Halloween Witch Crafts: DIY Tombstones and Ghost Gourds

Day 9 of 31.....

Halloween Tombstones and Ghost Gourds

Give your yard that haunted feel with spooky hanging gourds and creepy tombstones. Stone spray paint is the key!

Make one make
or make a whole yard full!



Watch the Video to learn how!

On the set of Witch Crafts!

Tombstone Supplies:

Two pieces of ¼” thick plywood 14” x 24”
Two 18” wooden garden stakes
18” wooden garden stake trimmed down to 14” (cut off spiked end)
Two pieces of styrofoam trimmed to 14” x 3”
One piece of styrofoam trimmed to 8” x 3”
Two strips of thin balsa wood 24” long and trimmed to 1 ½” wide
Two large white silk roses
Ten smaller white silk flowers
Wooden letters spelling “R-I-P”
Stone spray paint
Pencil or pen
Hot glue gun & glue
1” long nails
Hammer

Steps:


1. Line up the two spiked garden stakes at the bottom of the first piece of plywood leaving about 4” of the spiked tip hanging off the end and about 3” from either side lengthwise. Nail into place.

2. Line up the trimmed stake along the top edge of your tombstone as a support beam. Nail into place.



3. Line up the second piece of plywood on top of the existing base so that the stakes are in the middle of the plywood sandwich. Nail into place. To ensure stability, nail through the top plywood into each stake.

4. Hot glue balsa wood around the two open edges. Do not nail, the balsa wood will split.


5. Hot glue the styrofoam pieces onto the face of your tombstone, essentially creating a 3-sided frame.


6. Hot glue the large silk roses into the top two corners of the styrofoam on the face of the tombstone.

7. Hot glue about five smaller flowers into the Styrofoam strips running down each side of your tombstone.



8. Glue down the wooden letters to spell “RIP.” Using a pencil or pen write out a date for the tombstone.


9. Trace over the written numbers using hot glue.


10. After the glue has dried, spray the entire tombstone (front and back) with the stone spray paint, making sure to get inside the creases of the flower petals. Allow the paint to dry for 24 hours.

11. Stick the tombstone in your yard to spook up the neighborhood.


Ghoulish Gourds Supplies:
Dried and cleaned gourds
Ivory spray paint
Black craft paint
Detail paintbrushes
Power or hand drill and a ¼” bit
Wood bead
Black twine
Dowel or metal rod
Tape

Steps:
1. Spray paint the gourds and one wooden bead for each gourd with ivory spray paint. Allow the paint to dry.


2. Paint eyes, nose and a spooky mouth on the gourds with black craft paint. Allow the paint to dry.

3. Drill a hole into the top and bottom of each gourd with the drill and ¼” bit.



4. Tape the end of a piece of twine to the dowel or metal rod. Feed the dowel or rod through the top of the gourd and out the bottom. Remove the tape and tie the end of the twine to a painted wooden bead.

5. Hang the gourds in trees or in a doorway to spook the neighbors.