Friday, October 18, 2013

Pet Ghost in a Jar



While October conjures up all things ghoulish, having grown up in the era of Casper the friendly ghost, the idea of spooky specters bopping about can sometimes posess a certain undeniable charm.
Recently a late night pet food run brought me to Walmart and walking passed the Halloween display, I saw an adorable 
Pet Ghost in A Jar
An online search found more delightful versions but with a price of $9.97-$29.99, I figured I'd scare up my own easy DIY version, with supplies I already have on hand. 












  Ghosts by Night or Day

You will need
Large clear jar or container
Fiberfill or faux cobwebs
Glow in the dark spray paint
a wire coat hanger 
(I used a white one leftover from the dry cleaner)
Scrap paper, paint, craft supplies, 
beads for eyes
flameless votive
Printables 
I painted the top and bottom areas of the jar with a brushed nickel paint which works on glass and covered the lid with paper.
 With a piece of coat hanger, form a spooky friend and attach to cardboard base so he stands upright without support. 
The creepy/cute label featuring a Victorian cemetery is from the The Graphics FairyI cut an opening in the center area large enough to easily see the ghost through the glass.

 Cover your pet ghost with fiberfill or cobweb, layering to camouflage the wire base. I added bead eyes and spritzed him with glow in the dark paint, using several light coats as not to flatten texture
I inserted silver tone scrap paper and propped it behind the ghost to help reflect light. I centered the opening of the label to highlight the ghost and glued it on.
 A cut section of paper plate serves as a support for a flame-less votive which when popped in upside down,  casts a fun light and is easy to turn on and off. I simply poked a hole for the "flame" to fit through and taped the paper on to the inside top of jar. Don't worry, it is camouflaged by the jar lid.

Display with eerie accessories
Old photographs and daguerreotypes are one of my favorite affordable thrift store finds and sometimes the "blooper" shots are the most interesting. Passing years have left this well dressed young lady with a ghostly countenance perfect for a Halloween vignette

Play with different vignettes: Though not spooky, per se, an owl adds a touch of mystery
  
*Just display out of reach of small kids or mischievous pets
My cats found this little ghost intriguing and were ready to pounce
Wishing everyone a Bewitching Holiday!

59 comments:

  1. Omgoodness this is just the cutest thing. Thankyou im gonna go make one

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  2. Omgoodness this is just the cutest thing. Thankyou im gonna go make one

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    1. So glad you liked it! They are super fun to make- Let me know how he turns out!

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  3. Cute pet ghost in a jar! And, I love your clock, do I see a porcelain face on it? Gorgeous!

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    1. Thanks Gina!
      The clock is a hand me down from my mother when she moved- I love the deco design- sadly the hands fell of and I stored them somewhere to repair and of course can't find them- I think the face is enamel on metal maybe :)

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  4. This has got to be the BEST Halloween craft I have seen this season! Soooo cute! Thanks!

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    1. Hi Patti!
      That is so nice of you to say- this was really fun to make- I might try a few more different versions :)

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  5. How cute! My name is Katie and I host Fall Into the Holidays, open Saturdays. I would love to have you link up!

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  6. ooohhh spooky
    come see what we shared at http://shopannies.blogspot.com

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  7. Replies
    1. Thanks- he was a lot of fun to make- although my husband thought he was a snowman at first haha

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  8. Oh Wow Christina,
    Love how it turned out. A little note of creepier..some of those photos are funeral shots of loved ones 8/

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    1. Thanks Melody! and oh that is creepier! I just saw some photos like that on Pinterest looking for Halloween images- a little disturbing! cue scary music-----

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  9. LOL this is too cute.

    ( What WILL they think of next! :) You did an awesome job of conjuring up your own version

    I LOVED Casper when I was little :)

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    1. Thanks Deb!
      It was easier to put together than I thought- so glad you liked it!
      I was a big Casper fan too- (I guess I'm showing my age) lol

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  10. OMG now how precious is that? I love this and I also love that the project sounds so easy to make. Thank you for sharing and for the well written instructions on how to make one myself. Happy Halloween!

