Not Much Happening in the Hollow...

Hey guys,

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone and now we're less than a month away from Christmas.

What does that have to do with Halloween? NOTHING!!! :o

Still, the holidays have kept us otherwise occupied and I have to admit we did absolutely nothing to improve upon the Hollow this last month.

But fear not! We will be working on some things very soon. I think I will create a list of things I noticed this Halloween, things that need improvement or just need to be replaced. If it's interesting, I'll post it here as a kind of checklist.

I'll let you know.

A Quick Movie!

Hey guys!

Wow, what a Halloween!

It genuinely was crazy this year. We didn't have nearly as much time to prepare for this year as we have in the past. And, as usual, we had so many things we wanted to do but simply ran out of time to complete.

In all the haste of trying to get ready for Halloween night, we failed to do so many things. One thing I failed to do was do a video walk through like I did last year.

I did, however, take a ton of photos and I managed to take the best ones and make a very short "film". I put "film" in quotes because it's more of a slide show than a movie but I think it gets the point across...

!!!WARNING!!! This video has music so make sure your speakers are set appropriate to your environment!



So, Halloween is over but we already have a ton of ideas to make next year even better and unlike last year the plan is to work on them the next 11 months to avoid running out of time like we did this year.

That means that I plan on making regular updates to the blog this year. Now, by regular I don't mean weekly. I mean everyone once in a while, maybe two or three entries a month, so check back here from time to time and I'll have something new for your to read.

Later!

Look Out! Here Comes the Spider-Guy!

Didn't do a whole lot to the Hollow yesterday but I did make one small addition...


I'm calling him Spider-Guy and I think the reason why is pretty self explanatory.

I'm going to see if I can figure out a way to make him squirm and maybe groan a little. I don't know if I'm going to be able to make that work this year as we still have a lot to do so we'll just have to wait and see.

If not, it's still pretty cool looking.

New Entrance Gargoyle Update!

Hey guys,

Wow! Two posts in one day! Special!

I just wanted to give you an update on something I touched on earlier this month, the gargoyles my wife is making that will sit atop the new entrance gate columns.

When last we left this project, she had constructed the basic structure of the gargoyles.

Tonight, she started added the paper mache clay to the structure of the skull and this is what we get:

First, poke your newly constructed gargoyle in the eye. This will paralyze your gargoyle and make him/her easier to work with. Then start covering your gargoyle in paper mache clay...


And here is a completed, front profile...


And here's a completed, side profile...



It is a slow and messy process and I can't wait to see this project done. Not because of the mess but because I can't wait to see them sitting on top the new columns.

Of course, I'll have more pics as we move along.

Got the Tombstones Moved to the Front!

Hey guys,

I wasn't very tired when I got home from work this morning, plus my back was killing me so I couldn't sleep even if I wanted to, so I spent a couple hours setting up the tombstones in the Hollow.

Check these out:

The entrance...


The Mausoleum...


On your immediate left...


The bridge...


The Hell Hole...


To your right...


Leaving Hollinger Hollow...


And the exit...


It occurred to me after bringing out the tombstones that I need to redefine what I consider the "foundation" of the Hollow. I really need to incorporate the tombstones into my definition. After all, you don't have a graveyard without the tombstones.

Well, I guess you could, but then you'd just be walking over a bunch of unmarked graves and although that thought is scary in it's own right, it just wouldn't translate to Halloween very well.

Finished the Foundation!

Hey guys!

Alright, all in all, it was a very productive weekend, even if you can't necessarily tell by looking at the progress in the front yard.

We are attempting a lot of building this season, and that is consequentially affecting the progress of setting up the Hollow this year.

Still, we managed to get what I like to call the "foundation" set up out front. The foundation of the Hollow is all the fencing, the bridge, the entrance and exit and the mausoleum.

So, how does it look?

Well, here is the newly constructed entrance...


And here is the view looking back from the bridge...


