Category: Art a Little More Robust-Celebration

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Holmes Asylum for the Criminally Insane Part II

Last night’s blog post shared photos of the themed decor at the annual family Halloween party. Debbie, Ashley and Jon created the Holmes Asylum for the Criminally Insane, transforming their home from sprawling suburban to spooky institution. As always, they delighted us with their ingenuity and creativity.

Guests are encouraged to attend this special event in costume. Each year’s theme is announced 12 months ahead of time, during the current celebration. We’ve all had time to pick a character or historical figure to dress up as. Most of us researched our chosen person, to bring authenticity to our roles, which added to the fun.

Tonight, meet the inhabitants of the asylum, as the party attendees show off their costumes!

Jon as Sheldon Cooper…yeah his Mom’s had him tested, but…and Ashley as Sherlock Holmes’ sister Eurus.

Debbie as Abby Brewster and me as Martha Brewster, from Arsenic & Old Lace.

Greg as the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski. He nailed the role! When we left Kaleb made sure he took his parcel with him.

Roy as the Unabomber’s informant brother.

Pat (my mon) as a rather gleeful Lizzie Borden.

Linda as Sister Jude, in American Horror Story, and Nicole as Sweet Pea in Sucker Punch. The kids can dress up without following the theme. Kaleb is Groot, from Guardians of the Galaxy, Weston is Hamster Boy, and Lola is Princess Minnie.

The rest of Linda’s crew: London as Batgirl, Aralyn is Princess Ariel and Eric and Tosh are Asylum visitors!

Nate as Ed Gein, Adriel as the Zodiak Killer, there I am again, and Elissa is former nurse Annie Wilkes from the movie Misery.

Ethan is the 11th Doctor, from Doctor Who, just after he regenerated from Ten.

Lisa as Bellatrix, from the Harry Potter films, and Josh is a Juggalo.

Sheldon and the Doctor having fun!

Upstairs there was a “padded cell”, perfect for photo ops!

This happy group includes Aiden and Shane, first time visitors, in the back next to Debbie. Kathy is a Mad Doctor, Allison is Alex Forrest, from Fatal Attraction and her mom, Kelly, is Baby Jane, from Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?

Jerri and Steve are Nudists on Strike!

Christel as Angela from Sleepaway Camp and Bryan as John Doe from the thriller Se7en.

Lindsay as a Cult Follower and Cade as David Koresh, the Cult Leader.

Our yearly sibling photo! This is always a must have.

What an incredible evening. We missed family members who ended up having to work or couldn’t make it for other reasons. I enjoyed chatting and laughing with those who were there. Our family is unique in that we don’t mind taking our creativity, humor and fun beyond the edges and outside the lines. We aren’t morbid or dark. Think Addams Family! We are quirky and happy to be so, and when we get together, we have a great time.

Again I have deep appreciation and gratitude for Debbie, Ashley, and Jon and also Christel and Bryan, for all their hard work in creating a highly successful Halloween party. The work continues for them as the undecorating begins.

They are dreaming up new ideas as they enter the planning stage for next year’s party….Carnevil. I’ve already decided on a costume…

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Holmes Asylum for the Criminally Insane Part I

Before you wonder where in the world I was this evening, let me add the qualifying words “family Halloween party”! This was the big night, the annual get together hosted by my sister Debbie, my niece Ashley and her husband Jon, in their lovely house in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Each year this creative and hard working trio transforms their home into a work of art that rivals any professionally done spook house.

The theme changes each year and the guests arrive, dressed accordingly. This event is so huge that I now divide the accompanying blog post into two. One focuses on the decorations and staged rooms. The second one captures the party goers in their fun costumes.

This year’s theme was an Asylum for the Criminally Insane, with the house becoming that dreadful institution. Attendees were encouraged to dress as fictional, or historical, people who would be at home in such a bleak and stark place. You will meet all of them tomorrow night.

Tonight…enter Holmes Asylum for the Criminally Insane…if you dare…

So much effort goes into this party. Debbie, Ashley and Jon spend a good portion of the year making their decor. Most of what you are about to see is hand crafted.

The mood is set from the outside of the house, inward.

Looks like things went awry in the office!

There are amazing decorations and interesting vignettes, and a quotes game to challenge the brain. The items on the Lost & Found table hint at who they belonged to. So clever!

You never know what’s going to be lurking down this hallway…

…just don’t let her out!

Sure, the “morgue” can double as a dining room! I took the photo too soon. There were lots of yummy snacks, including treats the plant based eaters could enjoy. My family is so cool and gracious.

This “nurse” was incredibly creepy!

What a fun idea…candies in pill dispensers.

A patient’s room. Crayons were provided so that we could write messages on the walls.

Surprises everywhere!

The prop in the pic below represents a scene from the movie Arsenic & Old Lace.

There are so many details throughout the house that I could wander around for hours, examining everything and connecting vignettes and props to movies, stories and history. As usual, Debbie, Ashley and Jon created a rich atmosphere, full of fun and spookiness, for all of us to play in. Every year I think they could make money with their off the charts Halloween parties.

And yet, they spend time, money and energy doing this for their family and friends. Why? Because they enjoy expressing their creativity in this way. I am grateful and I look forward to this party every year.

Stop back by the blog tomorrow…and see which criminally insane people were admitted to the Holmes Asylum!