# Countdown Calendar-WIP



## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:Hello everyone! I hope everyone is in "Halloween Mode". I've always wanted to make a huge Halloween Countdown calendar for my front yard, to build the excitement of the BIG day approaching. So this year I decided to do it after a pallet was delivered to the shop which appeared to be the perfect size.








And then I added some fence slats to make it full sized.








Ta Da!


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:Then...paint....lots of paint...first primer, then black.








Then "Vivid Orange" as my color choice.








Then lettering goes on...








And more finishing touches...and I'm almost there...I have to hurry, it will be Halloween SOON!


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## Bone Dancer (Oct 7, 2005)

That looks amazing, what a great job. That lettering took some time to do. The little cat in the corner is my fav.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

That's a truly beautiful and eye-catching sign, P5. Kid-friendly, too


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## Copchick (Apr 10, 2012)

Very nice, P5! The detailing is awesome! I like the cat too. High five!


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## bobzilla (Nov 13, 2008)

Wow!......did I mention WOW?


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## drevilstein (Sep 17, 2013)

Terrific job!


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## Hairazor (Mar 13, 2012)

Very eye catching, Likey, likey!!


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## TerrorGate (Sep 4, 2014)

Love it! Mine is on my weekend schedule, and will include a link to a FB page containing a spooky video invitation to my and my neighbor's double yard haunt. I'm getting so excited!!


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:Thank you for all the kind words everybody! It means a lot to me...I started out wanting just a simple calendar, and like everything with me it snowballed. I added a moon around my witch last night, and trust me, it was a royal pain to have to go in and around all the words and images already on the sign! But I like the way it looks...I have to add another coat tonight and then sponge in some variations, you know, like the real moon has? That is why I didn't go yellow, I wanted it more "moony" looking.








I have to add a skeleton peeking out from behind the sign, a skeleton cat up on top of the sign looking at a raven in a black tree, two pumpkins glowing in front and then some real pumpkins and cornstalks for decoration. See what I mean about snowballing???:googly:


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:Thank you William, you are right about the lettering...it took FOREVER! Thank you Bonnie, I wanted to appeal to kids because that's what Halloween is all about....well...sort of. And Tina, I'd slap you a high five if I could, so thanks, and I'm was partial to the cat too. I found the sketch somewhere online, I like how he is moth-eaten looking and scrappy. Oh and many thanks Robert, you know that first line is yours right? It read much better than the original line I had so hat's off to you my friend. Thank you too, Dr.E, very kind of you and Jan, I love it when you say, "likey, likey". Thanks TerrorGate, I can't wait to see your sign! That is a wonderful idea to link an invitation to your sign. Social media is great, isn't it?


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## dstading (Aug 6, 2014)

Pumpkin5 said:


> See what I mean about snowballing???:googly:


Ha ha! Engineers call that "feature creep", but in this case, it was so worth it. Very nice!


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## Troll Wizard (May 3, 2012)

_*Well Jana you never cease to amaze me! Once again, I'm left without words on the wonderful job you did in creating something that is really unique in design! I don't think I would have the patience to do a piece like that. This is something now you can use over and over again, and will be the talk of your haunt!

It's truly a great piece of Halloween art!
*_


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## Chuck (Oct 10, 2009)

Beautiful job.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:Thanks dstading, Randy and Chuck! You guys are really very sweet!


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## ATLfun (Oct 12, 2012)

Your decorations are always so classy. I have said it before, you are the Martha Stewart of Halloween decorating minus the jail time and the snippy attitude.


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## lewlew (Mar 15, 2006)

My apologies for not commenting on this work of art before now! And a work of art it is! It always amazes me that people can take such ordinary items such as a pallet and some scrap wood and turn it into something like this. The time and effort this took is well justified by your results. 

I love the different lettering for each item, the outlined lettering to make everything 'pop', and the whimsical poem itself.

Well done!


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## DocK (Apr 1, 2013)

This looks truly amazing...
If I find a Dutch poem I'll steel the design


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

ATLfun said:


> Your decorations are always so classy. I have said it before, you are the Martha Stewart of Halloween decorating minus the jail time and the snippy attitude.


:jol: Thank you ATL! As always, I blush when you say this...I am a big MSL fan...she is a work demon and so creative. I haven't done the jail time, but I can get a snippy attitude from time to time....and unfortunately I don't have her minions to do my bidding. It's all on me, but any job worth doing, is worth doing right, no?

And thank you Mark, if you think the sign is good, then I feel like all the hours holding a tiny paint brush, outlining the letters was time well spent.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

DocK said:


> This looks truly amazing...
> If I find a Dutch poem I'll steel the design


:jol: Thanks Dock! I don't know how it would translate to your native tongue, but I wrote the poem, feel free to use it.


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## The-Hog-Flu (Oct 21, 2013)

Great job. It looks amazing!


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## Lady Toadflinger (Aug 2, 2013)

Stunning!!


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## The_Caretaker (Mar 6, 2007)

Nice work


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## scareme (Aug 29, 2006)

I love the countdown calendar. You do such beautiful work. There's just one tiny error, if I may point it out. Your countdown day says 37. Shouldn't it say 98 days? I know we have plenty of time left. Awesome calendar.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

scareme said:


> I love the countdown calendar. You do such beautiful work. There's just one tiny error, if I may point it out. Your countdown day says 37. Shouldn't it say 98 days? I know we have plenty of time left. Awesome calendar.


