DIY, Home Decor, How To

Cheesecloth Ghosts DIY

It’s time to bring it back to elementary school with these cutie patootie DIY cheesecloth ghosts! I saw Cyn from @hotpinkpineapples make these and it brought me right back to my childhood. I just knew I had to make some!

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Cheesecloth Ghosts – What You’ll Need:

cheesecloth
liquid starch (you can also use modge podge but it’s pricier!)
spray polyurethane or clear coat in gloss
glitter
clear twine
small washers
black fabric paint & paintbrush (or felt)
balloons (any size will do; I got mine at the Dollar Tree)
various glass cups

Cheesecloth Ghosts – How To:

Step 1: Blow up your balloon to the approximate size you’d like your ghost to be. Carefully wedge the balloon slightly into your glass cup.

Step 2: Cut your cheesecloth to fit your ghost. Make sure you drape the cheesecloth over your balloon before cutting to ensure it drapes all the way to the surface below. Cut at least 4 layers of cheesecloth per ghost!

Step 3: Pour liquid starch into a bowl. Dip your cheesecloth into the starch so that it is fully saturated. Wring out and open the cheesecloth up and then drape it on top of your balloon. Scrunch up any excess cheesecloth at the bottom of your ghost so it looks a bit more organic and spooky (this excess is also great if you want your ghosts to stand rather than hang, like mine!)

Step 4: Repeat step 3 for all layers of cheesecloth, layering on on top of the other. Make as many ghosts as you like!

cheesecloth ghosts DIY draping cheesecloth over balloon

Step 5: Wait about 6-8 hours for the starch to dry. Once dry, carefully remove the balloon and cheesecloth from your glass cup. Pop the balloon and remove.

Step 6: Now it’s time to decorate! Spray your ghost with clear polyurethane in gloss. While wet, add glitter! Allow to dry for about 20 minutes, and then recoat twice with the poly so the glitter stays put. Allow to dry for 1-2 hours.

Step 7: Using a small paintbrush and black fabric paint, paint faces on your cheesecloth ghosts. You could also use black felt and a dab of hot glue for this as well.

Step 8 (optional if you want your ghosts to hang): Tie thick clear twine around a small washer. Feed the other end of your twine up through the center of your ghost. The washer ensures that the twine won’t slip through the cheesecloth!

Step 9: Hang wherever you like! You could also add battery-powered timer twinkle lights inside your ghosts whether hanging or sitting on a table for some extra ambiance!