Hello morbidity.
Quite the start of this DIY post, huh?
Well, I guess when the post is about making your own headstones, it tends to walk on the dark side. Obviously I am not afraid of that – considering I dressed up like Darth Vader for Halloween. REEEeeeeaaaders, I am your blogggggeerrrrrr.
(did that just happen?)
Anyhoo…today’s post is a recap on those Halloween headstones and crosses. I wanted to make sure I archived this for any future questions….I’m sure in like four months, folks will start pinning Halloween stuff for planning purposes and Hobby Lobby will break out the pumpkin stuff again so better prepared than nothing, right?
These were super easy and relatively cheap (compared to the foam ones you can buy at Walmart). I had all the materials on hand but if you had to buy them you could get away with spending $3 on the wood for the crosses, $10 for the headstones, and $6 for two paint samplers. So consider this an under $20 Halloween challenge.
You will need a saw, a paint brush and a drill.
First the cutting…I had some scrap 1/4″ plywood from leftover projects, so that is the type of wood I used for the headstones. The crosses were made out of a 1″x2″. Since my headstone scraps were already cut to length, I used the miter saw to cut off the corners to create a octagonal effect on one end. I didn’t do it perfect…just eyeballed it.
After sanding the edges, I coated everything in some leftover front door paint. This was exterior paint (I figured if I had exterior it would be better especially if these stayed outside as decoration for the front yard) but I’m sure that other interior samples would work fine too since the Halloween season is really short.
After they dried, I thought of a bazillion things to paint on them. In the end, I decided that they should all be different and I didn’t want to put any names.
I chose to just free hand “RIP” & “DEAD 1839” & a skull on them but I considered doing a bat, a cross, a spooky SCREAM face, a moon, a handprint, “BOO”, branches, cat eyes, a rose, Frankenstein stitching, swirlies, a keyhole, skull with crossbones, “Here lies…” or an angel. The possibilities are endless.
The crosses were super easy too. I like the idea of making a ton of these and putting them all over the front yard for next year. That would freak me out…which would be awesome.
After cutting them to length (again…eyeball it), I sanded them and then painted. Then I predrilled for the screws because I thought I might crack the skinny little sticks.
Then I screwed them together and touched up the paint before putting them up.
I would say overall, this project took me maybe an hour from start to finish…mostly because I was waiting for paint to dry.
So random fact…I kinda dig graveyards. Not literally. You have to have muscles to do that 🙂 I don’t really know exactly why but I like that they are really quiet…and peaceful…and they don’t give me the heebie jeebies. In fact, when I was born, we lived within a couple blocks of a few. And then in college, I actually lived on property that had about four headstones right next to my building. The funny thing is…I want to be cremated. I don’t want to waste the ground on a box with me in it. But I do like headstones. They are like sculptured art that hold stories. It’s all very intriguing.
Now that I got really random and weird on y’all…I’m outta here. Not literally of course…I’m still planning on being alive and all 🙂
Didn’t that fog machine set off your smoke detectors? Not saying that happened at my house or anything. 😉
Goodness gracious, Katie, you got in one last good Halloween scare with that headline! I was afraid you were going to share some bad news like the death of a grandparent, or worse! Instead, just a fun project and a sweet finish, like Halloween should be. 🙂
I feel the same way about graveyards. Lifelong interest…my parents used to take my friend and I as teens to a very huge, very old one. I just loved reading the inscriptions and checking out the different gravestones.
Have to disagree on the burial/cremation thing…plain pine box painted black…i like to think I would push up some fabulous daisies.
I love me a good graveyard, too. Once I abandoned my task of buying clear nail polish for bridesmaids preparing for my uncle’s wedding because there was an awesome American Revolution-era graveyard across the road from the CVS. The small town must only have had one person carving tombstones, because there were three designs: weeping willow, skull with wings, or angel. It was my favorite part about the whole wedding!
My grandpa’s house was only four houses away from a huge cemetery, so not only did my siblings and I grow up playing there and feeding the ducks, but I’ve heard so many stories of my aunts and uncles playing there when they were kids. I love the peacefulness and sense of history of cemeteries, but I also want to be cremated.
Probably not the best idea to post about death, gravestones/yards on Veteran’s Day…
I’m with you about cremation Katie!
Love the headstones and crosses. Will and Weston are lucky to have such a creative mom!