:jol:Thank you! I wish you were correct Laura, I fear I've let myself run out of time again this year, but I'm getting the countdown calendar put up this weekend. Thanks to you too, The Hog Flu, Lady Toad and CareTaker. It has definitely been a labor of love. I just can't leave it alone....I keep adding stuff to it.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:Okay, it's posted up in the front yard as of tonight! (Yay!) I have just finished sculpting the neck on the skeleton, and I have to add the ghost, get some yellow cellophane for the pumpkin's eyes and mouth, get those glued on and get a small branch to stick a crow in and add a few bats. But at least the countdown is on!








A few of my forum friends joked me that I wouldn't get it done before Halloween...but I'm actually 2 days ahead of the first of October! WHAT?!

P.S. I think I'm going to blacken in the word "prowl" because it's kind of hard to read on the white-ish moon, even with the black outline. I'll take a better picture of the moon with the witch flying through, I did a pretty good job of making it look like a moon....all the craters and shadings.....and the witch, of course. Oh, and while I was putting it up tonight, I had three bats flying around...if I could just convince them to fly around the sign the whole month of October....that'd be splendid. I may have to add fake bats.....sigh......


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## The-Hog-Flu (Oct 21, 2013)

I like the addition of the cat stting on top.


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## bobzilla (Nov 13, 2008)

fantabulous Missy!


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## lewlew (Mar 15, 2006)

Just keeps getting better and better!


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## scareme (Aug 29, 2006)

Hard to believe that started as a pallet. Good job!


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:This is the skeleton head that is going to be "peeking" around the side of the calendar. I added some Apoxie Sculpt in the form of some vertebra and a tongue.








Now he needs painting and attaching to the sign.


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## cmk4425 (Oct 16, 2007)

Awesome sign! It is very professional looking and creative.:jol:


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## Hauntiholik (May 17, 2006)

I saw countdown signs like this last year on pinterest. Your wording is MUCH better. Great job p5!


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## Bone Dancer (Oct 7, 2005)

Very creative. You just can't seem to help yourself when it come to using your apoxie sculpt can you.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:Thanks cmk and Haunti, very kind words! And you are so right William, I can't make anything without throwing some Apoxie at it. I blame this on Bradgoodspeed whose tutorial started my love affair with Apoxie Sculpt. (it's the shizzle).


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## spokanejoe (Sep 16, 2006)

That is fantastic. You put in a lot of hard work and it looks real professional. But of course it does!! Aren't we all professional haunters here! Really, really, great job!


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## Jack Mac (Nov 28, 2012)

I love it! It is so well done. Great work Pumpkin5!


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## Hilda (Jan 20, 2012)

This is absolutely gorgeous. I love your work.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:Wow, you guys are so sweet! Thanks Spokanejoe, Jack Mac and Hilda! I'm finally finished with it, it's super secured in place and I'm not changing a thing except the numbers as the days dwindle down. Here are a couple of more pictures, and a short video. It was definitely fun to make, and I swear to you all, I'm not adding one more thing to it!








There are three bats flying around, but they are kind of hard to see with the foliage in the back ground.








BTW the ghost's head lights up.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:Here's a short video of the sign lit up.
http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m545/pumpkin513/Sign_zpse87c2382.mp4


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## ATLfun (Oct 12, 2012)

I really like the added side decorations. I simply love the skeleton cat. You now have worked on two projects this year that I expect to see in the 2015 Grandin Road catalog next year.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

ATLfun said:


> I really like the added side decorations. I simply love the skeleton cat. You now have worked on two projects this year that I expect to see in the 2015 Grandin Road catalog next year.


:jol:You are incredibly sweet! Thanks so much for your kind words. I am totally satisfied with the sign....Maybe I should have gone bigger with the graphics, but I kind of love it. The skull turned out great, love the pumpkins and the cat is the crowning glory! Thanks Crazybonez!


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## bobzilla (Nov 13, 2008)

Wow, wow and wow......that's just crazy good!!!


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## Spooklights (Jul 4, 2006)

I absolutely love your countdown sign, especially the lettering and the skull peeking around the edge. Very nice work!


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## Bone Dancer (Oct 7, 2005)

Nicely done, I'm sure anybody driving by will know your a Halloween nut.


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## IMU (Apr 8, 2009)

Very beautiful work P5 ... outstanding!


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:Thank you all for such nice comments! You guys make my Halloween heart grow three sizes this day!  Robert, you know I like crazy and crazy good is always my goal!:googly: And thank you Spooklights, and William and IMU. It's people like you that get me and understand why I would make a sign that took so long, and half the people driving by won't even get. Ah well....it's for the Halloweenies that I create. (and me....most definitely for me....my creations fill my selfish desire to keep Halloween alive all year...this is where the song, "This is Halloween" begins to play....)


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## lewlew (Mar 15, 2006)

As if the sign itself weren't enough to get everyone in the mood, your added details (bats, cats, ghost, and skull) just bring this sign to life. What a wonderful creation!


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

WTH!! How did I not see this before?!! This is just perfect! I'm apologetic for not commenting sooner but WOW! Love the details. So artistic! Is it placed where you can see people slow down when they drive by? I'd sure as heck be blocking traffic if I went by your house!:jol:


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:Thanks Mark and Jerry, you guys are very kind! It's placed very close to the road, and anchored down in case of winds. I was actually putting my witch up last night and a car stopped, the people got out and were standing at the fence going on and on...they kept saying, "Wow, they did a good job, oh look at that, look at the ghost...and the graveyard"....ha, ha...I was on the second story, just grinning. THAT is why I haunt my house, and people that don't decorate/haunt, will never know that particular joy.


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