How to Create Your Own Halloween Props on a Budget

Make Your Own Dead Betty for Halloween

Making your own dead Betty for Halloween is very simply and very inexpensive. You can use the ideas I give you to make some great Halloween props that are sure to bring a haunting presence to your yard this Halloween season.

Being a paranormal investigator, I of course love Halloween. It's the time of year when everyone else joins in on the fun and doesn't look at me like I am nuts for talking about ghosts and other ghastly things. Two years ago I wanted to spice up my yard and deck for Halloween but I am usually on a pretty tight budget so I surfed the Internet for hours looking for some awesome Halloween ideas that wouldn't break my piggy bank. I ran across a website that was all about making your own props for Halloween, from bloody eyeballs to heads in urchins and other disgusting Halloween props.

Although I cannot find the website I was on two years ago, there are plenty of similar websites on the Internet about making your own Halloween props. They range from very inexpensive to super-costly, but you are sure to find some great ideas either way. So two years ago, I set out to find a way to make a dead corpse for my yard, and succeeded in finding a way to do it that didn't cost me a fortune. Most people who make corpse props use pvc piping because they make it with corners and such that come in handy for the arms and legs. I didn't realize that pvc pipes could be so costly, so I had to find another way. I found a shovel. Yes, I said shovel! Here is what I used to make dead Betty come to life.

Materials Needed

1. Styrofoam head that I found at the beauty supply store. They are plain white and only cost a few dollars.

2. Some acrylic paint that I already had laying around the house that I had used for various projects.

3. An old black dress that was sitting in my closet collecting dust.

4. An old lace curtain that had holes in it that I used for her veil. (I keep things even when they have holes...guess that comes in handy sometimes!)

5. Old blue or black bed sheet or piece of fabric

6. A regular old garden shovel from the shed.

7. Wire coat hanger

Making Dead Betty's Face