Tea-staining is the standard darkening method, but Propnomicon's trick for producing an ancient, time-worn ragged edge is simple, looks great, and is one I hadn't heard of before.

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Make: Projects—Pages of a Forbidden Tome

Our DIY Haunts Halloween prop contest has come to an end. We ultimately chose three eminently worthy entries to be our winners. And here they are:

Third Prize Winner: Paul Hale's Clown Coffin

We loved the great maker spirit of this haunted clown coffin, and the dog eating the prop at the end won bonus points! Paul receives a MAKE Circuit Breaker Leatherman ES4, a MAKE Magazine Halloween Issue, and a Jameco Electronics T-shirt.

Second Prize Winner: Tony DeRose's Saphira

An excellent entry that displayed impressive skill. We especially loved how Tony involved a number of teenagers in the build. Kids are the future of haunting! Tony and his crew win a Lego Mindstorms kit, a MAKE Magazine Halloween issue, and a Jameco Electronics T-Shirt.

Grand Prize Winner: Paul Martis' EL Jacob's Ladder

This excellently spooky Halloween prop won over the judges with the technical skill it displayed as well as for its mad scientist style. Paul wins a Stingray Robot, a MAKE magazine Halloween Issue, a $50 Maker Shed gift certificate, and a Jameco Electronics T-shirt.

Congratulations, winners! And for those who didn't win, there's always next year...

From the MAKE Flickr pool: Flickr user jpotisch created this neat Halloween costume for his daughter.

The finished product! I was running late and neglected to take pictures of the foam harness but basically it attaches front and back with a LOT of glue, since it has to hold the entire weight of the costume. A hole for her head rests the whole thing on her shoulders, and a large foam "lap belt" across the back, also held in place with a ton of hot glue, keeps the whole thing from tipping forward.

It was not the most maneuverable costume, but it was stable, light, and comfortable enough to get around and trick-or-treat, which is all my daughter cares about.

Nicely done, but I wish I could see it on the kid, I'm having a hard time visualizing how it's supposed to fit!

Well, it's been fun, but all good things must come to a horrible, unspeakable death. Oops. Sorry. Still have a bit of the ol' Halloween narrative stuck in my head. But it's true that our DIY Haunts contest closes in a few short hours, midnight, Pacific Time, to be exact. But that still gives you time to fill out the form if you did a Halloween project that fits the criteria. What criteria? Any Halloween prop that incorporates motion, sound, and light is eligible. And what do you get if you win?

• Grand Prize: The Grand Prize Winner will receive one Stingray Robot, one MAKE magazine Halloween Issue, $50 Gift Certificate redeemable at Maker Shed, and a Jameco Electronics T-shirt. Total estimated retail value of Grand Prize is $374.94.
• Second Prize: Second Prize Winner will receive one Lego Mindstorms kit, one MAKE Magazine Halloween issue, and a Jameco Electronics T-Shirt. Total estimated retail value of Second Prize is $304.94.
• Third Prize: Third Prize Winner will receive one MAKE Circuit Breaker Leatherman ES4, one MAKE Magazine Halloween Issue, and a Jameco Electronics T-shirt. Total estimated retail value of Third Prize is $60.99.

So, what are you waiting for? The bewitching hour is upon us. Here's the online submission form again.

Just a quick note that midnight PST marks the deadline for our DIY Haunts contest. We've been getting tons of last-minute entries but we'd love to get more! Any Halloween prop that uses motion, light, and sound in some way is eligible. It doesn't even have to be one you did this year.

And what do you get for winning?

• Grand Prize: The Grand Prize Winner will receive one Stingray Robot, one MAKE magazine Halloween Issue, $50 Gift Certificate redeemable at Maker Shed, and a Jameco Electronics T-shirt. Total estimated retail value of Grand Prize is $374.94.
• Second Prize: Second Prize Winner will receive one Lego Mindstorms kit, one MAKE Magazine Halloween issue, and a Jameco Electronics T-Shirt. Total estimated retail value of Second Prize is $304.94.
• Third Prize: Third Prize Winner will receive one MAKE Circuit Breaker Leatherman ES4, one MAKE Magazine Halloween Issue, and a Jameco Electronics T-shirt. Total estimated retail value of Third Prize is $60.99.

Okay, so there are fabu prizes. How do you win them? You must submit your entry by 11:59pm Pacific time, November 5th, 2010. Here's the online submission form.

Good luck!

Shawn Thorsson, of Petaluma, CA, has done it again. We wrote about his Predator costume a few weeks back. Now he's made a whole freaking army, or at least a squad, of Red vs. Blue Master Chief costumes. A three year effort. Insane, indeed. And by insane, we mean awesome!

[More pics after the jump]

Sam O. of Perth, Western Australia, sent us pix of a replica chainsaw her husband made for his Ash costume, using found objects and junk from his shed. Very nice!

Tech fashionista Syuzi Pakhchyan dressed up as Quorra from Tron with EL strips over a faux-leather suit this Halloween-- nice!

In the Maker Shed:

Fashioning Technology

Ready to take your craft projects to the next level? With "smart" materials, unorthodox assembly techniques, and the right tools, you can create accessories, housewares, and toys that light up, make sounds, and more.

MAKE contributing illustrator Tim Lillis sent me pics of his friend George Schnakenberg's Banksy painting costume, and I'm totally having costume envy over here. Hands down my favorite getup from this Halloween. Here's a comparison pic of George's costume versus the original Banksy "Flower Thrower" painting:

He did an awesome job of painting his clothes to capture the shadows in the original stencil, and getting the flowers just right:

Add a little white face paint, and he's good to go! Check out George's Flickr stream for pics of his costume on the dancefloor, eating a sandwich, and hanging out with Raggedy Anne.

Don Reitz's stupendous spider looks fit to suck the juices out of Dwalin or Balin. It's 25' across and 8 feet tall at the abdomen. Click to biggify.

Materials to make your own: 130' of 2" PVC pipe, 8x each 90º and 45º couplings, 6 large tomato cages, couple planks of wood, a pile of coat hangers, a hacked up cardboard box, 2 cans of spray on expanding foam, 8 small red Christmas ornaments, a 10x12 black plastic tarp or a bunch of trash bags, and a few cans of bargain black spray paint. Oh, and a roll of duct tape. It's a lot cheaper if you happen to find this stuff in junk piles, trust me. Buying that much PVC would make the price of this thing absurd. Well, more absurd than it already is I mean...

Don, incidentally, is a superb Lego builder who slings bricks under the handle Don Solo. [Thanks, Miguel!]

If you build stuff like this, I hope you've entered our DIY Haunts contest. The deadline is November 5th at midnight, PST!