Halloween Yard Signs

My family has never really done any big halloween displays or anything. On Halloween we just give kids candy and carve a pumpkin or two to put out on the porch. This year my mom really wanted me to make some Halloween yard signs. So after her asking me about 10 times I figured I needed to put these as a priority in my project list. She wanted a lot more but settled for the three I made. I made a video explaining how I made the ghost but didn't include the witch since she was a bit more complicated. I decided to make these with only three tools so that anyone can make them without needing some fancy tools. I will include cutting templates for the witch and the ghost if anyone wants to make one for themselves.

Step 1: Tools & Materials

1. Plywood

2. Jig Saw

3. Sander

4. Drill

5. Paint & Brushes

Step 2: Cutting Out the Ghosts

I had already sketched out one ghost and cut it out to get it approved by my mom. Since she liked it I decided to trace the current ghost on the wood and cut it out. I have included the cutting template but it is 11 X17 SIZE. This is the size she wanted so that is the size of the template. You could easily resize these to any size you want.

I used the jig saw to follow the pattern and cute it out. I tried to be as close to the line as I could but I knew I could sand down any imperfections. I also didn't care if it was super perfect since these are going out in the yard. To cut out the eyes and mouth I used a drill bit the same size as my jig saw blade and drilled a hole. This way the blade could go in and cut out the wood. The second ghost I made I changed the mouth a little so they weren't exactly the same.

I dont have any photos or footage but I used some scrap wood to make wooden stakes. I cute the bottoms off at an angle to make it a stake to put in the ground. If you don't want to do this Home Depot sells really cheap yard stakes.

Step 3: Sanding

I used 120 grit sandpaper to sand off the burs and rough edges of the wood. I didn't care if it was really smooth or not.

Step 4: Painting

So I wanted to use spray paint for both ghost but only had black. So I used normal white house paint for the first ghost and black spray lacquer for the other ghost.

The witch was cut out in the same way as the ghost and I used craft acrylic paints to paint her.

These didn't take much paint at all and if you wanted you could spray everything with a clear coat for extra protection.

Step 5: Enjoy Your New Signs

I used a hammer to drive the stakes into the ground.

I love how these came out and how easy it was to make them. I guess I might have to make some more for our yard.

Let me know in the comments if you have any questions or if you make one!