Tribal Deer Skull

$40 - $50 (based on 2025 prices) 
Makes one skull 

I have wanted to do a cannibal island theme for years, but plans keep falling apart. In an effort to push the concept into reality, I made two tribal skulls to transition the haunt out of the creative ether and into the tangible real world. For this deer version, I went with a simple tribal design to contrast with the intricacy of the ram version. Although these are intended for a cannibal theme, you can easily cater them to fit other haunts, such as a voodoo or witch motif. 

• One life-size plastic deer skull
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in heirloom white*
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in espresso*
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in nutmeg*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in burnt umber*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat red*
• One bag of large decorative wooden beads (roughly twelve beads per bag)
• Eight feet of twine
• Two feathers

1. Remove any decorative elements from the skull to give the paint a clean surface and, on a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, apply two even coats of heirloom white spray paint. I wanted an off-white color for an aged patina, but you can use pure white for a bleached look.

2. Once the paint dries, wrap the skull in plastic and use painter’s tape to seal the space between the antlers and skull. Then, working from dark to light, build up layers of espresso and nutmeg spray paint on the antlers. It works best to apply a base coat of espresso followed by quick bursts of nutmeg. If the nutmeg becomes too heavy, you can also touch up portions with additional blasts of espresso.

3. After the paint on the antlers dries, remove the skull from the plastic and brush its surface with a wash of burnt umber, ensuring the liquid settles into all the cracks and fissures. You might want to experiment with the consistency before doing this: the less water you add, the deeper/darker the wash; the more water you add, the fainter/lighter the wash.  

4. Use red paint to detail the skull with tribal designs. What pattern you use is entirely up to you. You can create your own design or use one found in a reference book. Likewise, you can make the pattern symmetrical for a balanced appearance or irregular for more visual interest.

5. Cut the twine into two four-foot sections and wrap the base of each antler with the strands, leaving a six-inch portion free. The length of each section is based on two factors: how much of the antler you want to cover and how long you want the strand of decorative beads. Hence, you can increase or decrease these measurements to fit your chosen aesthetic.

6. Feed six decorative beads onto each strand and tie a knot to hold them together. To finish the prop, slip the stem of a feather through the knot and glue it in place. I chose feathers in two colors – brown and red – to complement the hues of the beads; however, you can use feathers with the same color for a unified look.

7. To contrast with the tribal ram skull, I kept the details on this prop rather minimal; however, you can aim for more intricacy by adding elements like aged bones or strings of shells to cater the prop to your haunt’s theme.  

*You will not use the entire bottle’s content for this project.

Peach Jam

$60 - $70 (based on 2025 prices)

Makes seven quart-size portions

Over the summer, my parents’ peach tree yielded an immoderate amount of fruit and they struggled to find ways to use it before it went bad. One of the solutions was to create peach jam. Featured below are the instructions. Although it has nothing to do with Halloween, I wanted to share the process (and preserve it for myself to use next summer when the same thing happens).

• Seventeen pounds of fresh peaches
• Seven quart jars with lids and rings
• Two to three tablespoons of lemon juice
• Five and a half cups of sugar
• Five to six 1.75 ounce boxes of fruit pectin
• Five to six tablespoons of unsalted butter

1. Sort through the peaches and select the ripest fruit, discarding those that are too ripe or damaged by birds or insects. They should be slightly firm when you squeeze them. Then, remove any stems and thoroughly wash the peaches. Depending on the size of the fruit, you may need to increase or decrease the amount you use.

2. Sterilize the jars and their rings. This can be done by either washing them in hot water or running them through a dishwasher on the bottle setting. To ensure a proper seal, use new lids.

3. In a large pot, boil enough water to fully submerge the peaches. Once the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and add a few of the fruit at a time, working in small batches. Let them sit in the liquid for thirty seconds before removing them to a bowl of ice water. This process of blanching the peaches will help remove their skin.

4. Once the peaches have cooled, use your fingers to gently de-skin the fruit and, utilizing a sharp knife, cut them in half to remove the pits. Do not worry too much if your cuts are uneven because the fruit will be minced in step five.

5. Add the peaches to a food processor, pour in the lemon juice, and pulse the blender until the fruit is minced. You want small chunks, so do not overwork the fruit into a purée.

6. Fill the water bath with enough water to submerge the jars and leave two inches of water above their lids. It is best to perform this step right before step seven and use a lid to keep the water hot until you add the jars.

7. Pour the minced peaches into a large pot and add a package of pectin and a tablespoon of butter for every four cups of fruit. Bring the peaches to a boil, slowly add the sugar, and allow the entire mixture to boil for one minute.

8. With a funnel, pour the mixture into the jars, seal them, and, using a set of tongs, lower them into the water bath. Bring the water back up to a boil, cover the water bath with its lid, and process the jars for twenty to twenty-five minutes. Following this, turn the burner off, remove the lid, and let the jars steep for five minutes before using the tongs to remove them.

