Shop VintageCos Haunted Mansion Costume … and other curated products on LTK, the easiest way to shop everything from your favorite creators.
Learn about the 2024 Haunted Mansion Holiday Gingerbread House and the 150 hours & 60 pounds of gingerbread it took to build this freaky confection.
Welcome, foolish mortals. This week, we are wrapping up our Halloween festivities with a Haunted Mansion themed dinner!
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Want to add a little Disney to your fall decor with some Disney DIY? Here are 10 Disney Halloween decorations you can make yourself!
Portrait from Inside Haunted Mansion Ride Disneyland Art. Perfect for accenting walls, creating beautiful photo murals or craft ideas. Decorate your walls with Disney art . Comes prepared to hang on any wall with double sided tape Measurements H 10 3/8” W 7 7/8” D 1/6” Please allow 1-2 weeks to receive . We can take custom requests as well. Please send us a message if interested. These are made to order.
I don't want to alarm anyone, friends, but Halloween is less than a week away. Have you watched all the spooky movies? Had enough pumpkin-spiced things? Glittered your bat wings? I'm just saying, this is the week to EMBRACE YOUR SPOOP. (To that point, I'm currently wearing gold foil stars-and-moons leggings for the first time ever. John declared them "distracting." MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.) Now let's get to my most requested - and ironically, easiest - tutorial of all our Haunted Mansion builds: the singing busts. Yes, this is in our yard. Honest. This DIY is so simple you're about to call us big ol' cheaters - but remember, you can cheat, too. I can show you the worrrrrrld... of cheater DIYs. Just keep scrolling. While the build itself is cheap and easy, you are going to need a digital projector, which is a definite cost. I'm told you can get holiday window projectors for as little as $30, but make sure you can plug in a USB to supply your own video. John and I have a fancier projector that plugs into a laptop, left over from my book tour days, which gets a lot of crafting use. So if you make a lot of large signs, props, etc, it's worth the investment. Right, let's get to this oh-so-easy build. Ready? 1) Find a Singing Busts video on Youtube. (We used this one.) Project it onto a large piece of pink insulation foam, backing up until they're the size you want. 2) Trace This is tricky because so much of the busts are in shadow, but do your best to fill in where the heads *should* be. 3) Tweak your outlines 'til you're happy: My bases were super wonky, so I went over them with a paper template to make them more symmetrical. 4) Cut Using A Long Craft Blade Remember to leave the bottom ledge, so the busts are all connected on one piece of foam! This will keep the spacing right. Also try to cut all the way through with the blade in one go, for smoother edges. 5) Paint The Fronts White No need to paint the edges. 6) Make A Stand We re-used the stand from the "I Wet My Plants" game at my Jungle Cruise Party, then hid it behind more pink foam. You could just use a folding table, though. You'll be tempted to hang the busts on a wall, but for the illusion to work they can't have anything behind them. So make sure your stand is at least 10-15 feet away from any flat surfaces behind it. Testing the projection. See why it doesn't matter if you paint the foam edges? The perfect spot for these fellas is between two house, so you have lots of open space behind and in front for the projector: We're using this strip between us and the neighbors. That unfinished tombstone is hiding the projector, to give you an idea of the distance you'll need. And because I know someone will ask, here's the 10th wonder of the world: THE BACK SIDE OF BUSTS And here's what our projector set-up looks like: Our laptop is inside the top egg crate, which offers a little more protection and camouflage. That unfinished tombstone is almost done, after I spent last night working on it: And finally, here's a look at the Singing Busts at night: Blown out reference shot: And now in action! John and I are almost ready to film the full yard walk-through, so stay tuned for that this Friday. We're squeezing in just a few more DIYs before then, plus I can't wait to show you our costumes. I hope you're taking time to enjoy all things cozy this month, my friend. We're getting to the season where time speeds up, which means we have to make a conscious effort to slow down. It's easy to get bogged down in the million things shouting for our attention, when what really matters are the people right here around us. So please, check in with your loved ones. Take a night off and watch a movie from your childhood. Maybe invite some friends over to join you. Breathe. You've got all the big stuff - the little stuff will follow. You mean more than you know to people you don't, and I am so, SO glad you're here, exactly as you are. Be good to yourself, k? And here's a squeezy ghost hug for the road: ::HUGZZ:: ***** It's getting near the end of the month, have you entered my Squeegineer give-away yet? Winners get to choose their prizes from the increasingly random things I find in my office closet, like these Haunted Mansion bat necklaces: Everyone who donates any amount to Epbot via Paypal is automatically entered each month, or you can enter for free by e-mail! Check out the details and prize galleries here.
