Fun and Easy DIY Halloween Decorations

halloween decorations

Halloween… my most favorite holiday. Dare I say it, but I do believe it’s the moss grossly under-celebrated holiday. Do you ever notice that Halloween decorations start going up in stores around the end of August – only to be taken down by October and replaced by Christmas? EVERY…SINGLE…YEAR!

Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas just as much as the next person. And I get giddy hearing the holiday carols and seeing the lights. But give me a break – Christmas should NOT be celebrated in October. You completely skip over Thanksgiving entirely, and Halloween is over before it even started.

This means that unless you’re extremely over prepared (I end to be, but I’m not the majority of people) you won’t get the best decorations available. Heck, in fact, you may not even get any if you’re not quick enough and think far enough in advance.

There are a couple things you can still get online – even if you wait until the last minute. Spooky spider webs – and adding plastic spiders – are an easy (and very cheap) addition to spookify your home:

DIY Halloween decorations DIY Halloween decorations

Spider Webs – Amazon
Plastic Spiders – Amazon

Additionally, you can follow my banner tutorial to make a super cute Halloween greeting to hang over your fireplace:

DIY Halloween Decorations

Or, you can buy Halloween banners pre-made on Amazon

But for the majority of mainstream stores, Halloween tends to get tossed before anyone even gets a chance to get into the fall spirit. And if you’re tired of that happening every single year – and you forget to plan in advance – do not fret. You can always make your own DIY halloween decorations. They’re a lot easier than you think, and they’ll last you for years! You’ll never again miss out on those cute decorations that get you into the Halloween spirit.

Why DIY Halloween Decorations? Well, if you don’t have a problem finding decorations in stores, there’s one other reason to DIY your own Halloween decor… you get EXACTLY what you want. And most of the time, it ends up being much less expensive than buying it retail. Double whammy!

In a couple weeks, I’ll show you how to put everything together for one spectacular Halloween party! The things you can do when you DIY are endless!!

But for now, I give you 3 separate tutorials. One for DIY Halloween pumpkins, one for DIY Halloween throw pillows, and one for DIY Halloween lawn ghosts. All extremely simple, and all add an extra special touch to your fall holiday season.

DIY Halloween Decorations – Spooky Pumpkins

DIY Halloween Decorations DIY Halloween Decorations

Ah pumpkins. One of the staples of Halloween fun and decor. I absolutely LOVE carving pumpkins. It has been, and will always be, one of the most fun things about Halloween to me.

However, a majority of people absolutely HATE the mess. And I, over the years, have found myself having increasingly less time to indulge in pumpkin carving. I mean, I like to go ALL OUT. So it’s a lengthy process – sometimes taking up to 6 hours. And I just don’t have that kind of time anymore 🙁

But I can’t just leave my front porch empty to all the passers by and little trick-or-treaters that so love seeing them. So what have I done? I made my own spooky DIY craft pumpkins. They’re made from crafting pumpkins, so they last forever and I can use them year after year.

Plus, they eliminate the sticky gooey mess of real pumpkin carving. You don’t get the pumpkin seeds to roast, but you can buy yourself a bag to eat while crafting these adorable pumpkins. Then, you get the best of both worlds 🙂

So read on if you want the most adorable front porch – without the mess of real pumpkins!

The Necessary Supplies:

Step 1:

Trick or Treat Spiderwebs Boo Ghost

Step 2:

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  • Cut the design to fit on the pumpkin.
  • Then, cut some transfer paper to fit behind the entire design, and scotch tape both together (graphite side of transfer paper down) onto the pumpkin.
  • Now, trace over the edges of the design with a blunt object (any pen – working or not – will do).
  • Once all traced, remove both sheets of paper and all tape to reveal your design on your pumpkin.

Step 3:

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  • Now, take one color of your puff paint and trace over the edges of the design you want that color.
    • Once the edges are traced, take your paint brush and brush the paint inward to fill in the design.
  • Once you have every part of the design you want filled in with that 1 color, take that color glitter and sprinkle it over the wet paint.
    • Let that part dry for at least an hour.
  • After that part of the design is dry, repeat the same steps for the next color in your design (puff paint, fill in, sprinkle glitter, let dry) until you have used all the colors you want and filled in your entire design.
    • Ta da! Then these types of spooky pumpkins are done (see finished pictures of pumpkins at the top of this section).

Step 5:

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  • For your tiny pumpkins (and if you want a different look – without the hassle of transfer paper and designs) you can free hand!
  • Start with a swirl or dot in 1 color  (I used orange to start) and move your swirls in a random pattern around the top of the pumpkin.
  • Then, take your second color, and do the same to fill in the empty spots on the top of the pumpkin,
  • As you move down your pumpkin, continue making random swirls, dots, and curly-q’s.
    • Once you’ve finished, dust the pumpkin with your clear/white glitter to make it sparkle!

