Easy Halloween Rug to Make With Your Kids!

Here is a super easy, fun, and inexpensive craft to spice up your entry in a festive way that involves the kiddos! 

Step 1: Supplies

For this project, you will need:

1) Black Doormat or Accent Rug. I found mine at Walmart for $4.88!
2) Letter Stencils. Whichever style and size you want-- the ones used here are made by Plaid, and are at Walmart for $3.97.
3) Paint brushes and/or spouncers. I used a short, coarse bristle brush.
4) Craft paint in whatever color you want-- mine is Glow in the Dark!
5) Soft Fabric Paint, in White and Black
6) Newspaper to protect your work surface
7) Damp rags 
8) Cooperative children with adorable feet!

Grand total for this project, if you already have the brushes:  $20.26

Step 2: Arrange Your Stencils and Spounce!

1) Line up your stencils in an arrangement you like. Start from the center, and work your way out to ensure your words are centered and to maintain even spacing.

2) Hold the stencil down firmly, without bending it.

3) Load your brush generously with paint, without allowing it to drip. Don't be shy, the fibers of the rug suck this stuff right up, but be wary of there being so much paint that it bleeds beneath the stencil.

4) Being careful not to move your brush from side to side, lightly bounce the brush straight up and down over your stencil until the desired coverage is achieved. Don't worry about perfection, you can always go back and do touch-ups freehand later. 

5) Slowly lift your stencil straight up off the rug. Continue stenciling, being careful not to smudge the letters you've already completed.

6) Allow to dry completely, at least 2 hours, depending on the variety and thickness of the application of paint.

Step 3: The Fun Part: Add Your Ghosts!

1) Cover your floor with enough newspaper for the rug and your child to stand on.

2) Load a tray with the white soft fabric paint. Again, be generous with the paint.

3) Gently place your child's foot in the paint, and try to make sure it's as evenly covered as possible. There's no need to wipe away excess paint from their foot.

4) Making sure no paint drips, line up your child's foot with the rug, with their toes pointing to the BOTTOM of the rug.

5) Firmly press their foot to the rug, and hold for a couple seconds, keeping them as still as possible.

6) Pull their foot STRAIGHT UP away from the rug, and you'll have your first "ghost." Clean your child's foot with the wet rags to save your floors!  Allow to dry, and repeat with the other foot.

I used one foot off of each of my kids for my own rug :D

Step 4: Finishing Touches

1) When the "ghosts" are completely dry, you can touch up letters, define the edges of the footprints, and add a spooky face with black soft fabric paint to the footprints, or googly eyes, or any other fun embellishment you want!