[Advice needed] On how to turn a pop-up gazebo into a swamp witch hut

Key points:

  • Cheap. Cheap cheap.
  • Tent is 10 x 10ft
  • It's for a Renaissance Faire

I'm doing the market at my first ever Ren Faire where we're strongly encouraged to do up our tents to fit the theme. I'm basically a swamp witch, so I'm leaning into the whole natural/alchemy vibe.

I already have a tent and fold-up tables, I just need to figure out how to cover the whole thing cheaply and easily enough it doesn't take a lot of time from making stuff to sell.

I have about two dozen skeins of yarn I've dyed various greens, enough different green scrap fabrics to cover the whole top, if sewn together, and off-white tableclothes.

Oh, and everything needs to fit into a car.

Does anyone have any idea for how to swamp-witch it up without spending a lot of time or money? I live in a small, rural town, so local supplies are limited to basics.

13 points · 13 comments · view on lemmy.world

13 Comments

PrimarilyPrimate@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 161d (1 reply)

Super wispy curtains, zip ties and Ritdye in dark green.

Wren@lemmy.today · 3 pts · 161d

YES I can totally strip up this scrap. I have like four different Rit greens, too.

CorpoCorpse@midwest.social · 4 pts · 161d (7 replies)

Collect some big branches and tie them to the poles, could also try to paper mache the poles but I am unsure how thatd hold up in setup.

tae_glas@slrpnk.net · 4 pts · 161d (5 replies)

ooh, draping some green yarn as "moss"/"lichen" over the branches & table could look cool, and maybe crocheting others for variety!

Wren@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 161d (4 replies)

Way better plan than the fake plastic vines I was looking at. I'd rather not beef up on macro plastics if I can avoid it.

Creativity@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 161d (1 reply)

Got anyone you can steal garden trimmings from? I feel like ground cover would work well. Assuming spring has come to your area already...

Wren@lemmy.today · 3 pts · 161d

Myself, yes. I live near a swamp so I can collect a fuck bunch of reeds and crap in no time. Unfortunately spring is not here yet, but reeds are forever.

tae_glas@slrpnk.net · 2 pts · 161d (1 reply)

nice! will the bowl of eyeballs also be making an appearance? planting that in a pile of leaves on the table would be a v witchy centrepiece :D

Wren@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 161d

I'm stealing this. I can make a bowl out of felted leaves to re-use.

Wren@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 161d

Good idea, I have to prune all the trees soon, too. Paper mache probably wouldn't hold up but I can for sure wrap them in reeds and branches.

HubertManne@piefed.social · 3 pts · 161d (1 reply)

can't you use debris from around the area? Myabe the green yearn into a net to kinda hold it in place?

Wren@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 161d

Love this idea. I was going to buy a bunch of cheesecloth and dye it green anyway.

Creativity@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 161d

I've noticed a lot of estate sales have holiday decorations. You might be able to pick up some halloween witchy things for cheap