Here’s our family’s favorite tradition in outdoor Halloween decorating:
GHOST RING
Materials: 3 double-size sheets 3 four-foot-long 1/2-inch flexible PVC tubing, wooden stakes or dowels 3 small white plastic trash bags Newspaper tape or twist ties Black marker (optional)
Instructions: 1. First, determine a good location for your ghost gathering. Find a wide open area, or you can decide to group them around a tree or lamp post.
2. To make the ghost heads, crumple up the newspaper and place the three small plastic garbage bags of the desired size.
3. Glue one of the PVC tubes to one of the bags and wrap the neck with tape to secure it. Repeat for the other ghosts.
5. Cover each ghost head with a sheet, binding it with string or a bow under each head. The head should be in the middle of the sheet, so that the outer edges can be attached to neighboring ghosts.
You can make ghosts taller or shorter, but you have to adjust the size of the sheet you use to accommodate them. Our ghosts will be just under 4 feet tall.
4. Push the PVC pipe toward the ground in a circular formation 1 to 2 feet apart. The sheets should touch the ground and cover the support. You can also use wooden stakes or dowels, but your ghosts won’t have as much movement as they will with PVC pipe.
6. Finally, tie the ends of the leaves together to give the impression that the ghosts are holding hands. Because PVC is flexible, your ghosts will now sway and sway in the wind!
7. If desired, make Casper-like faces on the sheets with black marker.
We have 3 kids so we always make 3 ghosts, but you can connect as many ghosts as you want!
It will look like they are playing a spooky game of “ring-around-the-rosy”!
Click here to see our Ghost Ring
FLAG SPOOKS
These spooky decorations are easy if you have an angled flag pole taped to the front of your house.
Scary Flagpole Ghost: Hang a “Scream” style mask on the end of the flagpole. Tie a white sheet or a generous length of white tulle around and behind the mask. This terrifying creature will appear to be flying as its white garment flutters in the wind.
Frankenstein flag pole: Hang a Frankenstein mask on the end of the flagpole. Tie a dark colored garbage bag tied behind it. Shredding the garbage bag around the edges will add to the spooky effect.
Flagpole Witch: Hang a witch mask on the end of the flagpole. Put a witch hat on the mask, then tie a dark colored garbage bag tied behind it. Shred the garbage bag to make the witch’s robe flap in the wind.