Haunted House how-to

September is here, and in my house that means gearing up for fall decorations. When I received the Scarlet Lime Halloween kit last week I was noticing all the ghosts and spooky stuff that might just make an awesome haunted house! So I grabbed one on sale at the craft store and got to work.

Supplies:
Scarlet Lime Halloween kit
double sided tape
glitter + liquid adhesive
white paint
a wood birdhouse (craft stores have them from $1 – $10 depending on size)
optional: ink, glossy accents

note about this project: It works best to work in small increments. Do one step, leave it until dry. Know what that means? I did this over about 2 days… but total time was only about 45 minutes!!! It’s a great one if you only have a few minutes here & there to spare.

1. Put strips of double-sided tape all over roof, make sure edges are covered. Then take a piece of patterned paper that is at least 1″ wider than the roof, and long enough to fully cover it and fold in half. Then place on roof with the crease (where you folded in 1/2) at top.

2. Tear (use downward motion) the excess off of the sides revealing a torn edge along both the front and back. Repeat along the bottom edges. Then paint the four sides of the house with white acrylic paint and let dry before continuing.

note: I grabbed some pliers from the garage and ripped the bird ‘perch’ off the front. You could also cover the hole in your design if desired making it a haunted house – not haunted bird house) 

3. Apply liquid adhesive along the thin edge to the front (along roof line) and add glitter. I used coarse German Glass glitter, but any kind or color will work. Allow to dry (leave it laying down so glue & glitter doesn’t run off) and repeat on back.

5. Cut out a door for the front. Don’t worry about getting it just right  – crooked is good! Adhere to front and line with black pen, thin line of ink, or enamel accents like I did.

6. Now it’s going to get even easier! Just keep adding stickers all around. If any part of the sticker is exposed (not glued down) then just dab some liquid adhesive on the back. When it dries it will no longer be sticky! I coated all the stickers and surfaces with a sealant (PPA by USArt Quest) just to make sure this lasts for years to come.

7. To finish I bordered the front and two sides with some fun detail. I used both double sided tape and liquid adhesive on the buttons, while I just added a bit of liquid adhesive to the stickers on the front (candy) to help them be extra stuck-down.

8. fancify the roof (optional): I put glossy accents on some of the white squares. Then once they were dry I used my finger to rub a TINY amount of water all over the roof, and then I used distress ink (wild honey) all over it and then wiped with paper towel to get rid of any excess.

I’m off to make more spooky houses! I love that I can do so much, and with birdhouses that are on clearance right now at the craft store!!