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Halloween in a Hurry: Easily Mummify a Fall Planter
Transition your front porch planter from fall-tastic to spooktacular with this easy and removable mummy makeover.
Photo by: Cassidy Garcia, Styling by H. Camille Smith
Cassidy Garcia, Styling by H. Camille Smith
Materials Needed
- 2 bags of cheesecloth
- black tea bags
- long, shallow dish
- double-sided tape
- sparkly gold self-adhesive craft foam
- scissors
Before: Needing a Seasonal Spook Up
For less than $10 and in just a few minutes of assembly, you can give your fall planters a not-too-scary Halloween costume. Read on to learn how.
Bountiful Fall Planter
When planning a fall container, include a thriller, filler and a spiller. This can't-miss container gardening recipe is a favorite of both pros and aspiring green thumbs, alike. The thriller is a tall, central knockout plant or plants (here, we used a single croton), filler plants are lower plants that grow in to give the planter a lush look (we used fuzzy lamb's ear) and the spiller is a trailing plant that will spill over the container’s edge (we used both lime green and purple sweet potato vine). Tip: Planting just one multicolor croton plant in a container is an easy way to add a lot of bang for your buck. The brightly hued plants vary in color from burgundy to all shades of orange and yellow to citrusy green. They're tropical natives, though, so if you want to keep your croton going past a single season, you'll need to overwinter it indoors.
Photo by: Cassidy Garcia, Styling by H. Camille Smith
Cassidy Garcia, Styling by H. Camille Smith
Create Stained Bandages
Steep 5-6 black tea bags in a pitcher. Place cheesecloth in a long baking dish, positioning the fabric in a coiled shape so it isn't crowded and can best absorb the tea. Pour tea over cheesecloth (Image 1) and allow to set overnight for maximum staining (Image 2).
Cassidy Garcia, Styling by H. Camille Smith
Cassidy Garcia, Styling by H. Camille Smith
Dry Bandages
Move stained cheesecloth outdoors and, without wringing, drape over a porch rail, clothesline, tree limb or garden sign to allow the stained fabric to dry in the sun.
Cassidy Garcia, Styling by H. Camille Smith
Create Glowing Eyes
Fold gold, sparkly self-adhesive craft foam in half and cut out an almond-shaped eye, similar in shape to a cat's eye. Tip: Folding the foam in half before cutting creates a pair of eyes whose shape mirrors each other.
Cassidy Garcia, Styling by H. Camille Smith
Attach Eyes
Remove craft foam's paper backing and attach the mummy's eyes, at an angle, to the front of your fall planter.
Cassidy Garcia, Styling by H. Camille Smith
Add Mummy's Bandages
Starting at the top back of the planter, use a piece of double-sided tape to secure one end of the tea-stained bandages and begin wrapping around the planter, criss-crossing the bandages as you go (Image 1). Determine how much of the mummy's glowing eyes you want to show and use a piece of double-sided tape to hold the bandages in place to give the eyes a sinister, hooded appearance (Image 2). Note: Depending on the size of your planter, you may need to use both packages of stained cheesecloth. If so, just use double-sided tape to end one piece of cheescloth before starting the next.
Cassidy Garcia, Styling by H. Camille Smith
Cassidy Garcia, Styling by H. Camille Smith
Monstrously Greet Guests
Position your mummified planter where passers-by and trick-or-treaters can see it (Image 1). After All Hallows' Eve, just remove the mummy's eyes and bandages to return your planter to its previous fall glory (Image 2).
Cassidy Garcia, Styling by H. Camille Smith
Cassidy Garcia, Styling by H. Camille Smith
Photo By: Cassidy Garcia, Styling by H. Camille Smith
Bountiful Fall Planter
When planning a fall container, include a thriller, filler and a spiller. This can't-miss container gardening recipe is a favorite of both pros and aspiring green thumbs, alike. The thriller is a tall, central knockout plant or plants (here, we used a single croton), filler plants are lower plants that grow in to give the planter a lush look (we used fuzzy lamb's ear) and the spiller is a trailing plant that will spill over the container’s edge (we used both lime green and purple sweet potato vine). Tip: Planting just one multicolor croton plant in a container is an easy way to add a lot of bang for your buck. The brightly hued plants vary in color from burgundy to all shades of orange and yellow to citrusy green. They're tropical natives, though, so if you want to keep your croton going past a single season, you'll need to overwinter it indoors.
Photo By: Cassidy Garcia, Styling by H. Camille Smith
