“I’ve been doing Halloween decorations every year. I try to go with a theme that’s kid friendly but that I’m also into, and just kind of roll with it. It’s just been so fun. I love Halloween. Not only for the kids, but for the preparation and the excitement.”

She began creating her own display six years ago with a cutout of Jack Skellington. It now nearly fills every part of the front yard.

She tries to create a new piece each year and this year she added a jack in the box. This year each piece had to be touched up as well.

“It was Tim Burton, kind-of-dark stuff, but this year I decided to make everything brighter. It’s still Tim Burton, but it’s a brighter Tim Burton.

Sarah Milliron with some of her handmade Tim Burton-themed Halloween decorations at her home at 808 Houghteling St. in Iron Mountain. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News)

She sets up around the first of October and it takes at least two days. At the end of the month she takes everything down. One year everything was frozen into the ground at the end of October. She wasn’t able to take things down, so she bought a bunch of Santa hats and really made it “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

To create pieces, she looks for ideas online and determines how she can bring them to life. She draws the design on a piece of board, cuts it out, sands it and paints it. Everything is covered with a clearcoat to protect it from the weather.

“I have a huge idea for next year, but it’s going to be a big piece, though. It’s going to be a lot of constructing and putting together — not just one solid cutout. It’s going to be several pieces,” she said.

On course, sometimes the display has to be changed because it angers neighbors — like the deer that roam freely.

“Two years ago I had a motion sensor scream machine by the graveyard display, and the deer are running around, and all of a sudden that scream box went off and they knocked that whole thing for the graveyard down. They were kicking it, so no more scream box,” she said, laughing.

She also looks for items she can use for displays. A spider is made from an enamel bowl with a hubcap for a face. The large grave was created from the top frame of a window from the Crystal Theatre, with Pink Panther Insulation inside. The bricks in another part of the display were also make using insulation. An old handdrill became the crank for the jack in the box.

“I have been creating my whole life, anything from woodwork, and I’m getting into tattooing now. Every aspect of art I try it. Art is everywhere. It’s so much fun to bring things to life,” Milliron said.

With a crowded front yard, she may have to expand her display space.

“My mom jokes I’ll have to rent out the neighbor’s yard,” she said.

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Marguerite Lanthier can be reached at 906-774-3500, ext. 85242, or mlanthier@ironmountaindailynews.com.