I wanted to hide several lights on the lawn and thought making a few Fed Ex box tombstones posted about in the past would work. I didn't have too much time to spend creating nameplates or adding embellishments on them though. A random trip to Walgreens for the fiancee saved me. While there I found a 4-pack of small tombstones for only $4.99. Each was hot glued to a box and the box was hot glued to a piece of wood. Once painted, they had a pretty decent look and heavy feel. Several were made easily in under an hour.
A few were also used to create a more defined path leading Trick 'r Treaters up to the porch. As an extra detail I placed faux stone busts I had on top of them. They were an extra cheap scare as well being motion sensor triggered talking ones.
Those look pretty good to be done so quickly. That is one thing my haunt is lacking in, tombstones.... gonna have to crank them out come summer.
ReplyDeleteWicked, yeah I'm always surprised how pretty good they look for something so cheap and easy, I think it's the thickness that really sells it (store bought ones are always so thin). PLUS they're just plain fun to make and personalize. Over the past couple of years making some of these and speciman jars have become a yearly tradition to me like carving Jack O Lanterns.
ReplyDeleteIngenious use of those small store bought tombstones and a FedEx box?! I never would have thought of that! Nice job!
ReplyDeleteThese tombstones look great! How well do they stand up to the weather each year?
ReplyDeleteDawn, they hold up really, really well. First, the smaller store-bought tombstones are made from styrofoam, which we all know, takes nature a hundred years to affect. Second, the Fed-Ex boxes are designed by the company to be fairly weatherproof as they need to tolerate the elements in transport and sometimes being left outside on doorsteps. There is some natural warping over time being hollow, but adding some kind of internal support like ribs would keep from happening. The only things to be concerned weatherproofing is your glue, base and painting. But I've found that any non-water based glues and latex/acrylic paints last years in average weather conditions.
DeleteIf in doubt though always give a prop a coat or two of clear outdoor grade varnish.