10 DIY Halloween Decorations You Can Put Around Your House This Year
Halloween is the spookiest time of the year. A time filled with goblins, ghouls, headless horseman, and cackling witches.
Decorating your home for this ghostly holiday can be a lot of fun! If you’re looking to save a little money, or if you prefer to be as creative as you possibly can, doing it yourself is the way to go. Here are some fun ideas for DIY Halloween decorations you can display around your house this October!
1. Jack O’ Lanterns (Carved Pumpkins)
When it comes to carving pumpkins, the more creative you are, the better. Carve your pumpkin into something that makes you laugh or fills your heart with joy, like your favorite fictional character or even your favorite animal! You can also construct a spooky face to freak out any passersby.
If you need some extra inspiration before you begin your carving venture, check out this list of pumpkin carving ideas — some are more challenging than others, so choose wisely!
2. Witches’ Broomsticks
To make your own witch’s broom, gather together all the long twigs, brambles, or thin sticks you can find. You can also use a bundle of hay instead of twigs if you prefer — as long your straw pieces are roughly the same length. Once you have everything you need for the brush part, find or buy a long and sturdy stick — this will be the handle of the broomstick. Finally, find an old piece of rope or thick piece of twine to tie your broom together.
Arrange your twigs (or straw) to look like the brush of a broom. Then, lay your bundle on the ground at one end of your broom’s handle. Using your rope, tie your twigs onto the end of the stick, leaving enough room so the twigs do not fall off too easily. If you’re have trouble keeping your twigs attached to the handle, you can also use a hot glue gun. Check out this article for more detailed instructions!
Another option is to purchase an authentic corn broom and simply decorate it to look a little more magical — this will save you the hassle of putting together the broom from scratch.
3. Paper Bats
Time to get a little crafty. (Or more accurately, a little batty.)
Making your own paper bats is quite easy! All you need is black cardstock paper, an outline or rough sketch of a bat (see here), scissors, and some tape to hang them when you’re done. If possible, cut out your bats while the sheets of paper are stacked on top of one another — this will save you a lot of time.
4. Spooky and Fun Gravestones
Making gravestones from scratch will require a few unique materials — you will need large sheets of styrofoam, a permanent marker, a hot wire foam cutter, a hot glue gun or soldering iron, some light gray, black and green paints, and a foam paintbrush. Check out this tutorial for more detailed instructions.
You can keep your grave simple with names and dates, or come up with something funny and unique. Check out these funny Halloween gravestone ideas on Pinterest for some inspiration!
5. A Hanging Ghost
To make a DIY hanging ghost, you will need a white balloon, a white sheet cut up into your preferred ghost size, a black permanent marker, a piece of string, and tape.
First, pump air into the white balloon. Then, take your permanent marker and draw two long, solid black eyes on the balloon. If you want to be more creative, give your ghost face some eerie details. (Just make sure the tied part of your balloon is on the top of its head.) Also, if you want the eyes to pop more, draw them on the sheet rather than the ballon.
When the head is ready to go, take your white sheet and drape it over the balloon. Cut a small hole in the sheet on the top of your ghost’s head (where the balloon is tied.) Attach a string to the balloon and then hang your ghoul from any place you desire. Voilà! You have your very own spooky hanging ghost!
6. A Halloween-Themed ‘Welcome’ or ‘Un-Welcome’ Sign
Make your Halloween sign as creative as possible: it can be cute, funny, or just plain spooky. Write a classic ‘Trick or Treat’ or ‘Happy Halloween’ or, if you want to scare people, make some sort of ‘keep out’ sign. For example, write ‘Beware of Zombie Dog’; it adds a little Halloween twist to a well-known warning.
Or, you can make it Harry Potter themed! Create a sign that says something like, ‘Welcome to Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington’s 528th Deathday Party.’ Nearly Headless Nick died on October 31, 1492, so in 2020 he will be celebrating his 528th anniversary of death!
7. Cotton Ball Cobwebs
This is one of the easiest DIY Halloween decorations to make! All you need is a bag of cotton balls — the larger, the better.
Gently pull apart the individual cotton balls until they resemble stretched out, mystifying cobwebs. You can place them on surfaces throughout your house, or on railings outside your home (as long as it’s not too windy.)
To make your cobwebs a little spookier, add some small black plastic spiders, like these ones from Amazon.
8. DIY Pumpkin String Lights
To make your own jack o’ lantern mini-lights you will need a few easy materials — a string of fairy lights, orange mini lantern papers, and a black permanent marker.
First, draw jack o’ lantern faces on each of your paper lanterns. They do not have to be identical — some of your little pumpkins can smile and others can look more sinister. Then, attach your pumpkin heads onto each individual fairy light. Hang your pumpkin string lights wherever you would like!
