**UPDATE: If you've read the comments for this post, you'll see that some much smarter people than I have suggested using glow sticks in the place of Christmas lights. GENIUS IDEA. I don't know why I didn't think of it... use some glow sticks in fun colors and save yourself some wires. :)
If you don't have bushes, this post is irrelevant. If you aren't the lawn-decorating type, this post is irrelevant. But I still want you to stick around, so go read another post until tomorrow where I will have something more to your liking. I'll remember you fondly until then.
Gather some toilet paper rolls. I firmly believe every craft project can be completed with toilet paper rolls. We're going to make creepy eyes for the bushes in your yard... they are really creepy, be warned.
I found some red cellophane bags at Walmart. I cut them and taped them to the inside of the rolls to make the eyes glow red. I wrapped black electrical tape around the outside to keep them concealed on Halloween night.
Feed some Christmas lights in through the back, taping the ends and the back closed when you do. Stuff them in the bushes and creep yourself out.
Happy haunting!
I love all of your crafts, another great idea.
ReplyDeleteSuch a cool idea Priscilla! All the kids will remember your house!!!
ReplyDeleteNow this has got to be the very BEST yet. I'm creeped out, too. hehehe
ReplyDeleteVery Scary! Great idea! TFS!
ReplyDeleteCarmen and the Primcats
You are so darn crafty! I have to gather supplies and do every one of them for next year!!! (I was out of gauze, but it's on my list for the super easy mummies)
ReplyDeleteClever! Just one more great thing tp rolls are good for! :)
ReplyDeleteI just about threw out a roll this morning and thought there must be something I could make with it. Thanks for the great idea, yet again!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if you could just put a glow stick in, so you don't have to worry about wires.
ReplyDeleteGlow sticks for different colored eyes- may not be as creepy
ReplyDeleteHuh... I hadn't thought of that. And it would have been much easier than what I did. And since those glow sticks come in several colors, it would have been kind of neat.
DeleteWhere were you a year ago? :)
What a great, inexpensive Halloween decorating idea! Will definitely have to try this now that my boys are old enough not to cry when they see it, LOL.
ReplyDeleteAwesome - we've actually been collecting TP rolls - and this is something I could actually do - but what if it rains?
ReplyDeleteI covered mine with black electrical tape... if you used glow sticks like some much smarter people than I have suggested, they should be pretty safe in the bushes. The are simple to take out in a hurry though, so if unexpected showers occur, they could be grabbed and saved.
DeleteThi is such a fabulous idea for Halloween. So easy and cheap too. Thanks!
ReplyDeletewe do a HUGE display every year in our yard. We collect donations for the local food pantry's and Humane shelters. This is an awesome idea. and I know exactly where in the yard we can put these. Thank You!!!
ReplyDeleteJenn from Welcome To Our Nightmare
I'm making these to scare my adult son for a practical joke. We're telling him we heard a noise in the attic, and when he goes to check it out, he'll see red glowing eyes in the dark corner. Planting several in his yard with golden eyes. He'll assume they are skunks and freak out. This is the kind of thing we love to do to each other. We're a weird family!
ReplyDeleteI love the attic idea.
DeleteEvery time I put a toilet roll in the recycling I think "There must be something more interesting I can do with these!" and Voila! This is it! I will now start eagerly building my collection! thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteThis is soooo cool. My husband goes all out for Halloween and instead of putting lights on our bushes I'm going to do this with glow stick. <3 it!
ReplyDeleteDo you think the battery operated tea lights would work?
ReplyDeleteThat's what I was thinking of! And using different colors of tissue paper behind the eyes for variety. I'll be checking it out soon!
DeleteHow cool ...this is a craft my 4 year old can help me with! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHow cool ...this is a craft my 4 year old can help me with! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThis is so clever! Cannot wait to try this craft out this Halloween!!
ReplyDeleteI too love this idea I love crafting and I love Halloween and my 4yr old son was born on Halloween and this is going to come in handy for me on Halloween this yr. I had to make one right away just to check it out, so looked around for some stuff. I had black acrylic paint for the outside cause I didn't have any electrical tape, and no glow sticks, and all my Christmas lights where in storage so I use those flashy multicolored mouth pieces and tucked it inside it fit snug it looked really cool! Thanks for the idea my son loved it!
