She Covered Spare Tomato Cages With Old Sheets, but Her Halloween Porch Comes to Life After Dark
Put away the tomato cages when the garden season ends, and their wire frames sit unused until spring. Tricia Smith from Prepared NOT Scared found another job for hers, combining them with old white sheets to create Halloween figures that stand on their own beside the front door.
Their shape starts with the cage itself, whose broad rings hold the fabric away from the narrow top. Once covered, the garden supports disappear beneath folds that reach the floor, with rounded heads and black felt eyes completing the ghosts.
Hidden lights give the display its second reveal, turning the white figures into glowing shapes after sunset. The change begins inside the bare frames, before the sheets conceal what holds everything together.
Grapevine Balls Give the Wire Frames a Head
Standing each cage on its widest ring creates a base that narrows toward the top. A grapevine ball wired above that narrow end supplies the rounded head without filling the body with stuffing.
Open spaces between the vines leave room for lights inside the head, while the cage beneath supports the fabric from top to bottom. Together, those two objects establish the figure’s height and outline.
Light Strings Fill the Empty Space Inside
White-wire light strings hang through the center of the cage, with ribbon securing them to the frame. Bulbs extend down through the rings, placing light along the body rather than concentrating it at the base.
Before the covering goes on, the structure resembles a garden support filled with tangled cords. Hiding those cords becomes part of the transformation, since the finished ghost needs a glow without the exposed wiring.
Fleece Covers the Vines Before the Sheet Goes On
White fleece wraps around the grapevine ball, concealing the brown strands and softening the outline beneath the outer sheet. Excess fabric gathers below the head, leaving the cage and light strings exposed at this stage.
With the lights switched on, points of light show through the covering near the neck. The head now has a white surface for the sheet to rest against, instead of dark vines showing beneath the face.
Uncut Sheets Hide the Cage From Head to Floor
Draped fabric falls from the rounded head over the widening frame, forming long folds around the body. The cage’s lower rings keep the sides spread out, while the sheet conceals the supports beneath them.
She used old sheets without cutting them, letting the extra material collect around the base. Once covered, the figure stands without a ceiling hook or a branch above it.
Felt Shapes Change the Ghost’s Expression
Two tilted black ovals and a round mouth give this version a startled expression, with the features cut from adhesive-backed felt. Their solid black surfaces stand out against the white fabric without painted outlines.
She later removed the mouth from other versions, leaving two eyes above an uninterrupted drape. That small change shifts the face from an open-mouthed expression to a quieter look suited to the pair at the entrance.
Purple and Orange Ribbon Dress Up the Indoor Version
A broad purple bow gathers the sheet below the head, with orange, purple, and sheer dark ribbon hanging down the front. Small rhinestones add bright points to the black eyes.
Gathering the fabric creates a defined neck and a fuller skirt beneath it. For the porch ghosts, she left the ribbon off, allowing the sheets to fall from the heads in long, loose folds.
Daylight Leaves the Ghosts Among the Fall Decorations
Two ghosts flank the dark front door behind planters filled with flowers and orange foliage. Their white fabric contrasts with the brick, while a leaf-covered wreath and twisting garland frame the entrance above them.
Without bows, the figures take up little visual space beyond their white silhouettes and black eyes. The planters conceal parts of their lower bodies, placing them within the porch arrangement rather than out on the steps.
After Dark, the Hidden Lights Become the Main Feature
Once daylight fades, the sheets glow around the concealed light strings, while the door and surrounding garland recede into shadow. Black eyes remain visible near the rounded heads, and the illuminated fabric extends down toward the porch floor.
The nighttime view reveals why the empty cages mattered: they provided space for the lights and held the sheets in the shape of standing figures. Would you keep the porch pair without ribbons, or give each ghost the purple-and-orange bow?
Project and image credits: Prepared NOT Scared.