DIY Halloween Scarecrow

Part of our backyard haunt included a scarecrow with a fog machine pumpkin head. Here are some photos, showing how I made him.

We had an existing wooden form in the backyard. My husband had previously constructed that as a place to hang birdfeeders. I saw this as a perfect support for a scarecrow. We attached a simple platform atop the beams to support the pumpkin head, as well as the fog machine that would go behind it.

Using branches, chicken wire and duct tape, I started to build up the scarecrow's body.

Using Great Stuff brand foam insulation spray (available at Home Depot for less than $4.00 a can), I began to fill in the body. I continued to add smaller branches and twigs to fill out the body and provide support for the spray foam to cling to. This was my first time using Great Stuff,and it is super easy to use. It sets up quickly and is very lightweight. At this stage (above photo), I think I had used two cans of Great Stuff already.

The photo above was taken after four cans of Great Stuff had been applied.

During the summer months, my backyard has a multitude of flowers, including common orange daylillies. When they died, I pulled the dried stalks and leaves, saving them for this project. The tall stalks worked perfectly for the legs, while the long, dried leaves looked great coming out of the arms. I adhered the stalks and leaves to the body form with more Great Stuff. All in all, I think I ended up using six cans of Great Stuff.

I used some thrift store clothes, cutting them as needed to wrap around the form. Safety pins and twine were used to keep the clothes on the form. Lastly, while not seen in this photo, I used brown spray paint to paint the Great Stuff spray foam and make it blend in better with the branches.

After finishing the body, I put a slight wedge under the pumpkin head to tilt it downward. I used clear fishing line to wire the head to the wooden frame to ensure it didn't blow off. An LED light and fog machine were added to the pumpkin head to complete the project.

Best of all, after Halloween, I simply cut some of the original tape and wires from the original wooden structure. Because the spray foam insulation held everything together, I was able to pick up the entire scarecrow and remove him from the supports. He is now residing in a corner of the backyard and will definitely be used again next year! For less than $30 in supplies and a little creativity, I think he came out pretty darn cool!

Feeling inspired? Go pick up some branches, Great Stuff spray foam insulation and see what you can make!