DIY Halloween Yard Display: Glowing Ghost Graveyard

This year I debuted my first full-yard Halloween Haunt featuring a black light themed graveyard we've now named, "Rose Hollow" - with life-size DIY ghosts and upcycled glowing decor. 

I managed to put this display together on THE CHEAP! Just about every feature was either completely DIY or upcycled from household materials or super cheap Dollar Store & Goodwill finds.

Here's a closer shot of my little graveyard space.  Basic styrofoam tombstones bought on sale or at Dollar Tree were brought to life with a little UV paint. I bought eight 2ft sections of plastic 'skull' fence at the 99 Cent store ($1 per section, around $8 total!).  I secured it to cheap wire landscaping border ($11 for a 15 foot roll), and sponge painted the skulls with UV reactive paint. I love the way they turned out! 

 

After spending lots of time researching different construction methods and playing with materials, I finally started to get the hang of making ghosts.  Using large, sturdy tomato cages as the base for the body (turned upside down), I was able to create a realistic upper body shape using chicken wire shaped into a torso.  The head of the "mom ghost" was made using formed chicken wire -- a method I will never use again for ghost heads!  From now on, my ghosts will have a head like the "little girl ghost" - a basic styrofoam mannequin & wig head secured to the chicken wire torso. EASY PEASY!

Here they are using a flash.  I dressed "Mom" in an old wedding dress I found at Goodwill, cutting, pinning and fitting the fabric to fit her. I then draped various sections of white cotton, recycled lace tablecloths, gauze and cheesecloth until I got the look I wanted. For the "little girl", I cut and created a makeshift short-dress using white cotton fabric, then draped her with lace and cheesecloth. I created a gathered skirt by folding over a section of lace and creating a channel seam with a bead of hot glue. Once cooled, I threaded a strip of lace thru the waist and gathered it around her waistline to give the appearance of a cute, poofy dress.  It also gave the impression that she was ACTUALLY floating!  All the ghost heads were wrapped in fitted black cheesecloth for an eerie feel.  Finally, using a large flat paint brush, I swiped a bit of Tide liquid laundry detergent in random areas. The Tide is very UV reactive and glows like crazy!

For my third and final ghost, "Dad", I formed a large torso from chicken wire and fixed it to a tomato cage.  I allowed the chicken wire to extend down his back side so that when I suspended him from our front yard tree, the flap of chicken wire would support his draped fabric and give the illusion of him flying. It worked like a charm.

Easy DIY Sugar Skull Charms

A simple, mess-free art project using shrinky dink film that results in awesome, personalized plastic charms for necklaces, key chains, backpacks or luggage.  

A Halloween kids project that both you and the kids will love!

First, let me start off by saying that the Mexican holiday 'Dia De Los Muertos' is highly under-recognized in the U.S.  When trying to decide on our class Halloween art project, I jumped at the opportunity to introduce my 2nd graders to all things 'Day of the Dead'; two days of celebration and remembrance spent showing respect and honoring the memory of departed friends & family complete with parades, music, glorious costumes, colorful decorations and an infinite supply of fresh cut flowers. 

So, out of respect for this deeply meaningful tradition, I presented a brief lesson to the kids using a DIY visual board full of beautiful photos I printed from Google Images. The gorgeous pictures quickly removed any fear or preconceived ideas the kids had upon hearing about a foreign holiday that centers around death, skeletons & spending the night in cemeteries. It was a wonderful introduction to approaching loss and death in a completely different and positive way. By the end of my lesson, they were completely pumped to make their own sugar skull!

SUPPLY CHECK-LIST

• Sheets of white shrinky dink film (will make 4 skulls per sheet)
• Pencils
• Sharpie ultra-fine point markers (or any permanent art marker)
• Oven - for shrinking
• Split rings or keychain rings (lots of options to choose from)
• Any kind of chord, chain, string for necklaces (or key rings)

 First, I used the above template to trace outlines of the skulls onto each of my five shrinky dink films.  Each sheet allows for four skulls. Note that I did NOT add any detail or features, I just sketched the outline using light pencil.  I then cut each skull and punched a standard size hole in the top center to allow for the key ring/split ring.

I distributed several sheets of printed sugar skull examples to each of my four table groups for the kids to draw inspiration from, however, I encouraged that they create their own, signature sugar skull that best fit their own personality rather than copy the examples. Above are a few I shared, however a quick search on Google images will result in hundreds of great graphics.

First, have the kids write their names on the back in sharpie.  Include their classroom number or teacher's name if you'd like these to double as backpack tags.  Start the design by first adding the basic features with pencil; eyes, an upside down heart nose, and a row of teeth.  That way, the kids have a reference for the rest of their design. Trace over pencil lines with a black sharpie.  I suggest they continue to first sketch in pencil, then apply their choice of sharpie. Be sure to remind the kiddos to use plenty of color!

Bring the finished skulls home to bake. Start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees, and place 4-5 skulls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, ink/color side UP and spaced at least 2-3 inches apart.  Set a timer starting with 3 minutes.  The pieces will bend, and fold, and curl during their shrinking process - THIS IS NORMAL!  After 3 minutes, check the skulls for progress.  When they are done shrinking, they will lie completely flat on the cookie sheet.  About 3-3 1/2 minutes per batch.  Remove sheet from oven. If the skulls are slightly curved, or not completely flat, gently press the skulls with a flat spatula or a piece of parchment paper while they are still hot.  You'll have about 10 seconds to manipulate them before they harden. 

Wait for them to cool enough to handle and set them aside to cool completely.  In about 10 minutes, they'll be completely hard and ready for whatever hardware you're using (jump rings, key rings, etc.)

BOOM! How adorable are these??  I strung the charms onto elastic cord for necklaces, but these make awesome key chains, backpack tags, name tags, luggage tags, etc. The possibilities are endless!  The color intensifies after shrinking, and the skulls become durable, solid plastic charms that won't smear or rub off.