Cheap Halloween Ghost DIY

We’ve reached the point where I’m turning kitchen recyclables into Halloween stuff (this isn’t even the only project I’ve got this year using tin cans).

This project is in the kid-friendly Halloween category. There is a bit of a wait with all the paint drying but you can put together this Ghost Windsock in an afternoon.

My original plan was to make these glow but after several failures I decided they were fine in their natural state. The faces look a bit off from solid black thanks to a few coats of glow-in-the-dark paint.

The problem with glow in the dark paint is that it doesn’t glow very well unless it’s a really thick layer. I thought about covering all the white with glow in the dark paint and then adding the black face but I didn’t have glow in the dark ribbon so it would just give you a glowing face.

The craft blogger struggle is real

If you’re looking for something more spooky than cute check out my Halloween sheet ghost tutorial. They look extra creepy hanging in the trees where they catch the moon light.

Tin Can Ghost Windsock Supplies:

• Large Tin Can, clean with label removed
• Hammer
• Awl or Screwdriver (an awl will work best but use what you have)
• White Spray Paint
• Black Craft Paint
• White Ribbon
• Hot Glue Gun
• Scissors
• Twine or Strong Fishing Line
• Paperclip

Instructions:

1. Paint the cans white. You may need 12 more layers depending on how cheap your paint is (I went with the 98 cent one and paid for it in time)

2. Use the awl and hammer to punch a hole in the top of the can.

If you’re me and you have no idea where anything is find a small, sturdy screwdriver and push on it until it pops through the bottom of the can. It’s easy on the small ones, trickier on the #10 cans

3. Trace in a ghostly face and fill it in with black paint. Or just go for it and free hand. As you can see from my two ghosts I have exactly one free-handed ghost face in my creative repertoire

4. Cut ~24 inch lengths of ribbon, I didn’t measure and intentionally left them all slightly different lengths.

Cut the bottoms at an angle to keep them from unraveling, you can also seal them with a lighter but I don’t have that kind of time (or a lighter)

5. Glue the ribbon all around, start in the back so if you have to overlap your last piece it’s not as noticeable

6. Cut a 12 inch length of fishing line for the hanger and tie it in a loop. Thread on the paper clip as a stopper

7. Pull the loop through the top of the can and hang your ghosts

I hung mine in the garden and they look really good with the constant breeze. I haven’t put up the spiderwebs yet so they’re the only bit of Halloween outside at the moment.

If you’re on the wilder side you can also use them to make a fashion statement.

Recently I’ve added to my tin can Halloween family, there is a wacky witch and a friendly Frankenstein in the windsock category and of course the Jack-O-Lantern Planters! They’re still going strong and already have some clearance mums calling them home.

I’d absolutely love to see your own spooky creations, share them on my facebook page, tag me on instagram @AleciaCSNY or use the hashtag #ChickenScratchNY

Find more ghostly ideas on my Halloween page or start here: