DIY Chicken Wire Dancing Ghosts – Spooky, Glowing Yard Decorations

Halloween décor doesn’t get more hauntingly magical than a pair of glowing ghosts twirling in the yard. Using just chicken wire, spray paint, and a few clever tricks, we shaped life-size figures that look like they’re caught mid-dance under the moonlight.

✨ Materials You’ll Need

• 24" wide chicken wire, 1" holes

• Wire cutters

• Wire or zip ties (to secure sections)

• Foam craft heads (to sculpt faces around)

• White spray paint

• Glow-in-the-dark spray paint

• Black and dark green spray paint (for “ethereal fade”)

• Hanging wire

• Optional: staked spotlight (we used blue) to enhance the glow

🪡 Measurements & Sections

• Arms: 14 holes

• Torso: 32 holes

• Skirt (female): 38 holes (two layers, one 6" shorter)

• Legs (male): 18 holes

• Heads: 14 holes (sculpted over foam heads)

• Necks: 10 holes

• Hat (male): 16 holes + piece for top, brim, and accents

• Shoulders: Pinch wire slightly for slope

📸 Note: I only snapped one picture mid-build — at the time, I wasn’t planning to turn this into a blog tutorial. But once I saw how magical they looked glowing at night, I knew I had to share the process so others could try it too.

🧑‍🎩 Building the Male Ghost

1. Shape legs, starting from ankles and widening upward.

2. Attach to torso base.

3. Add a long jacket panel wrapping ¾ of the torso for a Victorian look and to hide leg seams.

4. Place small extra piece in front of legs for cohesion.

👗 Building the Female Ghost

1. Shape torso and arms, overlapping wrist and ankle sections first.

2. Attach two skirts: one long, one ~6" shorter layered on top.

3. Roll a section around shoulders to create an off-the-shoulder gown look.

🎨 Painting & Finishing Touches

• Spray a white base coat.

• Add a layer of glow-in-the-dark paint.

• Dust the bottom with black and green for an eerie fade.

• Hang with wire from a tree or porch column so they sway in the breeze.

• Optional but dramatic: place a staked spotlight (blue works beautifully) either above or below the figures. The colored light enhances the glow paint and makes the ghosts shimmer like they’re truly floating.

🌙 The Final Effect

Chicken wire ghost couple

By day, they look like delicate, lacey silhouettes. By night, they glow and dance in the wind — a ghostly waltz that’s both romantic and chilling. The added blue spotlight gives them an ethereal shimmer, with shifting shadows that bring their dance to life.

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