A new addition to the graveyard this year was the "Vacancy" tombstone. My wife suggested this one after reading about it on another Halloween web site, so "thanks" goes out to someone for the original idea.

It took just one night to make (while watching TV), though I did start with a pre-existing tombstone. The sign is lit with a set of miniature Christmas lights. I used a set of "chaser" lights, which allows for the fading/flashing of the "VACANCY" sign. I used blue to match my graveyard lights, but any color will work.

My tombstone reads "NO VACANCY" during the day, but at night just the word "VACANCY" is flashing.

How to Make Your Own

Start with a blank tombstone (lots of detailed instructions for making tombstones can be found on the "Gravestones/Tombstones" section of Mark Butler's Monster List.) I use plywood to make my stones, but this technique should work in foam as well (foam tombstones may even be better for this project than plywood).

I used my computer to print out the words "NO VACANCY" in large, bold letters. Tape this paper to the front of your tombstone, and then get out your drill. Drill 5/16" holes through the letters, spacing them as close as you feel comfortable. (An example of how I drilled the holes in the "V" in "VACANCY" is at the right).

Next, get a string of indoor/outdoor miniature Christmas lights (or Halloween lights). From the back of the tombstone, push a single light bulb from the string through each of the holes in the word "VACANCY". The light socket should fit snug in the hole.

Use a staple gun to (carefully) staple the wire from the lights to the back of the tombstone. This will hold the lights in place. Once all of the lights are positioned, lay a piece of black landscape fabric over the back of the tombstone and staple it down fairly tight. This helps to keep the lights in the holes, to hide the workings of the "VACANCY" sign and to hide any extra lights.

That's it. Plug it in, and you're done!

Tips

• Pick your lights first, and make sure they all flash together.
• Drill a test hole and try a light socket in one. It should be snug.
• Adjust the size of your drill bit accordingly.
• If you use "NO VACANCY", don't put any lights in the "NO".
• My sign used 55 lights - more than a set of 50. Take this into account when choosing your lights, especially if you want them to flash. Typical light strings flash 50 at a time, so if you need more than 50 lights your sign won't be flashing in sync. I used a set of 150 "chaser" lights (and hid 95 of them) so that I could get the entire string to fade/flash at once.
• Landscape fabric makes a great backing and hides the extra lights, but other fabrics or felt would probably work well, too.