Instead of Lighting a Halloween Bonfire, She Made One From a Tomato Cage and Yellow Plastic
Yellow plastic wrapped around a tomato cage looks far from a bonfire in daylight, with wire rings and orange bulbs visible beneath the folds. Once darkness hides the frame, those same materials create a glowing pile of bones with imitation flames rising from the top.
Lori Castellon from Castellon’s Kitchen built the prop for her son’s school trunk-or-treat event, then placed it in the front yard beside a seated skeleton. Orange lights supplied the glow, while loose plastic strips caught the wind and moved above the skulls.
The effect depended on leaving parts of the structure open, even as decorations covered the cage. Adding too much material blocked the light, prompting her to remove some before the final display.
Orange Lights Follow the Tomato Cage’s Frame
An inverted tomato cage gives the prop a broad base and a narrow top, establishing the shape of a stacked bonfire. Two to three strings of orange lights wrap around the metal rings and upright wires, spreading bulbs across its height.
The open frame leaves space between the lights, which becomes important once the bones surround it. Those gaps allow the glow to reach through the finished pile instead of remaining hidden at its center.
Yellow Plastic Creates the First Layer of Flames
Transparent yellow wrapping covers the cage in two to three layers secured with tape, with creased edges extending above the upper ring. Through the plastic, the dark cords and orange bulbs remain visible in daylight.
Folded sections catch the light at different angles, giving the surface bright edges and darker overlaps. The cage supplies the height, while the irregular plastic changes its outline from a wire cone into a rough flame shape.
Old Floral Branches Form the Base
Black foam board supports the wrapped cage, with dark branches spreading outward around its lower edge. She reused plastic branches from an old floral arrangement, attaching them to the board with hot glue.
Their forked ends extend beyond the central pile, suggesting pieces of firewood beneath the yellow wrapping. The board also provides a surface for attaching the bones that follow.
Large Bones Conceal the Lower Rings
A skull, pelvis, rib section, and long bones begin to cover the cage at its base, with some pieces leaning against the wrapped frame. Their different shapes break up the smooth cone and give the pile an uneven outline.
Hot glue connects the decorations to the foam board and to neighboring pieces. Open spaces remain between them so the lights can show through once the prop is switched on.
Smaller Skulls Fill Out the Pile Without Closing Every Gap
More skulls, skeletal hands, ribs, and small skeletons build up around the center, concealing most of the yellow-covered cage. Long bones rise through the pile, while skulls face outward at different heights.
Expanding foam was intended to resemble embers around the bottom and help bind some pieces together, but too much reduced the glow. She removed the excess and noted that she might leave the foam out of a future version.
That adjustment preserved the spaces between the decorations, which became bright openings when the lights came on.
White Lights Brighten the Loose Plastic at the Top
A small string of white lights sits near the top beneath extra yellow wrapping, creating a brighter area above the orange-lit base. Loose plastic fills the opening and extends upward in broad strips.
Outdoors, wind moves those strips to imitate flickering flames. The creator also described the rustling plastic as part of the effect, adding a crackling sound without burning wood.
In the illuminated view, light shines through gaps between the bones and through some skull openings. Much of the wiring that stood out during construction disappears behind the orange glow.
A Seated Skeleton Turns the Prop Into a Scene
Beside the finished bonfire, a skeleton reclines in a chair with a rat skeleton held over the imitation flames like a marshmallow. Glowing jack-o’-lanterns continue the Halloween display toward the steps and front door.
The seated figure gives the pile a role beyond decoration, turning it into the center of a strange campfire gathering. Would you keep the skull-covered bonfire, or use the same lighting idea beneath a pile of imitation logs?
Project and image credits: Castellon’s Kitchen.