Want to know how to make hanging ghosts from Pottery Barn for a lot less than you can buy them for? Here's a Pottery Barn knock-off that makes the perfect not-so-spooky Halloween decor for your front porch!
I love Pottery Barn, but I don't always love the price. When I saw their Halloween line this year, I realized that I could easily make Pottery Barn's Hanging Ghosts; at a fraction of the cost!
To make outdoor hanging ghosts you will need:
(affiliate links included for your convenience)
- Styrofoam balls (8", 6", 4")
- Black craft paint
- Small paint brush
- Cheesecloth (I used about 2 yds per ghost, in 1-yard squares, for a total of 6 yds)
- Eye screws (3)
- E6000 Glue
How to make outdoor hanging ghosts instructions:
First, you will want to insert your eye screws into the top of each styrofoam ball using your glue. Let this dry completely. If you're a little bit crazy like me, you will want to paint these white so that they blend in with the ghost.
Next, use your black craft paint to paint ghost eyes on each styrofoam ball. Let dry completely.
Take (2) 1-yard squares and place them over the top each styrofoam ball.
Using scissors, cut "rips" in the cheesecloth.
Take each shred in your hand and stretch it down. This will create a tattered look in the cheesecloth.
What do you think?
Here are Pottery Barn's Hanging Ghosts. They retail for $59.00 for the set of three.
And here are my Hanging Ghosts. They cost less than $15.00 for the set of three.
Pretty cute huh? I love my new hanging ghosts! And I am so happy to finally have some cuter outdoor Halloween decor!
Sayrah
Love this idea, so going to use this! Thank you so much!
Ashley Phipps
Oh thank you!!
Mollie
Yours are so very impressive, much nicer then Pottery Barns...Thanks for the great ideas.
Ann Flowers
I love this idea and will absolutely make a trio for my home. BTW, I really and seriously like your ghost trio better than the PB trio.
Ashley Phipps
Thank you so much! And you really are the sweetest to say that! Thank you 🙂
Kristine
I like your ghosts better than Pottery Barn's! Thanks for the tutorial!
Ashley Phipps
Awwww thank you so much Kristine!!! You are the sweetest! And thanks for stopping by!
Terry Boyle
I love this idea...so-oo clever. Thanks so much for sharing. Do you think these would tolerate weather? I would like to hang them from trees in the yard.
Ashley Phipps
I keep mine out all October long and they have held up well! The cloth gets more ragged with age but I think that makes them look even better 🙂
Ruth
Thank you for showing us how to make these great ghosts, Ashley, Halloween is just starting to become noticed here in Australia, and more and more people are participating each year. It is a lot of fun, and these ghosts will be hanging on our front verandah this year.
Ashley Phipps
You are welcome!!! Thanks so much for stopping by Ruth!
Susannah
Hello please let me know where you purchased the styrofoam 8-inch the cheapest I have found is 15.99!! Thanks! Love your site can't wait to try a few of everything!
Ashley Phipps
Hi!! I have only seen these for sale at Hobby Lobby, but I think you can find them at other crafts stores too. I would suggest using a coupon to save on it though! Thanks and good luck!
Susannah
Thank you!
Mikki Mills
If you have a Michael's, A C Moore, or Joanne's near you, I would try them. Even some Walmarts have craft sections. They should all have them much cheaper than that!
Elizabeth
This is darling and so easy!! Thank you for a great tutorial and idea! Pinned!
Ashley Phipps
Thank you so much and thanks for pinning!
Ashley Phipps
Oh thank you so much Elizabeth!
Emily
these are a little creepy, but super cute too ;o) sharing it today in the Create Link Inspire features crafts addition over at Nap-Time Creations... pinned, tweeted and shared on FB... I'd love a retweet or fb share to help spread the word! Happy weekend.
Ashley Phipps
Oh thank you so much Emily!!
Bonnie @ The Pin Junkie
You did a great job on these ghosts! They look just like the ones from Pottery Barn, but for so much less! Thanks for sharing them at The Pin Junkie! They're one of the features this week at http://www.thepinjunkie.com/2014/09/pin-junkie-pin-party-85.html
Kristina and Millie
LOVE!!! These are the best ghosts ever! I would leave them out year round though, they are too cute to put away!
Ashley Phipps
Oh thank you so much!! 🙂
Betsy @ HappilyEverafteretc.
These are seriously the cutest thing! This is the first year my hubby and I live in a house instead of an apartment... so we finally have the space for outdoor decorations! Other than your traditional pumpkin and maybe a bale of hay I wasn't sure what to do... these will be perfect! Great job!
Ashley Phipps
Oh thank you so much!! Your comments are so sweet! I hope you have fun making these!! And Happy Halloween!
Jennifer
Simple enough that the kids could do it...love this!!
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Ashley Phipps
Kids could definitely help make this!!! Thanks for stopping by Jennifer!
Katie Adams
Thanks for linking to Create Link Inspire at The Crafty Blog Stalker. You have been featured and pinned! Thank you for sharing.
–Katie, TheCraftyBlogStalker.com
Sandy
I seriously had to scroll up, scroll down like 3 times to see which of the first 2 pics were actually PB. Yours look way cooler than theirs! For reals. On my project list. Thank you!!