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    1. Thanks so much and so glad you enjoyed the project!
      It didn't take much time at all to make-I had the supplies lying around- I might try to come up with some different versions next year :)

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  11. This is so cute and putting the little tea light gives it the perfect glow. Thanks for sharing the label! This is such a fun holiday to craft for! Hugs!

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    1. Thanks so much! I agree - Halloween is such a fun excuse crafting, especially with a little silliness. So glad you enjoyed the project.

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  12. Oh my how cute! You are too smart- love the candle mounted that way- I never would have thought of it!

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    1. Thanks so much Liz!
      The candle was a result of some trial and error - haha but so glad you liked the project!

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  13. That's adorable! Charlie @pickledokra.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks for visiting Charlie so glad you enjoyed it! I'll pop over to your site!

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  14. What a cute idea. Your ghost came out really nice. I am book marking this page so I can find it again. Thanks for the inspiration ..... Candy

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    1. Thanks Candy- this was fun to make and not to tricky! Let me know if you give it a go and how it turns out! :)

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  15. That is such a cute idea. It's really fun and perfect for Halloween decorating.

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    1. Thanks so much Karen!
      I like to go more fun and whimsical than all out scary :)

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  16. Adorable! And Penny wise as always. My pick of the week from Ivy and Elephants What's It Wednesday.

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    1. Oh I'm so delighted! Your parties are absolutely the most fun!

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  17. How adorable! I just love it. Thank you so much for sharing at Throwback Thursday.

    xoxo
    Denyse

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    1. Thanks Denyse!
      and a big thank you for hosting your your Thursday parties- always such fun!

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  18. Wow. Awesome. I have one of the old tintype pictures of my great grandmother but it doesn't look scary. ;) Best wishes, Linda

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    1. Hi Linda!
      I love old photos too- It's wonderful to have one of relatives- and have to say I'm relieved your grandmother doesn't look so scary - lol

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  19. This is COMPLETELY adorable and made me smile. I had to "pin it"! :)

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    1. Thanks Laura!
      it was a fun twist on the ghoulish side of things- Thanks so much for pinning!
      I have to ask- and you must get this all the time- Are you related to the writer Laura Ingalls Wilder? I adored her books growing up!

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  20. This is a really cute idea. I bet you were glad you made that run to Walmart!

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    1. Thanks Patty! LOL you're right - I don't usually find inspiration at Walmart :)

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  21. What a cute idea! Thanks for linking up at Whatever Goes Wednesday. This was the most viewed link last week, so we'll be highlighting it at tomorrow's party. We hope you'll stop by and join in the fun again :)

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    1. Thanks Miranda!
      I'm delighted to be featured and thanks for hosting your fun weekly parties- I always find so many fun and unique ideas on your site!
      Cheers
      Christina

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  22. Oh, so cute and oh, so clever - loved it! I am delighted that you shared with Home and Garden Thursday,
    Kathy

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  23. Absolutely LOVE this! I am going to be heading son's 4th grade Art class in 2 weeks and he wants to do this project...any thoughts on doing this with larger plastic cups with lids rather than mason jars, etc. 30 kids-don't want to spend a fortune! Any suggestions appreciated!

    Jennifer

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    1. Thanks Jennifer!
      How fun!I think plastic cups is a great idea for a group project (and safer too with 4th graders lol) You can simplify it a bit by placing the ghosts on small paper plate or lid with the light underneath and then place the upside down plastic cup over it- might be easier for little hands - I was also thinking of doing a variation using those peep marshmallow ghosts as a pet/snack lol- I would love to see a photo of your projects!

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  24. These would be great little gifts for the neighbourhood kids next Halloween. Thanks for sharing.

    Annabelle

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    1. Great idea Annabelle!
      These are lots of fun to make and you can used recycled mason jars :)

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  26. Christina, if you go to clockit.com they have clock supplies at decent prices.
    I love the ghost!

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  27. Oops, that was klockit.com. sorry. Made me realize I needed a new catalog!

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    1. Thanks so much -I hadn't heard of that site - I will check it out! Much appreciated :)

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  28. This is awesome!! Thanks for sharing!

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  29. This is awesome!! Thanks for sharing!

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  30. That's sooo pretty. I want to have something like that in my living room on 1st of November.

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  31. I love this! can't wait to try to make one. :)

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