Halloween Black Cat Craft

In today’s post: You can make a trio of black cats for Halloween in about an hour using supplies from Dollar Tree. This is a fun, easy Halloween craft idea.

This cute trio of black cats will look great on your mantel or front porch this fall. Almost all the supplies come from Dollar Tree, making this another cheap Halloween craft idea.

Related: Dollar Tree Skull Planters, Dollar Tree Rope Pumpkins

You *will* need a saw for this project to make the pointed ears. A scroll saw or jigsaw will work best. If you don’t own a saw, ask friends of family if they do. It’s only a couple quick cuts that you can finish in under five minutes.

Supplies

Here’s what you need to make this cute black cat craft:

• Thin wood planks from Dollar Tree. They are Crafter’s Square brand and are called “wood hanging decor”. The ones I used are 18 inches tall and 4.5 inches wide. If you don’t want to use these or can’t find, you could also scrap pieces of a 2×4 instead.
• 12 inch long pieces of craft wood from Dollar Tree: you’ll glue these to the back of the cats so make them stand up. If you can’t find them, you can use any block of scrap wood, and if you are using 2x4s instead of the planks you won’t actually need them.
• Wood Glue
• Coarse grit sandpaper
• Black and White craft paint
• Foam paintbrush and small paintbrush
• Jute or baker’s twine
• Template for ears and eyes; find it in the blue box below

Cut wood to size

Begin by cutting the wood planks (called “wood hanging decor”) or 2x4s to the height you’d like your cats to be. I made mine 12 inches, 10 inches, and 9 inches. Also cut each 12 inch piece of craft wood into three 4-inch pieces. (If you’re using 2x4s you’ll probably want them to be a bit shorter.)

Trace and Cut Ears

Print the template onto card stock or other heavy weight paper. Cut out the triangle ear template. Line it up with the top edge of each wood plank and trace around it to make the ear shape. Use a jigsaw or scroll saw to cut along the lines.

Paint + Distress

Paint the wood planks black on both sides. Use a hair dryer to speed the drying process if you’d like. Then use coarse grit sandpaper to distress the wood slightly. Also paint the small pieces of wood you’ll be using to make the cats stand up.

Stencil on the Eyes

Cut out the rectangle eye template. Use an exacto knife to cut the solid eye shapes out of the rectangle. Place the template over the wood plank, lining the top of it up with the “V” between the ears. Put a small amount of white paint on a foam brush and dab it down on the opening. Be sure to use an up and down motion; do not swipe the paintbrush back and forth or paint will get under the template. Repeat until both openings are filled with white paint, then remove the stencil. Touch up with a small paintbrush if needed.

Add Pupils

When the white eyes are dry, use a small paintbrush and black paint to add pupils, as shown. Remember, you can use a hair dryer on low to help the paint dry faster. If you don’t like how the pupils looks, just paint over them with white and try again.

Glue on a stand

Glue two of the smaller scrap wood pieces onto the back of the plank, making sure the bottom edges are even. (If you are using 2x4s you can skip this step because they should already stand up on their own.)

Once the glue is dry you can stand up the cats and tie jute or twine just below the eyes. All done!