Ghost Post

Make these little hanging decorations

This post began as a quick 'How to' for a last minute Halloween make which could be an idea for a half-term activity with the kids or could be used as a Halloween party decoration as a garland to drape across a mantelpiece.

But if the truth be known I’ve been waiting to make these little guys for weeks. You see I have this gloriously nutty friend who is fantastic fun to be around and always has so much time for everyone else. (Unfortunately she's a little bit poorly at the moment so I hope she feels better really soon). She has one of those beautiful driftwood Christmas trees and has it hanging from the ceiling in her house. It's gorgeous. In fact too gorgeous to take down after Christmas, so instead she decorates it according to every season and I’ve been itching to make some little ghosties so that they could go and live with her.

I have to admit I'm not overly keen on Halloween myself. I'm a bit of a wuss at heart and now the children are grown up, and there is no-one here at home to nag about wanting to go trick-or-treating, I try to let the whole thing go by pretty much unnoticed. Although with the shops chock-full of all the paraphernalia from the beginning of October that's nigh on impossible these days.

So, how about a couple of nice, wussy ghosty things just for me.

Who could forget Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze in THAT scene from Ghost.

Awwww….can you believe this film is 24 years old? Yikes!

And then there was the bedtime story book I had as a child (and there's no way I'm going to tell you how old that one is!)

There was a poem in it about ghosts that my poor parents will still remember (whether they want to or not) and that my kids roll their eyes at even today when I recite it. I thought it was brilliant.

'Three little ghostesses

Sitting on postesses

Eating buttered toastesses

Greasing their wristesses

Up to their fistesses

Oh what beastesses!

To make such feastesses.'

But, I digress:

This what you need to make the little hanging ghosts:

Ghost Decorations

Materials

• White cotton fabric
• An old gauze bandage
• Polystyrene balls
• Toy stuffing
• Permanent marker
• White thread

Method

1. Take one of the polystyrene balls and wrap a little toy stuffing around it. If you don't have any polystyrene balls, toy stuffing on its own will work.
2. Place this in the centre of a piece of the white fabric (approx 25cm x 30cm) and wrap it up to form the ghost shape.
3. When you are happy with the way the fabric falls, wrap a piece of thread tightly around the ‘neck’, and tie it off.
4. Use the permanent marker to draw eyes on the fabric.
5. Cut a length of gauze bandage and place this over the ghost.
6. Tie a second piece of thread tightly around the ‘neck’ and tie off tightly.
7. Leave a length of thread to hang the ghost from.

Have fun!!

Cartoon ghost image: http://ih1.redbubble.net/image.14414486.6621/sticker,375x360.u1.png