In the spirit of Halloween (and my first house!) I kicked up my decorating a notch this year to include a few outdoor decorations. Finding easy, DIY outdoor projects was a little tough though, so I came up with one of my own.
Some cute little ghosties to liven up your trees without blowing into the neighbors yard or getting tangled up in branches.
Materials:
Styrofoam balls for the heads (size depends on how big you want your ghosts to be)
A big nail at least 1/4 inch longer than the diameter of the Styrofoam balls
Fishing line (I used white thread, but it proved to be not quite tough enough)
Nuts, washers or other heavy, string-able material, for weight.
Black Sharpie
Scissors
Needle
Ghost fabric. I used both a water-proof nylon and white garbage bags.
Before you begin: use the balls and fabric to estimate how you want you ghosts to look. Then cut squares to your desired size.
1. Start by using the nail to punch a hole through the center of each Styrofoam ball. Set aside.
2. Cut lengths of fishing line about 2 yards long and string your weights to the center of each length of string.
3. Bring the ends of the string together and thread through the head of a needle. Use the needle to pull the string through the Styrofoam ball. Do not un-thread the needle.
4. Stick the needle into the center of your fabric or garbage bag square and pull through. Tie a double knot at the Styrofoam ball to secure the line in place.
Some cute little ghosties to liven up your trees without blowing into the neighbors yard or getting tangled up in branches.
Materials:
Styrofoam balls for the heads (size depends on how big you want your ghosts to be)A big nail at least 1/4 inch longer than the diameter of the Styrofoam balls
Fishing line (I used white thread, but it proved to be not quite tough enough)
Nuts, washers or other heavy, string-able material, for weight.
Black Sharpie
Scissors
Needle
Ghost fabric. I used both a water-proof nylon and white garbage bags.
Before you begin: use the balls and fabric to estimate how you want you ghosts to look. Then cut squares to your desired size.
1. Start by using the nail to punch a hole through the center of each Styrofoam ball. Set aside.
2. Cut lengths of fishing line about 2 yards long and string your weights to the center of each length of string.
3. Bring the ends of the string together and thread through the head of a needle. Use the needle to pull the string through the Styrofoam ball. Do not un-thread the needle.
4. Stick the needle into the center of your fabric or garbage bag square and pull through. Tie a double knot at the Styrofoam ball to secure the line in place.
5. Admire your handywork so far.
6. Use another short length of thread to knot around the bottom of the Styrofoam ball, making the ghost's head. If desired, add a scary face.
Ta-da! Ghosts. The weights will keep them swinging from your tree in a ghost-like manner, rather than wildly whipping around branches when the wind blows. I used thread for hanging mine, but I had two of them snap in a storm, so I would recommend using fishing line instead. Also, I found the garbage-bag ghosts to be cheaper and ghostlier than the fabric ones, which turned out too stiff.
Have fun!
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