9. Place the jars on a towel-lined surface and let them cool. During this process, you should hear them seal with a loud popping noise. Those that do not seal can be moved to the refrigerator and consumed within a week. Those that do seal can be stored in a cool, dry location for up to one year.

“The Astronomer” (A Poem)

The idea of a world better than our own is a concept which appears in a few poems by Arab American author Kahlil Gibran, including “The Astronomer” and “The Greater Sea.” In “The Astronomer,” a blind soothsayer can see an ideal world but gives little clues on how to reach it beyond the implied notion of transcending conventionality and social rules.[1] 

 

In the shadow of the temple my friend and I saw a blind man sitting alone. And my friend said, “Behold the wisest man of our land.” 

 

Then I left my friend and approached the blind man and greeted him. And we conversed. 

 

After a while I said, “Forgive my question; but since when has thou been blind?” 

 

From my birth,” he answered.

 

Said I, “And what path of wisdom followest thou?” 

 

Said he, “I am an astronomer.” 

 

Then he placed his hand upon his breast saying, “I watch all these suns and moons and stars.”[2]

Works Referenced

Gibran, Kahlil. “The Astronomer.” The Madman: His Parables and Poems. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1918. 59.

Waterfield, Robin. Prophet: The Life and Times of Kahlil Gibran. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1998.
____________________
[1] Waterfield, 208.
[2] Gibran, 59.

Cemetery Wreath

$25 - $30 (based on 2023 prices)
Makes one wreath

In 2023, I was commissioned by a local theater to serve as a consultant and prop builder for their production of The Haunting of Hill House, which was based on Shirley Jackson’s novel. Being a fan of the books since I was a teenager, I jumped at the opportunity and spent several months creating a collection of items to decorate both the house depicted on the stage and the cemetery created in the lobby to greet patrons before they entered the theater. For this project, I built a withered wreath to accompany one of the graves in the lobby. 

• One sixteen-inch grapevine wreath
• Twenty-four artificial roses (twelve yellow and twelve white)
• Six artificial white poppies
• One pan large enough to soak all of the flowers
• At least one tablespoon of dark roasted coffee grounds
• One baking sheet large enough to accommodate all of the flowers
• One standard lighter
• Five clusters of artificial ferns (about six leaves per cluster)
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in flat black*
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in flat brown*
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in green apple*
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in olive*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat black*
• Two feet of ribbon

1. Remove the flowers from their stems and arrange them pedicel up in a metal container. To make the staining process easier, try to use a vessel large enough to accommodate all of the flowers at once; otherwise, you can repeat steps one and two in small batches.

2. Sprinkle the coffee grounds into the pan and add boiling water, allowing the flowers to soak in the liquid. How dark you stain the flowers will depend on your desired state of decomposition. For a light brown, only use one or two tablespoons of coffee and let the flowers soak for less than a day. For a dark brown, increase the coffee to three or four tablespoons and let the flowers steep in the liquid for several days.  

3. Once the flowers have absorbed the coffee, move them to a baking sheet, sprinkle them with some of the wet coffee grounds, and put them in a 300˚F oven for ten to twenty minutes, checking them regularly to prevent them from catching on fire.  

4. Use a lighter to burn the edges of the flowers. I found that a Butane gas lighter, because of its length, makes the process easier and safer. Likewise, perform this step in a well-ventilated area and near either a sink or pan of water.  

5. Arrange the ferns on a sheet of cardboard or newspaper. To prevent them from moving, adhere the leaves with painter’s tape. Then, beginning with a base coat of green apple, build up layers of black, brown, and olive to make the ferns look dead. Once they are dry, turn them over and repeat the process on the other side.  

6. For further distress, use a lighter to wilt the leaves and burn their edges. As with step four, perform this process in a well-ventilated area and near water.  

7. Glue the ferns to the wreath, spiraling them outward. As you do so, try not to make the coverage too dense because you need the prop to look weathered and as though some of the ferns have fallen out.  

8. Glue the flowers to the inner edge of the wreath. As with step seven, do not aim for a thick cluster because you want to give the illusion that some of the flowers have fallen off. Following this, use brown paint to darken the stigma and style of the flowers to enhance their wilted appearance.  

9. Repeating the process in step two, coffee stain the ribbon. For the time-pressed haunter, it may prove more effective to stain the ribbon while staining the flowers. After this, glue the ribbon at an angle across the wreath. While I used a ribbon with crosses, you can use whatever design you wish or skip this step entirely if the accent does not fit your aesthetic.

10. If the wreath did not come with hanging loops, you can fashion one with steel wire, folding it in half and wrapping both strands around each other. At the request of the director, I kept the wreath relatively simple, but you can embellish it further with details like insects crawling out of the rotting buds or splatters of blood.  

*You will not use the entire bottle’s content for this project.