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Ghostly Graveyard | Ghastly Ghosts

Ghostly Graveyard

Total Time Needed: 1 Hour

Complete with restless ghosts and headstones, this mini cemetery is big on Halloween spirit.

Materials

  • Shallow cardboard box
  • Leaf-shaped paper punch
  • Colored tissue paper
  • Dead tree twigs
  • Aluminum foil
  • Fabric stiffener (sold in most craft or fabric stores)
  • Cheesecloth
  • Corrugated cardboard
  • 3 plastic berry boxes
  • Markers
  • Toothpicks
  • Pipe cleaners

Instructions

1. THE GRAVEYARD: Start with a shallow cardboard box. Mix some white glue with a bit of water, brush the solution onto the bottom and sides of the box, and press green tissue paper onto the tacky surface.

Ghostly Graveyard - Step 2

2. Next, use garden clippers to trim dead branches into gnarled trees (a parent's job). To anchor them in the graveyard, cut a hole for each one in the bottom of the box and wedge in the branch base. Punch colorful leaves from tissue paper and glue them onto the limbs. Now your graveyard is ready to fence in and fill with ghosts and graves.

Ghostly Graveyard - Step 3

3. THE GHOSTS: Begin by shaping ghoulish forms out of aluminum foil. Next, pour fabric stiffener into a container and dilute it according to the manufacturer's directions. Using rubber gloves, dip cheesecloth circles into the stiffener and ring out the excess liquid. Drape the damp cheesecloth over the foil forms and let them dry completely. Then gently remove the foil and use markers to draw on ghostly faces.

Ghostly Graveyard - Step 4

4. TOMBSTONES: Cut headstone shapes from corrugated cardboard, brush on diluted white glue and then wrap them in black, brown or red tissue paper. Apply another coat of glue and cover with white tissue paper. Once the glue dries, use a marker to print on names. Finally, insert one end of a wooden toothpick into the bottom of each stone and push the other end through the box bottom.

Ghostly Graveyard - Step 5

5. WROUGHT IRON FENCE: Cut the side panels from plastic berry boxes. Arrange the panels (with the basket rims down) into a rectangular yard, using snippets of pipe cleaner to link them together. Use one of the berry box bottoms for a gate. Set the assembled yard on the box bottom, then push pipe cleaner posts down through the links and into the tissue-covered cardboard to hold the fence in place.

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