I wanted to share a really fun DIY project my husband and I have been working on for Halloween. Using some basic materials and allowing ourselves the ability to adjust as we went along, we constructed a couple of haunting creatures for the yard. I should have taken photos as we did this but only after the fact decided to blog about it, so the photos are limited. I was surprised at the outset in doing research for this project that there are tons of YouTube videos on how to make small ghosts (12″ and under) using gauze and Stiffy but not much for constructing anything bigger.
And that’s where the challenge to this whole thing is. Going big and having it strong enough to hold up requires building some kind of form underneath. We got creative and fashioned ours from things including a plastic 3-drawer shelf unit, blankets, plastic fencing, wrapped with copious tape and covered with garbage bags for protection. Heads were easily made by blowing up balloons. Once the frame was made for each creature, strips of white sheeting dipped in a 1:1 white glue and water mixture went on as a first layer. Additional layers of gauze dipped in the glue mixture went on next. Once all the layers of cloth were deemed enough, it was time to let everything dry. After drying, we sprayed the glue mixture on top of each creature to add extra firmness to the sculptures. When drying was complete, the balloon heads were popped and removed. We sprayed ours with ScotchGuard to weatherproof them in an additional step. Finally, fairy lights were added to the interiors of both for nighttime lighting.
We learned a lot about structure and how to build. Next year, we have plans for additional creatures…maybe some flying witches, a haunting horse… Let me know if you give this a try. It’s a blast to create your own design and know that no one else in the neighborhood has the same thing!
And don’t forget, Timeless Tulips, Dark Diamonds- A Ghost Story, is $.99 (Kindle) this month! Grab yours here:
https://www.amazon.com/Timeless-Tulips-Diamonds-Ghost-Story-ebook/dp/B07Y7ZFZHZ
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