My sister Lynn and I both love cooking, crafts and sharing creative ideas. Why then do we hardly ever spend the day together doing fun things we love? Good question! This past Sunday we finally did something we should have done a long time ago. We spent the afternoon crafting at my house.
I would like to tell you that the reason we got together was because we'd realized it was high time we enjoyed an afternoon of doing something fun and enjoyable together. I would like to be able to tell you that was the reason...but it wasn't.
The real reason was that my husband was having some problems fixing our back yard spigot so he called and asked my brother-in-law Jim if he could come over and lend a hand with fixing it.
Whatever the reason, it got Lynn and I together for the afternoon and while they were working hard on the spigot, we were hard at work on these "Spiffy-Stiffy Fabric Ghosts".
These scary little cuties are fun and relatively easy to make. The only caution I do have for you is to make them on a day when the water in your house isn't turned off due to spigot fixing issues as you'll appreciate washing your hands after they've been covered in white glue. Or, think ahead and wear gloves. I did neither. So do as I say and not as I do. Ha-ha! Lesson learned on my part! My sister kept telling me that I should wash my hands in the toilet (sisters are lovely that way) but with her being in charge of the camera that day, NOT a chance (not that I would have anyway..... my dog drinks out of there, LOL)!!!
Ahem, back to the crafting at hand (pun intended).
Here is a list of items you'll need to complete the big and little "Spiffy-Stiffy Ghosts":
Scissors, wax paper, white broad cloth (we used 2 yards to make 4 little and one medium ghosts), round suckers, floral oasis, white glue (we used fabric stiffener, aka white glue), water for thinning the glue, bottled water (not empty), 1 container to hold your glue, news paper, glitter, floral wire, medium styrofoam balls, black paint or black magic marker, pen, ruler (optional), serrated knife, and cooking spray.
-Prepare your work surface by laying out newspaper and on top of that, a layer of wax paper so the glue won't stick as readily to the newspaper.
To make the mini ghosts, here's what you need to do:
-Using your knife, carefully cut your floral oasis into cubes to use as stands for your suckers so they have a stable base and can stand upright without much trouble.
-At this point Lynn draped some of the fabric over the sucker/foam to determine how much fabric should be used for each small ghost. Without measuring (you could measure if you feel the need), she determined that a 12"-14" square would work perfectly (using the larger square will give you enough extra fabric for the ghost's arms if you choose to have them).
-After the fabric square is cut, fold your fabric in half and then in half again. Using a pen, draw a crescent shape along the cut sides of the fabric to form a full circle when unfolded.
-Pour your white glue into your container and add a slight bit of water to thin out its consistency. Stir well to thoroughly combine.
-Working relatively quickly, place one of your fabric circles into the glue and, using your hands, make sure that the entire piece of cloth is soaked with the glue.
-Squeeze out the excess glue (over your container).
-Open your circle and gently tug on it to release some of the wrinkles.
-Gently drape your glue soaked fabric over your sucker form and work with it until you come up with a ghost shape you're happy with.
We did one ghost without arms and the other three with arms.
-To make the arms, all you need to do is play with the fabric until you come upon a shape you're happy with.
-While your working on shaping your ghost, the glue will be drying so the fabric will become a little easier to shape as you desire.
-When you've completed your ghost to your liking, sprinkle him with white glitter (if desired).
-Allow your baby ghosts to dry for about a half and hour and then you can carefully move them to another wax paper location to dry further.
-When they're almost completely dry, you can turn them upside down into a glass to allow the base of your ghosts to dry completely.
Making the large ghost is based upon the exact principal as the little ones except the base is constructed out of a water bottle (filled for stability), a styrofoam ball covered in cling wrap and some floral wire for the arm structure. Here's how we did him:
-Pushing the styrofoam ball (gently but firmly being careful not to spill the water) onto the opened bottle, we made a marking on the ball as to where and how big to cut for our shape.
-Using the paring knife, carefully cut out the circle shape into a depth that will fit comfortably back on the water bottle with the cap in place again.
-Using the cling wrap, cover the styrofoam ball and then spray the surface with non-stick cooking spray so the glue soaked fabric wont stick to the styrofoam.
-Cut a sufficient amount of floral wire (doubled) to make the arm structure and twist the wire for extra stability.
-Wrap the wire around the neck of the bottle and shape the arms however you'd like your ghost arms to be situated.
-Don't forget to sprinkle and sparkle with your white glitter :)
This larger ghost will take quite a bit longer to dry than the little ones. We waited approximately 45 minutes before we decided that we could carefully slide him off the table (news paper and all) onto a flat turkey board and transport him to a different location to dry thoroughly.
After a few more hours of dry time, I moved him onto a wire rack so his underside could dry without having to turn him over on his head and risk ruining his shape. It worked like a charm!
-After all of your ghosts are completely dry, you can then remove the shaping tools (suckers, water bottles, etc.) from under your ghost and he/they will be the free standing little goblins they were intended to be.
-Using some black craft paint (or a sharpie marker), add your eyes and a scary mouth if desired.
For a bit more extra spooky fun, add a flameless candle to the middle of your "Spiffy-Stiffy Ghost" and you have an extra fun Halloween decoration. Use them together as a party centerpiece or on a mantle or bookshelf. They're sure to get noticed and you can tell people how easy and fun they were to make! Not scary at all :)
Thanks for coming to play with me Lynn. I can't wait until we get together to craft again! I think we can come up with some pretty terrific ideas for Thanksgiving and Christmas too. Only next time let's make sure the water is turned on!
As always, I'd love to hear your comments, suggestions or I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding this craft or any other items you've seen here on my blog. I'm always happy to hear what you're thinking!
Now, get busy making these "Spiffy-Stiffy Ghosts". You have plenty of time to make a whole family before Halloween!
I'm happily linking up this post to the sites below. Make sure you head on over there to check out all the other wonderfully creative and inspiring ideas!
Until we craft again,
Labels: craft blog, craft tutorial, crafts, easy craft, fabric crafts, Halloween crafts, Halloween ghost, Kitchen Sink, white glue
