Posted by
Source: marthastewart.com via Lynn on Pinterest
Do you need a convincingly decrepit room on a budget? Do you want to pull off a haunting Halloween look on the cheap and easy? Are you fed up with polyester spiderwebs that get stuck in everything and are impossible to clean up?
You’ll love today’s halloween hack: cheesecloth.
All you need is a pack of cheesecloth — I get mine at the grocery for about $1.99 — but if you’d like to go extra creepfest, pop your cloth in a pot of tea for a few minutes to get a dirty, time-worn look. Then cut strips in one side of the cloth and rip, pull and tear until it looks appropriately like ethereal leavings, and hang as desired. It’s particularly good for doorways and windows, but it’s pretty versatile stuff — take it outside and suddenly you’ve got a haunted tree. You can even use it to make full-on ghostly figures if you want!
And when you’re done — remember that we all want to see what you’ve made in the Offbeat Home Flickr pool.
I’ve done tea-dying before, but never thought to use the process as a way to make something look creepy. Awesome idea!
We’re actually thinking of incorporating more cheese cloth/gauze this year. It also makes for an awesome table cloth.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/le_chat_noir/5078818451/
that is a fantastic idea! That + the bats from offbeat mom (I dont have kids… but I’m going to have some killer bats) and I’m going to spook up our apartment!
SUPER EASY cheesecloth ghosts: mix some white Elmer’s glue with water, soak the cheesecloth, drape it over stuff. It will dry in vaguely ghosty shapes. OF COURSE Martha has more detailed instructions: http://www.marthastewart.com/how-to/cheesecloth-ghosts
This sounds perfect for our deck. Does anyone know how much cheese cloth is in a pack? I just want a vague idea of how much coverage a pack would give me.
Mmmm. I think the ones I get have two. It should say on the pack, I hope!
“Add dread to a space…” … HA!
Love this title.
Also, instead of buying those “witches curtains” or whatever they’re packaged as, just dye cheese cloth black with a cheap pack of RIT dye. It’s the same thing! I dye a couple new pieces each year to add to our collection. My favorite Halloween decoration though is cutting black butcher paper into creepy silhouettes and taping them up in the windows. Add a little green cellophane over the eyes and you’re set!