Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with decorations

Help me Halloweenify my house!

catfood — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 11:07:40 -0800

I need suggestions on inexpensive, not-too-tacky, fun Halloween decorations for the outside of my house. Right now, I am definitely making a fake cemetery (yes, tombstones with dorky/funny epitaphs) and carving a few pumpkins, but I want ideas for ways to Halloween-up certain parts of my house.

These are:
- The large living room window that everyone can see from the road.
- The front door and/or the glass panel next to the front door.
- Our mailbox.
- The two small trees in our front yard.
- Something to hang from the arm/bracket thingy next to our front door that we usually hang a plant from (I know they must have a name, but I can't think of it right now.)

Cheapness is a must, and I don't really like store-bought Halloween props (most are either too tacky trying to look realistic or too sloppy), so I'm willing to put some elbow grease into the mix.

I want our house to pretty much look appealing to trick-or-treaters but also give adults/teenagers a chuckle if they stop to look.

How can I make giant, durable, light-weight lobster claws?

excitementMD — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 07:20:17 -0800

I'm doing a road rallye in New England next weekend, and my team is turning my '85 Saab 900 hatchback into a giant lobster. I will be putting 4-foot long claws onto the front of it, and actuators inside will actually make the claws move. So, there will be a metal frame/skeleton at the heart of it, but I want to encase that in realistic looking giant lobster claws. What material will look good, be cheap, and hold up for a day on the road? Here are some pictures to illustrate the point a bit more:
The rails for attaching the claws
A bit farther back - these run down each side of the hood
Sketches of the claws - the bottom part will move up and down.

and no spotlights on the front of the house. mom did that when I was a kid and it was annoying.

Lucinda — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 20:10:16 -0800

Help me decorate the outside of our house for the holidays! Our house has a large enclosed front porch that takes up the entire front of the house. In the past, I have hung a wreath under the center window of the porch (even though it's not centered on the front of the house), and stretched fake pine garland to the edges of the house, bringing it up to underneath the window at two or three places. At each place where it's been brought up, I put a red bow and a big (6") red ball ornament.

It looks nice, but I've done that every year for almost six years now and need a change.

I only have a few ideas, but when you take into consideration (a) Mr. Lucinda doesn't like Christmas lights on houses, (b) I don't like inflatable/animatronic/plastic lawn displays, and (c) I don't really want to spend a lot of money on this, that takes away just about all the ideas I do have.

So please help me, o hive mind.

Where to Find the Smallest Christmas Lights

leafwoman — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 15:50:03 -0800

Where can I find tiny Christmas lights on the web? These are not LEDs, nor are they battery powered. They are about the size of a rice grain (hobbiests use individual lights about this size that they call "grain of wheat" lights,) The string has about thirty or so lights and plugs into 110 volt AC. the individual lamps are permanently attached to the wires.

I found them last year in multi-color and in red, blue or green. I am looking for the multi-colored and the blue. Any help will be appreciated.

An evening with James Bond

tozturk — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 09:17:06 -0800

I'm moving into a new apartment and am throwing a party - an Evening with James Bond - to break the new place in. (Really I just want an excuse to watch From Russia with Love and Goldeneye with friends.) What are some creative ideas for decorations/games? Some details:
* The apartment is kind of small, but I'm not expecting a stadium full of people. 10 - 15 people max. Not everyone knows each other.
* This is my first time throwing a party not stuffed to the brim with relatives
* I'm hoping to rent a projector to show the movies on the wall.
* Most of the folks will be college seniors and aren't really the alcoholic lot
* So far for decorations/theme things, diamond shaped ice cubes, jello martinis
* I have a budget of about $150

Thanks in advance!

When is the best time to put Xmas decorations up at home?

barnsoir — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 12:19:45 -0800

Is December 1st too early to put Xmas decorations up at home? My wife and I agree on most stuff, but we have hit a major difference of opinion here. We generally spent our child-less christmas holidays at parents, but this will be our first extended Xmas at home - with a 2 year old - and we are both looking forward to properly decorating our flat for the first time. We both enjoy Xmas as a secular holiday and an opportunity to see friends and family, as opposed to a frenzy of food, drink and consumer spending - and live in the UK (so will keep decorations up until the traditional 12th Night, which is longer than is the case in the USA as far as I know)

I remember Christmas being all about the anticipation, and the weekend before Xmas or after school finished (whichever came first) would be when the decorations went up. My wife is keen to get everything up NOW though, and prolong the fun for as long as possible. Compromise seems unlikely at present! Am I being 'pretentious' and a 'killjoy'? Or should I stick to my guns? I'm prepared to give a week maybe but I don't seem to be getting anywhere...

What rhymes with briny?

BleachBypass — Mon, 17 Oct 2005 12:24:59 -0800

Help me plan a halloween party with an undersea theme... I am throwing a big halloween party with an undersea theme. My house is several long rooms that flow into one another, so my idea is to have the front of the house with lighthearted Spongebob/Piratey decorations, progressing 'deeper' all the way to the "Horrors of the Deep" - the back room blacklit with evil toothy luminenscent fish sculptures, etc.

What I have so far:
Giant octopus inflatable made of black plastic. Papier mache fish. Some decent rippling water lighting effects (I'd love an idea that doesn't involve water). Video clips of scuba diving, etc. being projected on the wall. A bunch of plastic plants spraypainted fluorescent blue.

What I would like suggestions on:
Rewards for partygoers that dress with the theme. A clever title for the party invitation. Music that fits without sacrificing dancibility. Ideas on an inexpensive way to get my plants to wave back and forth as if underwater (I'm talking bobblehead technology here). Food and beverage suggestions (not too much blue Curaçao, please, but I've heard tonic water fluoresces).

Also, general tips on keeping the party packed, getting the people you want to be at your party to come without bringing their motorcycle gang with them, and party layout. Drinks at the front or back?

Branch Centerpieces. Anybody know how to make them?

herc — Thu, 23 Jun 2005 12:45:50 -0800

Branch Centerpieces. Anybody know how to make them? The future Mrs. and I are cutting corners at our wedding by serving as our own florists. Ideally, they'd look something like this but with white lights or candles replacing the Asian motif. Help from experienced DIYers would be appreciated...

Question number 13106

Dr. Zira — Fri, 17 Dec 2004 13:50:30 -0800

How many strands of Christmas tree lights (100 lights/strand) can I safely plug into a single outlet and/or connect to each other?