Halloween Tombstones

by PC Smart

sandbox serendipity (my art blog)

We usually go all out for Halloween at my house (check out the photo albums on my blog). In 2006, I wanted to make some quick and easy tombstones with changable epitaphs. I cut pieces of foamcore into tombstone shapes (use a box cutter), and sprayed them with Krylon's Make It Stone Paint (I used a silvery grey color). I googled funny epitaphs and found some great sites with extensive lists. After choosing my favorites, I used some word art to type them up in black and printed them on inkjet transparencies. (I used bevel effects to look like carved stone)

Since it was a bit damp that night, I did spray the transparencies with Krylon's Preserve It Digital Protectant Spray. After adhering the transparencies to the tombstones with GlueDots (or other transparent adhesive), simple insert bamboo skewers into the bottom of the tombstone (point side down). Then you can place the tombstones around your yard (skewers anchor them into the ground).

The first year I stuck them into my bed of groundcover and added spiderwebs. To add some cool touches, download free clip art of gargoyles or other appropriate gravestone art and print/adhere to the "stone". To make the graves more realistic the second year, we mounded topsoil in front of each stone. We placed a shovel on one grave and dirt filled latex gloves near it. The other graves had plastic skulls and cobwebs. The dirt really added a creepy effect. (after halloween we spread it thinly over the lawn)

For each sheet of foamcore you will get two small stones or one very large one. Happy Haunting!