Spooky Halloween Bat Display…

As Halloween swiftly approaches, I always get an overwhelming desire to roll up my sleeves, break out the acrylic paints, paper glue and dive right into making cute little Halloween crafts. Of course having a nine year old daughter only adds to the excuse to run riot, and as per usual Emma’s roped into peppering our little abode with all sorts of spooky artistry.

This year I thought I’d attempt a really cute bat display I spotted in Tesco Food & Living Magazine. Although the original creation is displayed with the twigs pushed into a Pumpkin, Em’s and I thought we’d save ours the pain of piercing him with garden sticks and opted a glass flower vase instead finished off with black ribbon.

I must admit, this is probably one of the easiest and most effective Halloween crafts I’ve created (even the most novice of crafter can’t go far wrong), it doesn’t make too much mess (though a table covering is highly recommended) and is relatively quick so you’re not left grumbling a few hours later – great for eager kiddies who prefer to see their efforts come to life rather pronto!

So here’s what you’ll need:

 

Firstly, get yourself out to the garden or local woodland and find some decent size twigs. Thankfully our garden is edged with rather bulky bushes so uncovering our twigs wasn’t too much of a task, however you’ll also need to rustle up:

 

Some paint (acrylic works really well)

A decent child’s sized paint brush

Some black card

Twine or thread

A pencil and pair of scissors…

Something to display the twigs in when done: vase/pumpkin/large jar/ empty bottle etc.

 

Here’s how to do it:

 

After rummaging around the garden to find your chosen sticks, clear them of all dirt and debri. I’d suggest you also give them a clean under warm water to remove any hidden nasties that could be lurking. If necessary leave them to dry.

(We found ours right beside Peppa the cat)

Once dry it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get painting! Em’s and I chose a gorgeous coppery acrylic paint for a touch of autumnal shimmer. However blacks, browns and even purple will look equally as impressive. Just make sure you get all the nooks and crannies covered, then leave the paint to dry – this really shouldn’t take too long if using acrylic, ours were touchable in 30 minutes!

Next take your black card and draw a template of a bat with your pencil. Cut this out and use it to draw another 4-6 bats… or as many as you darn well like! Carefully cut out your little colony of bats and trim to neaten. You’ll also need to rub out any obvious pencil lines.

 

Next make a hole in the head of your bat *ouch* and carefully tie your thread through. I used a hole punch as my card was rather thick. Now make a loop on the other end of the thread to dangle your bats from the twigs.

 

Display your twigs in a vase (or pumpkin) and enjoy your crafty art work… voila!

 

 

Top Tips…

 

• Sprinkle your twigs with glitter for an extra twinkly effect… black glitter looks fantastic over black acrylic paint!
• Once done keep them for Christmas. You can always swap your bats for mini baubles!
• If you’re limited for space why not make a miniature version to display on your desk? Your bats could look super cute in a jam jar with some spooky themed ribbon tied around it!