Fake Corn Stalks

$50 - $60 (based on 2016 prices)

Makes twelve stalks

I originally intended to buy dozens of dried corn stalks from local farms to decorate the haunt. Ambition quickly overtook me and I decided to craft my own out of PVC pipes and craft foam. It cannot be that hard, I told myself. Akin to the rotten pumpkins, these proved a daunting project which took several weeks to complete. In hindsight, purchasing the stalks would have been easier; however, the finished product impressed quite a few people at the haunt (many of whom thought they were real).

• Six 1” x 10’ PVC pipes
• Six packages of 8” x 12” foam craft sheets (ten sheets per package)
• Six 10 oz. cans of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in summer squash
• Two 10 oz. cans of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in nutmeg
• Four 10 oz. cans of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in lemon grass
• Three 1.75 oz. bundles of tan raffia

1. Measure the foam sheets into three 2 5/8” sections and cut them into 180 strips. This procedure can be rather lengthy and grueling, so try to employ a few helping hands.

2. Trace a leaf pattern onto each strip and cut them out. Here, too, this step can be tedious, so assistance would be ideal. Likewise, the use of a stencil can make the process easier.

3. To shape the leaf, fold the foam in half and use a ruler to form a crease. Then, run a line of hot glue along the center of the crease, fold the foam in half again, and use the ruler to hold down the leaf as the glue dries. Here, as well, extra hands can make the procedure more tolerable.

4. In a well-ventilated area, arrange the leaves onto a newspaper-lined surface and give each side two even coats of summer squash. You, of course, are free to use more or less depending on your desired coverage. To prevent the leaves from moving during the application process, use painter’s tape to adhere them to the newspaper. After the coats have dried, give both sides a light dusting of nutmeg.

5. Measure the PVC pipes into five-foot sections and, with a hacksaw, cut them out. Once this is done, use sandpaper to clean up the edges.

6. Wipe down the pipes with a damp cloth and, on a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, give them two even coats of lemon grass and a dusting of nutmeg. As with the leaves, you may apply more or less paint.

7. Mark the pipes into sections (a ten-inch section at the base and then nine-inch sections afterward) and hot glue the leaves to each marking. For believability, alternating their color and position.

8. Coat the top of the pipe with glue, cut the raffia into small bunches, and adhere them to the top of the stalks to form tassels. I found that using the end of a pen works well to feed the raffia into the pipe.

9. If you choose to do so, give the finished stalks one final dusting of nutmeg to cover any areas missed during the initial painting processes and to unify the color scheme.