Cheesecloth Ghosts!!

{I have been wanting to put up some Halloween ideas for such along time.

So excited the season has finally arrived!!! }

A couple of years ago for my ward's Super Saturday, I was given the assignment to make and help assist others make cheesecloth ghosts. This idea comes from none other than Martha and is such an easy and fun decoration to get you into the Halloween spirit. Some of you may have even made these in Elementary school. I figured my blog wouldn't be complete without a little post about these ghosts!!

So...... if you are interested.... here are the steps

First off you need to gather these supplies

Next you will need to make the "body" of your ghost. This is the one that I used to make mine but you can use whatever you want!

As you can see for this one I used a toilet paper roll. You can also use a paper towel roll or a water bottle depending on the size of the ghost you want.
With the body established, you can now add your arms. We used straws which worked really well. I have also seen pencils or wire used, so it's up to you. 

Then I made the head out of aluminum foil and stuck it in at this top. (note.. I put a piece of saran wrap over top the foil to prevent the foil to stick to the cheesecloth)
Next, tape it down to a piece of cardboard or something that could act as a temporary base. (cutting strips at the end of the roll made it possible to fold out and tape down a lot easier)

Now for the messy part. Get your cheesecloth (which is practically the same thing as gauze which can be found at any grocery or craft store) and drape it over your "body". Do this before the glue so you can plan out how you want it to look. Then take the cheesecloth off and drench it in glue. The more the glue, the stiffer the ghost. I have seen some people apply glue to the cheesecloth while it was on the "body" and others, including me, put it on after. There are many ways you can do this (dipping it into a bowl of glue, folding it up and then pouring glue on) Basically, whichever way works.

Now, if you didn't do it earlier, drape the saturated glue on the "body" and form it however you like. 

Next add the eyes. I used felt for mine, however marker, paper,stickers etc.. can work as well. You can also add a mouth if you like. Let dry overnight or for about 5 hours.

 After ghost is dry, remove the ghost from the base as well as the "body" and you are done!!

Despite being stuffed and squashed into storage year after year, my ghost has kept its form and remains one of my favorite decorations!
I have been wanting to make a little ghost family but we will see if that ever happens!!