DIY Wooden Ghosts

I love pinterest!  I can spend HOURS going through all the great ideas and wonderful pictures!
One of the very first "PINS" I did was for a DIY project for Halloween.  2x4 Ghosts was the title.  OMG I can totally do that!  Take 2x4s and paint them like ghosts!
Well, I am one of those people that like to know EXACTLY how it's done.  So I click on the link provided with the "PIN" and there were no instructions.... NOOOOO!
I even tried "GOOGLE"ing 2x4 Ghosts hoping that I could find something. Nope!
So I went out on my own!
The materials I used were:

• 6x6 pieces of wood (I inherited these.  2x4s or even 4x4s will work just as great!  Mine are around 2                        feet tall.  Put them at whatever height you would like.)
• White Paint ( I used outdoor, flat, no gloss paint.)
• Black Paint (Same as above)
• Paint Brushes
• Newspaper or drop cloth
• Pencil
• Sander (optional)
• Stencils for faces (optional)

**I wanted mine to have a distressed look over time.  So I did not put primer on mine.  If you want yours to look nice and neat, then use primer, either get paint that already has it in it or apply after you paint.
** You can also use gloss paint if you prefer.

First Step:
- Get your wood!
        Like I said, I inherited my 6x6 pieces of wood from my mother out of her front yard.
        They had a great deal of life left in them.

Step 2:

- Sand your wood, if needed.

      I took a sander to my 6x6s before painting them.  They had JUST a bit of roughness to them.  

      Use your judgement.

Step 3:

- Paint it!

    I only needed one coat of white paint.  Use your judgement!  

My Little Guy helping me out!

 (And his face is not always that color... he had his face painted like Spider Man earlier that day.)

These are my posts after painted white.

Step 4:

- Stencils for the Faces

    This step is optional.  If you are artistic and can freehand faces, go for it! I went online and found faces 

    to print out.  Then I cut out the dark parts. Use simple patterns or eccentric ones.

    Here are a few links that might help you with some faces:

• http://www.pumpkinpile.com/
• http://www.pumpkinmasters.com/free-patterns.asp
• http://www.rd.com/slideshows/12-free-printable-pumpkin-carving-stencils/
• http://www.bhg.com/halloween/pumpkin-carving/printable-pumpkin-stencils/

Step 5:

- Apply faces.

    I used a pencil to trace my stencils.  

Step 6:

- Paint Face

    Once you have your face sketched out, paint it black.  I used a small art paint brush instead of a 

    larger brush that you use on walls or fence. I had to do two coats for the face.  You may have to do 

    more or less.

Step 7:

-Here is where you would also add a primer if you choose.

And DONE!

Here are a few of my finished products!

I was thinking of putting this one out at Christmas time with a Santa hat on it... A La Nightmare Before Christmas....