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