My DH and I are planning our first "hopefully annual" Halloween party this year, and our theme is "A Halloween Fantasy". So we want to go "all out" with the decorations both inside and out, to create a halloween "fantasy land" of sorts. Yes, it's a great excuse to get a fog machine, but that's beside the point. LOL

Anyways, I want to make tombstones for the front lawn with all of our invited guests' initials on them (and a couple for ourselves too). And maybe a one-liner about each of them so they can figure out who's is whose. :-) I have no idea how I'm going to light them up yet (we currently have no power outside...though extension cords from the garage might work), but that's beside the point - I'll figure it out later. ;-) For now, I need to figure out the easiest way to actually make them...

I was thinking about craft styrofoam, painted somehow. But I'm not sure how paint will work on that...cardboard would be the easiest, but it's very likely that it will rain or snow before or during the party (which will be on the 29th), so I kind of wanted something more "weatherproof".

So does anyone have any ideas on how to either make the cardboard weatherproof, or paint on styrofoam?

Wait a second...now that I think about it, maybe I could make them fabric over wire frames instead (or even over cardboard covered with plastic?), and then paint the names and sayings on them in glow-in-the-dark paint? The fabric would dry out after rain or snow, and then half my lighting problem would be solved too...hmm...

Anyways, any ideas? :-) I'm going to turn my half-whiskey barrel by the door into a cauldren with black trash bags and wire, with those glow-sticks under saran wrap for lighting, and we'll carve pumpkins for the stairs, hang a broom on the door, and a host of other things...lots of work to do! :-)

Sounds like fun.

As for painting styrofoam, I've had mixed results. I've used acrylic paint and painted it by hand using a sponge brush without any problem (but is time consuming and uses a lot of paint). I've also used spray paint and that's when I got into trouble -- it kind of melted it slightly, but might not be a problem on a large piece like you'd be using.

Assuming it doesn't rain or snow, I'd use candles to light them (kind of like you do with holiday luminaries).

What do you have planned for munchies and snacks? Sounds like fun....keep up posted!!

Janet

Janet, we really don't have the tools to cut plywood yet - just moved into this house a month ago. So the simpler, the better...

I was just thinking (again) that I could get gray garbage bags, stick cardboard forms in them, and then do the lettering in black pen. That would be realistic enough, I think, and still "weatherproof", if I used a laundry pen. :-)

I can't really use candles to light them - highly unsafe with my uneven yard (it's sloped pretty steeply towards the street), and I'd be afraid of forgetting them once everyone is inside and starting a fire on the lawn. Too risky, but I *was* thinking I could get some really cheap little flashlights (black), and lay them on the ground in sets of two, with blue cellophane over the lense...just get batteries at Costco. ;-)

Muchies - I was going to just do a "finger food buffet" of sorts, but DH is thinking pizza wouldn't be too bad. We could make it ahead of time with pepperoni in jack-o-lantern face shapes, and maybe dye the cheese red or something...still working on that, but you can see the post on the Cooking forum. :-)

and then maybe sponge a bit of mossy-green paint here and there :)