How to Make Floating Light Up Zero the Dog from Nightmare Before Christmas

Ever since I created Jack Skellington on my garage three Halloweens ago, I felt he was missing something. And that something was the happy, floating ghost dog with the light-up pumpkin nose named Zero. I wanted to make a floating Zero the dog from Nightmare Before Christmas, but I kept procrastinating on doing it because procrastination is my M.O.

Well, I'm happy to report that this Halloween (and come Christmas, but of course) Jack has been reunited with Pumpkin King's best friend. Now Zero the dog from Nightmare before Christmas is one of my favorite Halloween decorations.

I would like to tell you that making Zero was a piece of cake. That I didn't repeatedly burn myself with hot glue. That I got his ears right the first time, when I tried to make them the plastic from a soda bottle. That I didn't curse and repeatedly knock over the head while I added the finishing touches. But crafter to crafter, for a male dog, Zero was kind of a bitch.

But many aloe treatments later, Zero is flying high and lighting up the night sky with his cute as a pumpkin nose.

I cannot take full credit for my creation. I gathered inspiration from this Instructables. But I adapted the idea to my own and made it more winter-weather friendly and movable. Zero's gotta fly!

How to Make Floating Zero the Dog from Nightmare Before Christmas

Supplies:
2-liter soda bottle     Wire hangers        Black pipe cleaners
Yogurt cup                Orange ribbon      Light-up pumpkin necklace
White sheet               Hot glue               Orange ribbon
       

Step 1: Cut a soda bottle to resemble Zero's long dog snout. I cut off the drinking end and cut out most of the middle section leaving a base for the top of his head.

Step 2: Pull a white sock over the soda bottle to give a smooth covering over the hole. I used a men's ankle sock because my husband has an entire drawer of just socks upon socks. And yet when we were at Kohl's the other day looking to spend my $5 Yes2You Reward on a $5ish item, he says to me, "I could use some socks." I don't know why he needs so many socks. But he'll never miss the one I stole.

Step 3: Glue the soda bottle onto the yogurt cup (or whatever lightweight item you're using as a neck).

Step 4: Drape the sheet over the neck to determine the size to cut for the body. I always cut more than I need and then shape down. I can't tell you measurements because I didn't measure anything. I eyed it because I like to make things more difficult than they need to be.

Step 5: Cut the sheet into a triangle. I cut what is roughly an isosceles triangle with one side of the triangle shorter than the rest. One point of the triangle will
be the tail.

Step 6: Wrap the bottom end of the triangle around the yogurt neck so it thoroughly covers the container and resembles Zero in Nightmare Before Christmas. If everything looks right, hot glue the fabric to the yogurt container.

Step 7: Create those long, flowing ears. I cut a wire hanger in half and then bent the wire into loose waves for the ears. Lightweight craft wire is probably easier to work with, but I like to use what I have on hand.

Step 8: Cut the sheet to match the ear shape you have created with the wire. Lay the wires onto fabric leaving space on the edges to seal the fabric. Also let the bottom ends of the ears hang out of the fabric so they can affix to the head.

Step 9: Hot glue the wire onto the fabric. Seal the edges with hot glue or thread. I glued the seams, but in hindsight, I wish I had opted for needle and thread because this is the part where I repeatedly burned my fingertips. (Also the part where I became very thankful to have aloe vera plants in my drought-friendly front yard.)

Step 10: Plot where the ears will attach and then create small holes on your soda bottle head for the ears. I used a steak knife and punctured it into the bottle. I thought about using a nail or a drill, but the knife was the closest and I was feeling reckless.

Step 11: Cut a head covering from the sheet. Then glue the fabric over to fully cover it. Puncture tiny slits or holes over the ear spots.

Step 12: Push the wire ends of the ears into the slits. Position in place and fill with hot glue. Hold the ears in place until the glue dries. Once you have the ears in, Zero will be a little top heavy. It helps to balance the yogurt container over something to keep him in place. A papertowel roll on its counter-top holder worked for me.

Step 13: Create the eyes and mouth. I hot glued black pipe cleaner for the mouth. Then I shaped pipe cleaner into a spiral roll for each eye, using one pipe cleaner per eye but of course felt or scrap fabric would also work. You know that, you're not an idiot. Glue on, obviously.

Step 14: Add your orange pumpkin nose and orange ribbon collar. For the nose, I found a blinking pumpkin nose necklace at Walmart for 97 cents. It was in the Halloween costume section with necklaces for trick-or-treaters to wear so drivers will see them. I swapped out the necklace with fishing wire and sewed it onto the top of Zero's nose.

Step 15: Hang your floating Zero the dog from Nightmare before Christmas! I sewed fishing wire through the yogurt container and fabric tail and also wrapped it around his neck and nose and created multiple hanging spots to lift up his nose and make his back end float in place. I gave Zero a nice finishing spray of heavy duty Scotchgard since he'll be in the rain.

Watch Zero fly and light up the sky just like on Nightmare Before Christmas.