Halloween welcome sign

Witches, ghosts, and little monsters in disguise, come trick or treating for candy, cookies, and other goodies, you're more than welcome!

This welcome sign with more than a touch of the Fall about it is a novel, fun idea to welcome young and old alike.

In order to make the pieces in wood yourself:
* You will need a piece of plywood, 9 x 10 x 0.2 inches
* a 98 inch length of wood (similar to the strips of wood used to make battens or brackets) 1 inch wide and 0.35 inches thick
* Tracing paper
* sandpaper
and a fret saw.


To create your welcome sign :
*you will need 2.4 inches of wire
* 1 ear of corn
* some scraps of cloth
* paint and outdoor varnish
* raffia
* sixteen 0.6 inch-long nails and two 2 inch-long nails ( depending on the thickness of the earn of corn)
and in the tools line: a glue gun, a drill.

Print out the stencil for the different shapes, making them bigger if needed (the witch could be 7.5 inches high), and with the help of the tracing paper, draw the outline onto the piece of plywood.
Cut each piece out with the fret saw, then sand it down.  Cut the piece of wood in the following way: - 2 x 7.8 inches - 2 x 6.7 inches - 1 x 8.7 inches - 3 x 10.2 inches cm - 2 x 9.4 inches

Apply a coat of 'gesso' type primer, depending on the kind of plywood and the brand of paint you're using. Leave to dry. Paint the figures using acrylic paint if possible.
Leave to dry.
You may carry out the painting over an extended period of time in order to add more 'depth' to the colors.
Write the message of your choice ("Welcome" etc ...) on the sign – Apply an outside varnish.

Take the various lengths of wood and set them side by side, leaving a narrow space between each one (3 x10.2 inches, 1 x 8.7 inches, 1 x7.8 inches, 2 x6.7 inches, 1 x7.8 inches).
0.2 inches and 5.1 inches from the bottom of the sign,  using the little nails, fix the two 9.4 inch strips.
Using a drill, make 2 holes in the strip that's holding the bottom of the sign together (3 inches from each end) to make it easier to knock in the big nails.  
Bore a small hole on each side of the sign (as seen assembled here), towards the top of the sign, through which you can thread the wire that will be used to hang the sign from the door.

Heat the glue gun. To the witch's hat,  glue on the lower part of the hat and the "piece of jewelry" that you've made with a small piece of wire (about 1.2 inches long) twisted around a pencil and then flattened.
Cut a triangle out of some scrap cloth to make the witch's scarf, then place it around her neck.
With two pieces of raffia, make bunches for the little lady's hair.
Fasten the ear of corn onto the two big nails. Glue the witch just above the corn,  fix the different shapes (ghost and bat) and the "welcome" sign beside the witch.  
Take the piece of wire and twist it around a pencil at various intervals along its length, leaving the ends straight. Thread it through each side of the sign (using the holes that were drilled for this purpose) and twist the ends round and round into a spiral shape.
Add a bow made out of raffia.

Your seasonal decoration is now ready!