DIY Bat and Ghostly garland craft for Halloween

Some people enjoy decorating for Halloween with lots of store bought decorations. Some enjoy the really “gross” and ghoulish while others go for humorous. Our family tends toward the fun and family friendly decorations – and if they are ones that we can create at home then even better!

We decided to make a ghostly garland for the fireplace mantel (of course now they want to make one for the staircase too and we will – if we have time. We still have a wreath to make!

Here’s how to make your ghostly garland complete with bat accents:

You will need:

Black construction paper ($1.77 at Hobby Lobby)

White card stock (had this at home too – but I bought it at Hobby Lobby for $2.77 and I keep some on hand)

Black ribbon ( $1.00 at the Dollar Tree)

Googly eyes (no project is complete without them) had these in my craft table.

Crayons, markers, glitter etc. depending on what your children enjoy decorating with.

Stapler

Place paper on the ground or a chair. I used a chair. then have your child stand on the paper. Draw an outline of their feet (sort of like how you draw an outline of their hands to make turkeys).
Cut feet shapes from paper and decorate as you like. My girls enjoy “dressing” their ghosts up and adding “Boo” or “Hahahaha” to their sheets. NOTE: To make multiples quickly stack the cut outs and cut about four at a time.
Next cut out the body of a bat. I used this template (which is free). Then trace your child’s hand on black construction paper – but avoid the thumbs. Just do the four fingers. As NOTED- you can cut out these about four or so at a time with good sharp scissors.
Now, assemble your bats. Using your hand cut outs as the wings, glue them to the body of the bat. Placement isn’t important after all they are “flying through the air with the greatest of ease. Now add eyes – if you don’t have any white chalk will work well too.
Attach black ribbon to fireplace mantel using sturdy tape (packing, masking or duct.) Then start attaching your ghosts and bats using a stapler.

That’s it! Now you have this cute ghostly garland for your staircase or fireplace. Enjoy!