Sarah: My daughter, Lyric, as Madame Leota from The Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland. To make this I used 2 sheets of foam board taped together to make the table top...
A Disney's Haunted Mansion inspired cocktail called a "Madame Leota." There is a non-alcoholic version too.
These perfectly ghoulish Haunted Mansion gift ideas are hauntingly fantastic for the foolish mortals in your life!
Greetings, mischievous mortals! John and I are finally well-rested and back to our Haunted Mansion Halloween builds with high spirits. (If you missed our ghostly ballroom dancers, click here!) Today I'll walk you through our build of those beloved cling-ons, the Hitchhiking Ghosts. My favorite reference art of these three is by Doodleman Dan, an indie artist I've featured here before and know from local cons. Unfortunately his art has been stolen and sold by Etsy scammers, so I contacted Dan for permission first to use this, and also purchased his digital files, so he'd be paid. Even if it's just for a personal project, I always want to do right by the indie artists out there - and here's Dan's Etsy shop so you can do the same. (Plus you're really going to want to see his Figment & Slimer stickers, ermergersh. Bet you can tell which ones I already purchased. :D) Now, on to the build! First we base-coated a sheet of pink insulation foam in "Tantalizing Teal," a Sherwin Williams color we matched in a cheaper Lowe's paint. Next John worked some digital magic to fit all 3 ghosts onto a single 4X8 sheet of foam, as well as extending and detaching their arms: I traced all the lines in pencil: Then John began cutting them out with a large craft blade: I'm amazed how detailed John got with these cuts; no power tools needed! Next I painted in the shadows with a darker shade of the same teal: It's starting to look pretty cool, right? This is not delicate work; I was fairly sloppy and free with the paint, which was actually quite fun. And finally, using an even darker shade of the same teal, I painted in all the outlines. This step made me very happy. Look how they came to life! Ahhhhh they're just SO FUN. You'll notice they've all been disarmed, though. What's up with that? WELL, I had this idea... and it's one of those ideas that morphed into something much bigger and cooler in the end. At first I just wanted their arms to rock on a pivot, so you could bop them like a bobble head and get a little motion. So we did that. John added PVC pipe joints, metal rods, and a little silicone lubricant so the arms rocked rather delightfully when bopped. But THEN we got to thinking, "What if the arms were motorized, so you don't have to bop them?" We've never motorized anything, y'all, so I can't tell you how proud we are of the Frankensteined contraption we came up with: BEHOLD This was the result of some intense brainstorming, problem-solving, and at least one lightbulb moment when I realized we could speed up a too-slow motor with a gear. So satisfying. Even better, the only thing we had to purchase was this 3-pack of mini motors for $16, which includes the connectors and electrical plugs. From there John made the wooden gear and twisted aluminum bars, which we already had. The lower hanging bar acts as a counterweight, and later we added even more weight to help fine-tune the rocking speed. But wait. There's STILL MORE. In addition to making our ghostly cut-outs move, we also wanted them to transform at night. Enter... BLACK LIGHT PAINT. My good friend and prop master Kevin sent us some Wild Fire white, which is apparently the only industry paint that glows a true white - and even better, is perfectly clear in daylight. So after a little experimenting and a lot of swatch cards, I used a combo of Wild Fire with a greenish teal we mixed ourselves from cheap glow-in-the-dark paints. Did you know cheap glow-in-the-dark paints fluoresce under black light? Before this, I didn't! Because I was sparing with both paints they look the same color here, but in person you can see a variation in the glow from white/blue to green/teal, which I really like. We've never used glow paint before, so here's something else that's cool: using a combo of both black light and regular