Haunted-House Centerpiece

Materials:

pumpkins
knife
black marker
toothpicks
sheet of foam (long flat piece--will simulate the yard)
sphagnum moss
large black toy or craft spider
dried mushrooms on an artificial stem (purchased at a craft stores and floral shops)
colorful cacti (a couple)
a few succulent plants
bare birch-tree branches (or branches of your choice)
artemisia (gray foliage)
graveyard/coffin/skeleton toys
dried brown peas
miniature wooden fence (made from branches for this project)
gloves
dry ice
bowl
water

1. Clean and carve the pumpkins. Draw the windows on the pumpkin with a marker (figure A), then wash the markings off.

2. Pierce the windows with toothpicks and place--at an angle--onto the pumpkin (figure B).

3. Cover the sheet of foam with sphagnum moss. Take thin wire, folded in half (figure C), and secure the moss. Note: The moss is less messy if submerged in a bucket of water before working with it.

4. Once the foam is covered with moss, place the pumpkin in the center and start landscaping.

5. Attach the large black spider to the top of the pumpkin. One way is to secure the legs into the edges of the pumpkin top (figure D).

6. Place a couple of dried mushroom sticks into the foam on either side of the pumpkin.

7. Place the colorful cacti on either side of the pumpkin beside the mushroom sticks.

8. Place a few succulent plants throughout the moss.

9. Place some branches throughout the moss.

10. Spread some gray artemisia behind and beside the pumpkin.