Introduction: 15 Dollar Invisible Ghosts!

About: Designer of things, Maker of weirdness and Baker of the macabre.

Okay, so I've been seeing some awesome ghost decorations online, packing tape ghosts, chicken wire ghosts, love them! But for this challenge I wanted to create some unique Invisible ghosts, and show you how to create a big payoff decoration, with very little work, and even less cash! This is "The Haunted Tea Party"

Let's get started!

Step 1: You Will Need

Dollar store top hat
Dollar store sunglasses
Dollar/thrift store white gloves
Thrift store tea kettle and tea cup
Dollar store mummy hands
Hot glue/gun
Fishing line
Ceiling eye hooks
Light brown wood stain ( I found mine a t a dollar store, but small cans are very cheap at hardware stores)
Scissors
Craft wire

The Ghosts themselves cost me less than 15 dollars to create!

Optional:

Tea setting: fake mice, fake bugs, cookies, fake spider webs, dead flowers.

Step 2: Create Your Ghost Hands

  • Unravel your dollar-store mummy hands (you could also just use craft wire and stuffing, if you can't find these)
  • Pull gloves over the hands
  • form the hands the way you want them posed.

These hands were great because they are pose-able, but again craft wire and stuffing would work just as well.

Step 3: Attach the Pot to the Cup

  • Make sure your pieces aren't too heavy, this kettle, while metal is very small and lightweight
  • Measure out how long you want your tea stream (I chose about 1 foot) Cut wire to length, keeping in mind you need extra inches that wont be in view.
  • Hot glue one end of the to the bottom of the inside of the tea cup. and cover in a deep pool of Hot glue (about halfway full) This will act as your tea, as well as keep your wire in place.
  • Feed the other end of the wire into the kettle spout
  • Knot the wire so that it will remain in place

Step 4: Make a Splash!

To create realism to the piece, add a tea splash!

  • Using a rounded smooth surface create a semi-circle out of hot glue
  • Allow a few minutes to cool, them remove
  • Glue this piece to the inside of your teacup

Step 5: Cover Stream in Hot Glue

Lover the craft wire tea stream in drips of hot glue. Be sure the glue isn't too hot, you want to control the drips really well. You are trying to create the look of liquid spilling.

Step 6: Paint Hot Glue

Using a light brown wood stain, paint your hot glue stream, and splash.

The wood stain is somewhat clear, so it will look like liquid as opposed to using paint, which would be too opaque.

Step 7: Add Hands to Kettle Prop

Hot glue the fingers to the handles of the cup and pot with hot glue

Extending the pinkies adds a sense of realism.

Step 8: Make Your Top Hat and Glasses Prop

  • Hang glasses with fishing line inside the hat (about 4 inches from rim)
  • Secure the fishing line inside the hat with tape
  • Glue a piece of fishing line across the top of the hat (about 8 inches worth)
  • Find the middle of that piece of fishing line, and tie another piece of fishing line directly to that middle section. This will be what you use to hang this prop from the ceiling

Step 9: Attach Fishing Line and Hang Pieces

Measure out how high you want your pieces to hang above the table. Place your ceiling hooks, and attach the fishing line to the hooks.

I had a friend sit, and mimic the poses, so I could measure out exactly how I wanted them hung. Exact measurements will vary, but I hung my gloves prop about 1 foot above the table, and my hat prop, about 2 and 1/2 feet above the table.

I hung my Gloves piece from both the handles, and my hat piece, from the mid section of the fishing line across the top of the hat.

Step 10: Add Atmosphere

Again the rest of the setting is not included in the price of the ghosts.

To add to the tea party you could create a similar feel with:

  • Fake bugs/mice
  • Dead Flowers
  • half eaten cookies
  • Spider webbing
  • Place settings
  • Books
  • Vintage looking glassware

Step 11: Enjoy Your Ghosts!

We loved having our ghosts! We named them Pearl and Edgar, and they were the hit of the Halloween party, and of the whole season! This simple CHEAP decoration, has a magical payoff, people will be talking bout them for years to come!

If you liked this Instructable, please vote for me for the Halloween Decor Contest!

Step 12:

Halloween Decor Contest 2016

Participated in the
Halloween Decor Contest 2016