Halloween is the one time of year when you can joyfully transform your home from a cozy sanctuary into a delightfully spooky spectacle.
While store bought decorations can be fun, there is a special kind of magic in crafting your own eerie adornments. But “DIY” does not have to mean difficult or time consuming. Here is the summary table for the 17 easy DIY Halloween decorations.
This collection of 17 easy, budget friendly ideas is designed for everyone, from the seasoned crafter to the parent with just ten minutes and a glue gun. Get ready to spook up your space and create some festive, handmade memories.
Ghoulish Greetings & Eerie Entryways
Your front door and entryway are the first things trick or treaters see. Make a memorable first impression with these simple, high impact projects.
1. The Floating Witch Hat Luminary
Create a magical, floating light display that looks like it is straight out of the Great Hall.
DIY Tips:
- You will need inexpensive black witch hats, fishing line, a needle, and battery operated LED tealight candles.
- Thread the fishing line through the point of each hat. Tie a safety pin to the other end to easily attach them to your porch ceiling or tree branches.
- Turn on the LED candles and place one inside each hat for a spooky, glowing effect that is safe and enchanting.
2. The Spooky Spider Web Doormat
Give your plain coir doormat a quick and creepy crawly makeover.
DIY Tips:
- Use black acrylic paint and a small paintbrush to draw a simple spider web design, starting with a few lines radiating from one corner.
- Connect the lines with curved, scalloped strokes to create the web.
- For an extra touch, paint a single, large spider in the center or a few smaller ones crawling up the side.
3. The Tomato Cage Ghost
Create a life sized, ethereal ghost to greet your guests using just a few simple garden and craft supplies.
DIY Tips:
- Place a tomato cage upside down. Place a foam ball on top of the prongs to create the head shape.
- Drape an old white sheet over the top. Use a black marker or black felt to create two large, spooky eyes.
- For a glowing effect at night, place a string of battery operated white lights inside the tomato cage.
4. The “Beware” Boarded Up Windows
Make your house look like an abandoned, haunted cottage with this simple illusion.
DIY Tips:
- Cut long, plank like shapes from large pieces of cardboard.
- Use brown and black paint to create a faux wood grain effect. Let the kids help with this part; the messier, the better.
- Use strong, removable adhesive tape to attach the “planks” in a crisscross pattern over your windows.
5. The Ghostly Draperies
Shredded, gauzy fabric creates an instant haunted house vibe when draped over doorways and windows.
DIY Tips:
- Use cheesecloth or an old white sheet that you can easily rip and tear into strips.
- Soak the fabric in a bucket of cooled black tea to give it an aged, yellowish stain. Let it dry completely.
- Drape the tattered cloth over your curtain rods, doorways, and even hanging light fixtures for a spooky, cobweb like effect.
Creepy Crawlies & Ghastly Ghouls
These classic Halloween creatures are easy to craft and perfect for placing in unexpected corners to give your guests a fun little fright.
6. The Climbing Wall Spiders
Create the illusion of a spider infestation crawling up the side of your house.
DIY Tips:
- You will need small black plastic plates for the body and black pipe cleaners for the legs.
- Punch four holes on each side of the plate. Thread a pipe cleaner through each pair of holes and bend them to create jointed legs.
- Use strong, outdoor removable adhesive strips to attach the lightweight spiders to your siding or front door.
7. The Simple Bat Colony
A swarm of black paper bats creates a dramatic, high impact look, especially against a light colored wall.
DIY Tips:
- Find a simple bat silhouette online and print it out to use as a template.
- Trace and cut out dozens of bats from black cardstock or construction paper. Fold the wings slightly to give them a 3D effect.
- Use a small piece of double sided tape to attach them to a wall in a swooping, flying formation.
8. The Mason Jar Mummy
These little luminaries are adorable, slightly spooky, and incredibly easy for kids to help make.
DIY Tips:
- Wrap a clean, empty mason jar with strips of cheesecloth or white medical gauze, securing the ends with a dab of hot glue.
- Leave a small gap in the wrapping and glue on two googly eyes.
- Place a battery operated tealight candle inside for a safe, glowing mummy face.
9. The Floating Cheesecloth Ghost
Create a stiff, ethereal, and free standing ghost using just cheesecloth and starch.