Have you read Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters?
This post reminded me of it, especially the first lines.
If you’re not familiar with it, the gist is that it’s an anthology of poems told by people from their graves. They’re not too long and are quite fun! They’d be perfect for enhancing any Halloween party, or could always invite others to write their own and have a spin off anthology of your own!
“REEEeeeeaaaders, I am your blogggggeerrrrrr.” Hilarious! Thanks for the tutorial! We made your spider pumpkin (Webster) this year. It was such a big hit! We had a pirate themed birthday party for our son a few days before Halloween and our version of Webster got his own eye patch. 🙂
I lived right next door to a graveyard growing up. When asked, my parents always joked that “it’s great because the neighbors are really quiet.” 🙂 I always liked how peaceful graveyards are and I love exploring historic ones – it’s not weird at all! Although, I too want my body parts to be donated, then my body to be donated to science and/or cremated.
Funny.. I dig graveyards too… and want to be cremated!! I live up in Rome, GA and we have one of the most beautiful cemeteries here. Myrtle Hill is very historical with huge artistic stones and monuments. Each October the local history museum hosts cemetery tours around town highlighting the famous people buried there and their stories. Woodrow Wilson’s wife is buried at Myrtle Hill and it is said he rode all the way from Washington, DC and her funeral parade tucked underneath the funeral carriage so no one know he had left the Capitol during the war. The tomb of the known soldier is also located there. Since you don’t live too far, just wanted to throw that out there as a fun trip for you guys sometime!
“Hello morbidity?” “Death comes to us all?” Probably not the best choice of words for Veterans Day, even ignoring the headstones and graveyards in the content below.
I was really disappointed to see you put this up on Veteran’s Day, especially given what you named the entry!
Katie, I always viewed you as a strong Christian woman with true Christian values and ideals. Why allow such a representation of evil in your home? I know Halloween is a time children enjoy, but why not do it without all the skulls and scary decorations? I’m sorry, but this is a contradiction to what I saw as your beliefs.
Hi Mimi! I guess this falls into one of those ‘decide what you feel is right’ category. There are a lot of parts to Halloween that do celebrate what Christians would say is evil and I don’t personally believe in promoting things like witches or gore even in the name of Halloween…but I do think that skulls and headstones are cool (Halloween or otherwise). It might just be the biology major in me that likes creepy crawlies but I don’t believe that it contradicts my beliefs…but I know different folks, different strokes!
xo – kb
Honestly I never even thought of that! My apologies! I had this scheduled to go up and didn’t even realize but yes…completely accidental and I am so sorry!
xo – kb
Never thought of that when this was scheduled but I see that completely! So very sorry!
xo – kb
Nope! It would go off for a predetermined amount of time (we did five seconds and that was plenty!)
xo – kb
Yeah…that was completely unintentional! I scheduled this to go up and didn’t even think that! My apologies!
xo – kb
So cute! Love a eyepatch!
xo – kb
A vote for the weird side of Katie! I like your post.
What a great tutorial!!!
If it wasn’t already November.
Hi, Katie! Kind of psyched to see we have a love of cemeteries in common. Pre-baby, one of my favorite things to do was take a few hours and stroll around a cemetery taking photographs, reading the stones and wondering about the stories contained therein, and enjoying the peace and quiet. 🙂
(Also, geez, people need to reeee-laaaax. 1. You’ve obviously acknowledged (and apologized!) that you didn’t post this on Veterans Day with any malicious intent. 2. Christians can disagree about things like Halloween and wine and other minor things and still be good Christians. Perspective, people!)
I love cemeteries too…maybe it’s from all those years of watching Buffy? I just love checking out old cemeteries, even new ones can be cool! But yet, I also want to be cremated! And added to the coral reef…they mix your ashes with cement and you go in the ocean to become home for fish…talk about the circle of life!
Now that you know way too much about me and my future, I like those headstones, especially how easy they are! I think I will steal some of the sayings from the headstones in the garden at the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland!
It is really interesting to read about the origins of Halloween and you will find that even the creepy-scary-death stuff has roots in Christianity. It’s on the “eve” of All Saint’s (Hallow’s) Day (Nov 1) when the church celebrates all those saints who have passed on in the last year.
Since Christ conquered the grave and we have no fear of death, the “scary” traditions were started to actually make fun of death and the devil, who has no claim over us who are saved in Christ.