light! This is Gus before I added any glow paint... And here he is after, same lighting: SO COOL. But of course the real magic happens when you turn OFF the regular lights: I thinned out the Wild Fire to a watery consistency and painted in his robe, just for a hint of glowy shading. I used a very light hand with the glow paints, so I can tell you a tiny bit goes a loooong way. Here's a fun shot of Phineas, aka luggage guy, on the table: Here you can see the color difference between the white Wild Fire (top right) and our cheaper glow-in-the-dark teal mix (bottom left.) The two colors glow VERY similar on the actual cut-out, but if you look closely you can see them side-by-side on the carpet bag: one more blue, one more green. Btw, be sure to paint IN black light when using black light paints, so you can see what you're doing. We bought this 4-pack of exterior grade black lights we plan to use around the yard for Halloween, and they're incredible. (And on sale right now for 20% off!) This is before I painted out the shiny aluminum bars, but you can see it's a SUPER impressive transition from regular to black light: Like magic! (Oooh, y'all, I suddenly want to make giant Tamatoa cut-out. Eh? EH? Like a whole undersea Realm of the Monsters vibe?) (Focus, Jen, focus.) I'm not sure if we'll have this changing lighting effect for Halloween or not; the trick-or-treaters start long before dark here, so most will only see these fellas in daylight. It's nice to have a glowy surprise for the later visitors, though. Yesterday we did the finishing touches on the bases and bars, and now, at long last, our Hitchhiking Ghosts are ready to follow you home: One more transition, because it's so dang cool: I hope you enjoyed seeing our Hitchhikers come together! John and I are already well into our next builds: the Victorian horse-drawn Doom Buggy for the yard, and a glowing ghostly bride for the roof. So stay tuned for progress reports on those, and please keep your suggestions/requests for other Mansion elements coming! (I still don't know what my costume will be. HALP.) ***** P.S. I have to show you my new Fall pillows, because AHHHHH they make me happy: I found an Eva pillow! These are all pillow covers, actually, which means they're cheaper and easier to store later, a win-win. Here's the other couch: Can't believe I've never had orange pillows in here before. Or velvet pillows! So soft, so cozy. Again, they're all pillow covers, so I just covered what we already had. (We also snagged a couple of $3 thrift pillows since the packs gave me extras.) And don't worry, I got you: here come the Amazon links! - 4-pack of 18-inch Maple Leaf covers - 2-pack of 20-inch velvet orange covers - Black Cat & Pumpkins cover Anything you purchase through my links or the Epbot Amazon shop gives a little back to help fund our Halloween builds and also feeding our cats, so thank you for helping support us while you shop!
The Haunted Mansion is one of Disney's most popular attractions, and it's no wonder why. It brings together some rather sophisticated (and simple) special F/X developed by Disney Imagineers, and has captivated generations of visitors. One of the coolest sequences is the quintet of singing plaster busts in the graveyard. How did they do it? As it turns out, with a bit of cleverness and a video projector. The projector casts an image of the singing actors onto the smooth, precisely-aligned bust su
Sarah: My daughter, Lyric, as Madame Leota from The Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland. To make this I used 2 sheets of foam board taped together to make the table top...
Halloween and Fall Favorites Returning to Disneyland Resort Halloween and Fall Favorites Returning to Disneyland Resort! Get ready to embrace the thrilling Halloween season at Disneyland Resort from Aug. 23 to Oct. 31, 2024 (extended to Nov. 2, 2024, for Plaza de la Familia). Discover beloved autumn attractions such as the beloved Haunted Mansion Holiday, […]
The Haunted Mansion is my favorite Disney parks attraction of all time. I used to visit Walt Disney World as a kid and stare up aat these awesome portraits in the stretching room as I heard the Gho…
Explore disneylori's 94708 photos on Flickr!
