I've recently fallen in love with that viral DIY cheesecloth ghost lantern holding a cute little pumpkin. Have you seen it? I have, all over social media. And I couldn't help myself - I just had to make one.
The supplies are inexpensive and you probably already have many of them in your crafting stash. And if not, no worries - I share some resources that will help you get the supplies you need for the project. So let's get started!
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SUPPLIES FOR MAKING CHEESECLOTH GHOST
- cheesecloth (comes in various sizes depending on your need)
- Mod Podge
- latex balloon(s) (preferably white, any color works)
- black felt/cloth
- wire (I used picture wire)
- parchment paper or some other protective crafting surface
- glass jar
- scissors
- Scotch tape
- small pumpkin (optional - mine is from a Dollar Tree garland)
- bowl
- remote LED candle
- glue (hot glue or Elmer's Glue)
- small plastic shopping bag
- wire cutters
CAVEAT: This is a messy, but fun, project. Good news -- Mod Podge is water soluble and cleans up with warm water pretty easily.
HOW TO MAKE A CHEESECLOTH GHOST LANTERN WITH PUMPKIN
1. Set up your work space by spreading some parchment paper onto a large cooking tray and then placing your jar onto it. To create the ghost's frame, blow up the balloon for the head and insert it into the top of the jar, then secure it to the jar with Scotch tape.
2. Wrap your wire (mine was 18" long, doubled for strength) around the mouth of the jar and twist it in front, creating the "arms" that will hold the small pumpkin, or whatever it might be holding. Test it out by placing the pumpkin there to be sure it will fit snugly and the wire is sturdy enough to hold it. I'd say the lighter the pumpkin, the better.
3. Cut the handles off your shopping bag and place it over your balloon and jar, making sure to keep the opening between your wire "hands" free.
Tape the bag loosely around the balloon and jar, keeping the frame's shape.
4. Based upon the height of your jar plus the height of the balloon (mine was a 32 ounce vintage blue tint Ball jar plus the balloon for a total of 13.75 inches), estimate the amount of cheesecloth you'll need to cover the frame, allowing for enough cloth to create a nice pool all around the frame. (It will act as the support for the entire creation once dry.)
I cut a 2 square yard piece of cheesecloth in half (the packages usually come in 2 square yard increments) and used one piece for the first layer and the other piece for the second layer. There's no hard and fast rule to this step. Essentially, you need to cover the entire frame plus create a base by pooling the cheesecloth all the way around at the bottom of the jar.
Word to the wise: measure twice, cut once!
5. Pour some Mod Podge into a bowl and add a little water. Stir to mix.
6. Take your first piece of cloth and dip it into the decoupage mixture, making sure the entire piece of cheesecloth gets saturated, then squeeze out any excess liquid.
7. Carefully open up the cheesecloth and drape it over your frame, pooling some cloth all around the bottom.
8. Repeat with cheesecloth number two, adding it wherever you find any gaps. Add more Mod Podge and/or water to the bowl if necessary.
9. Allow the ghost to harden/set. Mine took over 5 hours before I was convinced that it was totally dry and as hard as it was going to get. It's probably best to plan on waiting for it to dry overnight to be sure.
10. Gently remove the mold and bag from the inside of the cheesecloth ghost.
NOTE: My ghost's head was surprisingly malleable (easy to crush) even though the whole thing was definitely dry. I think it might be due to the fact that the head area consisted of a single piece of cloth versus two pieces. So to be safe I only picked it up by the bottom of the ghost which was sturdier, not the head.
11. Gently attach black eyes with Elmer's Glue. I just drew two eyes free hand on black cloth and cut them out. They by no means need to be perfect.
12. Place a remote controlled (optional, but so convenient!) LED candle inside the ghost and add the pumpkin into its arms.
IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THE LED REMOTE CONTROLLED TAPERS, THEY'RE NOW ON CLEARANCE AT WALMART! I LOVE MINE.
My DIY cheesecloth ghost lantern is both a whimsical and warm decoration and I love it! You can make them different sizes and have them holding not only pumpkins, but different items like apples or anything else that suits your fancy. I think a candy bar or Reese's Cup might be fun tongue-in-cheek prop as well.
You can even make a ghost family if your cheesecloth ghost lantern gets lonely! Depending on your storage situation, you can save it for future Halloweens. If you don't have the space (since it can be pretty big and awkward to store), it's not difficult or expensive to make another one next year. Maybe gift this year's ghost to a friend or family member?!
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How cute!
ReplyDeleteOmg. I think this is the cutest thing that you have ever made. How fun. I might just have to try to make one of these. Have a good week. Hugs. Kris
ReplyDelete