How to Make Styrofoam Tombstones

Families enjoy decorating at Halloween nearly as much as they do at Christmas. Stores are now selling all sorts of molded plastic yard decorations. However, if you want to show your individuality and make your own tombstones, yours will be one of the neighborhood show stoppers. Using Styrofoam, wood, paint and nails, you can complete the project in a few hours--and use them again each year.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 1 1/2-inch thick Styrofoam sheets 1-by-2-inch boards Drill and drill bits Handsaw Latex paint Paint brush Pencil Black marker Knife 2-inch nails

1. Decide on the shape of the tombstones you want to make. They should be at least half the size of a real tombstone. Use the pencil to trace the outline, then cut out the stone using a sharp knife.

2. Paint the Styrofoam tombstone with gray latex paint and allow it to dry.

3. Think of some clever epitaphs and lightly pencil them onto the painted tombstones. Use the eraser end of a pencil to incise the letters, then darken them with a marker.

4. Measure the 1-by-2-inch boards the same height as the tombstones. You will need two pieces of wood for each tombstone. Use the handsaw to cut the lower ends of each piece into a "V" so it can penetrate the ground. Place the boards alongside the tombstone and allow 3 inches of the boards to hang off the lower end of the tombstone. Use the drill to make two holes in the widest side of the boards, the first hole 2 inches from the top of each board, and the second about 6 inches below the first hole.

5. Stick one of the boards in the ground and use a hammer to tap it an inch or two into the ground. Place the tombstone standing upright against the board, then place the second board on the other side of the tombstone and hammer it into the ground. Push the nails through the holes in the boards so they penetrate into the tombstone and will hold it in place.

Tips & Warnings

• Think of clever epitaphs, such as "Here lies Thomas Alva Edison--His Light Went Out." For a more realistic touch, use some fake spiderweb material and hook a piece of the web onto the top of one of the boards; thin the web by pulling it down into a triangular shape and attach the base of the web triangle to the ground. Aim a blue spot light onto the tombstones at ground level for a spookier effect. Fog machines that project a mist around the tombstones add a foreboding touch to the scene.
• When pushing the nails into the Styrofoam, take care that you do not put them in crooked.