Easy DIY Halloween Decor: Log Ghosts

I was inspired to make these adorable easy DIY Halloween Decor log ghosts from a photo I saw on Pinterest, but there wasn’t a tutorial. This fall instead of buying new decor I wanted to make some fall decor myself. I decided to give it a go and make them myself. They are super simple after all, how hard could it be? Not hard at all as it turns out! While they are super simple I actually have a few good tips I learned along the way. I made three to put out on my front porch ,but I think it could be cool to make a ton in varying heights to put out on your front lawn or porch.

Materials: 

Thick tree branch 

Chalk paint

Bristled paint brush 

Small detail paint brush

Black paint

First off you might be thinking where the heck am I going to get a thick branch? I was lucky enough my friend was cutting up branches from a big tree in her yard and she gave me a few. Facebook marketplace or Nextdoor I find always has people giving away wood, or you post that you are in search of some branches! 

Step 0

Chase your dog around the yard because he’s stolen your DIY materials.

Step 1 

Cut your branches to size. I used my miter saw to cut the pieces to size. With a little bit of elbow grease a hand saw works just as well. I did two taller pieces and one shorter piece so I would end up with a mom, dad, and baby ghost. 

Step 2 (aka the step where lessons were learned)

Time to paint! The first two ghosts I painted with leftover chalk spray paint that I had on hand. This worked okay, but I needed to add lots of layers to get a good coverage. The third one I painted I used regular chalk paint and this had a much better coverage. I used a bristle brush to apply instead of a foam brush as the foam brushed would get torn to pieces super quickly because of the textured branches. 

Something I just thought of as I am typing this is that it could be super fun to try some glow in the dark paint if you are putting these outdoors. I might have to make a few more! 

Step 3

Once everything is dry time to add the eyes and mouth. I used a q-tip to apply….which worked, but I think a small detail brush would make it much easier to control sizes and shapes. 

And there you have it! A simple affordable way to make some easy DIY Halloween decor.