Introducing....Mr. Bones!!!

We love Halloween here at our home! We have tons of small children in our neighborhood, which makes it so much fun. If you are looking for some "spooky" decorating ideas (not "frightening"...again, we have young children around), I think we have a few. Over the next few weeks, I will try to post some of our Halloween creations. I can also include brief explanations of how we made each item.

Here is one of our most popular outdoor items, Mr. Bones!

Sorry about the lame watermark. Trying to avoid any copycat image thievery. ;-)

I got this "Skeleton Riding a Bike" idea from the movie Stepmom. If you look closely, you will briefly see a skeleton on a bike (prop) during the Treat or Treating scene. If I say so myself, ours is much cooler! We purchased the bike and basket at Goodwill. The bike, flat tires and all, was $5 and the basket was $1. The flowers were purchase from a clearance bin at my local craft store. The skeleton is from the rejects bin at Bucky's Boneyard. I bought two of them many years ago and can't honestly remember how much they cost, but I know they were at least $80 each. These are real teaching grade skeletons, but bargain priced because of a coloring or a quality issue, etc. The neighborhood kids LOVE him and they were the ones that affectionately named him "Mr. Bones". This project is not as complicated as you may think. It is assembled with rebar, white paint & zip ties.

Here is a brief how to -

1. My sweet husband bent the top half of a piece of rebar to mimic the skeleton's spine, leaving the bottom section straight. The bent (spine) section was then painted white.
2. He then drilled a hole in the bike seat & continued down, having to notch a bit of the bike seat bolt (that holds the seat) to clear a path for the rebar. Once that was done, he stuck the rebar down in the hollow bike frame (shaft) under the bike seat, leaving the painted/bent end sticking out.
3. Have someone hold the skeleton in place on the seat & then, using large white zip ties, attach the spine in several spots to the painted section of rebar. Cut leftover zip tie tails off neatly.
4. Zip tie the bone connectors, in between the feet and hand bones, to the bike pedals and handles. Do this using a complimentary color of zip tie.
5. Zip tie the basket to the bike & add the flowers.
6. A second piece of unpainted rebar is pounded into the ground, mimicking the angle of the bike frame.
7. Set the bike next the the rebar & attach the frame, with large dark colored zip ties, securely to the rebar. Cut leftover zip tie tails off neatly. The weight of the bike will make it gently sway from side to side (slightly) when the wind blows. It really looks cool.
8. Sit back and wait for your elementary school bus to drive by.   ;-) We get a kick out of watching the bus drive by everyday with all of those little faces pressed up against the glass in "awe".
9. Also, if you would like more info on how this is assembled, check out this post where I answered additional questions regarding Mr. Bones.

Blessings, Tracy

P.S. - We are lucky enough to live in a very safe family oriented area. Nobody has bothered "Mr. Bones" in the 5 plus years he has been riding around our front garden. Plus, if needed, it is easy enough to bring him in every night. 

I am linking this post to the DIY Show and Tell Halloween Surprise Party.