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Spooky szn will be here before ya know it, and tbh, it’s never too early to start prepping your place for the occasion. Unfortch, Halloween decor can be a lil expensive, especially if you wanna transform your home into a full-on haunted mansion. That’s where DIY Halloween decorations can come in handy. Whether you’re a regular Martha Stewart or struggle with even the simplest of domestic tasks (#guilty), we’ve got a TONS of ideas for homemade Halloween decor to make your space freakishly festive all the way through November 1, including crafts that even the least crafty folks can handle.
Maybe you’re looking to add some ~soft fall vibes~ with decor you can keep up all throughout autumn. Perhaps you’re throwing an epic Halloween party and wanna turn your pad into a totally batsh*t spooky scene. Whatever the case, we rounded up all the Halloween crafts and decoration ideas that’ll allow you to achieve the *perfect* balance of spooky and chic.
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Set the Tone at Your Door
If you have steps leading up to your apartment or house, then you can decorate one side with cute Halloween details like pumpkins, witch hats, and brooms (though make sure you leave enough space for people to pass by!).
Creepy touches like stacks of old books, white pillar candles, and skulls will make your mantel look festive AF.
Go Batty with Wall Decor
Bats may be freaky, but bat-shaped paper cutouts are a fab way to jazz up a blank wall in your home.
Creep Out Your Bar Cart
Got a bar cart? Then you’ve gotta dress it up for the occasion with pumpkins, banners, and maybe even a life-sized skeleton posed on the end if you wanna go all out.
Design a Bangin’ Boos Menu
Set Up a Chic Side Table
It’s all in the details, bb. For a look that says Halloween, but make it cute, set up a side table with minimalist Halloween touches, like skinny black candles, cobweb-covered candy apples, and chic white pumpkins.
Nothing makes a statement quite like a giant balloon arch, and putting together your own Halloween-themed balloon display is easier than ya think.
You don’t have to limit stair decor to the outdoors. If have a set of stairs inside your home, then you can spruce them up by adding mini pumpkins, colorful leaves, and autumnal mums to the steps.
Get Some Gothic Florals
Stick some black bunny tails and pampas grass into vases to create perfectly understated Halloween centerpieces.
Create a Moody Tablescape
Deck out your table with a lace table runner, black tableware, and a few gothic details for the ultimate spooky tablescape.
Decorate Pumpkins with Decals
If you don’t feel like carving pumpkins (because, ya know, mess), then you can decorate them with some sweet lil decals instead.
Hang a Photobooth Backdrop
Create the ideal backdrop for all your Halloween photo ops by hanging a Halloween-themed fringe curtain over an open wall.
Spice Things Up with Fake Spiders
Grab a pack of sparkly faux spiders and sprinkle ’em on every available surface to add some pizazz (and potentially freak out your guests).
Put the “Boo” in Bookshelf
Make some space on your bookshelf for festive fall touches, like colorful gourds, mini pumpkins, and skulls.
A mix of vibrant orange and creamy white blooms can add a nice pop of color your space, especially when you hollow out a pumpkin to use as a vase.
Give Your Bottles a Makeover
Grab some empty bottles and cover the labels with witchy apothecary stickers for an extra-spooky bar cart.
Get Creative with Streamers
Hang vertical streamers in front of your windows to create some cool, colorful curtains—and remember that you don’t have to limit yourself to orange and black, either!
Make a Statement with Stencils
For all the ~artistically challenged~ folks out there, pre-made Halloween stencils can help you make signs, posters, and prints for hanging that look seriously legit.
Hang Around with Hanging Decor
Wanna take your Halloween decor to new heights? String up some mini pumpkins, witch hats, ghosts, or bats and hang them from a ceiling or tree branch.
Line Up Jack O’Lantern Peppers
Draw cute faces on yellow and orange peppers and line them up in your windowsill for an unexpected alternative to mini pumpkins.
Dress Up Your Pumpkins
Find creative ways to turn your pumpkins into pieces of decor, such as by adding wings and ears and turning them into cute lil bats.
Craft a Festive Fall Wreath
If you want a piece of decor you can keep up all autumn long, then get a Styrofoam wreath form and decorate it with leaves, mums, pinecones, and other cute fall touches.
