DIY Crafts and Decorations

DIY Halloween Decorations – Audrey Sisters

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Audrey – Little Shop of Horrors

This idea was inspired by: K&T Do Halloween, check out their video here: https://youtu.be/AiV2Yib33Kc

Materials:

(quantities noted are to make ONE planter, double this if you need/want to make 2 like I did)

  • Michael’s Pumpkin – For some reason I only found these at Michaels –
  • Planter
  • 25-40 pound bag of concrete
  • Styrofoam (optional)
  • PVC Piping – 1″ diameter
  • Great Stuff Foam
  • 3/4″ Dowel
  • Pumpkin Teeth
  • Assorted Plant Material:
  • Lots of spray paint in assorted colors – cream, yellow, lime, dark green, light green, burnt orange, purple, periwinkle, glow-in-the-dark, etc.
  • Acrylic paint (I used Crayola brand…ok, ok, I MIGHT have stolen some paint from my kids’ paint station) – Peach, Yellow, Green, Black, and Purple
  • Hot Glue (and a hot glue gun)
  • Sculpting Wire
  • Pipe Cleaners (color doesn’t matter)
  • Saran wrap/plastic wrap
  • 1 Pool Noodle
  • Midnight Glo UV Paint
  • Cosplay Foam Clay

Instructions:

  1. Cut PVC Pipes to the correct length (should be about 2 inches below rim of planter).  Hot glue 1 pipe in the center, and then 3-4 other around the edge of the planter.  The one in the center is for the dowel that holds the plant, and the 3-4 around the edge are intended to allow water to drain away.  Allow the hot glue to set.  Apply some painters tape to the top of the pipes to avoid getting cement in them in the next step.
  2. Mix cement.  Add to the planters, mixing in layers of Styrofoam (like lasagna layers).  The intention here is to provide weight and strength to the planter base, but you also don’t want it to be too heavy to lift.  Fill with the Styrofoam/cement layers until about 3 inches below the top of the planter.  Allow this to set fully (usually 12-24 hours)
  3. Meanwhile, cut the foam pumpkin to create a “mouth”.   It will be easier if you cut out the part with the “stem” of the pumpkin. Drill a hole in the bottom of the “head”, and insert a ¾” dowel.  Hot glue in place.
  4. Spray paint the dowel black or dark green.
  5. Using the Cosplay Foam Clay, add “lips” to the mouth.  Allow this to set overnight (make sure to keep somewhere
  6. While waiting for the cement and the foam mouth to set, you can paint some of the other features:
    1. Teeth: Paint using acrylic paint (I used simple Crayola acrylic paint).  I mixed Peach and Yellow together, and made the yellow color more saturated at the bottom of the tooth to appear like tartar.  Once dry, I coated with clear gloss spray paint.  Sticking the teeth in a piece of Styrofoam is really helpful while painting. 
    2. Greenery: I painted the veining of the larger leaves with Orange Midnight Glo UV Paint.  I used several coats to make sure the color would really pop.
    3. Spanish Moss:  I sprayed several coats of glow-in-the-dark spray paint on the Spanish moss.  It’s more subtle than the UV Glo Paint, which I preferred.
    4. Pink Wire Vines: The small very curly pink “vines” are actually wire that is painted with Pink Midnight Glo UV Paint.  I applied several coats.  Once dry, I coated with clear gloss spray paint.  Sticking the wires in a piece of Styrofoam is really helpful while painting. 
  7. Make the large tentacles (check out Dalton James’ tutorial: https://youtu.be/eW0cPLbi4ig  video for more information)
    1. Cut a pool noodle in half
    2. Slice length-ways into several pieces (I tried to have at least 8 total pieces), tapering the ends to a point.
    3. Cut a length of wire the same length as the pool noodle, wrap several times with saran wrap
    4. Using a heat gun, heat the saran wrap, this will basically “shrink wrap” the noodle.  The wire inside will help with forming it into spirals.
    5. Spray paint in layers, using dark and light greens, and purples.  (Hanging them on wire coat hangers helps with spray painting)
  8. Make the small tentacles
    1. Wrap a few pipe cleaners with saran wrap, and “shrink wrap” them the same way you did with the pool noodle above.  Paint with whichever paint you like (I painted mine with Green Midnight UV Glo paint).
  9. Place the dowel with the “head” into the center PVC Pipe of the planter.  Spray Great Stuff Expanding Foam inside the mouth as well, tapering it towards the edge to look like the back of the throat, and tongue.  Allow this to set/dry.
  10. Add a layer of Great Stuff to the top of the cement in the planter.  The foam will expand and give a more textured look.  It will also help hold the dowel in place. (Use Hot glue if necessary).  Before the foam sets, spread some Spanish moss across the foam.  Let this set.
  11. Spray paint a base coat of paint on the head.  I used a cream-colored spray paint as a base.
  12. Inside the mouth, spray paint dark purple, and then a lighter purple/periwinkle color to add texture. (Use a piece of spare cardboard to cover the outside of the head to avoid overspray)
  13. Once the foam/Spanish moss is set, spray paint dark brown, and then add a little green on top of it.  It doesn’t have to be perfect, just enough coverage to mask the yellow foam color.
  14. Overlap spraying the head with green, pinks, yellow, lime.  This is the fun part.  Add your artistic flair!
  15. For the lips, I used a burnt orange color, making sure I used spare cardboard to avoid over-spraying.  I let the paint set overnight, and then sprayed with a clear gloss coat.
  16. Next, start layering on greenery.  I can’t really TELL you how to do this part, other than to just have fun, and balance out the different textures you’ve assembled.  Hot glue greenery in place as you go, making sure to go from the very base, all the way to the back of the head.  Add in the spiral wires and painted pipe cleaners.
  17. Add the teeth by piercing them into the “gum line”.  Use hot glue if necessary.
  18. Using Great Stuff again, add some foam “tendrils” at the back of the head, extending towards the mouth. Wait for this to set.   
  19. Once the Great Stuff tendrils are set, paint with acrylic paint.  I used 3 layers: Layer 1 – Black/green, Layer 2 – Purple, Layer 3 – green (I didn’t get overly detailed with the paint, I literally slopped it on with a small paintbrush, making sure to get it in all the little nooks of the foam)
  20. The last thing I did was paint the “tiger stripe” on the head using dark green acrylic paint.  I gave it one more final spray of clear gloss, and that was it!
  21. For effect, I added a black light at my front entryway to light these girls up in the dark! 

What do you think? I hope you enjoyed seeing these girls! Happy Halloween!

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Happy DIY’ing!