Anyway, you probably noticed I haven't published a single blog since December of last year. Well, I'm tired. I can't use the excuse that "I'm busy" because I've always been busy and never had a problem squeezing in some great projects ... before. That was until I had a kid. Once you have a baby it's all over. I can't believe I'm even admitting that but it's true. Oh how the mighty have fallen.
Moving on - Halloween. Yes. Costumes. Yes! Window Monsters YESS!!! Halloween on a Friday Night? HELL YES!!!!!
Sadly, I can't take credit for these window monsters. I wish I could because they are really easy to do. I needed some inspiration and of course Pinterest sucked me in. I figured this would be super easy and quick and I was right! Thank God because sometimes Pinterest really lets you down.
There weren't any directions on how to do this. I had to figure it out but it wasn't hard. Here's what you need:
- Cardboard or matboard sheets large enough to fit your window openings
- Box cutters/scissors
- A bionic hand to cut the cardboard
- A marker
- Black paint/brushes
- Contact paper or tissue paper
If you don't have any cardboard go to a frame store and ask them for their mat board inserts. They will have a TON of huge cardboard inserts that get shipped with their supplies. I was so excited when I figured that out. Yay me.
1. I started by laying out each sheet and measuring the height of my monsters. You want some variety and height for each panel. Cut each panel so they are really snug in the window frame. That way you won't need to use tape.
2. Draw your monsters with a marker or something dark enough to see on cardboard. Don't worry about the lines because you're going to paint over them.
3. Cut each monster shape out. This was hard and took some time. Cutting cardboard with scissors takes an intense amount of strength and patience. I didn't do well with either but a glass of wine really helped.
4. Paint the cardboard black. I tried using spray paint first but it was so porous it just sucked the color right through (see my pic?). Lame. I decided to use oil paint which I already had on-hand. Plus, I wasn't driving my butt back to the store. I would suggest using cheap acrylic or tempera paint for this. It will dry a lot faster than oil based paint and has great coverage.
5. After you paint the monsters you'll want to cover their eyes with a translucent material. You want something that will let the light shine though from behind. I used contact paper and taped it to the back. You could also use tissue paper.
6. Pop those babies in the window and enjoy!
