Halloween Ghost Bride

Forget to buy a pumpkin for Halloween? Try this instead. You can't go wrong with a Halloween ghost bride.

So let me tell you a little something about how we arrived here at this blowing Halloween ghost decoration from a couple of years ago.

I forgot to buy a pumpkin this year. And now I can't be bothered. So this year instead of a pumpkin perched on my porch, I'll have GHOST BRIDE. And upon revisiting her I've realized that this year I should give her a bouquet of dried dead flowers (which I have plenty of).

A couple of years ago I was wandering through what is basically a junk hardware store.   Think off brand spray paint and steering wheel covers with boobs on them.

This particular store also has a lot of interesting mechanical parts. The kind of things you'd normally have to order off of Chinese Amazon.  On my last trip there I found bins and bins of different sized motors all lined up just waiting for someone to turn them into something fun and exciting.

 I gargle-screamed something that ended up sounding like "FRAPTFYIMMINY!!!", and then I choked on my own spit a little.

This was the most exciting day of my life.  Although to an outside observer it appeared more like I was in the final stage of cardiac arrest.

I was going to turn those motors into SOMETHING.  I just wasn't sure what.  There were a billion things I could almost think to do with them around the house, but I kept coming back to Halloween.

Those motors could make skulls spin or witches glide ... I just had to come up with a real plan. And buy a couple of them.  I did neither. Instead I walked out of the store never to think of those motors again.

And instead that year, I turned a standing fan into into a moving ghost bride. Not exactly top shelf animatronics, but still old school effective.

Here's how to do it and what she looks like.

Halloween Ghost Bride

MATERIALS

Gardening row cover ( or other sheer material )

Faux pumpkin (I like this full face witch mask too)

Battery operated wire lights

Standing fan

Clips and/or stapler

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Extend the oscillating fan to as high as it will go.
   
2. Attach the plastic pipe to the back of the fan using zip ties so it extends above the fan by around 1 foot.
   
3. Pop the pumpkin head on top of the pipe. If you need to, drill a hole in the bottom of the head so you can slip the head over the pipe.
   
4. Drape sheer fabric in front of the fan and down to the ground. It will resemble a really bad wedding dress if you've done it right.
   
5. Start pinning and stapling the fabric until it looks good and blows well when you turn the fan on.
   
6. Hang spiders off of the dress in areas where it won't interfere with the blowing of the dress.
   
7. Drape your final piece of sheer fabric over the pumpkin head.
   
8. On Halloween night turn the light in the pumpkin head on and turn on the fan!

I already had a faux pumpkin that lights up so that's what I use. But you have options.

HEAD OPTIONS

1. A halloween mask
2. A pillowcase, stuffed so it's round and tied with twine at the "neck"
3. Plastic skull

If you want to get really fancy, put a light behind the blowing dress so it glows.

It might not make anyone pee from fright, in fact it looks kind of pretty, but no less than 2 children crossed to the other side of the street when they approached my house as I was testing it out which I see as a very good sign.

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TIPS FOR MAKING THIS GHOST DECORATION

1. Use super lightweight fabric. I used row cover for gardening. Sheets are too heavy. Gauzy fabric is too heavy and there are too many large holes for it to blow. A very lightweight sheet would work.

2. Make sure the back of the fan is clear and not covered with fabric. If it's covered by fabric the blowing power will be reduced a LOT.

3. If it isn't blowing the way you want, turn the fan on and then just start pinning and stapling the fabric in different spots until you get the effect you like.

4. To make it even BETTER stick some LED Christmas lights under it or a flashlight to make the whole ghost glow.

If however you ALREADY bought your pumpkin and just don't feel like carving it, here are a bunch of no (or very little carve) pumpkin options for you.

OH! And the night before Halloween make a pot of chili con carne. Come Halloween night when everyone is busy getting ready or answering the door, you can just heat up a bowl. It's the perfect quick autumn dinner.

And if we're being honest - it is Halloween - and there's nothing scarier than chili toots.