project. I found while I was working on it that I remembered some creepy stories others have shared about an old house that had been abandoned for years. Every town seems to have one . . . some people seem to have one in their own neighborhood . . . or when you were a kid, you had to pass it on your way to school. You’d swear someone was inside and walked across the window way at the top. The longer you stood there your imagination went into high gear scaring you into action to run all the way to school.

This craft haunted house is just the thing that will do it.

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The image and free templates are compliments of http://www.ravensblight.com

The secret chamber really sold me on this Haunted House. It’s a bonus where you can hide some mysterious treasure that could be anything from a newspaper article or something you picked up while ghost hunting. It could be a secret room used for all kinds of rituals and séances or a nice dry cozy place to keep potions and dry herbs.

For me, its a place for me to create something I could find in a basement or others have found in basements of old houses that give you the eerie creepy feeling about those who have once lived there and the spirits that still do.

Here are the free templates:

Haunted House Assembly Instructions

The Haunted House

There’s an old abandoned house just a few miles away from my house that has a colorful history.

It has the picket fence out front. This seemed to be the quaint lifestyle of the 1950’s and earlier. It separated your yard from the sidewalk. Although it was a low fence with an unlocked gate, it gave a sense of privacy and a little security if you had a small child or puppy that ran out the front door.

This particular house was owned by a science professor at the college. He lived there for many years with his wife and their four sons. This isn’t a mad scientist story, but one about giving. He planted his garden every year and turned it into a sort of Victory Garden where students came and even planted new sections of crops to share with others.  Neighbors even got in on it and welcomed the help of students and invited them to add to their gardens. When it came time to harvest, students and neighbors got together to share in the bounty and the canning process.

The professor’s hands-on approach to botany made his college courses popular. His wife got involved with growing herbs. She had an herb garden that brought with it another element she hadn’t planned or knew existed. It was introduced to her by her eldest son’s girlfriend.

The town has rumors of satanic cults and witch’s covens along with other related secret societies. The professor’s sons got involved with these individuals and they initially thought they were doing something beneficial for the professor and their mother. It all seemed harmless and was related to botany.

Herbs were dried and labeled in the basement. Next potions were made by the professor’s wife and the many young girls who visited the old place. They sold these potions throughout the county to help with sleeping and all sorts of ailments. The most popular were love potions which were advertised and sold through the mail.

This worked out to be a lucrative business for the professor, his family and their growing number of friends. Then the unthinkable happened.

Someone died after ingesting the herbs she was sent.

There was a full investigation. All the herbs were confiscated. The professor and his wife were arrested. The house was also confiscated turning out the boys to fend for themselves or move in with friends or relatives.

There was no evidence that the herbs on the professor’s property led to the death of the woman, but someone did have tainted herbs bottled and labeled like those sold by the professor’s family.

By the time the professor and his wife were released from jail, his life was ruined. The college wouldn’t give him his job back. They wouldn’t hire him to do anything. He had hoped he could be a consultant in his early retirement, but that wasn’t going to work out for the professor.

His wife’s business pursuits were ruined by the allegations, even though proven false. 

Desperate people turn to desperate means.

They joined forces with a satanic cult, which many believed set up the professor and his wife originally.

They returned to their home, their sons returned home as well. Along with that came the cult and the various activities that took place in the house and the property.

Neighbors moved out and the professor bought the property around him with the assistance of his new associates and business partners.

The professor, with the help of his family, started their own produce market. Once the market was thriving, the professor and his family mysteriously disappeared.

It is believed the cult took over the market, but the old house was abandoned and has been empty for years.

There have been rumors of lights mysteriously turning on and off. Strange visitors have been seen entering the old house after midnight. The sounds heard during the early morning hours “are not human.” There have also been sightings of hooded figures chanting and leading a procession down the street and disappearing in the field of the professor’s property.

It is believed that the original two acre parcel belonging to the professor is haunted. The neighboring acreage had been sold. These new owners scoff at the rumors and sightings.

I personally wouldn’t want to live near that old house, there is, however, a part of me that would like to see the old place fixed up and brought back as a tribute to the botany professor who did so much good for the community in the early 1900’s.

If you like the old Haunted House and want to add something to it, here’s a great cemetery you can make:

Image and Free Templates Compliments of http://www.ravensblight.com

Hidden Cemetery Assembly Instructions

The Hidden Cemetery

I bring out the old haunted house and the hidden cemetery as a centerpiece on my dining room table for the fall. I enjoy looking at it and I especially enjoy knowing I made it and also made others for friends and family.

This has absolutely nothing to do with the Haunted House story I have above, but it does have something to do with the Haunted House Craft. Many old houses had family cemeteries on their property. You may be able to add some spooky effects to make it look like low hanging fog and ghosts lingering in the cemetery — add bats and owls in the trees — maybe a black cat on the fence and pumpkins outside on the cobblestone walkway. Some trick-or-treaters may be a nice touch, too. This is excellent food for thought to get your imagination in high gear.

Oh my! I did forget something valuable . . . the occupants of your great Haunted House!

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©Sharon Harvey    7/2014
http://www.oldhauntedstuff.com

Hillshire Farm American Craft Sausage Hot Dog Recipe

The weather’s heating up, so why not heat up the grill and make a family pleasing meal outside. It’s an easy meal to prepare ahead of time. Dice up an onion and a tomato or two, check to see if you have sweet pickle relish, maybe some jalapeno peppers to give it some extra spice, condiments, how about shredding some cheddar cheese — you could heat up some sauerkraut, don’t forget the hotdog buns and you’re ready to grill those delicious Hillshire Farm American Craft Sausages. Don’t overcook them, but about 10 minutes on a low grill should do it. Then you begin your assembly line of condiments and goodies and dinner is served.

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By the time you sit down to enjoy your first savory bite, it may be time for seconds, but with everything cooked and set out, let them build their own masterpiece.

This is a fun recipe you may want to use with variations to close out the summer and early fall.