How to make a “Great Pumpkin Ghost”
Materials:
(4) Identical Flexible Masks
(2) Small Deep Fryer Baskets
(2) Decorative Lamp Cords
(2) Tomato Cages
(1) White Pillow Case
Lightweight Wire like picture hanging wire
Cable Ties
(3) Steel Rods (Optional, but a good idea)
The Head
Start by wiring a mask to the bottom of each deep fryer basket. Place the basket tops together so they form a cage. The cable tie or wire the top and one side so it stays together. Fit one of the decorative lamp cords in her to give the head a glow. Now you need to test the lamp cord to make sure it and the bulb are good. I didn’t until I was finished and had to take part of it apart to replace a burned out bulb. Now wire or cable tie the other side and the bottom. The bottom will have the basket handles pointing down; they may need to be bent away from each other.
At this point, cut an inch to two inch hole in the bottom of the pillow case close to the half-way point from left to right. Insert the basket handle through the hole and drape the pillow case over the masks. Set aside for until the body is done.
The
Body
Take
one tomato cage and set upside-down on the floor or a low table or a box.
Carefully
start bending the prongs together until they cross over each other, cable
tie
then together a ways down, but not so tight you cannot slide the tie around to
fine-tune
the fit. Insert the three points between the basket handles and into the head.
If
you can run cable ties from the basket wires over the prongs for stability. Also
cable
tie the basket handles to the prongs below the original cable tie. And cable tie
the
lamp cord to one of these vertical pieces.
Next, on the middle ring of the cage, make a double ‘X’ with the wire. I wrapped one end around one side, ran it across top the other side, made a couple of loops over the cage ring and ran it back to the starting point and tied it off. Do this again to make the rest of the “X”. Now you have the mount for the second decorative lamp cord and will illuminate the pillow case/body.
Drape the pillow case over the tomato cage; bunch the cut area around the basket handles and cable tie the pillow case right under the head. The cable tie a second time, lower to create a neck and shoulders.
Wire the two side masks onto the assembled baskets. I recommend wiring the masks at the top, bottom and both sides.
Place the second cage wherever your want you Ghost to hang-out. I recommend using one steel rod for every uptight/vertical point where the cage enters the ground. The rods prevent wind gusts from blowing the ghost away and grabby paws walking off with the ghost. The ghost will still sway some in a breeze.
Set the completed ghost on top of the ground cage. MAKING SURE the shoulders/floppy corners of the pillow case point in the primary direction you want the ghost facing, cable tie the two cages together. I used five or six ties to bind them together.
By using a second cage to support the ghost it seems to float in the air. And with the four identical masks the ghost seems to look everywhere. Though there is no reason why you couldn’t use different masks on each side.