Step 6:

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  • Another alternative to free hand your tiny pumpkins is to use the creases in the pumpkin as the bones of your design. Fill them in with orange paint, along with the stem of the pumpkin.
    • Let dry.
  • Then, in between the orange lines you’ve made, make downward peaks in black to create a chevron pattern along the entirety of your pumpkin.
    • Then, dust the black lines with your black glitter to make them sparkle!

Pretty easy, huh?

DIY Halloween Decorations – Fall Throw Pillows

DIY Halloween decorations DIY Halloween Decorations

Ok, I’m obsessed with throw pillows – much to my husband’s disdain. I don’t know why, but men just do not understand the importance of a good throw pillow. They do so much to add to the spirit of a room, without taking up a ton of space. They’re the perfect little addition to spruce up a home without making anything look cheesy. That is, if you do throw pillows the right way.

They can’t be too large, and there can’t be too many. Just enough to add that holiday spirit you’re looking for. I like to put throw pillows on my front porch bench. Then they sort of act as a happy greeting to all the guests arriving at my home – without taking up sitting space on my couch. But if you don’t have a porch bench, a side chair in one of your main rooms works just as well. Just enough to add a bit of Halloween flair to your decor.

And the best part… just switch out the pillow case on the pillow as the holidays change! Once you’ve found the perfect spot for your throw pillow(s), you have built in holiday decor!

But if you’ve never made a pillow case before – don’t fret! They’re REALLY easy. Here, I’ll show you how to make the cutest fall throw pillow cases – with or without sewing!

The Necessary Supplies:

NO SEW OPTION: PLEASE READ FIRST IF PLANNING TO MAKE NO-SEW PILLOWS

This tutorial is done using a sewing machine and speaking about sewing. Follow the tutorial as-is. However, whenever I say to sew, put a piece of the no sew fusible seam tape in between the part of the fabric you’d be sewing together. And instead of sewing, press your iron against the fabrics (with your tape in between) to fuse them together.

Everything in this tutorial is a straight line, so everything that is sewn, can be fused together with seam tape instead (if so desired).

Step 1:

DIY Halloween Decorations DIY Halloween Decorations     DIY Halloween Decorations DIY Halloween Decorations

  • Measure out your fabric
    • For an 18×18″ pillow, you will need a 16×16″ pillow case, so I measured a 16.5×16.5″ square (to allow for seams).
  • Once your fabric is cut, run it through your sewing machine (right sides of fabric facing each other) to make seams on 3 of the sides.
    • Leave the 4th side open for the next steps.

Step 2:

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  • On the 4th side, you’ll be attaching your zipper. As you can see in the first picture, start by taking the bottom side of the open part of the pillow case, and folding the edge under itself. Then, put that edge on top of the right side of the zipper and sew it together (while the edge is still folded under itself to make a perfect seam).
  • Once that side is sewn, take the top side of the pillow case fabric and place it over the left side of the zipper (WITHOUT folding it under itself – as seen in pictures 2 & 3).
  • Then, run it under your sewing machine to sew together (making sure you are feeling for the zipper the entire time to make sure you sew it fabric to the SIDE of the zipper and not the middle of the sipper part itself – picture 4).
  • After that is completed, you will still have about .5-1.5″ on each size of the zipper that still need to be sewn together (picture 5).
    • Place each side individually under your sewing machine and sew the fabric together normally (as you did in step 2). Once you reach the zipper teeth, you are finished (picture 6).

Step 3:

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  • Now is pretty tricky! Everything is sewn together, so you need to feel for your zipper (that is now on the inside of your pilow case) and try to pinch it through the fabric to zip it open.
    • Once you’ve zipped open about 2″, you can grab the zipper directly and unzip the entire case.
  • Once unzipped, turn the pillow case right side out and stuff it with your pillow insert.
  • Zip it back up over your pillow, and you’re good to go!

And Ta da!! Just repeat the steps for each different pattern you want to make. And again, the BEST thing is that you can make different pillow cases for the different seasons, and just change them out during the year! Adorable way to greet your guests at your front door, huh?

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Other Items Pictured:
Front Door Settee – Amazon
Front Door Chair Cushion – Amazon

DIY Halloween Decorations – Glowing Lawn Ghosts

DIY Halloween Decorations DIY Halloween Decorations

Ah! Finally! I love these things, and you cannot buy them in stores (which is why they’re the PERFECT DIY halloween decorations). If you have a large front lawn, or are looking for a unique way to decorate your front or backyard, these lawn ghosts are amazing!

They an a fun element of spooky without being overly gross or gory. Whenever I walk into a Halloween store, my one complaint is that all the large lawn decorations are all horrific (and horrifically expensive- but that’s another story). And I’m always thinking that I don’t want to scare children away from my house! I want it to seem spooky without being SCARY. You know what I mean?

