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Make Your Own Halloween Graveyard
Kathy Wilson, The Budget Decorator

Description: Create your own graveyard for Halloween by following these easy steps.

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Do-It Yourself Graves

Step One - Supplies: Buy an appropriate amount of quick dry cement at your local hardware store such as Quikrete. For example, for a 2-ft by 1-ft headstone, one bag is generally a good amount. You will also need a shovel or trowel to outline and dig the mold for your headstones. Once the headstones are completed, you will need support to hold them up. I like to use 1/2-inch- 3/4-inch-diameter wooden dowels that you can find at any home improvement store, or even Wal-Mart!

Step Two - Making the molds: Find an area in your yard where digging small holes won't disrupt anything. I generally like to use the back corner of my backyard where there it is a bit more open. Once you find a good spot, trace an outline of how you want your headstones to look with a stick, or even your gloved hand! Once you've done that, Its time to start digging. Take your shovel or trowel, and dig out the outline you have just traced. It doesn't need to be too deep; 4-6 inches should be fine. Once you have it dug out, lightly step in it to compact the dirt as best you can. (Don't worry if the dirt is still loose. It will stick to the concrete, but once dried, it brushes right off!)

Step Three - Pouring the cement: Carefully place a bag of quick dry cement close by to each of your molds. Use the sharp edge of your shovel to break open the bag using your foot as you step down on to it, like shown. Once you've done this, carefully pour the bad into each of the molds. Smooth out the mixture as evenly as you can (doesn't have to be perfect.) Using a spray nozzle, gently wet down the cement until it is thoroughly saturated. Depending on the temperature of your region, it will probably take a couple of days for your headstones to cure.

Step Four - Cleaning: After a few days have passed, you can pull up your headstones. They will be heavy, so be careful and lift with your legs . Once you get them in place, you will need to clean off the excess dirt and ground material before you can paint. I used a wire brush that many people use to clean the grill of a barbeque. If you don't have access to that, a steel wool pad or a Dobe pad should work just fine. Allow the headstones to dry before your move on to Step Five.

Step Five - Painting: Once the headstones are dry, it is time to paint. There are so many options for this step. You can use the classic "RIP". Or you can find other phrases on the internet such as "Gil T Conscience" or "Sonny Cydeup Buried face down." The possibilities are endless. Once you have decided on what your headstones will say, use a paintbrush and free hand the wording. (It gives the spooky effect of a cemetery. No need to be perfect handwriting. However, you can always use an alphabet stencil of choice if that better suites you.)

Step Six - Putting your graveyard together: Now comes the fun part, making your headstones into a spooky graveyard! As we talked earlier in Step One, you will be using the wooden dowels to prop up the headstones. I find it easiest to sharpen one end of the dowels to a point (not too sharp, just enough to get it into the ground with ease.) The best way to do that is to carefully use a razor blade and use a fluid motion and take little strips off at a time. Like I said, you don't want them to be to thin or a sharp point. Also, the dowels are pretty long, so you can cut each one in half and save some money by only needing one dowel per headstone. Once you have your dowels ready, gently tap them into the ground at an angle with a hammer, careful not to split them. Once you have them sturdily in the ground, gently lean the headstone against it and Ta Da! You have yourself your very own Graveyard!

Kathy Wilson is a home and garden writer, author and consultant and is the home decorating expert for LifetimeTV.com. Visit her for more home and garden ideas at http://www.TheBudgetDecorator.com and http://www.TheGardenGlove.com. Also visit her at http://www.Women-on-the-Net.com where any woman can learn to make money on the internet!