it’s halloween: crafty & creepy: easy DIY halloween decor
Over the years, I’ve discovered that Halloween decorating is less about spending big and more about layering creativity, personal touches, and a little bit of spooky fun. From handmade crafts with my kiddo to front-yard setups that wow the neighbors, these ideas have become part of our family’s Halloween tradition—and they’re easy enough for anyone to recreate.
Outdoor Magic
Spiders Everywhere
Years ago we found this amazing beef netting to create the best spiderwebs - they’re reusable year after year AND don’t harm the birds like the ones from the store. We get our poly/cotton netting from Trenton Mills. We bought one five-pound netting and it is plenty to do our front yard. You just stretch it where you want to go and cut holes in it as you go. Trenton Mills has a few great video tutorials too.
In the gallery below, you’ll see we’ve added spider eggs sacs (nylons over a styrofoam ball with plastic spiders) and an inflatable spider, which the kids just love. We even have a projector that shines on the shed with creepy crawly spiders climbing all over it .Eek!
This is super easy, and besides the initial invest in beef netting, it’s relatively inexpensive and you can use it year after year.
Ghostly Graveyard
We have two flowerbeds near the front of our long yard. They look creepy already with all the plants slowly dying back for the season. With the addition of some well-place tombstones and some shepherd hooks to hold Dolores and Zolores, our guazy ghosts, it raises the creepy factor to 11. They are super easy to make and I describe the how=to in the link. We use solar powered flood lights to give them that creepy glow at night. Our biggest issue is keeping the tombstones and bones from blowing away since our house is a wind tunnel in the fall and winter.
Sam
Sam is a character in one of my annual Halloween movie watching traditions - Trick r Treat. He looks like a cute little kid in a orange footie pj’s, but he’s really a scary demon. He creeps me out sitting on our bench in the front yard among the flower beds. Learn more about his construction here and let me know if you want full instructions on how I made him!
Indoor Halloween Touches
Neighborhood & Community Fun
Halloween changed post-COVID. There were so much negative out of the pandemic, but a positive outcome was neighborhood Halloween trick or treat block parties. A group of us all sit outside at the end of driveways, handing out candy, decorating our tables, and chatting with neighbors on Halloween night. It’s lovely. Every year, our pumpkins and other DIY decorations are on full display for Halloween.
For more ideas on Trunk or Treat, visit: it’s halloween - trunk or treat
