Spooky House Centerpiece
A little Halloween magic transforms an ordinary wooden birdhouse into a charismatic cottage with a crooked chimney, spooky bat accents, and a glittery black roof.What
You'll Need
This haunted house will be the
highlight of your Halloween table.
- Wooden birdhouse
- Needle-nose pliers
- Wood filler
- Sandpaper
- Acrylic paint: purple, black, yellow
- 4 foam paintbrushes
- Wooden star cutout
- Pencil or white colored pencil
- Lightweight cardboard or craft foam
- Construction paper: black, blue
- Scissors
- Craft glue
- Black modeling clay
- Hot glue gun, glue sticks
- Copper wire: 18 gauge, 22 gauge
- Wire cutters
- 6 silver star sequins
- Glitter: black, crystal
- Raffia: black, orange
- Floral accent pumpkin
- If the birdhouse has a perch, pull it out using needle-nose pliers. Fill the
hole with wood filler; let dry. Sand smooth.
- Paint the house purple and the roof black. Paint the wooden star yellow. Let
dry.
- Draw a checkerboard pattern onto lightweight cardboard or craft foam; cut out.
Stencil checks around the middle of the house using black paint. Let dry.
Use the stencil to paint a checkerboard pattern onto the middle of the house. - Trace the door pattern onto black construction paper; cut out. Use craft glue
to glue the door on the front of the house, covering the hole and perch area.
- Mold a crooked chimney out of modeling clay. Let harden for at least 8
hours. Hot-glue chimney to the roof.
- Cut 18-gauge wire into a 6-inch length, and bend into a curved line. Hot-glue
this wire to the back of the wooden star. Stick the other end deep inside the
chimney to hold in place.
- Cut 22-gauge wire into 3 pieces, approximately 3 to 4 inches each. Bend into
curvy lines. Sandwich one end of the wire between 2
silver star sequins, and hot-glue the 3 pieces together. Repeat with the other 2
wires. Stick the ends of the wires deep into chimney.
- Use a paintbrush to paint craft glue along the sides and on top of the roof.
Generously sprinkle black glitter on glue. Put a large glob of hot glue on top
of the chimney to secure the wires, and sprinkle with black glitter.
- Trace the bat pattern onto blue construction paper 4 times; cut out. Fold them
down the middle, making creases. Dab the wings with craft glue; sprinkle
lightly with crystal glitter. Use hot glue to secure bats around the house.
- Hot-glue raffia around the base of the house. Hot-glue the floral pumpkin in place.
Display your spooky house on a table or anywhere else that needs a good scare. Looking for a creepy way to welcome guests into your home -- or into a room? Try the chilling door hanger on the next page.
Want to scare up more fun Halloween ideas? Try these:
- Halloween Crafts: Not done being creative? These are great do-it-yourself projects for Halloween, from trick-or-treat boxes to candy jewelry.
- Kids' Halloween Costumes: Try on our unique costume ideas for your ghosts and goblins.
- Halloween Masks: Want an easy way to dress up for Halloween? Try a mask instead of a costume. Check out our selection of monstrous masks.
- Halloween Games: Play more than 20 spooktacular games to entertain kids and adults alike.
- Halloween Recipes: Learn how to make dozens of bewitching Halloween treats.
- How Halloween Works: Traces the popular holiday’s Celtic roots to American traditions celebrated today.
