How to Make Grubby Clothespin Ghosts

Turn plain clothespins into grubby little ghosts in just a couple quick steps! Tips on getting the look in full tutorial below.

close up grubby ghost clothespins with painted faces

Do you love easy, inexpensive ways to decorate your home for the season? I have tons of project ideas to help you get the look for less! These grubby clothespin ghosts are my latest Halloween creation, be sure to check out all my Halloween ideas here.

How to make some grubby clothespin ghosts

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Friends, don't even ask me where this idea came from. I'll tell you how it started...I was tidying up my mess of an office/craft space when I spotted a few clothespins leftover from another project. Just like that, the lightbulb went on and I thought of making these little grubby ghosts! 👻👻 My mind works in mysterious ways, and it's usually when I'm trying to get out of cleaning, hehe.

Here are the supplies you'll need to make these ghosts.

Supplies

doll head clothespins
spray paint (I used this exact spray paint)*
dark furniture paste wax or glaze
lint free rag
small craft paintbrush
glossy black paint (I used this exact paint)
optional - dry rice for displaying

* I recommend spray paint but you could paint these by hand if you have the patience!

Note: I am currently loving all things vintage and primitive, which is why I made my ghosts grubby looking. If you prefer a more clean, modern look, you can certainly do that with white paint! Let this project inspire you but make it your own!

Step 1: paint clothespins

Round objects are notoriously difficult to paint. The easiest way I found (and least messy) was to use a small cardboard box. This keeps the clothespins from rolling out of reach. You don't need a heavy coat of paint, lightly spray one side, let dry, and then flip them over.

Step 2: add some grubbiness

To add a little bit of a grungy look to my clothespin ghosts, I rubbed on a little bit of dark paste wax, immediately rubbing it back off to leave just a hint of grubby behind. I found the 'neck' area, which is slightly rougher, held onto the wax more than the rest of the 'body'. I varied the amount of grubbiness so no two ghosts were alike.

dark wax, glossy black paint, paintbrush

Step 3 - paint ghost face

For a simple ghost face, I used the end of a skinny paintbrush and dipped it into a glossy black craft paint, dotting it on to create eyes and a mouth. You can use a normal acrylic, but you won't get that nice shiny look once dried.

dot on black glossy paint for eyes and mouth

I tried to vary the shape of the mouths, some are round and some oval...depending on the scream lol 👻👀

grubby ghosts in vintage ironstone creamer

Insider tip: to get your grubby ghosts to stand up, I poured a little dry rice into one of my favorite ironstone creamers, then stuck the clothespin ghosts into the rice. It's so easy to adjust their ghostly float that way!

Optional

I thought about adding some rusty wire to create ghostly arms, but in the end I liked them as is. If you want more of a flowing body, you could use some cheesecloth.

I hope you love this fun and simple Halloween decorating idea! Let me know if I've inspired you to make some grubby ghosts this fall!

Click to see my entire Fall library of ideas

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How to Make Grubby Clothespin Ghosts