DIY: Boot-i-licious Halloween Decor

I've LOVED Halloween ever since I could remember. It's such a wonderful holiday season with the fall weather, yummy foods, costumes and fabulous decor!! I thought it would be fun to make an unusual Halloween prop for my decor...so I added witch's boots to a plastic cauldron for a Boot-a-licious Halloween prop. I've decided to display this on the front porch with a bowl of dry ice and hot water for a spooky effect.

Supplies:

Pointy boots

Plastic cauldron

Spray paint

2 heavy duty plastic cups (not disposable)

Black electrical tape

Plaster of Paris

Ribbon

2 - Orange 1.5" wide ribbon 36" long

2 - Black/white polka dot 22" long

2 - Black/white check/striped 18"long

2 - Orange thin ribbon 12" long

2 - Black thin ribbon 7" long

4 - pieces of 8" floral wire

2 - pieces of wood dowel approx 6" - 7"

Instructions:

1. The boots were purchased at a thrift store ($2.50) and had hardly been worn. Before you start any painting make sure to disinfect (all over the boots) with bleach or Lysol. Let dry completely.

I decided I wanted black boots with orange polka dots. I thought about decoupaging the boots but decided to paint them since I had the spray paint on hand. 

2. Spray boots with Kilz primer let it dry. Follow up with orange spray paint - let dry overnight. I used Rust-Oleum Orange Gloss.

3. Using packing tape (because it's cheap and what I had on hand) - cut out 1 1/2 inch circles with the Cricut/Silhouette. Place circles randomly over the boot and press down firmly. The circles barely show up in the photo.

4. Spray paint the boot black. Gently peel the adhesive circles off before the black paint dries. Voila orange polka dots!  If you're fortunate enough to find black boots, orange vinyl circles would be a great and simple way to add the orange polka dots. Of course, you can always skip the step and just paint orange circles on the black paint.

Stuff the boots with newspaper - leaving about 2 inches of space at the top. FYI - I covered the holes on the side of the boot with ribbon.

1. These heavy duty plastic cups were red until I spray painted orange.

2. To make the stripes - adhere black electrical tape around the cup - easy, peasy!!

How to make a layered bow.

1. Lay the thin orange ribbon vertical (not shown on 1st step).  Place the wide orange ribbon into loops on top of the thin ribbon with one end of the ribbon on the left and the other end on the right. 

2. Place the rest of the ribbon as shown.

3. Tightly wrap the thin ribbon around the center point of the ribbon (the ribbon bunches up).

4. Pull at the loops. Fluff and fiddle with the ribbons until the bow looks how you want it!

1. Place the cup inside the boot and drill two small holes through the back of the boot right through the cup. Do the same for the front of the boot and into the cup. Thread floral wire through the back of the boot into the cup and twist the wire to secure. Do the same to the front of the boot. This helps secure the cup to the boot.

2. Tie a small bow to hide the wire in the back of the boot. Tie the large layered bow to the wire in the front of the boot.

3.  Mix Plaster of Paris with water inside the cup ( fill within 2 inches from the top). Immediately place the wood dowel in the center of the cup. Let dry for an hour or so. Do all of the above steps to the other boot : )

4. Place a small piece of duct tape adhesive side UP to the top of both wood dowels. Arrange the boots on top of the table. How you would like them to look under the cauldron?  Line up the cauldron on top of the boots and place lightly on top of the wood dowels. The tape will stick to the bottom of the cauldron to mark the spot to drill two holes (shown below). The hole shown in the center was already there.

     Here's a pic that shows the newspaper stuffed inside the left boot and the cup with wire attached to the right boot. 

 The ribbon combo is my favorite. 

Turn the cauldron over and slide the tops of the wood dowels through the two holes drilled in the bottom of the cauldron! There you have it Boot-i-licious Halloween decor! Since I don't have enough orange vinyl on hand to make the "Trick-or-Treat Smell My Feet" saying I'll wait til next Halloween.



To store: remove the boots from the bottom (pull) and place inside the cauldron until next year.

There is also the possibility of making a a cupcake stand. 

Which one do you prefer - the cupcake stand or the "Trick-or-Treat Smell My Feet" Cauldron? To make the cupcake stand it's the same steps until you get to the cauldron part. Just substitute a round wood topper in place of the cauldron and screw the topper to the dowels with screws.