DIY Cheesecloth Ghost Portraits
Since I made the Halloween Altered Thrift Store Art, I've been in the mood to create Halloween crafts so I'm back today with another fun project.
Today's project is made with cheesecloth and three thrifted mirrors.
DIY Cheesecloth Ghost Portraits
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- Small framed mirrors or picture frames (thrift stores are a great place to find these)
- A scrap of sturdy cardboard
- Scrapbook paper in the color of your choice
- White scrapbook paper (optional)
- Mod Podge
- Sponge brush
- Felt in black and pink
- Dried flowers
- Glitter (HERE is some with stars similar to mine)
- White craft glue (I like Aleene's Tacky Glue)
- Scrap of muslin or ribbon
- Black paint (if you need to paint the frames or the backs)
I made a short video showing how to make them and the written instructions are after the video.
These are the small mirrors that I thrifted. I found them all at the same time; the largest one was $2.99 and the two smaller ones were $1.99 each.
Step 1 - Prepare the frames
Remove whatever is inside your frames if applicable (mirror, picture, glass, etc.) and paint them if desired.
The mirrors I found have plastic frames and they were already black. I love all the ornate details 😍
This one still had part of the Better Homes sticker so they are probably from Walmart originally.
The cardboard frame backs were screwed into the frame and glued to the mirrors which were glued to the frames 😒 #overkill
One of the mirrors came out in one piece, the other two I had to break.
Step 2 - Make a "canvas" for your ghost
Use a scrap of sturdy cardboard to cut a new insert for your frame to act as a canvas for your ghost.
You can trace around whatever was in your frame if that will work, or measure and cut it out.
I used peach-colored polka dot paper to cover the cardboard for mine. I'll show you what the white paper is for next.
Step 3 - Create a ghost pattern
This step is optional but you can use the white paper to create the ghost shape before using cheesecloth. The only difference is that the ghost will be more opaque than cheesecloth used directly on the scrapbook paper (if you watch the video, I skipped the white paper so you can see the difference).
Trace the cardboard piece onto the white paper so you'll know how big to make the ghost and draw a ghost inside.
Then cut it out and adhere it to the cardboard square with Mod Podge.
Step 4 - Create the ghost
Cut a piece of cheesecloth big enough to fold over a few times to create a ghost.
Wring it out and then place it onto the cardboard canvas completely covering the white paper ghost shape.
Glue them to the ghost with white craft glue (hot glue would probably work too).
Step 6 - Embellish
You can embellish him (or her) however you like. I used some dried baby's breath that I saved from a bouquet I received.
Use some glitter around the ghost if you'd like. I made little glue polka dots with white craft glue and sprinkled them with glitter.
The one I made in the video had glitter all along one side and polka dots on the other side.
Step 7 - Add a back
If your frame had a back on it, reattach it now. If it doesn't have a back, you can cover it with scrapbook paper, brown craft paper, etc.
I reattached the back with the screws it was originally attached with and painted it black to cover the areas where the tags were removed.
I think he turned out so cute!
Here is the one I made in the video. This is what it will look like if you don't use the white paper ghost shape as the background.
And here is one I made with the round mirror frame. He is embellished with a plastic pumpkin with candy inside.
The pumpkin is a plastic one that broke in half and I saved it. The candy is buttons.
Which one is your favorite?
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Very cute little ghosties! It looks like getting frames ready is the hardest part. I like them with the white form behind the gauze best, i think. My favorite's the oblong one.
ReplyDeleteThank you, that one is my favorite too :)
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