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)
Clips and/or stapler
INSTRUCTIONS
- Extend the oscillating fan to as high as it will go.
- Attach the plastic pipe to the back of the fan using zip ties so it extends above the fan by around 1 foot.
- 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.
- 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.
- Start pinning and stapling the fabric until it looks good and blows well when you turn the fan on.
- Hang spiders off of the dress in areas where it won't interfere with the blowing of the dress.
- Drape your final piece of sheer fabric over the pumpkin head.
- 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
- A halloween mask
- A pillowcase, stuffed so it's round and tied with twine at the "neck"
- 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.
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.
Mary W
FABULOUS! This I can do. Kind of a Marilyn Monroe meets Jack less Sally.
Melissa
The head cover over the top definitely adds to the "creep" factor. Great job!
Arlene
Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!
I love how you make everything look so easy!
Thanks
Karen
Well, once you figure stuff out, it is pretty easy. It's the figuring out that's hard, lol. ~ karen!
Jody
Brilliant. Hope you get scads of kids in your 'hood to scare away. I may very well steal this idea. We get over 300 kids and they would love it--or not!
Monique
That is absolutely genius:) So creative you are..
bill keiser
You can get rolls of "sewer paper" at a hardware store. It is unwoven synthetic fabric for covering sewer drain fields. Way more than needed for one small project, but handy material. (It can be died, too. One time at Burning Man, we needed dozens of yards of pastel colored fabric to drape on the inside of a geodesic dome. We still have boxes of the stuff lying around.)
Karen
Yup, that sounds like it would work! Your one time at Burning Mans remind me of "one time at band camp", lol. :) ~ karen
Murgie
Gorgeous ghostie!
Number three "fan" asking where you found the spiders.
They are entirely too realistic for this arachnophobe but aren't they just perfect!!
Karen
Dollarama Murgie! But that was years ago, I don't think they carry them anymore. :/ ~ karen!
Carol
....probably scared the crap out of the staff and most of the customers! Ha.
Thanks for answering, Karen!
GrammyK
Brilliant! You always inspire. Thanks for the video. ^_^
Donna Harvey
I think that was the best Halloween Decoration I've ever seen, loved it ? Your trip to the hardware store reminded me of my husband's first trip to Harbor Freight. It was something to see kinda like your trip to the hardware. He ran in grabed a buggy, started running through the store, my little legs could hardly keep up. He was to the point of drooling, I was about to hand him a cleanex when I spotted this guy watching him. At first I thought it was store security and we were about to be kicked out of the store, first time for everything I guess. The man walked over put his arm around my husband and said, it's your first time here right? Mine was the same, next he
Handed him a coupon for something free, he walked off l even think he had a tear in his eye. It was something to see. But anyway I hope you got to scare some kids, what's Halloween for anyway? Can't wait to see what you do with a motorized Santa!
Karen
Ha!!! Love that story. :) ~ karen!
Jenny W
You're good, luv it!
Maureen Locke
Love this... We only get about 30 kids and most of them are from the preschool that our daughter teaches at. I'd hate to scare the little buggers but maybe someday. Where on earth did you get the spiders??
Karen
Dollarama! ~ karen
Stephbo
I love it! No time/room for it this year, but next year will be perfect. Those spiders are wonderful! Where did you get them?
Karen
Dollar store! Many years ago. ~ karen
TucsonPatty
I love this so much!! I'll have to reconfigure my entire graveyard to put it out front, but, oh the possibilities. Thanks for the awesome tricks and ideas!
Sherry in Alaska
Ooh, ooh! Did you try a black light????
Stephbo
That's a great idea!!
Jeannieb
Really clever Karen! I love it! If you take the spiders away, It's ME, trying on my 50 year old edding dress. Yikes!
Debbie from Illinois
That is so creepy, I love it! You probably won't get many trick or treaters because they'll be to afraid to come ring your doorbell. Great way to save money on candy. Lol!
Ardith
Fantastic, absolutely fantastic. I think I need one of these. Plus, I can use the fan to make my hair blow around movie-perfect style---for photo ops and selfies, of course. Thank you much, Ardith
Susan Alexander
Love it! Really, really do! And know I can do it.
Just unsure of where to get the fabric...
Karen
I think the ideal fabric is this row cover I used which I got from a seed store. Garden centres would have it. You could also use sheer curtains. That's what is over the pumpkins head on mine. It doesn't blow as well because it isn't as lightweight as the row cover but it still works, just more subtly. Sheer fabric you can get from a fabric store or look for old sheer curtains at a second hand store. :) ~ karen!
Linda from Illinois
Oh My Gosh I laughed so loud it brought tears to my eyes. Nice, I like it.
Karen
It scared the crap out of me every time I saw it outside the window so clearly it's doing its job, lol. ~ karen!
Milton
Sheer genius!
Karen
"Sheer genius!" Hah! ~ karen