The Witch and Her Cauldron

This menacing matriarch, with her bubbling cauldron, is guaranteed to give your Halloween visitors an unhealthy dose of spook juice.

Materials

Instructions

Create a faux fire by wrapping a string of red or white Christmas lights around a few logs. Set a large tub on top and fill the bottom with loosely crumpled aluminum foil. Lay a strand of green or white Christmas lights on top of the foil (leave the end of the cord out of the cauldron so you can plug it in later). Add a layer of green cellophane, then fill the rest of the cauldron with Bubble Wrap.
Make a frame for the witch by duct-taping two 3-foot wooden dowels or sticks to a stepladder, one at the back in a vertical position, the other on one side at an angle.
Tie one end of a 12- by 5-foot piece of black cloth around the top of the vertical dowel. Then drape the cloth over the angled dowel and tie it in place about 8 inches from the end. Pin the front of the cape closed to hide the ladder.
Stuff a witch mask with newspaper and set it on top of the vertical dowel. Tape on a wig and a hat, and fit a glove on the end of the angled dowel. Set the witch in front of her cauldron and tape a long cardboard gift wrap tube or stick in her glove for a stirrer. Stuff crumpled red or orange cellophane between the cauldron and the logs and plug in both strands of lights to complete the spooky scene.