ReplyDeleteI too love this idea I love crafting and I love Halloween and my 4yr old son was born on Halloween and this is going to come in handy for me on Halloween this yr. I had to make one right away just to check it out, so looked around for some stuff. I had black acrylic paint for the outside cause I didn't have any electrical tape, and no glow sticks, and all my Christmas lights where in storage so I use those flashy multicolored mouth pieces and tucked it inside it fit snug it looked really cool! Thanks for the idea my son loved it!
ReplyDeleteI just love this idea. I love crafting and I love Halloween, it is kind of special to me and my Hubby our son was born on Halloween, we are always trying to think of new idea's to do for him on this day he will be 4yrs this Halloween. I had to try one right away so I looked around and tried to see what I had to make one up. I didn't have any electrical tape, but had Black Acrylic paint. All Christmas lights were in storage, and no glow sticks handy...so I painted the outside black cut the eyes and stuck a flashing multicolored mouth piece inside it, it fit snug and it worked out looked cool! My hubby wants to use the Christmas lights in them and run them through our bushes. Just wanted to Thank you for the idea very unique we will enjoy it this yr very much my son loved it..lol
ReplyDeleteAwesome in so doing this.
ReplyDeletecan't wait to make a few of these. Will go perfect with our haunted house
ReplyDeleteThey will go perfect with our haunted house. Can't wait to make these
ReplyDeleteafter seeing this cool little project I designed a little circuit that would make the eyes glow
ReplyDeleteon and off and it makes these things all the more creepy! www.paulinthelab.com/2012/09/fading-leds-eyes-for-halloween.html
I'm gonna try it with glow sticks taped inside. I found 15 glow bracelets for $1 at the dollar store. No electricity required.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! I've posted it on my Halloween Must Make List on my blog, The Handmade Experiment - http://emilyflippinmaruna.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/random-art-illustration-day-1/
ReplyDeleteI am having trouble cutting out the eye balls. Any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteYou might need a craft or exacto knife to get small eye shapes cut out. Otherwise, take a regular pair of scissors and cut a hole in the middle of the eye... start at that hole to cut to the edges and around. Let me know if you need more help!
DeleteUse a single-hole hole punch to start the cut. Much easier than trying to poke a hole in with the end of the scissors.
Deleteglow sticks will only last for one night. i think your original idea of string lights is better. great idea!!
ReplyDeleteThis will be a great craft activity for the kids on friday nite of our weekend camping trip (while parents are setting up camp). The campground has a halloween theme for the weekend and everyone decorates their site. I already got glow stick bracelets on clearance at Michaels (100 for $2.37) so they are perfect for inside the tubes. The glow sticks should last for the two nites we will be camping. thanks for the great idea. Also thinking great idea for Girl Scout camping too - adults and set them out ahead of time without the girls knowing and then went it gets dark and we are hiking around camp they will see them. simple & fun!
ReplyDeleteThese would be cool with some cheese cloth wrapped and frayed and hung from trees with fishing line
ReplyDeleteI'm featuring this at Clever Nest! http://www.myclevernest.com/2012/10/11-kid-friendly-halloween-ideas.html
ReplyDeleteCome check it out!
Alyssa
Fantastic idea! Love it.
ReplyDelete<3 Christina at I Gotta Create!
Wildly Original linky party is open
I made these using the glowsticks and they didn't look good. It was just a line of light that through the middle of the eye cutout. It didn't light up the entire inside of the tube.
ReplyDeleteI think you could use bracelets too just bend them to fit inside. Maybe it would be better if the sides were covered so the light wouldn't escape out of the sides
ReplyDeleteSo cool! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteTo diffuse the light try placing a sheet of wax paper or other translucent material in the tube, behind the eyes.
ReplyDeleteThanks to the original poster! I had a similar idea and was struggling to find a simple and inexpensive solution. Now I can put these all over my yard! The idea of using cheesecloth to make ghosts in trees is excellent as well!
I used your cool idea for some goody bags, then did a blog entry about them! Check it out here: http://dammitminnie.blogspot.com/2012/10/down-pinterest-rabbit-hole.html
ReplyDeleteAnother thought: Use a "Viewtainer" storage tube and black construction paper. Cut out the eye shape you want on the construction paper (easier than cutting holes in an existing paper tube), then trim the construction paper to fit rolled up inside the Viewtainer tube. These tubes already have end-caps and are just about waterproof. You could use different sizes for bigger eyes, set the eyes further apart in bigger shrubs, or even make a mouth to go with the eyes.
