This animated LED pumpkin, built by my HacDC cohort David Kaufman, uses a PIC16F648 microcontroller to individually control 25 LEDs in a styrofoam pumpkin. A Windows app is also available to edit the animations (which are then rebuilt into a PIC app). LED Pumpkin More: Don’t forget, we have our own DIY Haunts contest running […]
Our DIY Haunts contest is in high gear now and we’re stoked. Whether it’s a skull fountaining green slime or a coffin full of robot spiders, this is your opportunity to share your spooky build-skills. The contest is open to all skill levels, and is sponsored by Jameco Electronics. If you’d like to participate, you […]
If you need any inspiration for your Make: Halloween DIY Haunts project, check out these props that were on display at World Maker Faire, made by the folks at Halloween Animatronics. The rather slender gentleman above is named Marvin and is what they call a “grave popper.” They explain how he was built: We had […]
Shawn Thorsson of Petaluma, CA, built this awe-inspiring Predator costume out of upholstery foam, liquid latex, and — wait for it — duct tape. He hand-sculpted most of the features, used a LED belt buckle for the beast’s wearable computer, and formed its wrist blades out of aluminum. Excellent! It added at least six inches […]
Andy Oakland made this Meat Head project for our DIY Halloween publication, and now this fleshy hors d’œuvre tutorial is online for free on the Make: Projects site. I’ve served a Meat Head at my Halloween parties for at least the last five years. It never fails to impress (and distress!) my guests. Wash it […]
Group and family costumes are fun, but can sometimes be hard to come up with or harder still to execute. These space-themed group costumes from Martha Stewart could not be simpler, and would work for a family with small kids or a group of older friends. It would be really cool to create a group […]
The leaves are changing, cool weather is blowing in. Children lie awake at night wondering what to choose for their costume and dreaming about the legendary candy hauls of yore. They also remember the coolest houses. You know, the ones whose owners went all-out decorating for the season. Scarecrows, cobwebs, and jack-o-lanterns startling and delighting […]
