DIY Cheesecloth Ghost Cake Toppers

I will be the first to admit that there are a million different variations of this project floating around out there, but that’s also kind of why I love these little ghosts. We made a version of these every year with my mom when we were kids, sometimes out of cheesecloth and kitchen twine like these, or other times out of tissues and thread. Basically, whatever we had on hand. We’d hang them from doorways or the chandelier in the dining room, or we’d stick them on skewers and pop them into houseplants at random. Today we’re making little homemade ghosts and calling them cake toppers, but you can’t go wrong however you use them in your Halloween festivities!

• Cheesecloth
• Kitchen twine
• Bamboo skewers
• Scissors
• Super glue
• Cotton balls

Begin by laying your cheesecloth flat and cutting out squares approximately 5 inches by 5 inches. For larger ghosts, cut squares that are a bit larger or cut smaller squares to create smaller ghosts. I prefer a double layer of cheesecloth for each ghost, so I make sure my cheesecloth is folded in half while I’m cutting. No worries about clean edges! The rough edges of the cheesecloth when it’s cut is one of the best parts of these little ghosts. Next up, grab 2 – 3 cotton balls and use your fingers to pull them apart a bit and puff them up before placing a mound of cotton at the center of each square to form the ghost’s head.

Gather the cheesecloth around the cotton of the ghost’s head to form the ghost shape. Insert a bamboo skewer with a dab of super glue on the end, so that the glue holds the skewer in place once it’s inserted into the cotton ball. Cut a length of kitchen twine about 4 inches long, and wrap it snugly around the base of the ghost’s head a few times to form the neck. Knot it in place tightly, trim the ends and behold! The world’s cutest little cheesecloth ghost, ready to take flight on top of your favorite cake just in time for Halloween.

Crafts like this are my favorite! Quick, easy, super inexpensive and kid-friendly to boot if you have little ones who like getting crafty with you. With this one, you don’t even have to bake the cake. Pick up a simple, white cake from your local grocery store or bakery, stick a few ghosts on top and you’re party-ready in no time. Or, you know, skip the cake entirely and just go wild hanging ghosts all over the house. That’s a completely legit option.

[Art direction + styling by Cyd Converse | Photos by Alice G. Patterson for The Sweetest Occasion.]

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