Don’t feel like going the classic wreath route? Buy a giant fake spider instead and adhere it to your front door to create the creepiest kind of entrance.
Go Wild with a Gallery Wall
With the help of some cute Halloween prints and a set of inexpensive frames, you can dedicate some wall space to a chic Halloween-themed gallery wall.
Make a Few Goofy Gounds
For another fun alternative to traditional Jack O’Lantern, grab a few gourds and bring ’em to the life with some glued-on googly eyes.
Make Some Simple String Art
Found: a Halloween craft that even the least artistic people can handle (and that you can put on display just about anywhere in your home once it’s complete!).
Give Your Centerpieces a Lil Personality
Turn any centerpiece from ho-hum to ~Halloweeny~ with a cute cut-out character on a stick, which you can either DIY or buy and add to your fall floral arrangements.
Fact: You can add black or white cheesecloth to just about ANY piece of furniture and instantly make it spooky. Don’t just take our word for it—try it yourself.
Make a Sticky Statement Wall
If you’ve got a wide, open wall that you’re too lazy to decorate, then grab some stretchy fabric and cover the whole surface with randomly pinned sections to create a giant spiderweb.
Make Dripped Wax Wine Bottles
Paint a few empty wine bottles black, and then use drip candles to drip hot wax over the mouth of the bottles, being sure to let it cool before handling.
Put Your Furniture Under Cover
Got some old white sheets lying around? Use them to cover up your furniture and give it that creepy, abandoned aesthetic (and if you don’t wanna get your nice white sheets dirty, then just buy an inexpensive set).
Incorporate Black and Orange in Unexpected Ways
The combination of orange and black is synonymous with Halloween, but you don’t have to rely on just pumpkins and bats to bring those colors into your space. Incorporate orange and black in unexpected ways, such as with throw pillows, candles, dried florals, and other decorative touches.
Go Bananas with Banners
String up mini Halloween garlands (which you can either buy or DIY) across any piece of furniture that could use a festive touch, such as your TV stand, your bed headboard, or even your piano.
Crotchet Your Own Cobwebs
For those who are extra-crafty, grab some acrylic yarn and crochet your own cobweb bunting, which you can then hang across your mantel or wall.
Make Halloween-Themed Pillow Covers
Folks who can crochet should also try their hand at making their own festive pillow covers, which will save ya from having to buy a bunch of Halloween-themed throw pillows for your couch.
Bring Out the Poison Candy Apples
Dip artificial apples in glossy black paint to create a plate of poisonous apples (and just make sure no one takes your “eat me” sign seriously).
Freshen Up Your Wall with Rosette Fans
A pack of orange-and-black rosette fans can allow you to put together the perfect accent wall for photos (or to create a colorful backdrop for your food table).
Fill Cauldrons with Candy Corn
Introducing: the easiest way to add color to your snack table. Simply grab a black cauldron-like bowl and fill it to the brim with candy corn. Even if not a single piece gets eaten, it’ll still look pretty.
Hang Some Eerie Vintage Photos
Turn your home into a haunted mansion with the help of some sepia-toned vintage portraits (and if you wanna go all out, then you can even get photos where the faces morph as you pass by!).
Give Your Straws Some Wings
Use black construction paper to cut out bat shapes, and then add two slits so you can slip them over your drink straws.
Create a Killer Snack Table
Centralize your party snacks with a colorful food spread, which you call attention to with string lights and a few cute banners.
Get some decals and use ’em to decorate your doors, walls, or windows with (very realistic-looking) bloody handprints.
Stick Some Heads on Skewers
To make ridiculously easy table centerpieces, simply grab some black bottles and fill them with three or four bamboo skewers. Then, add pierce each skewer with a marshmallow and decorate them with spooky faces.
Cover the front of a hanging mirror with gauzy fabric, and then wrap it in a length of sheer black ribbon to create a cool gothic lewk.
All you need is string, balls of styrofoam, a black marker, and muslin fabric to make to create an army of adorable ghosts, which you can hang indoors or out.
Contributing Writer
Corinne Sullivan is a digital writer and editor who covers a variety of beats, including lifestyle, entertainment, relationships, holidays and more.
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