Get ready for the easiest, most family-friendly DIY project ever! And, as an added bonus, it won’t bankrupt you!

Halloween isn’t a big deal in South Africa, but it has become one of our favourite holidays here in Canada. I love how it brings communities together and how much joy it brings our kids.

This year, we wanted to get into the spirit of things and decorate our lawn for the season. Because we’re a crafty bunch, we grabbed this opportunity for an artsy family hangout sesh and brainstormed ideas of how to reuse materials we already had available.

We decided on a vampire, a witch, a ghost, Frankenstein’s monster, and a mummy.

My husband has been helping a friend renovate their basement, and we used 2×4 and 2×6 inch SPF offcuts leftover from that project. We also picked up cheesecloth and acrylic craft paints from the dollar store. In total, we spent only $15!

Symmetry isn’t my strong suit, but thankfully the old kindergarten paper folding trick comes in handy for that! 🤣 I sketched out one half of each monster on the backs of folded sudoku pages, cut the outlines, and used the cut paper as templates on the wood.

Next, I sketched out the rest of the details, and the painting commenced! The whole family helped with this part, and it took about seven hours to complete all five portraits.  Finally, I added details and outlines with my Tooli Paint Pens.

I sprayed a thin layer of varnish on the finished portraits and wrapped the mummy in cheesecloth.

Aren’t they adorable? We still have to put up our holiday lights and display these, but I’m so happy with the results. And the portrait possibilities are pretty much endless. Kayla’s already decided that we’ll add a werewolf, sea monster, slime, and zombie next year. 🤣

Until next time!

Yolandie