22 October 2010

Ghosts in the garden!


I'm not much into the "cutesy" holiday decorations, but my kids have been asking for more Halloween decor (outdoors), and I've grown tired of my usual headstones and candleabras and gauzy material of years past.  They also just don't seem to fit in with the flowers and such that are still in bloom (seriously, die already, I am tired of watering you!).  But we've got a while yet before cooler weather officially arrives here in TX, so I whipped these guys up to keep my colorful gourds and pumpkins company, and to prove to the neighbors that yes, Mormons do celebrate Halloween. (One of them asked me that the other day.)

So, without further ado, the easiest halloween craft you'll make all year.  Ghosts in your garden!

Materials:
garden stakes (bamboo skewers would also work)
shopping sacks or white tissue paper
white fabric (i.e., muslin or something gauzy)
ribbon
buttons
hot glue

First, make the head of your ghost using whatever stuffing material you prefer... something white since it is likely to show through your fabric.


I stuffed white shopping sacks into the head of these tulip garden stakes from the $1 aisle at Target.


Since the tulips are yellow, I had to wrap them a bit as well to keep the yellow from showing through my fabric.



{Note: If you are using a skewer, stuff a sandwich bag with your wad of stuffing, secure the bag over the end of your skewer with a small rubber band, and trim the excess plastic off around the bottom.}

Next wrap your ghost head in white fabric.  I used a flour sack towel that came in a pack of 3 from IKEA for like $1.  So cheap.  It had red ticking down the sides that I just trimmed off.  After your white fabric is over the head, tied a ribbon at the base to look like a bow tie.  Glue on some buttons for eyes and you're done!



eNJoY!!!

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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

hi lei! thanks so much for your comment on my vases :)
i love this project! simple & fun! hopefully you can do something different with those tulip stakes in the summer too. great find!

Jenny @ Simcoe Street said...

These look great -- I love how they are so festive but still understated and tasteful. Great job!!!

Savvy Moms Save said...

so cute! I am glad I stumpled across your blog. come check mine out at savvymomsaves.blogspot.com! thanks for the great tips!