Halloween is my FAVORITE time of year! Trick or treating, scary movies, crisp cool nights by the firepit...what could be better? Here are 5 of my favorite DIY Halloween decorations to spook up your house and have fun doing it!
1. Creepy Glowing Eyes! This is a great craft idea for the whole family, because it's super easy and you probably have everything you need at the house right now. Simply take some empty toilet paper or paper towel tubes and trace on some scary eye shapes. Cut them out using safety scissors for the kiddies or an exacto knife for you crafting pros, insert a glow stick, and presto! Glowing eyes peering out from your bushes!
2. Bloody Hand Prints! This one is a little messier and more labor intensive, but the results are awesome, and as long as you use non-toxic glue this is also safe for kids! Coat your hand with a layer of Elmer's glue and place it on a stretched piece of cling wrap. While you wait for it to dry, mix another batch of glue with a lot of red and just a few drops of blue food coloring until you have a convincing bloody shade of red. Paint this mixture over your hands and place on top of the first hand print you placed on the wrap. Fill in any light or thin spots with a brush - you'll want the final product to be around 1/8'' thick. Allow to dry completely, preferably overnight, and when you wake up in the morning you can peel your bloody handprints off the cling wrap and stick them to your windows! These are reuseable as well, so feel free to move them around until you get the creepy effect you're looking for!
3. Ghost Lanterns! This is a great project for kids who may not be into the super scary stuff. Simply take your old gallon milk jugs, wash them out thoroughly, and use a permanant marker to draw scary or funny faces on the front. Fill them with glow sticks or white holiday lights and use them to line the walkway to your front door! The trick or treaters will know instantly that your house is the door to knock on first, and you'll have the added benefit of guiding the troops of kids straight up your path instead of all over your lawn.
4. Scary snake wreath! Ok, I just saw this one a few days ago and had a little craft heart attack; mostly because I didn't think of this myself first! Head to your local dollar store and pick up an inexpensive wreath - the ones with lots of bent twigs look the best in my opinion. While you're there, pick up some of those rubber snakes kids can't seem to get enough of, and a can or two of black spray paint. Wrap the snakes around the wreath and secure with hot glue, and then cover the entire thing with a layer of black paint. From a distance, it'll look like just a plain Halloween wreath hanging on your front door, but when people get close they'll jump at the hidden snake surprise!
5. Creative pumpkins! The last one on the list is for those of you who may not be so crafty, or aren't into the huge scare factor but still want to show some Halloween spirit. There are tons of creative ideas online for pumpkin decorating without any carving, but one of my favorites has always been the wax drip effect. Simply tape a circle of crayons around the top of your pumpkin, using whatever colors you love best. Then, take a blow dryer and hit the crayons with some high heat! They will gradually melt down the pumpkin, giving it a really cool 3D drippy effect!
Does anyone else have some great ideas for Halloween decorating on the cheap? I'd love to hear how you decorate your home for the season!!
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