DIY 6-Foot Halloween Yard Witches (and Bonus Cauldron, Tombstones & Critters!)
October is the perfect time for flickering lights, spooky silhouettes, and yard décor that makes neighbors slow down for a second look. This year, we built towering 6-foot-tall witch silhouettes out of plywood — and the results were wickedly fun. With just three sheets of plywood (one witch per sheet), we created a full coven: Martha, Clara, and Hazel.
🌟 A Personal Beginning
Last year, I finally built my very first plywood witch — using a Martha Stewart template I’d saved since my 20s. When I finished, I actually cried — not from sadness, but from joy. It was one of those “look, I did it by myself!” moments. I had waited so long to feel confident with saws, and seeing her standing tall in the yard felt like such an accomplishment.
That witch (and her twin I made for my daughter’s yard) sparked something in me. Now that I’m comfortable with the tools, I decided it was time to design witches of my own. This year, I freehanded two new silhouettes — and I’m sharing those templates here so you can make them too.
✨ Meet the Witches
Martha – my first witch, made from Martha Stewart’s template. She carries both a broom and a lantern — the classic centerpiece witch.
Clara – inspired by Aunt Clara from Bewitched, she holds a broom in her left hand and a lantern in her right, lighting the way.
Hazel – a nod to the classic cartoon witch, she raises her broom overhead with both hands, as if about to take flight.
Together, Martha, Clara, and Hazel form a coven that feels nostalgic, personal, and a little mischievous.
✨ Materials vs. Tools
Materials
3 sheets of 8x4 ft, ¾” plywood (1 sheet makes one 6 ft witch)
Witch templates (2 original freehand silhouettes included here)
Primer (Kilz Multi-Purpose Primer)
Exterior paint (Glidden exterior flat black)
Metal conduit (for each witch stake)
U-clamps/two-hole conduit straps (2–3 per witch)
¾-inch panhead screws (about 8–10 per witch)
Optional: black broom handle (dollar store), twigs, ornamental grasses, wire, hot glue, fabric (for broom bristles)
Optional: solar lanterns
Optional: PAR38 purple floodlight bulbs + spotlight stakes
Leftover plywood scraps (for tombstones, cats, and owls)
Tools
Jigsaw
Sandpaper or power sander
Paintbrush/roller
Mallet (for pounding conduit into the ground)
Drill or powered screwdriver
🪄 Step 1: Create & Trace the Template
I freehanded Clara and Hazel, then turned them into clean silhouettes for easy tracing. You can download those templates here, or freehand your own to make each witch unique.
Since these witches are about 6 feet tall, you’ll need to enlarge and print the template in sections, then tape them together.
📝 How to Use the Template
Download the witch silhouette template.
Resize it to poster-size or tiled pages.
Print on multiple sheets of paper.
Trim & tape the pages together.
Trace onto your plywood.
✨ Pro tip: Painter’s tape holds the template in place while tracing.
🪚 Step 2: Cut Out the Shape
Cut along the traced lines with a jigsaw. Don’t worry if edges are rough — sanding will smooth them.
Here is what Clara looked like before painting
🧹 Step 3: Sand & Prime
Sand all edges, then coat with Kilz Multi-Purpose Primer to seal and prep for paint.
🎨 Step 4: Paint the Witch
We painted with Glidden exterior flat black for bold, dramatic silhouettes. Two coats gave them a deep, shadowy finish. Here is how they looked after priming and painting, you can see in the pic we had extra plywood to use for other things.
🌙 Step 5: Stake & Display
For a sturdy, weatherproof setup:
Pound metal conduit into the ground using a mallet. - Jeff handled pounding the conduit into the ground with a mallet (thanks, Jeff!), while I snapped photos to show the process.
Position the witch against the conduit.
Secure with U-clamps/two-hole conduit straps and ¾-inch panhead screws, using a drill or powered screwdriver.
Two or three clamps per witch keeps everything steady.
🧹 Step 6: Brooms & Lanterns
Each witch carries her broom differently, giving the coven personality:
Hazel’s Broom (Overhead): A black broom handle (dollar store) with twigs and ornamental grass hot-glued on. She holds it overhead with both hands.
