DIY Lit Ghosts Inspired by Pottery Barn

Make your own spooky, fun Halloween decor with these easy DIY lit ghosts! Learn how to make glowing ghosts using simple materials for a budget-friendly Halloween setup.

I had originally planned to keep the front porch very simple and very fall-y. But the kids started asking for “spookies” (aka ghosts, skeletons, halloween-esque decor) for the first time, and I thought a few lit ghosts were the perfect addition! I’d been eyeing these adorable ones from Pottery Barn [HERE] and figured we could make a few of our own.

How to Make DIY Lit Ghosts

Watch these ghosts come to life in my latest YouTube video: Falloween Front Porch | DIY Lit Ghosts, Spooky Hanging Candles, and a Fall Doormat. 

Step 1: Cut Tomato Cages to Size

Start by cutting your tomato cages down to size. I made three different sizes of ghosts for a little ghost family. But you can make however many in whatever size works best for your decor! I started with 42″ tomato cages and left the tallest one full-height, then cut the next one a few inches. I actually used an old jalapeno/peppers cage for the shortest ghost because I had an extra from the garden, but another tomato cage would work just the same. Cut it just below the first rung for a similar height.

The metal on the cages was thicker than I anticipated, so I ended up using a cutoff wheel to cut them. However, if you have large wire cutters or tin snips, those should work too.

Step 2: Make the Ghost Head

Bend the ends of the tomato cage wire in slightly so they’re narrow enough for the foam balls to sit on. Add a bead of hot glue to the tops of the wires. Then center the foam ball over the cage and press it into place.

Press it just enough for the wire and glue to stick into the foam a bit, but not too far to send the wires all the way through the foam.

To keep the cost down, I used two 8″ half foam balls for the two larger ghosts and a 5″ full foam ball for the smallest ghost. The half foam balls were quite a bit cheaper than the full size balls in the larger size and worked just as well. There was less room for pressing them onto the tomato cages, but the hot glue made them plenty secure.

Step 3: Drape Sheets for the Ghost Body

This is when it really starts to come to life! I priced out getting fabric by the yard, but it was so much more budget friendly to buy two sets of twin sheets from Walmart and cut them down. Of course, it depends on what size and how many ghosts you make. But two sets of sheets was enough for these three ghosts.

For the larger ghost, I used two of the twin size flat sheets. For the medium and small ghost, I cut the elastic out of the fitted sheet in the sheet set, then cut the sheet in half. I used one fitted sheet per medium and small ghost. Aaand – good news – now maybe I could actually fold the fitted sheet nicely 😉

So each ghost has two sheets (or two halves of a sheet). I recommend doing a dry fit to get an idea of how you want to drape the sheets before you add the hot glue to the head. It took me a bit to figure out how to split the difference so the fabric draped all the way to the ground on all sides. But, I promise, if you play with it for a bit, it works! Drape the first sheet a little off to one side. Then drape the second one a little to the other side. So you end up splitting the height a bit AND it give the ghosts a little wispy bottom where the fabrics are draped at different heights!

When you’re feeling confident in the placement, gently fold up one side, add hot glue to the foam head, drape the fabric back down, and press it into the glue to secure it. Work your way around the ghost until the sheet is glued to the foam on all sides.

Step 4: Even Out the Bottom Fabric

Since we’re working with a bed sheet, you’ll end up with some squared corners along the bottom of the ghost. To make everything look smooth and more rounded, work your way around the bottom of the ghost, cutting the fabric in a circle.

There was exactly no exactly-ness to how I did this. I just pulled the sheets out to the sides around the bottom and cut off pieces until it looked rounded and fell nicely. In a few places, I left it long and just “swooped” it around the bottom of the ghost to cover any exposed areas where the sheets weren’t as long.

Step 5: Add the Face

Cut out small ovals from the black felt for the ghost’s eyes. You could also draw them on with a black marker or paint, but I like the bold look of the felt. Place them toward the top of the fabric, positioning the eyes for a spooky but playful ghost face and hot glue them in place.

I didn’t add a mouth, but that could be cute as well!

Step 6: Lights

Now for the “lit” part. Lift up the fabric and weave lights into the tomato cage. I used Christmas lights because I have an outlet right next to these guys on the porch. But battery-powered LED lights would be perfect if you want to set them further away from an outlet.

I might change mine to battery lights at some point. Maybe if I move them out to the steps next year or something, but the Christmas lights worked for this year. Honestly, I’m already in so many batteries with all the lantern candles and hanging candles that I didn’t want to add to the chaos! Though it’s probably more practical.

I waited to weave the lights in until the ghosts already had the fabric on and everything so I knew which way they would be facing and could position the lights the best.

Step 7: Weights

We get a lot of wind around here, especially in the spring and fall. So I weaved some string into the bottom of the tomato cages and put extra landscaping bricks we had into the bottom of each ghost. We’ve had some major wind storms since I put the ghosts out and haven’t had any issues. I was actually pleasantly surprised how well it worked!

You could also add some safety pins to hold the fabric to the cage in a few places. But I just left it hanging freely and it’s been totally fine. If you don’t have twine or string, duct tape is another good option – just something to give the brick something to sit on to anchor them down.

For some added fun, I glued a little pumpkin onto the fabric of the baby ghost.

He’s too cute!

They’re such a fun addition to the porch. The kids absolutely LOVE them. It’s just way too fun to see their excitement over Halloween this year. It’s the first time they’ve been this into it, and I’m embracing every second!

Let me know if you give these a try!

Happy Halloween!

Front Porch Sources

More Halloween and Fall Ideas

• DIY Black Terracotta Pumpkins
• DIY Fall Doormat

| Tylynn |

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