SPARKLY BOO DOOR HANGING

Just a month to go and it's Halloween! I just love Halloween, ever since I was 2 and went trick or treating for the first time! I used to love making decorations to be hung on the door, survey my haul of candy when I got home and then continue to pass out the bags and bags of candy my Dad brought home for the neighbourhood kids. I always make a big show of our house to welcome kids to come and knock. This year I am adding some DIY decorations to pep up what I already have. I saw these pins here, here and here on Pinterest and they inspired me to make something similar for my front door.

I purchased some small mache letters from Hobbycraft (purchase here) and surveyed what I already had at home in terms of decoration!

I am all about the sparkle so set out my pots of glitter, Halloween paint colours, orange ribbon, glue and clear sealer. I didn't have any orange glitter to hand but the clear/white was a good substitute.

First things first! Paint the letters! The black only took one coat with a little touch up here and there, though the purple and orange colours needed a couple of coats to get a nice solid finish.

 I love painting, even if it is only some letters!

All painted and looking festive already!

Next came the fun and messy part! My husband said I had a nice glittery beard going on by the end of it! Nice!

Spread a nice layer of mod podge or any other type of craft glue you have on hand to the top of your letter. Take the glitter and sprinkle carefully and generously over the letter. Tap off the access to see if you have missed anywhere and repeat if necessary.

Glitter going on.

Tapped and glittered. Don't worry if you can see the glue, it should dry clear but check the glue you are using first.

When dried, start on the sides of your letters. I found I could do one or 2 sides of each letter and by the time I was done with the third letter I could go back to the first and do the remaining sides.

Ta da! Well on the way here but of course glitter has a habit of coming off all over you and your clothes! Time for some sealer! I took the letters outside in my trusty box and gave them a liberal spray on top and sides. Let your letters dry completely.

The glossy nature of the sealer I used really brought out the glitter in the letters. Some of the glitter did still come off when I tapped the letters but it was much less than without some sealer. I highly recommend it!

Lastly I had to attach the letters together to make the hanging. I took my ribbon and eyed roughly what I would need and played around with the letters until I was happy with the gaps between them.

I used 3 pieces to attach the letters rather than one long piece.

I used my hot glue gun to seal the ribbon onto the back of the letters as well as making the loops.

At the top I glued a loop to the top then added a smaller loop in the other direction to make the hanger.

All done!

I found the plastic spider lying around from another Halloween so put him to good use!

I am very pleased with how this turned out, especially as it only cost me £3.00 to make! Can't wait to put this up for Halloween! I'll be posting a couple more DIY's ahead of Halloween so stay tuned!

Supplies used:
Mache letters from Hobbycraft as stated above
Americana Lamp Ebony Black - purchase here or here
DecoArt Crafters Acrylic Regal purple - purchase here or here
Orange paint from a set of 8, purchase in any craft shop
Glitter was a gift, purchase similar packs here (currently out of stock online) or here
Mod Podge can be purchased at most craft shops or online
Ribbon is old, purchased as a reel, similar can be bought by the reel or metre in fabric and craft shops
Plasticote Clear Sealer in gloss - purchase in store at Hobbycraft or DIY stores