ReplyDeleteThis may cost more than using paper tubes, but are more durable. Plus, if you mess up the cutouts for the eyes, it is easy to make a new one with another sheet of construction paper. Hope someone finds this useful! More here: http://www.viewtainer.com/
Love it! Used black card stock, lined with white paper for better reflection, and those little battery powered tea lights. Didn't line them with cellophane, but will next time.
ReplyDeleteThe pictures you took. Just wondering, you maybe live out in the bush??? 'Cause if you live on a street where there are streetlights, the ambient lighting is just gonna show -- toilet paper rolls. Can't get that dark in the city.
ReplyDeleteCover it w/ something, depending where you are placing it. I live on a "streetlight-lit street" and I put out a "graveyard" and put them among the "tombs" kinda buried in the leaves. They look really neat "glowing" out of the leaves. Of course I've not done them w/ the light strains yet, only the glow sticks so haven't had to worry about them getting to hot. But being that it's already cold at Halloween time (or at least it is where I live) I'm not real worried about them getting to hot. I check my deco often. Hope this helps.
DeleteI found a problem with the glow sticks at the end of it, that no one has mentioned. I ended up with all these non-reusable, non-recyclable dead glow sticks that I could only pitch in the garbage as they are full of chemicals. I was horrified, as I'm really trying to reduce the waste that our household produces. Duh me, I should have realized, but I felt really bad.
ReplyDeletePlease keep in mind I have not read the comments. I think using wired lights is a great idea. I was brought up on to use things once and then throw them away. I'm not saying using glow sticks is wrong, just that my father successfully drilled that into me very well. I think issue paper or that "gift basket" plastic would work to get different color eyes. I glanced at one post mentioning lining the tubes, possibly foil would work? I also plan on painting one of the tubes black and comparing it to the electrical tape one. I figure the electrical tape has the advantage of making the tube more sturdy. I am eager to try this. Thank you for posting this tutorial.
ReplyDeleteI love this idea. So cool! Thanks for the idea!
ReplyDeleteLove peeps who love creepy stuff. Thx 4 the fun!
ReplyDeleteI used paper coffee "tins" (bigger, stronger) for bushes, trees and long
X-mas wrapping paper tubes to run along the driveway fence and on the ground, along the house foundation. TAPED THE CELLOPHANE SHEETS AROUND OUTSIDE OF ENTIRE TUBE and gathered it at the back, using a twist tie around the light cord, which also holds it in place and protects from moisture. Caution: untested possibility bulbs may get too hot if left on for hours & hours. However, I haven't had any problems when I turn them on @ night for 3 hrs. HAPPY HAUNTING! P.S. for those who have fountains or pools, create a spooky effect by blowing up surgical gloves 1/2 way, crack a glow stick (small) and insert into glove, then blow up glove rest of the way. Tie off and laugh your hiney off as the ghostly hands "float" across the water.
Love peeps who love creepy stuff. Thx 4 the fun!
ReplyDeleteI used paper coffee "tins" (bigger, stronger) for bushes, trees and long
X-mas wrapping paper tubes to run along the driveway fence and on the ground, along the house foundation. TAPED THE CELLOPHANE SHEETS AROUND OUTSIDE OF ENTIRE TUBE and gathered it at the back, using a twist tie around the light cord, which also holds it in place and protects from moisture. Caution: untested possibility bulbs may get too hot if left on for hours & hours. However, I haven't had any problems when I turn them on @ night for 3 hrs. HAPPY HAUNTING! P.S. for those who have fountains or pools, create a spooky effect by blowing up surgical gloves 1/2 way, crack a glow stick (small) and insert into glove, then blow up glove rest of the way. Tie off and laugh your hiney off as the ghostly hands "float" across the water.
I've always used glow stick but they don't last but one night so that makes it an "Halloween night only" deco. So I love your idea but????? what do you do w/ the extra lights on the string of lights?? If you let them be under the bushes than that would be a "give-away", I would think. If you try to stuff all of them in one tp roll it would get to hot. Neither one seems like a good idea to me. So, what do YOU do w/ them???
ReplyDelete