Clara’s Broom + Lantern: Broom in her left hand, solar lantern in her right — equal parts grounded and glowing.
Martha’s Classic Combo: Her template came with both broom and lantern from the start, making her the coven’s anchor.
🧹 Step 6A: Attaching the Broom Bristles
To give each witch her own handmade broom, we bundled natural materials like twigs, dried grasses, and branches. Here’s how we attached them to the broom handles:
Bundle the Bristles – Gather twigs, ornamental grasses, or even store-bought craft broom bristles. Keep them slightly uneven for a natural look.
Position the Bristles – Place the bundle against the bottom of your broom handle (we used dollar store black handles).
Secure with Wire – Wrap floral or craft wire tightly around the bundle and handle, about 2–3 inches from the end. Keep wrapping until it feels firm.
Reinforce with Hot Glue – Add hot glue over the wire to seal everything in place. This step also prevents bristles from slipping.
Hide the Wrap – Cover the wired section with a strip of fabric, ribbon, or black tulle for a finished look.
✨ Pro tip: Add a few sprigs of dried flowers or fall leaves in with the twigs for an extra witchy, decorative touch.
💡 Step 7: Light It Up
We finished the scene with PAR38 purple spotlight bulbs from Home Depot, plus spotlight stakes. At night, Martha, Clara, and Hazel glow with eerie purple light, casting long shadows across the yard.
🐈⬛ Bonus Project: Cats & Owls
With leftover plywood scraps, we added classic Halloween critters to keep the witches company.
Cats: Using a Martha Stewart silhouette template, we cut out black cats — perfect for placing near the witches’ feet. They’re simple shapes, but they bring so much character to the yard.
Owls: Another Martha Stewart template gave us perched owls, which we set near the witches and tombstones for an added touch of woodland mystery.
Painted flat black like the witches, the cats and owls tie the whole scene together while making good use of scrap wood.
🪦 Bonus Project: Tombstones from Scraps
Leftover plywood also turned into simple tombstones. We sanded, primed, and painted them flat black — instant haunted graveyard vibes. (We’ve yet to add names and inscriptions, but even plain, they set the scene beautifully.)
🔮 Bonus Project: A Glowing Witch’s Cauldron
To complete the coven, we staged a bubbling cauldron on top of a glowing fire — the perfect finishing touch.
Materials Used: 1 large plastic cauldron (Michael’s or party store)
Pool noodle Scissors, razor blade, or knife
Red, grey, and black spray paint
Orange string lights
Wire
2 real logs
Patio stones (optional, for edging)
Clear plastic Christmas ornaments (for “bubbles”)
Large rock (for weight inside cauldron)
Green string lights with purple tops (for potion glow)
Hot glue gun Steps:
1. Make Faux Logs: Cut a pool noodle partially open down the center (not all the way through). Cut into three uneven pieces. Add random splits for texture. Spray paint red, grey, and black for a charred look.
2. Add Fire Glow: Insert orange string lights into the split center. Bundle the three faux logs with wire, leaving the excess lights underneath for extra glow.
3. Build the Fire Base: Place faux logs on the ground. Arrange 2 real logs in a “V” in front. Add patio stones around for a rustic fire pit effect.
4. Set the Cauldron: Place the cauldron on top of the log bundle. Add a rock inside for weight.
5. Make It Bubble & Glow: Hot glue clear ornaments to the cauldron’s front lip. Fill with green string lights (with purple tops) for an eerie, bubbling potion glow.
✨ At night, the fire glows below, the cauldron bubbles above, and the witches look like they’re deep in their spellwork.
🧙♀️ A Coven of Witches
One witch is fun — but three together feel like a story. With Martha, Clara, and Hazel, their brooms, lanterns, tombstones, cauldron, cats, and owls, our yard transformed into a coven gathering under the October moon.
🎃 Final Touch
From three sheets of plywood, we built towering 6-foot witches that turned our yard into a Halloween storybook. With brooms, lanterns, tombstones, critters, purple lights, and a bubbling cauldron, our coven came to life — handmade, heartfelt, and hauntingly beautiful.
✨ The best part? You can start with one witch and grow your coven (and their animal companions) each year.