Don’t wait for the calendar to read October 31 start decorating now. My motto has always been once autumn arrives…the Halloween season is fair game. Dig out your decorations and get the whole family involved. Need a little inspiration? Try one or more of the following ideas:
Spooky Spiders
Simple spiders can be made out of Styrofoam balls painted black and eight pipe cleaner legs. To make a web, drape white or grey yarn around your trees and shrubs or on your front porch.
Cobwebs
To make cool cobwebs purchase several yards of cheesecloth, along with some black paint. In no time flat, you will have a creepy Addams Family type decoration. Shred the cheesecloth and then use a little grey spray paint to give it a mottle effect. Hang around doors, windows or walkways.
Spooky Lighting
Kill the spotlights and make things creepy with flashing red Christmas lights (just think after Halloween – you’ll be one step closer with your Yuletide decorating than your neighbors). You may also want to place old lamps with low wattage light bulbs under plants and direct a few flashlights on the cobwebs.
Alien Being
What about creating your own alien being? Place a burlap bag over a tomato cage, drape a piece of black material on top for a cap, add two stuffed black socks for arms and some boots for feet, then wire two red Christmas twinkle lights inside for the eyes.
Ghoulish Ghosts
Round balloons or a beach ball covered with an old white sheet or tablecloth makes for a ghoulish ghost. Tie a piece of string around the sheet or tablecloth just below the balloon or ball. Black felt or construction paper is ideal for cut-out eyes that can be glued or taped on. If you don’t care about ruining the sheet, you could also use a permanent black marker to make the face. Be creative. Hang your ‘spooky’ or ‘friendly’ ghost from the porch or from a tree in your yard. Use the same technique to make small ghosts to decorate a tree only this time, you would use tennis balls and handkerchiefs or rags cut to the required size.
Front Yard Graves
Blue insulation foam cut into tombstone shapes can make for an easy to assemble graveyard. Available in building supply stores, this foam can easily be carved with names and skulls. Use grey spray paint and go over the names in permanent black marker. This is an activity best done outdoors – make sure it isn’t too windy though or everything including yourself will take on a greyish look. Be creative by writing scary or amusing epitaphs - visit an old graveyard for some inspiration. To set up your graveyard, drive tent stakes into your lawn, leaving half the stake out. Then jam the gravestone onto the stake. (You may wish to first hollow out a hole at the bottom and use some carpenter’s glue to secure the stake in place.)
Scarecrow
Give old clothes new life by stuffing a shirt and pants with balled up newspaper. Stuff to your heart’s content and then place your scarecrow in a chair. Top off with a pumpkin head and goofy hat.
A Spider On The Move
Here’s a fun idea to delight kids of all ages. Wire or duct-tape the largest rubber spider you can find to the top of a remote control toy car. (You can make a lightweight one yourself using papier-mâché and pipe cleaners.) Give “Spidey” a spin down your driveway or bring him along trick or tricking.
Published by Sherrie Le Masurier on October 7, 2005 03:51 PM