Anyway, these lawn ghosts are the perfect middle ground of spooky. Plus, you can recycle them after you’re done, so there’s no need to have a crazy amount of storage to keep them around (like with the store bought decor).

I must give you a disclaimer, however. These lawn ghosts are a LOT harder than they look. Although mine only took me about 2 hours to make, there was a LOT of trial and error. The chicken wire is hard to maneuver (it’s very springy and likes to keep in its spiral shape) and it’s hard to attach while wearing leather gloves (to protect your hands from scratched). So although I left a little scratch and with a couple hand blisters (from cutting the wire) I absolutely LOVE my spooky halloween decoration.

So below, I give you the instructions to make your own lawn ghosts. And I’ve even added an element to make them glow at night (without glow in the dark paint!!).

The Necessary Supplies:

Step 1:

DIY Halloween Decorations DIY Halloween Decorations DIY Halloween Decorations DIY Halloween Decorations

  • Start by taking your chicken wire and cutting a piece off large enough (yet not too large) for the bodice.
    • You can cut this wire by deciding on a line to cut, and using your wire cutters to cut each hexagonal wire along that line (about 15 cuts or so).
  • Then, wrap that piece around your dress form and pinch it at the waist and the shoulders to take form.
    • If you are NOT using a dress form, just make a cylindrical figure out of the piece of wire you cut. From that cylinder, use your hands to cinch a waist, push out the chest, and cinch in again for shoulders. This may take a little TLC and patience, but it’ll get there!
  • Once finished making your torso, slide it up and over your dress form.

Step 2:

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  • Next, cut a little bit larger cylindrical piece to wrap around the bottom of your torso as a skirt (it must be a bit larger to enable you to flare it out as a skirt would flare out).
  • Start a little bit below the “waist” of your torso, and wrap a “skirt” around your form.
  • Attach the skirt part to your torso part by cutting the hexagons in the wire of the skirt in 3 or 4 places, and wrapping the cut wire from the skirt around the wire of the torso where you want to attach the 2 pieces.
    • Do the same thing for the sides of the skirt where they meet in the back (if they do. Sometimes, they don’t and that’s perfectly OK. Why? See step 3).

Step 3:

DIY Halloween Decorations DIY Halloween Decorations DIY Halloween Decorations

  • Continue to add length to the shirt by repeating step 2 over and over, but attaching the pieces you cut lower and lower each time.
    • IE: Each piece will be attached to the lower part of the skirt you most recently attached. The ONLY piece that will be attached to the torso directly is your first piece.
    • This enables you to make a full skirt without having each piece wrap completely around. And it gives the look of a full “flared” skirt you want for a ghostly figure.
  • When you see a piece that sticks out (as in picture 2 above) that’s where you know to cut the wire and attach it to the wire beneath.

If you just want ghostly wire figures on your lawn (“invisible ghosts”) then you’re done!! But if you want them to look even ghostlier (and glow!!) keep moving on to the following steps….

Step 4:

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  • After the wire portion your ghost in complete, proceed to wrap cheese cloth around your figure.
    • Single layers, but in a sweeping motion, and a little uneven.
  • For this portion, I used 2 packages of 3ft x 6yd of cheesecloth.
  • At the end, I saved 2 pieces of cheesecloth (12×36″) to drape over the shoulders of my ghost to look like ghostly sleeves. It REALLY brought my ghost to life (I call her Bloody Mary – even though I didn’t add any blood).

Step 5:

DIY Halloween Decorations   DIY Halloween Decorations DIY Halloween Decorations

  • Lastly, take your green tea lights and wrap strings around the middle of 5 or 6 of them.
    • I put hooks at the end of the strings (Christmas ornament hooks) to make it easy to hang the lights from the wire inside of my ghost)
  • Twist your lights to turn them on, and hang them from head to toe in the middle of your ghostly figure to make her glow!

WHAT a sight for passers by, huh?

As you can tell, I absolutely LOVE this holiday!! There are so many fun things you can DIY to get in the spirit. And I hope if nothing else, this post has helped get you into that fun Halloween spirit, as well. Because, well unfortunately, there’s nothing really I can sell on Etsy from this post (except for the pillow cases – but I’m not putting them on there right now. Just send me a message if you want me to DIY them for you).

And as I mentioned earlier, stay tuned in a couple weeks to see more spooky decorations and yummy ideas I come up with for my Halloween extravaganza. But until then, I hope you’re inspired to DIY!! Here’s a recap of everything you’ll need:

SPOOKY PUMPKINS

HALLOWEEN THROW PILLOWS

GLOWING LAWN GHOSTS

HAPPY CRAFTING!!

 

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