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You are here: Home / Adult Crafts / SPOOKY Halloween Paper Mache DIY Decoration

August 17, 2020 By Tara Jacobsen

SPOOKY Halloween Paper Mache DIY Decoration

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All my best tips and ideas for how make these super easy and cheap paper mache letters. I got them at Michaels and used gel plate tissue paper to fancy them up! These were the easiest homemade project I have ever made! You could grunge them up to make them look more vintage!

SPOOKY Halloween Paper Mache DIY Decoration

please note :: as an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases, read my full disclosure policy here

Spooky Halloween Letters Video How To

Paper Mache Letters

Okay, maybe you are like me and have seen these letters in Michaels for years and wondered what the heck to do with them! I always thought they were cool, but for some reason this time they just jumped out at me and I figured I would “write” S-P-O-O-K-Y.

Paper Mache Letters To Spell Out SPOOKY

Mine are 8 inches tall, but you could do any size, bigger or littler.

You could use words like haunted house, witches, boo, ghost, or any other Halloween theme!

Prepping The Letters

You want to take off any stickers or price tags. I have done other projects before where I left them on and it was a pain later.

Then cover them, front and back, with gesso. Gesso is a “primer” that will seal your letters AND let the tissue paper stick to them better!

The other nice thing about gesso (especially for a Halloween project) is that it comes in black and white so you can really get the right kind of base color for your tissue papers!

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Halloween Gel Plate Tissue Paper

I made some cool gel plate Halloween tissue paper the other day (video) and thought that I had TONS of it. Come to find out it takes A LOT of tissue paper to cover words.

Paper Mache Letters With Gel Plate Tissue Paper On Them

Paint The Edges

The last thing I did (see easy 3 step process!) was to paint the sides and then a wee bit around edges of the letter. This seemed to really make a huge difference and made them look “professional”.

Closeup of Spooky Halloween Paper Mache Letters

The Final Letters

And this is what they look like on my mantle! I am going through and making all the different project here, but I have to say that this was so easy and fun, I am for sure going to make some Christmas Paper Mache letters too!

SPOOKY Halloween Paper Mache DIY Mantle Decoration

Once I get the whole project done I am going to see if I want to grunge them up a little bit, but for now I love how these decoration ideas turned out!

You could also use them as party decorations on your buffet or on a table by the door when trick or treaters come by!

Yield: 1

How To Decorate DIY Paper Mache Letters

SPOOKY Halloween Paper Mache DIY Decoration

Tips and ideas for how to decorate paper mache letters. This was such a fast and easy project, using cheap letters from the craft store.

Prep Time 2 hours
Active Time 2 hours
Total Time 4 hours
Difficulty Easy

Materials

  • Paper Mache Letters
  • Gel Plate Tissue Paper
  • Acrylic Paint
  • Mod Podge
  • Gesso

Tools

  • Paintbrush

Instructions

  1. Remove any stickers
  2. Paint primer coat of gesso
  3. Apply decorative tissue paper (I used gel plate tissue paper) using mod podge
  4. Paint sides and edges with acrylic paint

Notes

This was a super fun and easy project. It would be great to for your Halloween or Christmas mantle.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Craft Smart Acrylic Paint Set Value Pack, 16 Colors – All-Purpose Paint Kit for Beginners and Professionals
    Craft Smart Acrylic Paint Set Value Pack, 16 Colors – All-Purpose Paint Kit for Beginners and Professionals
  • Mod Podge CS11303 Waterbase Sealer, Glue & Decoupage Finish, 32 oz, Matte
    Mod Podge CS11303 Waterbase Sealer, Glue & Decoupage Finish, 32 oz, Matte
  • Liquitex BASICS Gesso Surface Prep Medium Tube, 16oz
    Liquitex BASICS Gesso Surface Prep Medium Tube, 16oz
© Tara Jacobsen
Project Type: Home Decor / Category: Adult Crafts

Filed Under: Adult Crafts, Halloween Crafts & Decorating

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The Jacobsen Family

Here to show that being a "sandwich" Mom and caregiver doesn't have to be all doom and gloom... let's have some fun with the madness! Tips and ideas for how to care for your kids, parents and self! Let's share some laughs and just try to make it out alive!

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tara jacobsen

Tara is a blogger, Etsy shop owner, Mom to three kids, 3 dogs, 3 cats and a turtle. Her BA in Psychology from Kent State has served her well in the new Dementia caregiver role she has taken on and her creativity is what keeps her sane!

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