I feel bad for you that so many are offended by your post being on Veterans Day. Just wanted to let you know that not everyone is offended. I am also a Christian who doesn’t care for a lot of Halloween stuff but don’t believe that has anything to do with my faith in Christ.
It actually makes me sick to my stomach that you would have posted this on Veterans Day 🙁 ….mistake or not. I visited all of my favorite blogs today to read a nice little tribute to the men and women who have sacrificed so much (even their lives) for our freedom, but then came here and read a post about death and morbidity. It’s very disheartening. As I’ve read from your reply above, you didn’t mean to post this on Veterans Day and it was a pre-scheduled post, but the fact of the matter is that it WAS posted and still remains.
Just think out of the respect of others, especially the ones who have family members who gave the ultimate sacrifice (but I guess “Death Comes to Us All” right!?!?), you would take this down and have reposted on a different day. 🙁
I’ve never read a bog where the author has to apologize over and over. Maybe you weren’t cut out for this. You tend to offend many people for so many different reasons.
Maybe. I’m human and do what every human does…make mistakes…my mistakes are just exposed to a larger and bolder audience than most folks. But I hope that people understand that just because a person may fail, it doesn’t mean they shouldn’t do what they love. I think it’s our heart that counts but maybe that’s just me.
xo – kb
I am very sorry. I do have family and friends that have served and died for our freedom so I completely understand. Here’s why I didn’t do what you suggest…I never remove things from the blog…whether I am right or wrong because I feel like it’s more important to apologize for mistakes than to just try to erase it and pretend it was never there. I stick my foot in my mouth a lot…you probably already know that if you read this blog in the past. I just hope that everyone that reads this understands that my timing sucked…and that it was not intentional…and that I made a mistake and am very sorry.
xo – kb
What a bitchy thing to say LauraCinIndy. Why do even bother reading Katie’s blog if that’s how you feel? Can I come to where you work and bitch you out? Seems only fair 🙂
I don’t like the Halloween stuff, but it’s a “to each his own” deal for me! I love your blog and understand that grace should be given to you because you are HUMAN! Some people have forgotten that people make mistakes. It’s great when they apologize though! So sad that you’re dealing with scrutiny, even after apologizing. Please keep up the blogging and give yourself grace for the “mistakes”.
I also have never read a blog where the author had to constantly had to apologize. Neither have I read a blog that the poor author was constantly ATTACKED. Seriously Katie, I don’t know how you do it. You are constantly criticized over the smallest things. Yes, you made the mistake of posting about death on Veterans Day, but you also apologized. Veterans Day doesn’t mean any less because you posted about Halloween decorations.. Really people? I just wanted to say I am sorry for the way you are constantly treated in the comments. You are one of my favorite bloggers and I hope you keep it up through all the negativity. I know I couldn’t do it.
She could have taken this offending post down and has chosen not too. She’s just thoughtless. Yes, I’m not reading her blog anymore. I used to defend her too by the way but c’mon… Over and over these types of things happen. It’s old.
Some may think that it was the title or content of this post was insensitive for veterans day. Maybe it was. I think that in general those that are harping on this over and over or are “sick to their stomach” over this may be a little too sensitive. My brother is currently serving in the Air Force and I have had several friends and cousins serve as well. I have lost one of my good friends from high school while he was serving. So of course all of these people were on my mind on Monday and in no way shape or form was I offended about this post. I asked my husband and he wasn’t offended either. I don’t think we are insensitive, un-American a**holes.
Katie recognized the complaint and apologized. It was a pre-scheduled post that is meant to be archived. P
Period. ‘Snarky’ comments are for a different site.
How is this offensive? It’s a Halloween DIY post. I guarantee that the majority of people who read this post, didn’t even know that it was Veterans Day when they woke up until they turned on a tv or a computer, or saw something posted on social media. Even still, Veterans Day is not to be confused with Memorial Day; Veterans Day celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans, while Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving. Get over it and take your bullying attitude somewhere else like GOMI.
Ha ha it’s so funny that this Halloween post was scheduled for November 11th. I personally think you do it on purpose to get a rise out of people. Hello Amy Winehouse! But for every , one snarky comment there will always be 5 ‘fans’ who come to rescue.
I wish I was clever enough to figure out what got a rise out of people. Mine are just from pure accident.
xo – kb