Ashley Phipps
Oh thank you so much Sandy!!! You are the sweetest!
Crystal
Yours are WAY cuter and better looking than pottery barn's !!!!
Ashley Phipps
Oh thank you so much!
Becca
Yours are way better than Pottery Barn! Making these tonight, thanks!!!
Jenny
i usually never comment on posts but this one is awesome!! And yes, yours are way better than the Pottery Barn ones. Thanks for the idea!!!!
Peggy
I love these. They look better than Pottery Barns
Ashley Phipps
Oh thank you so much Peggy!
Ellen dee
I would hang with clear fishing line, so they would seem to float better
Julie
I love these ghosts! They will look so great hanging on my porch! Thank you for sharing. One question: how do you adhere the cheesecloth to the styrofoam ball? Just simple glue? Or something else? Thanks!
Ashley Phipps
That's a great question Julie! I actually did not attach the cheesecloth to the balls. It is held on by the hook I placed at the top of the ghost for hanging purposes. That I glued through the cheesecloth and into the styrofoam with E6000 glue and that is enough to hold them in place!
Rohan
What fun! Thanks for sharing you great ghosts ideas.
Rohan
Mikki Mills
Thank you, so much, for sharing this tutorial! These look WAY better than Pottery Barn's! If I had to buy, I would definitely choose yours over theirs!
Ashley Phipps
Thank you!!!
Giselle
Yours look waaaaaaaaay better!
Ashley Phipps
Aw thank you!
Pilar (Malaga - Spain)
Hello Ashley. Yours are the best.
Ashley Phipps
Thank you!
Jamie at RenoCompare
Great stuff Ashley! We'd like to share this in our latest Halloween decorations post. I'll get you the link when its live.
Thanks Jamie
Jamie at RenoCompare
As promised Ashley!
http://www.renocompare.com/2015/09/xx-of-the-best-diy-halloween-decoration-ideas/
Thanks again, Jamie
Ashley Phipps
Thank you!
Linda
I must have pinned this project two years ago and now this year I have all of the supplies and plan to make three of them this weekend. I did have a difficult time finding styrofoam balls that didn't cost a fortune...x 3 ghosts, but I found them! BYW... I just happened to stumble upon white styrofoam eye screws at Walmart. Thanks for this post!
Ashley Phipps
Oh I am so glad you finally found everything you needed at a reasonable price!! I bet they will turn out great! Thanks so much!
Blanca
Yours are cuter than PB´s!
Ashley Phipps
Thank you! 🙂 You are too sweet.
Valerie
I'm a little late writing this as I'm just getting around to doing this craft with my kids, but I just wanted to let you know your ghosts are way more awesome than PB's! Probably something you've already heard, but it's true!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Karen
These turned out awesome but for the price I paid for everything I might as well have bought the PB ones lol. They still look better than them though!
Ashley Phipps
I am so sorry to hear that. When I made them, I only spent about $15 total to make all 3 ghosts. That is a huge savings over the original price of $59, in my opinion. But I completely realize that prices on things may have been different when I bought the supplies. But I completely agree! They are definitely cuter!!!
Ally
OMG these look so much cuter than the PB ones! What did you use to hang them on your porch? Going to do this tonight. Thanks for such a great idea! 🙂
Ashley Phipps
Thank you so much Ally! Oh great question, so sorry I didn't address this! We have large eye hooks screwed into a wood beam above our porch that just looped the string in. Super simple! And if you get big enough ones, you can hang a flower basket from them in the summer! 🙂
Amy D
Love these! On Halloween night, you could switch out the styrofoam balls for white balloons and put glow sticks inside to make them glow at night.
Linda
I'm not sure if anyone has experienced this yet, but the glue on the link I purchased from amazon ate into the Styrofoam..I was unable to use two of the Styrofoam balls I had purchased and had already decorated. I will let Amazon know in case they are unaware of the problem
Ashley Phipps
I am so sorry you experienced this. Styrofoam can be finicky sometimes, but I haven't experienced this glue eating styrofoam. I'm so so sorry.
Tina
I'm a huge fan of Halloween, and now I'm kinda sad that I didn't find this post in October...
Nevertheless, 2020 here I come! 😀
Thank you for sharing!
Ashley Phipps
You're welcome!
Sheila
Yours look so much better than pottery barn ghosts, way overpriced too. I love when I look at products for Holidays and then make them myself for so much less. Excellent job, I will be making these this October. Thanks for the great idea.
Leona June Bell
I was wondering what you're using to hang it with are you using string or yarn. And what do you use to keep the cheesecloth from blowing off are you spraying glue onto the foam balls?
Allison
I made these this year and I'm SO tickled with how they turned out!! Wish I could attach a picture, they really look great.
Christina Leaman
Ohhh! Please tag us on Instagram or Facebook. @simplydesigning We would LOVE to see how they turned out. Christina, SD Team
Cyndi
Where is the best place to get cheesecloth? Do you just buy it by the yard at JoAnns? Thanks!
Ashley Phipps
I usually buy cheesecloth from Amazon (I share my direct link in this post for this). But sometimes you can find it at JoAnn's as well. It just depends on what is available locally vs. online sometimes and the time of year I am looking for it!