Happy Tuesday, clever mortals! Quick question: where did October go?! EEP. With Halloween coming at us like a dark horse (heheheh foreshadowing humor), John and I have several builds going at once. We hustled to finish our Doom Buggy for y'all yesterday, though, because this beauty needs her own debut post. Ready? Ta-daaa! This is before we turned on the fog machine, so keep going for more spook-taculor glamour shots. We modeled our Doom Buggy after a Victorian hansom cab, which looks like this: This let us A) take some artistic license with the ride's design, and B) re-use Tiny Tim, our beloved thestral. (Tim insists on coming out each year to play.) Plus I've wanted to make a vehicle photo op for years now, because EVERYONE likes climbing into cool vehicles and pretending to drive. That's just science. The Buggy is our most expensive Mansion build, because the cost of plywood right now is scarier than our ghost bride. (It was over $100 for the ply and 2X4s.) All told the Buggy was still less than $200 for everything, though, since we already had the horse. And happily John sold a few things to make room in the garage, so it was an even trade. We started with a pencil sketch and lots of conversation, since my brain doesn't work in 3D. This makes it an uphill battle for John every project, but eventually we (usually) get there! The lighter lines are my own mods after we talked through things like head space, safety, and lighting. What I lack in spatial visualization John has in spades, because that sketch is literally all he used to build the entire Buggy. No measurements, he just... winged it. Boggles my mind, y'all. He started with this: Which he then doubled, and then connected the two sides together: If you're not already impressed with John, please note the TINY SPACE he has to work in. PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWERS ....iiiittty bitty garage space. Next he clad everything in plywood: And at this point we dragged it outside to assess. We also checked the proportions with Tim and a volunteer driver: I wasn't wild about the top curve of the buggy, so we cut that down: Subtle change, but better! Then after dark each day John worked inside (in the A/C, yesss) on the giant wheels: He broke the wheels into quadrants and cut all 8 pieces from a single sheet of pink insulation foam. Which is friggin' genius. Testing the fit, and deciding the spokes were too thin. Better! John assembled all the pieces with high-heat hot glue, then I got the tedious job of painting. After painting we decided the wheels still needed something. Meh. It looked too flat, so John went back with a router and rounded the outside edge. Then I carefully hand-painted it like so: Yep, we're liking that MUCH better. We stapled a cheap plastic tablecloth across the roof and back to save on materials, and I gotta say, no one's gonna know. Except you. Shhhh. (There are 2 or 3 bracer bars underneath to hold the sides steady, so it's solid.) Our original plan for the windows was to have frosted plexi with a Cricut decal that read "Doom Buggy" in a fancy font. Ultimately we decided it would be small to read from a distance, though, and we wanted a pop of color instead. So more plastic tablecloths to the rescue! John pleated these onto long pieces of duct tape, then taped them inside. Easy peasy. I love the extra color, and how the plastic glows with a light inside. (Keep scrolling; you'll see!) With the structure done we could get to the fun part: decorating. By a happy happenstance we found these metal carriage lanterns on clearance at Michael's for $8 each: Then we found some old curtain brackets in the garage to hang them, plus a little decorative foam piece to glue over the window: That plywood texture vexes me, currently telling myself it's fine after dark and I *don't* need to coat it in textured chalk paint or something. It's fine. It's fine? I think it's fine. We were losing light at this point, so we scrambled to made the World's Fastest Seat Cushion: Lest you think there are bounds to my frugality: the seat is made from an old memory foam mattress topper I made John save and store in the attic. VINDICATION!! (Also the comfiest bench cushion ever, dang.) I safety-pinned stretch velvet over the foam, so we can re-use the fabric later. I only had time to knot in 3 tufts in the back, but I plan to add more, because I lurrrrve that tufted look. Finally we rounded the handrail, painted the support legs, and made PVC support poles to attach the buggy to the horse. Basically all the finishing touches, hastily crammed into the last hour before sunset. Here's a quick look at the back of the buggy, before we get to the beauty shots: We initially thought painting the support legs