Here are step-by-step instructions on how to make your own tombstones
All of my tombstones are made out of 2" inch thick white Styrofoam boards that I purchase at an arts and crafts store. There are many different ways to make good-looking tombstones and I've listed some sites you can visit below. Here's how I've always made my tombstones:
How to make the Tombstone:
Cut Styrofoam to the desired shape of the tombstone. Chip off the edges all around the tombstone by hand so that it will look chiseled or worn. Paint the Styrofoam with gray paint and wait for it to dry. Paint with granite-speckled paint and seal with the clear spray paint provided. (You can find this paint in the decorator section of your hardware store.) Lightly spray paint the sides of the tombstone with black paint to make it look weathered and old.
Use a pen, knife or dremel tool to write the epitaph on the tombstone. Fill in the words with black fabric paint. It will dry shiny and puffy.
How to make it look like a Grave:
Since I live in Florida and am not blessed with dry autumn leaves, I use decomposing mulch to provide a musty smell to my graveyard. (The mulch I like is the kind that is hot in the middle and smokes when you toss it around.) Lay out a large trash bag flat on the grass (This allows for a quick pick up of the mulch and you won't need to rake afterwards.) Spread lots of mulch out on the trash bag to make it look like a fresh grave. (Be sure the bag doesn't show through the mulch!) Towards the back of the "grave" insert (2) 1/2" PVC pipes into the ground and insert the tombstone over the PVC pipes.
Lighting makes a big difference:
Insert a directional light fixture (with a blue light) 8 -12 inches in front of the tombstone. I cover the back of the light fixture with aluminum foil so that it won't reflect back on the viewers. The aluminum foil is spray painted brown and covered with mulch to hide the fixture.
The Final Touches:
Adorn the grave with dead flowers, fake hands, spiders, monster masks on wig heads or other spooky items.
We always give our tombstones the finishing touch by giving them a good spray spider webs.
Dead Flowers:
Dead flowers make a great impression when spread out over the graves. I spend most of September and October asking (actually begging) my co-workers to donate their dead flowers for my haunted graveyard. If you make friends with the janitorial service they will also fish them out of the trash cans for you. Another option is to ask a friendly priest or minister to donate the flowers left over from weddings to you. This is pretty tricky because you have to find an open-minded church that won't freak out when you mention that it's for Halloween.
Safety Fence:
It is really important to be mindful of people's safety. You should not allow guests inside your graveyard because they will trip over extension cords, hurt themselves and destroy your display. I create a fence out of 3/4" PVC. Each pipe is cut to the same length, and them I paint each one with flat black spray paint. Hammer each pipe into the ground with a mallet, ensuring that they are the same height. Take a set of Halloween lights (I use skulls, ghosts and tombstones) and hot-glue them to the top of each PVC pipe. If all of your pipes are arranged in a neat row, and at the same height, it will look like a fence. The PVC fence is really easy to take down and store because you can easily remove the lights that have been temporarily glued on.
Distributing Your Fog
In order for my fog to be distributed around the cemetery I attached a PVC pipe into the end of the fog machine and bound it with duck tape (It will melt!). I attached a "T" fitting to the end and extended the PVC pipes to the sides. (see above)
I used very long PVC pipes on each end and drilled small holes every 10 - 12 inches. I capped the ends of the PVC so that the fog could only escape through the small holes. (obviously, you have to paint the PVC tubes black so that they're not seen.
On very hot days I fed the PVC pipes through a Styrofoam cooler full of ice. That kept the fog clinging close to the ground.
