Take a roller or paint brush and paint the front and back of your 4' x 8' sheets of heavy duty foam.    Let both sides dry.     Choose a shape that is commonly seen on graveyard tombstones (check you local graveyard for ideas).      Draw that shape out on the 4' x 8' sheet of plywood and take a hand saw or jig-saw and carefully cut out your shape. (One sheet of foam should net two - three average sized tombstones.)       Pick an epitaph or something catchy or scary to write on your tombstone.     I use the computer to choose a unique font (letter style) and then I print up the saying and a picture or graphic on transparency sheets.     I then use an overhead projector to project the lettering and graphic onto the grey tombstone.     With a black Sharpie marker, I carefully trace around the lettering projected and then I paint in the letters.      If I want something fancier, I use a wood burner to actually burn into the foam and carefully etch out the letters.     Then I go back in and paint inside the letters.     To age the grey tombstones I later go back after all the lettering has dried and take a darker grey spray paint and/or black spray paint and spray around the edges of the stone to get a marbled look.

  To get more detailed instruction on how to make different varieties of  tombstones click on any of the links below:

/www.horrorseek.com/halloween/juggernaut/stones1.html

www.horrorseek.com/halloween/furandfang/buildingstones.htm

demonware.horrorseek.com/tombstones.html

Here are other links to spooky, funny, or any other type of epitaph you can think of for your tombstone!

members.aol.com/Smessin983/Halloween/Epitaphs.html

www.cowlacious.com/Epitaphs.htm

  The best way we have found to attach your stones into the ground to withstand the seriously strong Iowa Fall winds is to do the following:    Take two 1/2 inch metal pipes per tombstone and hammer each one at least 5-6 inches into the ground approximately 6" apart from one another.      Place your tombstone in front of the pipes protruding from the ground ..... take a 1/2 inch metal clamp and attach the tombstones to the pipes with screws.