This post is brought to you by Plaid and BluePrint Social, but all ideas and opinions are my own.
I’m smitten with my new 3-D haunted house! It even glows in the dark! As I’ve mentioned before, Halloween is my favorite holiday to craft and decorate for. I love that there are so many different ways that you can decorate for Halloween, and I always turn to color and whimsy as opposed to gory and scary. I broke out my stash of Plaid products to turn an unfinished wood house from the thrift store into a glowing 3-D haunted house.
Supplies:
- Unfinished wood house or bird house
- Folk Art Multi-Surface Paint: Purple, Orange, Grape, Licorice, Pink, Lime Green
- Mod Podge Glow in the Dark
- Plaid Stiffy
- Patterned Paper
- Chipboard
- Craft Wire
- Cheesecloth
- Various Embellishments
Step one: Paint the edge of the house with Folk Art Multi-Surface paint in Grape and the base Lime Green.
Step two: Trace the house onto two pieces of patterned paper. Cut out the paper and adhere it to the wood with Mod Podge Glow in the Dark.
Step three: Cut various shapes from chipboard to embellish the house with. I used a combination of die cuts and hand drawn/cut shapes. You’ll need a roof, door, and windows. Then you can add other elements like the moon, bats, and gravestones. Paint the chipboard with the various colors of Folk Art Multi-Surface Paint. Once the paint is dry, adhere the pieces to the house with Mod Podge Glow in the Dark, and cover the entire surface with multiple applications of MP Glow in the Dark.
Tip: Because Folk Art Multi-Surface Paints work on so many different surfaces, don’t limit yourself to just chipboard! I painted a miniature plastic cat black with the Folk Art paint, and even added the ghost’s eyes with the multi-surface paint! I love the convenience of being able to use one product on the entire project. You can paint wood, glass, ceramic, metal, terra cotta, rigid plastic, canvas, styrofoam, slate, paper mache and fabric with the same bottle!
Step four: Make the ghost. Insert a toothpick into the end of a one inch styrofoam ball. Place the other end in the bottom of a paper cup. Cut a small piece of cheesecloth, wet it with Plaid Stiffy, and squeeze out the excess. Shape the ghost around the styrofoam ball and cup. Once it is dry, carefully peel it off the ball and reshape if needed. Add the eyes with paint.
Step five: Cut and bend craft wire for the embellishments. I used an awl to make a tiny hole in the chipboard to insert the wire in. My wire held fine, but you can add a dot of glue to make sure the chipboard pieces stay in place.
I used wood glue to attach the house to the base, and my Mod Melter with clear sticks to hold the tombstone and cat in place. Have fun embellishing your haunted house with different elements. I used my Mod Melts to make the cute owl that’s sitting in the window. I used leftover Plaid embellishments from this project to add pumpkins to the back of the house. Finally, I used a skull bead to make the door knob for the front door. My kids liked this project so much that they each want to make their own spooky houses. I hope I’ve inspired you, too! Have fun crafting and creating for Halloween!
Get more ideas for Halloween on Plaid’s blog the The Plaid Palette. For more inspiration, special offers and projects, follow The Plaid Palette blog, on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram.
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