DIY Halloween Decorations by the Atlantic Ocean

For Halloween, instead of witches, ghosts, and monsters to decorate with, I tried to think what would be more suited to Halloween in Florida. The scariest thing I can think of is the Mauve Stinger Jellyfish that visited the Brevard County area this Summer for an unwelcome long visit. Those things left me with scars!

Mauve Stinger Jellyfish

So, to make some jellyfish decorations, I used some corrugated cardboard that was in the recycling bin from a package we received recently. I cut the top cap of the jellyfish out freehand, and painted the cardboard in a purplish pink to resemble those little buggers.

Jellyfish caps to be painted

Next, I used a couple of white plastic shopping bags (hey, I do the reusable almost all the time, I forget sometimes!) and I cut the handles and bottom off of these bags.

Plastic bag with handles and bottom cut off ready to cut into strips

Removing the top and bottom of the bags makes for a big loop I cut into thin loop pieces about an inch wide. I then cut these loops into strips, cutting off where the printed part on the bag was, so I'd get a clear white strip.

Cut into 1" loops to be cut into long strips

After I had painted the jellyfish caps with acrylic paint and let them dry, I taped the white strips to the back of each cap in a concentrated row along the center bottom. After that, I used some leftover paint and painted the strips too- I started pretty opaque with the color at the top, then used less as I painted down the strip so the stingers would be purple to clear at the ends.

What a fun mess!

Once this dried, I taped a loop of string to the back of each cap to hang. I'm hanging mine on the fence when the Trick or Treaters come around, or you can hang or attach them to a tree, mounting it on a long dowel in the stuck into the ground, etc. Just remember that if you're going to leave them outside in the open weather, you should spray seal it with some gloss coat to keep the cardboard and paint from getting ruined by the rain.

Completed Jellyfish

Pretty spooky, huh? Well, they're scary to me, least. The tentacles really move around when the wind blows, which is fun. It was also a great way to get into the Halloween spirit without blowing cash on pre-made stuff that'll just end up tossed eventually anyway.
Hope you have a fun Halloween and be safe!