green would blend with the grass - which it kind of does? - but after dark the green is way too bright. So don't mind those green bits; they'll be flat black soon. Finished!! (Except the green legs. Ignore the green legs.) (You're looking at the legs now, aren't you?) (STOP IT) Update: John and Photoshop to the rescue: Yay! Thx, sweetie. Tim's harness is made of canvas belts from our stash and thin PVC pipes sprayed black. I thought Tim looked a little plain, so at the last second I tucked in those purple flowers. You like? Of course the real magic happens after dark, when we turned on all the accent lights and added - oh yes - some Extreme Fog Machine Action: Yessssss. I love the pops of light from the lantern, windows, and Tim's eyes. We also have purple and fuchsia spotlights going. A little fog swirling inside the Buggy turned green for some reason, very ghostly and pretty: Oh, and John gave Tim some vines to munch as a joke, and I thought it was so funny I had him leave them. Even skeleton horses have to eat! We plan to add a little more lighting at the handrail, aimed up and inside the Buggy, to light anyone sitting there for photos. I hope to have some fun examples for you in our Halloween wrap-up post. I couldn't decide between these last two shots, so you get both: And that's it! I hope you had fun seeing our Victorian Doom Buggy come to life! I do have one last thing I want to add: a decorative "Doom Buggy" sign on the lawn in front, closer to the sidewalk. I'm hoping that will help hide the front support legs, show people where to stand to take the best photos, and also tie in the Haunted Mansion theme, for anyone who doesn't guess what it is. (I really want people to know it's a Doom Buggy, ok? :p) We have a few more Mansion builds we're hoping to finish before Halloween, so stay tuned! (I also have a huge list of builds we don't have time for. Will this be our first Halloween theme to repeat next year? TIME WILL TELL.) Next time I'll show you John's dynamite costume, and maaaaybe a nifty budget Leota build, if we can get it to work. ::giant nervous grin:: 'Til then, stay spoopy, my friends! ***** If you like our over-the-top DIYs and silliness and want to help us do even MORE, then you can support me and John directly through Paypal! Whether it's a one-time tip or a monthly donation, every dollar helps us buy more materials, devote more time, and even pay a few bills, so THANK YOU. You can also support Epbot by sharing my posts, tagging your friends, buying a cute t-shirt, or shopping through the Epbot Amazon storefront, where I keeps lists of my favorite things. The best support is reading my posts, though, so thank you for being here, truly. Love y'all.
This paper craft haunted house is easy to assemble and perfect Halloween decor for your mantle or as table decor. Pattern and tutorial.
DIY Disney Haunted Mansion replica props from the ride leota seance, monster clock, hatbox ghost, gargoyle candelbra, doors, organs, wall arm sconce, & more
I don't want to alarm anyone, friends, but Halloween is less than a week away. Have you watched all the spooky movies? Had enough pumpkin-spiced things? Glittered your bat wings? I'm just saying, this is the week to EMBRACE YOUR SPOOP. (To that point, I'm currently wearing gold foil stars-and-moons leggings for the first time ever. John declared them "distracting." MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.) Now let's get to my most requested - and ironically, easiest - tutorial of all our Haunted Mansion builds: the singing busts. Yes, this is in our yard. Honest. This DIY is so simple you're about to call us big ol' cheaters - but remember, you can cheat, too. I can show you the worrrrrrld... of cheater DIYs. Just keep scrolling. While the build itself is cheap and easy, you are going to need a digital projector, which is a definite cost. I'm told you can get holiday window projectors for as little as $30, but make sure you can plug in a USB to supply your own video. John and I have a fancier projector that plugs into a laptop, left over from my book tour days, which gets a lot of crafting use. So if you make a lot of large signs, props, etc, it's worth the investment. Right, let's get to this oh-so-easy build. Ready? 1) Find a Singing Busts video on Youtube. (We used this one.) Project it onto a large piece of pink insulation foam, backing up until they're the size you want. 2) Trace This is tricky because so much of the busts are in shadow, but do your best to fill in where the heads *should* be. 3) Tweak your outlines 'til you're happy: My bases were super wonky, so I went over them with a paper template to make them more symmetrical. 