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Showcase this haunted-house centerpiece for a Halloween party that's sure to thrill children of all ages.
Figure A
Figure B
Figure C
Figure D
Figure E
Use your imagination when it comes to creating a spooky, fun haunted house or village made from pumpkins.
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Haunted house centerpieceProject from Halloween Ideas on Home & Garden Television
November 5, 2001Dale Rohman, "America's Flower Man," shows how to liven up a Halloween party with a haunted house centerpiece. He reviews step-by-step instructions for the project, including tips for working with dry ice to create "fog," and how to add special scary features to the decoration.
Materials:
pumpkins
knife
black marker
toothpicks
sheet of foam (long flat piece--will simulate the yard)
sphagnum moss
large black toy or craft spider
dried mushrooms on an artificial stem (purchased at a craft stores and floral shops)
colorful cacti (a couple)
a few succulent plants
bare birch-tree branches (or branches of your choice)
artemisia (gray foliage)
graveyard/coffin/skeleton toys
dried brown peas
miniature wooden fence (made from branches for this project)
gloves
dry ice
bowl
water
Steps: - Clean and carve the pumpkins. Draw the windows on the pumpkin with a marker (figure A), then wash the markings off.
- Pierce the windows with toothpicks and place--at an angle--onto the pumpkin (figure B).
- Cover the sheet of foam with sphagnum moss. Take thin wire, folded in half (figure C), and secure the moss. Note: The moss is less messy if submerged in a bucket of water before working with it.
- Once the foam is covered with moss, place the pumpkin in the center and start landscaping.
- Attach the large black spider to the top of the pumpkin. One way is to secure the legs into the edges of the pumpkin top (figure D).
- Place a couple of dried mushroom sticks into the foam on either side of the pumpkin.
- Place the colorful cacti on either side of the pumpkin beside the mushroom sticks.
- Place a few succulent plants throughout the moss.
- Place some branches throughout the moss.
- Spread some gray artemisia behind and beside the pumpkin.
- Place a graveyard/coffin/skeleton toy in the front (figure E).
- Create a walkway with some dried (brown) peas.
- Place the wooden fence off to one side.
- Put on some gloves to handle the dry ice. Lift the lid to the pumpkin and place a block of dry ice in a bowl. Fill with water and insert down inside the pumpkin.
- Carve another pumpkin or two (your choice) and place beside the original pumpkin.
Reprinted with permission of Home & Garden Television, hgtv.com.
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