‘Tis the season of Halloween hauntings….skeletons, witches, ghosts and ghouls!  Can you feel all the eerie feelings as you walk through your neighborhood on these crisp evenings?  Halloween is so much more fun when there are festive yard decorations all around…don’t you agree?  Have you started decorating yet….it’s not too late to make your own ghostly yard decor!  Follow along for these easy DIY directions.

As I walk through my neighborhood I see amazing store bought decor as well as homemade.  One style is not better than the other as far as I am concerned.  They all fit together nicely to create a fun atmosphere for everyone to enjoy.  I have been making yard ghosts for many years now.  In fact, I have the regulars that stop by each year to take a picture of their kids using the ghosts as their backdrop and I LOVE that!

How to Make Your Own Ghostly Yard Decor ~

These little ghostly guys are so festive and fun and yet so easy to make!!!  What is even better is if you don’t have all of the materials on hand, you can brainstorm to easily come up with some items to substitue and still get a good outcome.  Following is a list of the items you will need:

• garden stakes
• twin size white sheets
• large black sharpie marker (or art paint and paintbrush)
• twine
• white spray paint (optional)
• Scissors
• 4 or 5 plastic shopping bags (depending on number of ghosts you are making)
• tons of newspapers, more plastic shopping bags or bubble wrap (only 1 of these items are necessary)

* If you need to get a pack of 6 white flat sheets in a hurry, use this green link.  I ordered mine and got them in one day.  You may have some sheets hanging around for this project and if that is the case, that is even better.  I don’t tend to have twin size these days since my kids are grown!

* I have used string and twine…though both work, twine is my preference.  Twine is just a sturdier medium to use for this project.  Here is a quick link to get   a roll of twine that is perfect for the project.

Making the Ghost Head ~

There are different options when making the head, and I have tried several of them over the years.  This year I worked with a large roll of bubble wrap, which worked great.  However, my favorite method is to stuff a bunch of plastic grocery bags inside one bag.  Obviously, if you are using plastic grocery bags you need to be saving them up for a while because you will need quite a bit.

Here you see how you stuff one bag with whichever medium you have chosen to work with!

Keep stuffing the bag until you get a head of your desired liking.  A good rule to follow is about the size of a basketball.  I actually have started making mine different sizes just for variety.  After all, we all have different size heads right?

Create the “Ghost” Body ~

You will want to get your yard stakes put into the ground first.  Our soil is pretty hard this time of year so I use a mallet to help drive mine down far enough.  It is important to get them in the ground pretty far so they will remain standing on those windy October nights!  Once your stake is stable, tie the head over the top of the stake.

Not looking real ghostly yet huh?  Stick with it!!!!

The next step is easy…drape the sheet over the top.  What I feel is most important here is to pay attention to the way you drape it.  You will want the long part of the sheet to go from from to back in order to cover as much as the garden stake as possible.

Next, you will tie off the head with your twine and create the face to your liking.  *You can create the face ahead of time if you wish, however, I have found I prefer to draw that once my sheet is positioned over the head.  Totally your choice!

Get creative…choose different faces for each ghost!  Here are some fun ideas to get your noggin thinking….

Below are some different faces I have tried:

Final Steps for DIY Yard Ghosts ~

Now you are ready to create the rest of your ghosts.  Obviously, you can create as many as you like.  I tend to stick with 4 to 5 each year.  When placing your next ghost, you will want to leave enough space between each ghost that you can pull out the side of each sheet and tie together to look as if the ghosts are holding hands!

When you are done creating all of your howling ghostly creatures, you can stage other Halloween items around them such as grave markers, zombies, skeletons or witches.  A few years ago, Brad made a small bonfire for our ghosts that help light them up at night.  It creates a fun glow.

Our daughter places them around her tree.  Notice how the one looks like he is peeking out at you ~

Now that you are in the festive Halloween mood….plan some creepy meals like these Make your own FEET LOAF and BAT SANDWICHES….click here to see how!  Add in some neighborhood fun and go BOO your neighbors.  This is a fun activity for the whole family.  Check out the details hereWe’ve Been Booed…free printouts and story here!  It’s important to get as much fun into the month of October as possible!

Guys, this seriously is an easy outdoor Halloween decoration that you and your family will love!  Give it a try…and send back pics!  I would love to see how you display yours!  Drop them in the comments once you have completed your own ghostly yard decor!

Happy Halloween my little pretties!

Love~

Mimi

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