4) Cut Using A Long Craft Blade Remember to leave the bottom ledge, so the busts are all connected on one piece of foam! This will keep the spacing right. Also try to cut all the way through with the blade in one go, for smoother edges. 5) Paint The Fronts White No need to paint the edges. 6) Make A Stand We re-used the stand from the "I Wet My Plants" game at my Jungle Cruise Party, then hid it behind more pink foam. You could just use a folding table, though. You'll be tempted to hang the busts on a wall, but for the illusion to work they can't have anything behind them. So make sure your stand is at least 10-15 feet away from any flat surfaces behind it. Testing the projection. See why it doesn't matter if you paint the foam edges? The perfect spot for these fellas is between two house, so you have lots of open space behind and in front for the projector: We're using this strip between us and the neighbors. That unfinished tombstone is hiding the projector, to give you an idea of the distance you'll need. And because I know someone will ask, here's the 10th wonder of the world: THE BACK SIDE OF BUSTS And here's what our projector set-up looks like: Our laptop is inside the top egg crate, which offers a little more protection and camouflage. That unfinished tombstone is almost done, after I spent last night working on it: And finally, here's a look at the Singing Busts at night: Blown out reference shot: And now in action! John and I are almost ready to film the full yard walk-through, so stay tuned for that this Friday. We're squeezing in just a few more DIYs before then, plus I can't wait to show you our costumes. I hope you're taking time to enjoy all things cozy this month, my friend. We're getting to the season where time speeds up, which means we have to make a conscious effort to slow down. It's easy to get bogged down in the million things shouting for our attention, when what really matters are the people right here around us. So please, check in with your loved ones. Take a night off and watch a movie from your childhood. Maybe invite some friends over to join you. Breathe. You've got all the big stuff - the little stuff will follow. You mean more than you know to people you don't, and I am so, SO glad you're here, exactly as you are. Be good to yourself, k? And here's a squeezy ghost hug for the road: ::HUGZZ:: ***** It's getting near the end of the month, have you entered my Squeegineer give-away yet? Winners get to choose their prizes from the increasingly random things I find in my office closet, like these Haunted Mansion bat necklaces: Everyone who donates any amount to Epbot via Paypal is automatically entered each month, or you can enter for free by e-mail! Check out the details and prize galleries here.
Spoonful's Haunted Mansion Cupcake recipe comes with a set of printable tombstone templates that you can print to cardstock and use to garnish your carb-delivery-vehicles. But they'd also be great…
Halloween and Fall Favorites Returning to Disneyland Resort Halloween and Fall Favorites Returning to Disneyland Resort! Get ready to embrace the thrilling Halloween season at Disneyland Resort from Aug. 23 to Oct. 31, 2024 (extended to Nov. 2, 2024, for Plaza de la Familia). Discover beloved autumn attractions such as the beloved Haunted Mansion Holiday, […]
Welcome, foolish mortals. This week, we are wrapping up our Halloween festivities with a Haunted Mansion themed dinner!
Madame Leota is the spirit of a psychic medium residing in the Haunted Mansion. Manifesting as a disembodied head inside a misty crystal ball, she is able to send "sympathetic vibrations" to summon ghosts from the spirit world so that the guests may meet them and join them in their "swinging wake." Outside of the Haunted Mansion in New Orleans Square, Madame Leota is shown, at some point during her mortal life, to have been in possession of a Vardo (a caravan wagon which is commonly associated w
Here's a papercraft Haunted Mansion stretching portrait bookmark to print, fold, assemble and enjoy. Disney Printable: Haunted Mansion Portrait Chamber Bookmark (via Super Punch)
Learn about the 2024 Haunted Mansion Holiday Gingerbread House and the 150 hours & 60 pounds of gingerbread it took to build this freaky confection.
Free Disney Halloween Coloring pages for you to save or print. Great quality. Includes Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Winnie the Pooh, Princesses and more.
Halloween and Fall Favorites Returning to Disneyland Resort Halloween and Fall Favorites Returning to Disneyland Resort! Get ready to embrace the thrilling Halloween season at Disneyland Resort from Aug. 23 to Oct. 31, 2024 (extended to Nov. 2, 2024, for Plaza de la Familia). Discover beloved autumn attractions such as the beloved Haunted Mansion Holiday, […]
