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October 11, 2019

Halloween – ReStore Style!

By Corina Patterson

It’s October – time to get the candy out and the decorations up! When shopping the Charlotte ReStore, you are bound to find a few Halloween decorations that have been generously donated. However, part of the appeal of the ReStore is the ability you have to upcycle and turn the ordinary into extraordinary! For this blog post, we wanted to transform an item that we always have in stock into a fun Halloween decoration. We decided to turn to one of our favorite bloggers, Sarah over at Sadie Seasongoods, for some ideas. She lives for this kind of stuff, after all her motto is “living a firsthand life using secondhand things.” We discovered two DIY projects that are low-cost, simple and definitely hit the mark for transforming ordinary to extraordinary. Here is our take on Sadie Seasongoods’ Scary Halloween Figurines and Globe Ghosts. We have linked to her original posts at the end of this blog!

Scary Halloween Figurines

Statuettes. Tchotchkes. Set-abouts. Whatever you call them, these little resin figures usually come in the form of animals or people and are inexpensive at the Charlotte ReStore. For this DIY, we will transform them from sweet to scary with a little paint!

What you’ll need:

  • Figurines
  • 1 can of glossy, black spray paint
  • 1 small container of red paint (we used a sample latex, but craft or chalk paint works!)
  • 1 cotton swab or toothpick
  • 1 drop cloth

To get started, lay your drop cloth on a table and space your figurines about 6” apart. Using short, smooth bursts, cover your piece with spray paint. Be sure to spray side-to-side and bottom-to-top to ensure the paint gets in all the crevices. Allow to dry completely. Next, dip the stick of the cotton swab or the end of a toothpick into the red paint. Dab paint on each eye of the figure and allow to dry.

Creepy, right?

Glow-In-The-Dark Globe Ghosts

Glass globes are another very common item you will find at any Charlotte ReStore. Globes are the glass “shades” that are used to cover lightbulbs on ceiling fans or bathroom light fixtures. They come in a variety of shapes and styles, but most have a fluted shape, not unlike a ghost! This is a quick and easy craft that makes an impact!

What you’ll need:

  • Globes
  • 1 can of Krylon Glowz glow-in-the-dark spray paint (we chose green, but there are several colors to choose from)
  • Self-adhesive felt in black
  • Scissors
  • 1 drop cloth

To get started, lay your drop cloth on a table and space your globes about 4”- 6” apart. Using short, smooth bursts, cover your piece with spray paint. The paint (green) goes on translucent, so the only way to gauge where you have painted is to look at your drop cloth! The instructions on the can say you will need several coats. We applied 3 coats (allowing for 15 minutes of dry time between coats) and were happy with our results. While globes are drying, cut small circles out of your felt to be used for ghost’s eyes and mouth. Once globes are completely dry, simply peel backing off of shapes and position on globe to make a face. Expose ghost globes to light in order to activate paint, then set in dark room. BOO! You have ghosts!

Are you going to try your hand at one of these? We would love to see what you do! Be sure and share your pics with us on social media with the hashtag #cltReStoreDIY! Happy Halloween from all four Charlotte ReStores!

Be sure to check out the original posts from Sadie Seasongoods:

Scary Figurines

Glow-in-the-Dark Ghosts

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