The Prologue: Our passion for Halloween started many many years ago - from putting a carved pumpkin by the door step and some spider webs throughout the eaves and then onto a couple store-bought tombstones in the front yard with a simple Halloween monster music CD. Through the years we started expanding and growing and selecting new features and areas throughout the house to "spook". From a graveyard and onto a pumpkin patch, ideas began to spur and come to life around the grounds of Love Manor. Just recently within the past couple of years we began to build props and decor. From cemetery fencing to the very tombstones within it, we started crafting unique and frightfully enjoyable things. Every year we try to work on a growing and prospering theme, such as The Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean with a very ghoulish Halloween atmosphere. Chilled fog rolling through the grass and the subtle glow from blue lighting, were all combined to create an eerie atmosphere for people of all ages whom dared to enter through the gates. We cordially invite you to the ancestral Love Manor this Halloween!
The Inspiration: Love Manor is inspired by many great things. The most inspiring to me, is Disney's Haunted Mansion. From it's scrawling grounds to it's eerie foyer and galleries, it is truly a remarkable place. However, creating such a spooky atmosphere in a modern-styled home is always very very difficult. Unfortunatly we don't have huge ornate Italian styled sconces gracing the walls or antique wallpaper on our walls. So, we have to work extra hard to make our guests feel as if they are in The Haunted Mansion. From replacing modern chandeliers with antiqued looking ones to putting up ornate curtains in the windows, we go above and beyond. We also rummage through things at local swap meets and garage sales. By doing so, we've found some spooky bust statues to grace the fireplace mantles and old books to put on the shelves. By combining these details with dim lighting and old tunes playing on a radio, you and your guests will feel as if you've stepped into an old creepy mansion.
Another attraction from Walt Disney that has inspired us is Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean. You might ask, what do Pirates have to do with Halloween? Well, not much, however skeleton pirates and fireflies swarming the swampy graveyard do! So, by taking a popular attraction, and putting a Halloween spin on it, anything is possible. Recently, after numerous times of riding an old raft through the ride, we became very fond of the fireflies that were always buzzing around the tall grasses on the ride. So, after much research, we invested in some of our own. Although not all guests catch a glimpse of them, those that do are awe-struck. Such a subtle detail to any swampy graveyard can truly be the greatest detail of all. One year, perhaps an 80 foot ghost ship with shredded sails and flickering lanterns will grace the front. Maybe, just maybe that will happen.
I owe a lot to Martha Stewart. Without the incredible ideas she has to offer, I'd be lost with certain areas of our home. From the menacing phantom-like windows gracing the front of our home, to the wickedly dark candy jars on the shelves, Martha Stewart has definitely inspired me. Her magazine's, both Living and the Holiday editions, are filled with some great ideas. Every year in late September, my heart pounds as I walk towards the magazine stand in our local grocery store. I'm always the first to pick it up, that's for sure. It would be a dream come true to be featured on her show or within her magazine. Some day, I hope for that dream to come true.
Please check back soon for more information and details!
The Inspiration: Love Manor is inspired by many great things. The most inspiring to me, is Disney's Haunted Mansion. From it's scrawling grounds to it's eerie foyer and galleries, it is truly a remarkable place. However, creating such a spooky atmosphere in a modern-styled home is always very very difficult. Unfortunatly we don't have huge ornate Italian styled sconces gracing the walls or antique wallpaper on our walls. So, we have to work extra hard to make our guests feel as if they are in The Haunted Mansion. From replacing modern chandeliers with antiqued looking ones to putting up ornate curtains in the windows, we go above and beyond. We also rummage through things at local swap meets and garage sales. By doing so, we've found some spooky bust statues to grace the fireplace mantles and old books to put on the shelves. By combining these details with dim lighting and old tunes playing on a radio, you and your guests will feel as if you've stepped into an old creepy mansion.
Another attraction from Walt Disney that has inspired us is Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean. You might ask, what do Pirates have to do with Halloween? Well, not much, however skeleton pirates and fireflies swarming the swampy graveyard do! So, by taking a popular attraction, and putting a Halloween spin on it, anything is possible. Recently, after numerous times of riding an old raft through the ride, we became very fond of the fireflies that were always buzzing around the tall grasses on the ride. So, after much research, we invested in some of our own. Although not all guests catch a glimpse of them, those that do are awe-struck. Such a subtle detail to any swampy graveyard can truly be the greatest detail of all. One year, perhaps an 80 foot ghost ship with shredded sails and flickering lanterns will grace the front. Maybe, just maybe that will happen.
I owe a lot to Martha Stewart. Without the incredible ideas she has to offer, I'd be lost with certain areas of our home. From the menacing phantom-like windows gracing the front of our home, to the wickedly dark candy jars on the shelves, Martha Stewart has definitely inspired me. Her magazine's, both Living and the Holiday editions, are filled with some great ideas. Every year in late September, my heart pounds as I walk towards the magazine stand in our local grocery store. I'm always the first to pick it up, that's for sure. It would be a dream come true to be featured on her show or within her magazine. Some day, I hope for that dream to come true.
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