Easy DIY Creepy Colony of {Cardstock} Bats!

  A large group of bats is called a colony. Scary huh? Especially the vampire ones!!!!! AHHHH - don't worry, they don't want YOUR blood. :) What better way to make a big {cheap!} impact than with a creepy colony of flying bats!??

I love making a huge statement for just a little bit of $, especially when it comes to holidays because that decor is only out for a month or so! These bats were crazy simple to make, and all it cost me was $4 for a package of black card stock (construction paper would work swell, too!), and a little bit of time. Plus, I have lots more paper left for other projects!  

First thing's first, go to Country Living and print out their bat template, or if you're really fancy you can just draw your own! :) Note: I did have to adjust mine. I wanted to be able to cut out 2 bats per page. All I did was move the template over some, preserving the size and shape of the wing, but cutting off a bit of the body. You can always use as is.     Hold your paper horizontally, and fold it in half in the center. At first, I cut out 2 bats, one at a time from each piece of paper. Then I got really snazzy, and folded the paper in half again. This way I was able to get my 2 bats per page, with only 1 cut! GENIUS! So fold in half, then fold in half again!   Begin cutting your bats! Place template with the wide (body) portion along the fold of your paper. Hold in place and cut out the bat shape. It does not have to be perfect!

After cutting out your bat shape, simply unfold and there you have it! Place your bats randomly in a 'colony' on your wall. You can even use them in singles for an extra touch somewhere. I used double sided tape (regular would work fine, too!) to stick them to the wall. I alternated which wing I put the tape on. That way, a different wing would be flush with the wall and it would give it a more random pattern.

I love the spooky shadows their wings cast on the wall! They're perfect for that wall that I never decorate because of that stupid thermostat smack in the center of it!

This is a great helper project for kiddos, too! I had mine and his friend help with cutting them out. I only used about 20 for this display. Super easy, super cheap, and just imagine the impact if you used more of them! Awesome!

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