Gerard McGarry

This quaint thatched cottage is a former rectory that's been a part of the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum for as long as I can remember.

According to estimates based on the tree growth rings inside the house, it was originally built in 1717. The rectory was originally sited in Toomebridge, Co. Antrim.

I'm incredibly pleased with the photo, which was taken this autumn on a clear, crisp November afternoon. The light on the thatched roof was just fantastic, as were the leaves on the nearby trees.

Built around 1858, the courthouse in the Ballycultra village was originally situated in Cushendall before being relocated to the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.

The courthouse is on the first floor of the building, but the archway underneath was used to hold markets.

The museum has used the courthouse to great effect in the past - I remember one year a green-clad Santa Claus was tried for burglary in open court.

Originally built in 1836, Ballyverdaugh National School was originally situated near Ballycastle. It was dismantled and moved to the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum where it's been for...well, as long as I can remember!

Having grown up in Ballycastle, one of my early memories of this building was a school trip to the museum in Primary 5, which would have been roughly 1985. Our teacher then was Gerard Gillan who told us that his father had once attended the school before it was 'rescued' by the UFTM.

For the first year ever, we've had a crack at creating an Unreality TV themed pumpkin! I had to simply the logo somewhat to make this work, but was able to carve it with bat's wings and vampire teeth and remarkably...nothing fell apart!

I left some of the pumpkin skin on in order to form lines to give the shape definition and darkness. And as an experiment, I've added a "sunburst" type effect around the top of the television set.

It's pumpkin-carving time again! I've discovered that Halloween is the peak of my creative output each year - from hacking up pumpkins to painting faces (mostly my own, I admit).

Whenever Halloween rolls around, I'm often thrown back to my teenage obsession with Alice Cooper and the theatrical horror and wicked makeup that he wore on stage. That's why I always gravitate toward blood or strange markings around the eyes.

Thought I'd share this one - on the morning of the kids' Halloween dress-up day at school, I decided to slap on a bit of make-up and join in the fun!

I always love doing make-up around the eyes, which probably stems from my fascination with Alice Cooper when I was younger. A little bit of sponge work sorted out the cheekbone definition!

You should have seen the stares as we walked the kids into school!