Halloween Plaster Craft

Add pizzazz to traditional Halloween decor with plaster crafts.

Halloween is a time for jack-o'-lanterns, scarecrows and ghosts. Interior and exterior Halloween decor has only grown in popularity in the 21st century and shows no sign of letting up. Supplement your tired bowl of candy corn and your spider-webbed front door with some homemade Halloween decorations made from plaster.

Handprint Ghost

Use a craft stick to mix 1 cup of plaster of Paris powder with 1/2 cup of water in a disposable plastic container. The consistency should be stiff yet creamy; you may need to add more plaster or water. Transfer the creamy mix into a disposable pie tin so it is 1-inch thick. Press your hand into the plaster, keeping your fingers together. Take your hand out and wash it immediately. Push a pencil through the plaster, between the edge of the handprint -- the wrist side -- and the edge of the container. Let the plaster dry completely for 24 hours. Pull the plaster handprint out. Turn it so that the fingertips point to the bottom; that is the bottom of the ghost. Use a small paintbrush and tempera or acrylic paint to color the outer plaster black but leave the actual handprint white. Paint long, oval black eyes onto the ghost's face. String an orange ribbon through the hole and hang it on a wall.

Homemade Chalk

Use the Halloween chalk to decorate your sidewalk for trick-or-treaters.

Mix 2 tablespoons of plaster of Paris powder with 2 tablespoons of orange powder tempera paint in a small wax paper cup. Repeat with black tempera paint in a separate wax paper cup. Slowly add water to the dry mix and stir it with a craft stick until the mixture is creamy. Allow it to dry for 1 hour. Tear away the cups to reveal your Halloween colored chalk. Decorate your walkway.

Witch Hat

Mix 1 cup of plaster of Paris and 1/2 cup of water in a disposable plastic bowl with a craft stick. You may need to add more plaster or water to get the consistency of molding clay. Slide the mixture into a quart-size clear plastic baggie. Squeeze out the extra air and seal the baggie. Mold the plaster into the triangular shape of a witch's hat by pushing on the bag; be sure to leave a wide brim on the bottom of the hat. Let the plaster harden for 1 hour. Peel off the bag. Brush any dust off the plaster. Let it set overnight. Paint the entire hat black with tempera or acrylic paint.

Warnings

Do not breath in the plaster dust. Do not pour plaster of Paris down a sink drain; it will harden and cause plumbing problems. Dispose of leftover plaster in garbage cans. Use disposable gloves to protect your hands.

References

• PBS Kids: Homemade Chalk
• She Knows: 10 Tiny Fingers