• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
House of Hawthornes
  • DIY
  • Gardening
  • Budget Decor
  • Thrifting
  • Seasonal
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • DIY
  • Gardening
  • Decorating
  • Thrifting
  • Seasonal
  • 🛒 Our Amazon Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » DIY And Crafts

    Halloween Ghosts Made From Gourds

    Published by Pam Kessler | 563 words. · About 3 minutes to read this article. - 28 Comments

    Tutorial for Halloween ghosts made from gourds. Super quick and easy fall craft idea, including step by step instructions.

    Tutorial for making these fun Halloween ghosts made from gourds. Super quick and easy to make for your fall home decor.
    I wanted something Halloween-ish yet not too scary for my back porch this year, so I decided to make some spooky Halloween ghosts made from gourds.

    And since they're not THAT spooky, they'd make a fun craft to include the kids on. (Just bring the kids in on the last part of the tutorial though, the cleaning part is not super duper kid-friendly as you'll see in my instructions).

    Tutorial for making these fun Halloween ghosts made from gourds. Super quick and easy to make for your fall home decor.

    How To Make Halloween Ghosts Made From Gourds

    Supplies:

    • Dried Gourds
    • White Spray Paint
    • Black Craft paint
    • Small Craft Paintbrush
    • Cheesecloth

    Instructions:

    How To Clean Gourds -

      • If your gourds have not been previously cleaned when you buy them they will have dirty, moldy, crusty stuff on the skin. If your gourds are cleaned for you already, skip down to the To Make Ghosts steps.

    Tutorial for making these fun Halloween ghosts made from gourds. Super quick and easy to make for your fall home decor.
    Tutorial for making these fun Halloween ghosts made from gourds. Super quick and easy to make for your fall home decor.

      • To remove the crust, soak your gourds for two hours in a bucket of water with a splash of dish detergent and a dash of bleach. This will soften the crusty exterior and keep the mold and dirt from becoming airborne.*

    Tutorial for making these fun Halloween ghosts made from gourds. Super quick and easy to make for your fall home decor.

      • After soaking, you should be able to remove the outer crust with a kitchen scrub pad. Throw the scrub pad away when you are done with this step, because it's going to be nasty.

    Tutorial for making these fun Halloween ghosts made from gourds. Super quick and easy to make for your fall home decor.

    • Allow the gourds to air dry.

    How To Make Ghosts From Gourds -

      • Spray paint the gourds white. I hang mine from tree branches with twine to make it easier to spray the whole gourd at one time.
      • After the spray paint has dried thoroughly, paint the faces on with black craft paint. Get creative with your faces.

    Tutorial for making these fun Halloween ghosts made from gourds. Super quick and easy to make for your fall home decor.

      • Cut a length of cheesecloth and place over the top and your "ghost" is complete.

    Tutorial for making these fun Halloween ghosts made from gourds. Super quick and easy to make for your fall home decor.
    Tutorial for making these fun Halloween ghosts made from gourds. Super quick and easy to make for your fall home decor.

    *It is recommended to use a respirator over your mouth and nose so as to limit your exposure to the mold. I personally have not used one, but I'm not always the sharpest tool in the pumpkin shed. If you want to include the kids in on the fun, I would definitely leave that step to the grownups though and maybe have them start off with the already spray painted gourds.

    Here's a couple of the faces I created.

    Tutorial for making these fun Halloween ghosts made from gourds. Super quick and easy to make for your fall home decor.

     

    Tutorial for making these fun Halloween ghosts made from gourds. Super quick and easy to make for your fall home decor.

     

    Tutorial for making these fun Halloween ghosts made from gourds. Super quick and easy to make for your fall home decor.

    A few years ago, I made some smaller gourd ghosts using Chinese bottle gourds. I think the little guys look a little more like the real thing???

    Tutorial for making these fun Halloween ghosts made from gourds. Super quick and easy to make for your fall home decor.

    Because if there is one thing I'm an expert on, it's ghosts.

    (This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. You can read my full disclosure policy here.)

    Where To Buy Gourds

    I've had people ask where they can find dried gourds online. I normally buy mine at a local farm market, but I have seen quite a few for sale on Etsy. For instance Front Porch Gourds has a very nice selection of them (I've never personally bought from them, but they do have a five star rating on etsy).

    Types Of Gourds To Use For Your Painted Gourds

    • Chinese bottle gourds (the small guys)
    • Martin gourds (the larger round-ish ones)
    • Long handled dipper gourds (the tall, thin scary dudes)

    Tutorial for making these fun Halloween ghosts made from gourds. Super quick and easy to make for your fall home decor.

    A list of all my Halloween projects can be found here - Featured Halloween.

    Other posts you may enjoy:
    An Oil Funnel Jack-O'-Lantern
    Repurposed Oil Can Pumpkin
    How To make Velvet Pumpkins
    « The Circleville Pumpkin Show
    It's The Giant Pumpkin, Charlie Brown »
    16.9K shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. [email protected] at the Crossroads

      September 03, 2014 at 5:18 pm

      Pam, your gourd ghosts are just the cutest things! I may have to conjure up some of my own!

      Reply
    2. Laura Kuhlmann

      September 03, 2014 at 7:55 pm

      These are fantastic!!!

      Reply
    3. Jodee Weiland

      September 16, 2014 at 9:04 am

      I am so into Halloween décor...love to make it fun for the neighborhood children! This such a great idea...looks wonderful, too! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    4. Marilyn Clark

      October 05, 2014 at 8:05 am

      These are so cute! Very clever! Stumbled!

      Reply
    5. Vanessa

      October 16, 2014 at 5:15 am

      These are so cool looking. I love it.

      Reply
    6. Sharron Perkey Freeman

      September 26, 2018 at 12:11 am

      These are adorable!! However growing your own gourds is easy peasy and therapeutic too! They only need some wire or something to vine up. Tons of sunshine and water and done!!

      Reply
    7. Linda at Mixed Kreations

      September 30, 2018 at 8:38 am

      These are super cute, and would be so easy! I use to grow my own gourds! Looks like I should start growing them again. LOL

      Reply
    8. Becky Rizzonelli

      August 15, 2020 at 6:00 pm

      Love the ghosts and can’t wait to make a few this fall. Do you have a full view of decorated porch for display?

      Reply
    « Older Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Learn how to create a budget friendly home you'll love using repurposed thrift store finds, easy DIY & craft projects and seasonal gardening tips.

    Trending Content:

    • DIY Industrial Pipe Shelves
    • How To Grow Peonies - A Complete Guide
    • How To Paint A Front Door Without Removing It
    • Homemade Squirrel Repellent Recipe
    • DIY Earring Holder
    • How to Make A Penny Bowling Ball
    • Top 10 Thrift Store Shopping Tips
    • Blueberry Crostata Recipe
    • How To Make Winter Porch Pots
    • How To Grow Hydrangea In Pots

    About Me

    Pam Kessler | Author of House Of Hawthornes

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Web Stories
    • Blog

    Let's Connect

    • Subscribe
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Facebook

    Shop

    • Amazon Favorites
    • Shop The Look

    Please use appropriate safety precautions when attempting projects. All projects are attempted at the reader's own risk.

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 House Of Hawthornes, LLC

    🍪 We use cookies to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Do not sell my personal information.
    I Accept Read Privacy Notice
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled

    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

    Non Necessary

    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.