Anyone who has been reading this blog for any length of time knows I have an affinity for things that are strange and creepy. Not pretend creepy things like fake spiders. I mean genuinely creepy things like old medical textbooks and cheese that sprays out of a can.
This year's Halloween DIY is a reflection of that side of me. I've been preparing for this one particular Halloween craft for 2 years now. And when it was finally completed I texted a picture of it to my niece.
Unlike myself, my niece is not a fan of all things creepy.
Before we continue on, and I reveal what may be the creepiest Halloween decoration ever made, I would like to share with you the text message exchange between myself and my niece.
Curious as to what would prompt such a reaction?
I have been saving chicken and turkey bones from meals for the past 2 years.
I even enlisted the help of various turkey and chicken eating friends. To clean the bones, I just boiled them and scraped them clean. Then I let them air dry for a week or two. I've been keeping a box of bones in my basement for 2 years now. Any repairman who may have got snoopy down there would have been in for a bit of a shock.
My original idea was to make a wreath out of the bones, but I'm still so happy with my original Halloween wreath, that I wasn't ready to get rid of it.
So I changed direction slightly and turned the bones into a picture frame.
Being a lover of all things creepy, when I was a garage sale addict I scored a box of antique photographs and tin types. I went into my creepy basement to look for my creepy pictures and found the perfect one for this project.
I scanned the picture, enlarged it, and to increase the fright factor, I photoshopped her eyes out.
Then it was just a matter of squishing the Dollar Store wreath into an oval shape and hot gluing the bones onto it in a pleasing, yet creepy manner. Oh! And adding the skull on top.
All of the supplies, aside from the bones, came from the Dollar Store. The wreath, the hot glue, and the skull topper.
The total cost:
$3.
The other thing that adds a sense of authenticity to the wreath are the cobwebs.
Which are in fact, actual cobwebs. From my house. Yes. I'm so proud. I gathered most of them from the dining room walls.
Extra bones got placed in a bowl beneath the frame.
Wondering how that text exchange between my niece and I ended?
mia pratt
I LOVE the photo - without the creepy lady, it would be "spiders" scary. Now it's "Exorcist" scary. Takes an evil genius to get a halloween display to the level of True Creep - you and Steven King, haha<:}
Marion
LOVE IT!!! And to think, there was a perfectly good chicken bone laying beside the dumpster I just walked by last night. Shame on me. If our resident dumpster raccoons haven't stolen it I'm going pick it up this afternoon and start collecting!
Carolyn
I want to see more stuff like this... I ask my husband to save his bones from lunch and he thoght I was crazy. I just started a box of wierd stuff. I painted an old cigar box black and I'm adding stuff to the out side of it. On the Inside, I'm putting bones and teeth and any thing I can find to creep out who opens it. Fun...
kelliblue
Wow. Just wow. That is uber creepy, really interesting, and...pure genius. Tho it sure doesn't take much to make photos of people from back then look any creepier, what's up with that? And yet they still got married and procreated. Huh. So...does it smell like chicken?
Personally i prefer last year's more 'glam' version ...everything looks better with feathers and sparkle, IMHO. Even Halloween. :)
JebberJay
sick. blech. gag.
SusanR
And, BTW, this is what runs through your brain??? Your neighbors must worry about their pet! Reminds me of the terrifying song my mom taught us when we were little. "... Now all the neighbors cats and dogs will nevermore be seen. They've all been ground to sausages in Mr. McGregor's machine." And their Bones made into picture frames... I think we should all send donations for a little Therapy for Karen! LOL!!!
SusanR
Do you have a tofu version?
jules
LOVE IT! best thing EVER! Im in the process of making a life size mummy from an old wet suit...have too many skulls and not enough mummies.. I may have to start eating chicken off the bone to whip one of these up now!
Stefanie Barrett
We have'n't seen the chickens lately...should I be worried?
Carolyn
One year i made them from clay and stain them. Gave them out for Halloween. Told this liitle boy about nine that they were from my car that died yesterday... He bought back a friend ... Hahaha
Bonnie
I really like that A LOT! I think I want to do one for myself and leave it up all year!
Melissa Leach
I agree with Jen, WOW. I'm not even going to apologize, this is sick!!! I have to side with your neice. However, I will give you props on a very disgusting creation. You never cease to amaze me, this time I'm not sure if it's a good amaze or a bad amaze. Just amazing. Wow.
Mary Werner
Now I need to dumpster dive outside the Kentucky Fried Chicken place - what a bunch of lemmings you have for followers! LOVE your commenters! Bussards should be the Halloween bird not crows! What gives with that?
Sara @ Tried & Twisted
This is such a stroke of brilliance! Hold on, I think I might have some old bones and a deer jaw bone in the garage. I can make this work!
Beth Popowski
Cool! I made a cave man necklace once from a leather cord and chicken and turkey bones. Looked great with a little jacket made from fake fur!
Reg
Absolutely gruesome. It's the real bones, not the Dollar Store variety that make it fabulously gruesome, and the real spider webs. Ick.
Erica O
Oh my gosh, that is amazing! I am totally going to wrestle my sisters for the turkey carcasses over the holidays because I need to wreath my entire front door in bones. I love this so much!
Also, you are very understanding of your niece. I'd have been all, "Chicken eyes? That's going a little far. I don't have time to make eye patches for all the chickens in town, you sicko."
Elizabeth
That conversation between you and your niece is hilarious! And I LOVE the wreathe!
Ev
Over-the-top creepy! Proud of you Karen! Still like the die-o-rama best though.
Kate
That is THE best home-made wreath I have ever seen. It looks like you stole it from Ed Gein's house. Utterly terrifyingly good. Well done you. Huzzah!