I love to decorate my home for Halloween, but sometimes I spend so much time inside that the outside of my home is neglected. And what is more important to the strangers that come up to your door on Halloween night? The inside where they can’t see, or the outside? I think the answer is pretty clear.
This year, I’m planning on making my front lawn into an elaborate spider-web shaped cemetery complete with headstones, a short gothic fence, lampposts, and coffins.
Here are some ideas on how you can create the same look with hardly any work at all:
A cemetery fence is usually a foot high. You can buy inexpensive white plastic fencing at the dollar store and spray paint it black. Once dry mark off the part of your lawn that you’ve determined will be the cemetery. Then start to work making the headstones.
Tombstones can be as elaborate or simple as you want to make them. I never buy pre-made headstones because they are expensive and difficult to store. I usually make mine out of styrofoam that I save in our garage throughout the year. Carve out the basic shape in the styrofoam and then spray paint it grey, white, black or bronze. You can then use basic acrylic paints to fill in the details of the name and any artwork you’ve carved into it. Add freeze dried moss or leaves, dirt and gravel to make them look more legitimate. If you are really excited and you want a truly authentic look, use rock dust and spray glue to create a rough concrete ‘stone-like’ exterior.
For coffins I usually use old musical instrument cases or trunks that have been discarded at recycle centers. Still, a large wooden box makes the best impression. If you have old plywood you can easily build one yourself. Depending on how you want it to look at night you may or may not actually paint it.
Just keep looking around your house to see how you can add to the scene. A nice touch of blood here, or cobwebs there can make all the difference.
Emma Rae Curtis is a costume/dressing up/makeup & accessories expert. She mainly writes about Halloween but also about all things costume and dress-up related.