And here is the bridge...


And here is the exit...



Now, I just noticed these pics only represent the first day of setting up. Somehow, I managed to not take pictures of the second day where we brought out the mausoleum and added the picket fencing to the sides. Those final additions represent the foundation of the Hollow. Don't worry. I promise there will be pics of those later.

So, what is left to bring out?

Well, how about this...


And this...


And these pics don't even show the Coffin Guy or the Blood Fountain as well as some of the other things we're building.

So, things are moving along. My plan is to bring everything in the pics above out and set up in the Hollow this week so I can focus on the building of some of our new attractions this weekend.

I'll let you know how that goes!

New Gate Pillars Are Done!

Alright, we finally finished the pillars to the new entrance gate for the graveyard.

Earlier, I showed you how we were building them. Now I'll show you have we finished them...

The columns needed base and cap stones. We simulated that with 2x4's...


Next, we added "Monster Mud" to the exterior to create texture...


Then paint the bricks and add an aging glaze...


Here's a closer look...


Finally, add two coats of polyurethane to waterproof the column and you're finished...


Now I can put the columns in place and I'll be able to finish putting up the fencing. Once that is done it will be time to decorate!

I'll post those pics when I'm done!

New Gate Update!

Hey guys,

Just thought I'd show you what one of those Styrofoam gate columns looks like with a coating of "monster mud" on it...


Man, I really think these are gonna be fantastic when they're done!

Later!

Columns Update!

Hey guys!

The new gate is moving forward.

I just wanted to brag about how awesome my wife is at carving.

Take a look at how one of the columns for the new gate is coming along...



If we can paint these half as good as she is at carving them then by the time these are done you won't be able to tell these are made out of foam!

Another Busy Weekend!

Hey guys,

Well, we didn't get to start putting out the decorations this weekend but we were very busy none the less.

When getting everything out to start setting up we remembered that we "retired" one of the archways used as the exit to the graveyard at the end of last year. It was old and falling apart and I remember thinking that the archway should be pretty easy to replace so we threw it out. Of course, when we went shopping to get a new arch we couldn't find anything we liked. That's when we decided to build our own gate.

So, here are a few pics showing the construction of the new gate...

First, I built the frame out of 1x2.


Then I attached foam insulation with liquid nail.


This is when my truly talented wife came in with a soldering iron and completely made this thing look like old stone!



This is going to look fantastic when it is done. Of course, I will have more pics as the process moves along.

And, as if this isn't enough, the wife is working on two gargoyles to top the newly constructed gate pillars. She even started working on the basic structure...


I dropped the skull head on just to give you an idea of where this is going. She is going to make the skulls look like gargoyles and I will have more pics as this process moves along.

So, we'll continue working on these throughout the week. Right now, the plan is to start setting up the graveyard this coming weekend but that will depend on how far we get on the gates.

Of course, I'll let you know how that goes!

It's That Time Again!!!

Hey guys!

Well, this weekend was the last weekend before October so that meant it was time to start gearing up the re-appearance of Hollinger Hollow 2011!

We're still deciding what to add this year, but one thing we know we want to do is add more "rod iron" fencing to the front of the cemetery.

So, that's what I got started on this weekend and since it marks the beginning of the work on the Hollow I decided to show you what goes into it.

The process is very simple...

First, I start with some 1x2 boards and 1/2" pvc...


Second, drill holes in the 1x2, slide the pvc into place and attache with 1 1/4 inch screws...



Third, paint it black...



Finally, after several hours of work you're ready to go...


All in all, it's very simple and very time consuming, especially if you're doing this by yourself. If spending 30 minutes trying to figure out the exact measurements of everything doesn't drive you completely insane then several hours breathing spray paint (3 cans per fence) will have your family peeling you off the floor with a spatula. Then they can add your gooey form to your Halloween display and scare the crap out of the neighbors.

So, feel free to come by at least once a week.

There is so much more to come!!!