DIY Tips:
- Drape a piece of cheesecloth over a small bottle with a styrofoam ball on top to create the ghost shape.
- In a bowl, mix liquid fabric starch with a little water. Completely saturate the cheesecloth with the starch mixture.
- Let it dry completely overnight. Once it is stiff, remove the bottle and ball, and you will have a hollow, floating ghost.
10. The Spooky Eyeball Wreath
Give your front door a creepy, all seeing makeover with this simple and fun wreath.
DIY Tips:
- Start with an inexpensive foam wreath form and spray paint it black.
- Buy a bag of white ping pong balls and use a black permanent marker to draw a simple pupil on each one.
- Use a hot glue gun to attach the “eyeballs” all over the wreath form until it is completely covered.
Petrifying Potions & Eerie Elixirs
Transform a simple shelf or side table into a mad scientist’s lab or a witch’s apothecary with these creative bottle crafts.
11. The Apothecary Potion Bottles
Collect interesting glass bottles and jars and turn them into creepy potion ingredients.
DIY Tips:
- Fill the bottles with water and a few drops of food coloring. Add glitter for a “magical” effect.
- Print out spooky, vintage style labels online with names like “Frog’s Breath,” “Wolfsbane,” or “Polyjuice Potion.”
- For a creepy specimen look, drop small plastic toys like spiders, snakes, or eyeballs into the colored water.
12. The Glowing Specimen Jars
Create an eerie, glowing display that looks like a mad scientist’s experiment.
DIY Tips:
- Place a non toxic highlighter stick (the felt part) into a jar of water and let it sit. The water will take on the fluorescent color.
- Add a creepy plastic toy or a cauliflower floret to look like a brain.
- Shine a blacklight on the jars to make them glow with an otherworldly light.
13. The Dripping “Blood” Candles
This is a super simple way to make your regular white candles look extra gruesome.
DIY Tips:
- Use simple white pillar or taper candles.
- Light a red candle and hold it over the white candles, allowing the red wax to drip down the sides.
- The more drips, the spookier the effect. This is a perfect centerpiece for a Halloween dinner table.
Spine Chilling Silhouettes & Shadows
Harness the power of light and shadow to create an eerie atmosphere that is both simple and incredibly effective.
14. The Window Silhouettes
Turn your windows into scenes from a horror movie with some black paper and a little bit of imagination.
DIY Tips:
- Find spooky silhouette templates online for things like zombies, monsters, or a haunted house.
- Trace and cut the shapes out of black poster board or cardstock.
- Use a small amount of clear tape to attach the silhouettes to the inside of your windows. At night, when the lights are on, they will create a chilling effect from the outside.
15. The Ghostly Mirror
Create the illusion of a ghost trapped inside your mirror with this simple trick.
DIY Tips:
- Find a creepy, vintage looking photo of a person online and print it in black and white.
- Carefully spray the back of a piece of glass from a picture frame with a very light, uneven coat of “looking glass” spray paint.
- Place the photo behind the semi transparent glass to create a ghostly, faded image, then place it back in the frame. Lean it against your wall or on a mantel.
16. The Shadow Bat Chandelier
Create a swarm of bats that appear to be flying around your dining room light fixture.
DIY Tips:
- Cut out several black paper bats in different sizes.
- Attach them to the light fixture and the surrounding ceiling with removable adhesive putty.
- When the light is on, the bats will cast spooky, dancing shadows around the room.
17. The Chicken Wire Ghost
For a more ambitious outdoor project, a ghost made of chicken wire is an incredibly spooky and ethereal addition to your yard.
DIY Tips:
- Shape a roll of chicken wire around a mannequin or have someone model a pose to create a ghostly, human like form.
- Use wire cutters to trim the excess and twist the ends together to hold the shape.
- Spray the entire form with a coat of glow in the dark spray paint for a truly haunting effect at night.
Conclusion
Decorating for Halloween should be a fun and creative activity, not a stressful or expensive one. These 17 easy DIY ideas prove that with a few simple supplies and a little bit of imagination, you can transform your home into a spooky, festive, and completely unique space. The best part of a homemade Halloween is the memory of creating it together, so gather your supplies, embrace the spooky spirit, and get ready to craft a haunted home that is all your own.