Scarecrow logs

Hands-on time: Less than a day.
Total time: Needs to dry overnight.
Skill: Easy and kid-friendly.
Cost estimate: $9 each (wood costs can vary).

Materials & Tools

• Logs in assorted sizes (available at firewood suppliers, or your own fire wood pile)
• Medium grain sandpaper (100-120)
• Primer paint (beige or light tan)
• Pencil and tracing paper
• Assorted craft paintbrushes, from size 2 to 10
• DecoArt Patio paints, or Ceramcoat by Delta (available at craft supply stores)
• Exterior varnish spray
• Buttons in assorted sizes and colors
• Glue gun & glue sticks
• Small straw hats (available at craft supply and dollar stores)
• Raffia
• Assorted accents (optional) such as dried flowers, pine cones, grape and berry clusters, pumpkins, gourds, and grapevines
• Gardening clippers, scissors, a hammer, and nails

Scarecrow logs make fabulous fall decorations for the front porch, bench, or steps. The whole family can get involved in this festive project.

Lightly sand your log piece to prepare the surface for painting. Just make sure the logs are dry and that they don't have any signs of rotting or mildew on them. Paint the logs with a natural primer colour like a beige or light tan tone to protect the wood and to make the surface easier and smoother to paint.

When the paint is dry, draw or trace your design onto the log with a pencil. Now, the fun part: painting the scarecrows. Start by painting their outfits (jeans, shirt, jumper), faces, hair, and then their straw hands. Allow to dry, then paint the accent details like stitches, crows, sunflowers, patches, and outlines on the cloths, faces and hair. Once completely dry spray them with exterior varnish and let dry overnight. Two coats are recommended.

Use a glue gun to attach the smaller pieces, like raffia hair, bows, small straw hats, buttons in assorted size and colours, or whatever else you can find. Use the hammer and nails to tack on the hair and hat in order to protect them from fall winds.

Variations

• Larger scarecrow logs make great fall decorations. Other characters like witches or Frankenstein also work well for Halloween. Painting them to resemble each family member can be quite amusing. Make a collection of logs by adding new members each year. Dating and signing the scarecrows will add to the nostalgia over the years.