I donated!

Peter Mongomery creates some amazing Halloween displays. In 2007, he treated trick-or-treaters to a giant

pirate ship run aground in his front yard. In 2008, passersby could marvel at a nearly lifesize steam locomotive that had crashed through the front wall of his house.

And if all goes well, this year the residents of Glendale, CA will be able to see an enormous steampunk drilling machine coming out of his driveway.

That's where you come in.

To help defray the cost, Peter is looking to raise a total of $2,200 in donations. Now I'm no Rockefeller, but I love me some Halloween and am happy to help out a fellow haunter, so I pledged $20. In return for my donation, I not only get to sleep well knowing that I've helped make Halloween a little bit steampunkier for the children of Glendale, California, but I also get a genuine piece of the "skin" from the giant drilling machine. (A pledge of $50 would have gotten me a piece of the "skin" and copies of his sketches.)

Keep your fingers crossed that I get a good part. Like one with rivets. Or a porthole. Man! I could really use a porthole.

To see more of Peter's work, click here.
(And click here if you would like to donate to his cause.)

Checking for monsters?

When is the last time you checked under your bed for monsters?

UPDATE: What Should I Do About The Witch

Back in May, on the verge of moving to a new home, I asked you for some advice. Specifically, "What should I do about the witch?" Well, 4 months later I'm please to announce that the witch made the journey with me. I'm still not sure how I'll display her in the new yard, but I'm sure inspiration will strike eventually. Hoist her onto the roof with a crane? Surround her with black fabric as though she's melting into the ground? We'll see...

Moving my monsters

It took a 17-foot-long U-Haul and more hours than I care to admit, but I was finally able to get all of my outdoor Halloween decorations safely to the new house. My new neighbors have no idea what they're in for.

Dexter (Season 5) premieres tonight

In honor of tonight's Dexter premiere, check out this promotional stunt Showtime pulled for the show back in 2007. The best part of their turning fountain water around the country blood-red? The fact that they deny the red liquid is meant to symbolize blood.

"Showtime appears to be very persistant on the fact that the red is to symbolize the network's corporate color, and not blood. It just so happens red is also the color of blood, and that the show DEXTER centers on a serial killer who also happens to be a forensics expert who deals with blood all day. No relation though. Showtime VP of Media and Promotions George DeBolt had this to say on the matter: 'We're not out there to frighten people. Red is an important color for the network. It's our corporate color. Whatever people take away from this is what they take away, but we're using the color red so that it's noticed. 'Dexter' is not a horror series," he added. "It's a series about a serial killer who happens to be in forensic police work. There is blood in the show, but we're not doing this to convey the notion of blood or horror because that would be off strategy with how we promote the show'."

(Via JOBLO)

Pac-Man ghost wallpaper

I don't remember where I found this image, but wouldn't it make terrific wallpaper? Maybe I can find a company that will custom print a few rolls for me.

Live like the Addams Family

Master upholsterer Rodolfo Rocchetti makes these Addams Family-worthy sofas out of faux-fur. Perfect for a haunted house or any dictator's inner-sanctum.

(Via Desire To Inspire)

Get buried alive and watch a flick

To promote the release of Ryan Reynold's film Buried, "four lucky people were picked to be blindfolded, have a burlap sack put over their head, then silently driven 30 miles outside of the city. There, they were put in coffins and only then were they allowed to remove the blindfolds, where they’d see an LCD screen that would show Buried." (Via SuperPunch)

Advertise with zombie arms

To promote the release of the newest Resident Evil movie "hundreds of zombie arms were placed in sewer grates, flower beds, window displays, elevator doors, etc. all over Madrid." (Via Who Killed Bambi)

Lunchboxes suck!

Lunchboxes suck these days. I took my little monster out to buy a new one for school and couldn't find anything good. So we decided to decorate one ourselves. Here's what we came up with. (As a side note on the construction... the metal stud decal was supposed to iron right on, but the stain-resistant lunchbox material foiled our plans. So there I was, at midnight before his first day of school, sitting at the kitchen table with a pair of tweezers and a bottle of Krazy Glue individually attaching each stud. It took hours, but seeing his reaction the next morning made all that hard work worth it.)

New sweater

Mrs. Bones has been away on business for 5 weeks. I bought this lovely sweater as a sort of "welcome home" gift. I think the dagger through the heart is the perfect mixture of "Aww, I missed you so much. Don't go away for so long again" and "Seriously. I'm not kidding. DO NOT go away again." I hope she likes it.