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. Â 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. Â Let this dry completely. Â 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. Â 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. Â This will create a tattered look in the cheesecloth.
What do you think?
Here are Pottery Barn’s Hanging Ghosts. Â They retail for $59.00 for the set of three.
And here are my Hanging Ghosts. Â They cost less than $15.00 for the set of three.
Pretty cute huh? Â I love my new hanging ghosts! Â And I am so happy to finally have some cuter outdoor Halloween decor!
This post appeared first on Simply Designing. All blog posts, text and images are subject to my Privacy and Use Policy here.
Sayrah says
August 21, 2014 at 2:54 amLove this idea, so going to use this! Thank you so much!
Ashley Phipps says
August 21, 2014 at 9:46 amOh thank you!!
Mollie says
September 15, 2014 at 1:10 pmYours are so very impressive, much nicer then Pottery Barns…Thanks for the great ideas.
Ann Flowers says
August 31, 2014 at 10:02 pmI 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 says
September 2, 2014 at 8:21 amThank you so much! And you really are the sweetest to say that! Thank you 🙂
Kristine says
August 31, 2014 at 11:47 pmI like your ghosts better than Pottery Barn’s! Thanks for the tutorial!
Ashley Phipps says
September 2, 2014 at 8:20 amAwwww thank you so much Kristine!!! You are the sweetest! And thanks for stopping by!
Terry Boyle says
September 4, 2014 at 9:40 amI 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 says
September 4, 2014 at 10:59 pmI 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 says
September 6, 2014 at 10:17 pmThank 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 says
September 6, 2014 at 11:51 pmYou are welcome!!! Thanks so much for stopping by Ruth!
Susannah says
September 8, 2014 at 11:33 amHello 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 says
September 9, 2014 at 11:30 pmHi!! 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 says
September 12, 2014 at 4:51 pmThank you!
Mikki Mills says
July 19, 2015 at 3:18 pmIf 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 says
September 11, 2014 at 11:46 amThis is darling and so easy!! Thank you for a great tutorial and idea! Pinned!
Ashley Phipps says
September 13, 2014 at 4:16 pmThank you so much and thanks for pinning!
Ashley Phipps says
September 14, 2014 at 11:28 pmOh thank you so much Elizabeth!
Emily says
September 13, 2014 at 11:06 amthese 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 says
September 13, 2014 at 4:16 pmOh thank you so much Emily!!
Bonnie @ The Pin Junkie says
September 18, 2014 at 9:00 pmYou 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 says
September 18, 2014 at 9:22 pmLOVE!!! These are the best ghosts ever! I would leave them out year round though, they are too cute to put away!
Ashley Phipps says
September 19, 2014 at 12:05 pmOh thank you so much!! 🙂
Betsy @ HappilyEverafteretc. says
September 18, 2014 at 10:41 pmThese 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 says
September 19, 2014 at 12:05 pmOh thank you so much!! Your comments are so sweet! I hope you have fun making these!! And Happy Halloween!
Jennifer says
September 19, 2014 at 8:36 amSimple enough that the kids could do it…love this!!
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Ashley Phipps says
September 19, 2014 at 12:04 pmKids could definitely help make this!!! Thanks for stopping by Jennifer!
Katie Adams says
September 28, 2014 at 11:52 amThanks 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 says
October 4, 2014 at 12:27 amI 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 says
October 4, 2014 at 11:09 amOh thank you so much Sandy!!! You are the sweetest!
Crystal says
October 12, 2014 at 2:32 pmYours are WAY cuter and better looking than pottery barn’s !!!!
Ashley Phipps says
October 12, 2014 at 3:54 pmOh thank you so much!
Becca says
October 13, 2014 at 7:23 pmYours are way better than Pottery Barn! Making these tonight, thanks!!!
Jenny says
October 17, 2014 at 6:49 pmi 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 says
October 19, 2014 at 5:27 pmI love these. They look better than Pottery Barns
Ashley Phipps says
October 21, 2014 at 3:06 pmOh thank you so much Peggy!
Ellen dee says
October 19, 2014 at 7:20 pmI would hang with clear fishing line, so they would seem to float better
Julie says
October 29, 2014 at 3:04 pmI 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 says
October 30, 2014 at 9:59 amThat’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 says
November 19, 2014 at 6:25 amWhat fun! Thanks for sharing you great ghosts ideas.
Rohan
Mikki Mills says
July 19, 2015 at 3:20 pmThank 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 says
July 22, 2015 at 12:46 pmThank you!!!
Giselle says
August 22, 2015 at 8:02 amYours look waaaaaaaaay better!
Ashley Phipps says
August 31, 2015 at 3:06 pmAw thank you!
Pilar (Malaga - Spain) says
August 27, 2015 at 5:52 amHello Ashley. Yours are the best.
Ashley Phipps says
August 31, 2015 at 3:05 pmThank you!
Jamie at RenoCompare says
September 25, 2015 at 10:08 amGreat 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 says
September 26, 2015 at 2:06 pmAs promised Ashley!
http://www.renocompare.com/2015/09/xx-of-the-best-diy-halloween-decoration-ideas/
Thanks again, Jamie
Ashley Phipps says
October 22, 2015 at 7:36 pmThank you!
Linda says
October 15, 2015 at 6:11 pmI 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 says
October 22, 2015 at 7:34 pmOh 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 says
October 17, 2015 at 7:46 pmYours are cuter than PB´s!
Ashley Phipps says
October 22, 2015 at 7:33 pmThank you! 🙂 You are too sweet.
Valerie says
October 16, 2016 at 10:11 amI’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 says
September 26, 2017 at 8:07 pmThese 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 says
September 30, 2017 at 2:01 pmI 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 says
October 30, 2017 at 9:15 amOMG 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 says
October 30, 2017 at 12:56 pmThank 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 says
September 2, 2018 at 9:52 amLove 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.