Halloween Front Yard Witch and Cat Lawn Decore

My husband and I made Martha Stewart's Witch and Cat silhouette lawn ornaments about eight or nine years ago. We put them out every year and we still love them! They're popular in the neighborhood and just make me happy. I highly recommend this project if you've got one weekend day to dedicate to it.. It's an easy one for beginners. I'm going to share how to get this done right quick:

Products used in this project: 
*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning that I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.

• 2 4'x8' pieces of plywood that's 3/4" thick (one piece is for the witch and the other one is for the cats (we only made 2 or the 3).
• Jigsaw
• Saw
• 1 quart of black paint (latex)
• Crafter's spray adhesive
• Screwdriver
• Electric drill
• Rubber mallet
• 12' of heavy wall conduit (need 6' for witch and 3' each for the cats)
• Six 2-hold conduit straps and 16 screws 
• A witches broom
• A cup hook
• A witches solar lantern 
• Witches cauldron
• Outdoor floodlight

 

1. First things first: Download and print the Witch Template and the Cats Template. They'll print in sections that you cut out and just tape and piece together until you've got a full-sized witch that's almost 6' tall and two cats that are 2' and 3' tall each.    

2. Now use the spray adhesive to adhere the whole which onto the plywood. Do the same for the cats. Use your jigsaw to cut out the design. When you're done you peel off the templates. We sanded the edges slightly and then painted them all black. Let them dry for about an hour.

3. Now you attach the conduit to the back of the witch and each cat using the conduit straps - 3 for the witch and 2 for each cat. We cut the witch's conduit 6' long and 3' long for the cats using a saw.
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4. Don't forget to screw the cup hook into the witches' left hand so she can hold her lantern. Screw one more conduit strap on the back of the witches' right hand for the broom to slide into. 

And you're done!! It's time to put them out on your lawn. You just hammer them in using a rubber mallet. Slide the witches broom through the conduit piece on the back of her hand and hang the lantern from the cup hook. I highly recommend a solar lantern, because then you're guaranteed that it will go on every night. I tried candles - which blew out within seconds of course (and probably broke fire laws) and led battery tea lights that you have to remember to turn off/on. Which obviously you don't ever remember. So solar is definitely the way to go! Place a cauldron at the witches feet for the full affect. 

Back light the witch and her cats using a yard stake-flood light like this one. You'll be the hit of the entire neighborhood. I highly recommend this project!