How to Make a Halloween Swag

Drape the top of your window or doorway with a hodgepodge of materials and Halloween decorations. See "How to Dry Apples," under Related eHows, for slices to hang on your swag; "How to Make Cinnamon Ornaments" for the leaves; and "How to Make a Cheesecloth Ghost."

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Large Crafting Needles
• Raffia
• Aleene's Tacky Glue
• Cheesecloth
• Glitter
• Glue Guns
• Hot Glue Sticks
• Scrap Fabrics
• Scissors
• Twine

The Swag

1. Make 10 to 15 dried apple slices. String apples together or tie with a piece of raffia. (See "How to Dry Apples.")
2. Make 10 to 15 cinnamon leaves. String together or tie with a piece of raffia. (See "How to Make Cinnamon Ornaments.")
3. Cut 40 10-by-10-inch squares of scrap material in Halloween or fall colors.
4. String them on twine with a large crafting needle: Fold the fabric squares into fourths, and poke the needle through the middle of each one.
5. Make five small raffia bows. Use natural or different colors.
6. Make three small cheesecloth ghosts (see "How to Make a Cheesecloth Ghost"). Hot glue them to twine. You can use baby food jars as the mold for the smaller ghost shape.
7. Make 5 to 13 paper pumpkins. String or hot glue them to twine.
8. Make 5 to 11 paper bats. String or hot glue them to twine.
9. Cut a 72-inch piece of twine, and string the dried apples, cinnamon leaves and scrap material squares.
10. Tie the cheesecloth ghosts, paper pumpkins and paper bats with raffia bows on the twine.
11. Tie on extra raffia bows for filler.
12. Mix and match pieces. For a fuller-looking swag, use more squares of material and raffia bows.
13. Tie a large raffia bow on each end to hang, or use a pair of old napkin rings tied to each end and hooked over a curtain rod.

Paper Pumpkins and Bats

14. Cut open a brown paper bag.
15. Iron flat.
16. Draw pumpkin and bat shapes onto the paper bag. You'll need two of each shape for one pumpkin or bat.
17. Cut out the shapes.
18. Sponge paint the pumpkins and bats or decorate with glitter. Add small wiggly eyes to the front.
19. Squeeze a small, thin line of hot glue around the outside edge of the back pattern, leaving a 1/4-inch opening at the bottom of the cutout.
20. Place the front onto the back, pressing into the glue.
21. Fill the pumpkin or bat with small pieces of plastic bag or newspaper to give it a puffy look.
22. Glue the opening shut when full.