Every neighborhood has that one family that decorates to the extreme for Halloween. Some of their Halloween props, or decorations, might be pretty over the top. They may go out and purchase animated props. The following are a few DIY Halloween props That don’t take a great deal of skill or money to make. Still, they are unique and fun for people to look at as they go trick or treating throughout the neighborhood.
Dancing Ghost Ring
Place a little ring of ghosts around a small tree in your yard. They will look like they are dancing and having a great time around that tree. You will need as many sheets as there are ghosts you are making, 1 by 2 inch boards cut to 4 feet equaling the amount of ghosts you are making, plastic grocery bags, newspaper, black marker, black thread or fishing line, duct tape.
To make the ghostly dancers, make one end of the board into a point to make it easy to drive into the ground. On the other end, place a crumpled newspaper filled plastic grocery bag (the head) on top and tape it with duct tape to the flat side of the board at the neck. Place the sheet over the bag and the board. Center the sheet on the very center of the head and drape down equally on all sides. Tie the neck of the ghost with thread or fishing line. Use old double or queen size white sheets.
Drive the ghost into the ground at the base of the tree. Take the arm sides of the sheet on each side of the ghost and tie it to the arm piece of the next ghost to join them all in a circle. Tie some black thread or fishing line where the hands meet so they won’t come apart and then tie the other end of the thread or fishing line to the tree branch directly above to support them so they stay up. You can put two eyes and mouth on the head of the ghost looking toward the tree with black marker.
Gravestones and Freshly Dug Grave
What is Halloween without some gravestones. Styrofoam sheets or foam boards, used for insulation, are the best things needed to make a grave stone. Cut with a utility knife to the shape you wish.
Paint with exterior latex house paint in dark gray and let it dry. Mottle the tombstone with a lighter gray for character. You can also take a thin paintbrush and paint in cracks. Use a black paint to paint in the letters and words on the tombstone. If you are using Styrofoam you can even use a closed pen and indent some of the words then put the paint in the indentations. Let the paint dry.
Make a base out of a piece of wood. This wood needs to be heavier than the tombstone to support it in an upright position. Apply very strong glue to the bottom of the tombstone and glue it to the center of the board base. You may have to hold it straight for a few minutes until it starts to stick.
Now make a freshly dug grave to place your tombstones on by mixing up dark brown fabric dye in an old bucket. Dye an old ripped up pool towel with this dye. Always wear plastic gloves so your hands don’t turn brown. Let the towel dry. If it does not dye evenly; that is good.
Lay the towel on the ground and in sections, start spraying it with glue in an aerosol can and throwing potting soil on it. The soil should stick. Use balls of newspaper to raise areas on the ground and lay the towel over top so there are raised areas. Spray a little more glue on and sprinkle with more dirt. Place your tomb stone at the top of the “grave”.
Glowing Swamp Lights
Swamp lights are very spooking looking and can act as luminaries all the way up your driveway or across the front of your house. Collect several large white plastic jars with a screw on lid. Gallon size are the best, but smaller ones will do. Use a hot glue gun to glue an activated glow stick to the lid of the jar. If they do not continue to stick, it is fine. Fill the jar with green tinged water made with food coloring and screw the lid on. Remember, the glow stick needs to be activated. Turn the jar over so it is sitting on the lid and use tacky glue to glue on some sphagnum moss to the top and down the sides. If you use the glue gun you will spring a leak.
Although these Halloween props won’t talk to your guests nor rise up 10 feet tall to scare them, they are very effective in creating a spooky atmosphere and they hardly cost anything.