DIY Ghosts with Garry Oak Leaves
BOO! It’s not even October and I already want to decorate the whole house in spooky creatures. Am I the only one this year? Quinn and I had so much fun collecting leaves and making these ghosts that we wanted to share the process with you. This project is fun for all ages, adults too!
Once you have the leaves the project can take 30 minutes plus drying time. If you don’t have Garry Oak leaves near you, you can use other types of Oak or Maple leaves. Let’s dive into how we made these ghosts and the one mistake to avoid!
What You’ll Need
8-10 Garry Oak leaves (or how ever many you want to make)
White paint
Container for paint (we re-used a take out container)
A paint brush
A sharpie
Paper/painting cloth (we reused brown paper we had in the home)
Collect leaves from your local park or yard. You have two choices before you paint, you can either dry and press the oak leaves or paint right after you collect. Since Quinn is only 2, it was better to not have a fragile pressed leaf to paint so we let the leaves dry on a tea towel for an a hour then painted them.
Start painting the leaves with white paint. Most important tip: make sure to paint both sides of the leaf! This will ensure the leaves don’t curl once painted.
Once all the leaves are painted on both sides, let them dry for the recommended drying time on the paint can. I would pick them up a few times to make sure they don’t stick to the paper. Once they are dry add the eyes and mouth with the sharpie. Have fun putting them around the home or give them as a gift to a grandparent.
Happy ghost making.
