5 Pinterest-ready Halloween decorations to DIY this weekend
For a lot of us, Halloween means thinking up adorable—or hilarious—costumes for ourselves and our family. But what about your home?
For a lot of us, Halloween means thinking up adorable—or hilarious—costumes for ourselves and our family. But what about your home? It needs a silly, spooky costume too, especially if you're expecting a visit from trick-or-treaters.
When you're looking for fun DIY decor, the best place to turn is Pinterest. We used it to pull together five easy-to-create Halloween decorations, all of which you can finish in a weekend. Many of them recycle supplies and gear, so you'll save cash as you DIY! Double win!
Let’s start with an hangable door decoration that's more treat than trick. My Frugal Adventures teaches us how to make a super-cute “BOO” sign to let little ghosts and goblins know they are welcome in your home.
What do you need to put this sign together? Start with Made Hand Made Modern wooden letters ($4). Paint ‘em black if you want, or make it a super-easy craft by leaving the letters their natural wood tone.
Use ribbon or yarn, plus hot glue as needed, to hold the letters together. While you’ve got the hot glue gun ready, cut cute ghost shapes out of American Crafts glitter cardstock ($4) and stick them in place so they can safely haunt your door decoration! Add a hook or ribbon for hanging, and you’re finished.
If you don’t already have a stash at your home, buy a pack of pool noodles ($10) and pull out the green one.
Then, couple with black fishnet tights ($14), like this pair from Merona. You’ll want a full set of tights; don’t get thigh-high by mistake.
Thread one end of the pool noodle into each leg of the tights. Pull the tights over the pool noodle so the holes in the fishnet make a spooky web-like design. Once the tights are fully stretched over the pool noodle, shape it into a circle and use clear packing tape to secure the ends in place.
You should have leftover material hanging from your pool noodle, so tie it off and use the remainder to conceal the packing tape seam. For an extra pop, glue on a few plastic spiders—or use your leftover cardstock to pattern out more ghosts!
If you have Wizard of Oz fans in your house, decorate your front porch with a melted witch’s hat. I saw this idea on Mrs. Carter’s Calling, and it is a great way to add a bit of literary oomph to your Halloween decorations. (Or, if you prefer, a reference to classic cinema.)
Start with a classic black witch hat ($5), if you don’t already have one in your cosplay collection.
You’ll also need black fabric, which you likely have in a closet somewhere. (Yes, old t-shirts count!) Jumble said fabric on the porch and crown with the witch’s hat. Circle the melted witch remains with yellow aution tape ($12) to finish the look.
Want to extend the Wizard of Oz theme? When it’s time for trick-or-treaters, put your candy out in a wicker picnic basket—next to an adorable stuffed dog.
Halloween Centerpiece With Peep Skewers
While we’re on the subject of Halloween candy, here’s how to make a delicious centerpiece, courtesy of Simply Southern Mom.
Start with a clear glass vase with a flared top, like such ($14). Tie some orange wire edge glitter ribbon ($2) around it in a festive bow—and then glue on a glitter cardstock ghost for good measure.
Fill your vase at least halfway up with candy. Candy corn is an obvious choice here, but if your vessel is big enough, you could also use fun size bars or black-and-orange-wrapped peanut butter kisses.
Then grab some Halloween-themed marshmallow Peeps and a pack of 8-inch bamboo skewers ($3). Spear your Peeps in groups of 3-5 so that they become candy kebabs, and then seat them like a little bouquet in your vase. Guests can grab kebabs right out of the vase, and once those are all gone, they can enjoy the rest of the vase’s goodies.
I bet you have just enough time left in your weekend for one more DIY craft, so let’s make like Ghostbusters and trap those apparitions.
This craft comes from Landeelu and the first step is super simple: get some canning jars ($3-6, depending on size). Remove the lids, and glue unfinished wooden spools ($4 for 12) to the inside of each one.
Glue the spools with the holes pointing up, because you’re going to pipe one skewer into each. Trim them to size (you don’t want your ghost to be too tall for its jar), and then glue on unfinished wood ball knobs ($5 for 12) to form your ghosts’ heads. If you want, append little skewer arms to give your ghost more body.
Now it’s time to dress your ghosts in their Halloween best. Dunk layers of cheesecloth ($4) into a bowl of liquid starch, and mold the layers of cheesecloth over your ghost to give it a billowy shape. (If your cheesecloth is too big, trim it down before starching.)
Let the cheesecloth dry, use a marker to dot some ghost eyes, and then screw the jars over the lids to trap the ghosts inside (and, BOOM, just like that you're a Ghostbuster). If you have any of that orange ribbon from the candy centerpiece left over, layer it around the bottom of your jars for extra flair.
What are your favorite Halloween DIY crafts? Are you going to try making any of these decorations? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
