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Homemade Halloween Decorations

BrandyT by BrandyT

Make Your Own Halloween Decorations

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays!  I love all the scarey decorations.  Making decorations for this haunted holiday can be a whole lot of fun also.

Martha Stewart always has great ideas for any kind of decorating.  So I'm going to share some Halloween crafts with you from Martha.

Some of these decorations I have used at my own house.  My children have loads of fun helping make them, and then spooking visitors afterwards.

Decorations You'll Find Here

  2. Bat Silhouettes
  4. Papier-Mache Basics
  5. Tools and Materials
  6. Pasting
  7. Drying
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  26. How do you decorate for Halloween?
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  31. BTaylor Art

Frightfully Fun Scarecrow

Stuff and dress family pumpkin heads, and they will cast a spell over the neighborhood.

Tools and Materials
2 one-by-twos (for mother or son) or 2 one-by-fours (for father), cut to size
Drill
Old clothes
1 wood screw (for mother or son) or 2 wood screws (for father)
Bale of hay needle and thread
Mallet
Foam pumpkin, carved as desired

Lay out clothes and heads for scarecrows: For father and son, make the vertical stake 1 1/2 feet longer than clothes and head; for mother, 3 feet. The horizontal piece should be a few inches shorter than the span of the sleeves.

The photos on this page are of the scarecrow son, but the instructions that follow will work for any member of the family. (The mother scarecrow requires some substitute steps) Before you begin, cut the wooden pieces to size or have it done at a lumberyard or hardware store; the vertical piece should have a point at the bottom.

Scarecrow How-To
1. Lay out materials on a work surface.

2. Create a cross, laying the shorter wooden piece horizontally across the longer one, 6 inches from top. Drill a hole through center of cross (for father, drill two holes about 2 inches apart). Place vertical piece inside shirt, and put horizontal piece through sleeves; join the two pieces with a wood screw (for father, use 2).

3. Stuff shirt with hay. Pull vertical stake through one leg of pants; stuff pants with hay.

4. Tuck shirt into pants; sew shirt and pants together with needle and thread.

5. Dig a hole. Use mallet to drive in stake about 1 foot or until secure. Fill hole with dirt.

6. Fill head with hay for a snug fit. Place on stake.

You'll need a full slip under the dress to hold stuffing.

Mother Scarecrow How-To
1. Follow the instructions above. Paint vertical stake black; let dry.

2. Follow step 2, placing vertical stake inside full slip and dress and putting horizontal piece through the straps and sleeves.

3. Stuff slip and sleeves with hay; leave about 6 inches of space at bottom of slip.

4. Gather slip tightly around stake; staple to stake with a staple gun. Proceed with steps 5 and 6.

Bat Paper Silhouettes

Shadows are emblematic of Halloween: dark and fleeting, and always lurking a step behind you. But decorating with them is impossible -- at least without black magic -- so use some black paper and a little craftiness to make silhouettes, and you'll get the next best thing. These Halloween silhouettes are simple and inexpensive to make. Use these templates to haunt your home with flying bats and a prowling shadowy figure.

Bats in different sizes give the illusion that some are close, and some are far away. To make one: Print and cut out the bat template; tape wing sections to body, matching up the dotted lines. Use a utility knife to cut out facial details. The bats range from 6 inches to 3 feet across; template sections can be enlarged or reduced on a photocopier as desired. Trace template onto heavy black construction paper, taping pieces together for larger bats; cut out. Use removable double-sided tape to attach bats to wall, curving them over moldings and leaving edges of wings free to "flap."

Click here to print out the Bat Templet

Bat Silhouettes 

Staircase Silhouette

Greet trick-or-treaters with a menacing silhouette that climbs the stairs. The rise on steps doesn't differ much from one staircase to another, so these pieces can be saved and used in another location next year. To make a large silhouette for your staircase, print out the staircase template; cut out each section. Following the numbered diagram, tape together the sections for each stair (numbered 1 through 9) at the dotted lines. Trace onto pieced-together black construction paper, and cut out. Number the back of each stair section according to the diagram; attach each section to the appropriate stair riser with double-sided tape.

Click here to print out the Staircase Silhouette
Important!

Papier-Mache Basics

Pasting layers of tissue paper onto balloons that serve as forms, and then letting them dry, hardening so they can be cut and embellished. The balloons vary in size from the large birthday-party variety to small ones sometimes sold as water balloons. A list of what you'll need to get started is below; additional necessary items are included with each project.. When using black tissue paper, wear gloves and cover your work surface because the dye may run and stain.

Tools and Materials

Balloons
Jars
Craft glue
Colored tissue
Paper
Medium artist's paintbrush
Clothespins and clothesline
Small scissors
Pencil
Utility knife

Important!

Pasting

Begin by resting a balloon on an empty jar (this will prevent the damp tissue from discoloring or sticking to the work surface). Dab diluted craft glue (2 parts glue to 1 part water) on a small section of the balloon, & drape a strip of tissue paper from the balloon's crown to its knot. Using a paintbrush, apply more glue over the strip. Add another strip so it slightly overlaps the 1st, and brush on more glue. Continue around the balloon, layering tissue as desired and leaving the knot exposed.
Important!

Drying

Using clothespins, hang the tissue-covered balloons from the clothesline by their knots; let dry completely (several hours or overnight). Pop each balloon by making a slit with scissors next to the knot. Remove balloon through hole around knot.

Jack-o-lantern Paper Mache

Jack-o'-lanterns set an eerie party mood. These papier-mache versions started out as balloons. Strips of tissue paper and glue give the grinning faces structure. Make them with stems or without, and illuminate with battery-powered lights.

You will also need: floral wire, floral tape, cotton balls.

Cover a balloon with two layers of orange tissue paper, then two of yellow. Once dry, cut a lid from knot end, and a small circle from other end for a base. Cut out features with utility knife and scissors; cover inside with tissue (glue at edges). For stem, push three lengths of floral wire through knot hole in lid. Attach a cotton ball to underside with floral tape. Wrap each wire in floral tape; twist together at bottom to create stem's base; wrap end of each wire around a pencil to make tendrils.

Treat Balls

Treat balls adorned with silhouettes are spooky party favors.

You will also need: treats.

Cover small balloons with one layer of orange tissue paper and then one layer of yellow. Cut out your own shapes, or download and print our silhouettes, then trace them onto black tissue paper; cut out each shape. Affix the silhouettes to spheres with diluted glue. When dry, enlarge knot holes (start cutting with utility knife, then finish with scissors). For party favors, fill balls with candy and tiny toys; paste a circle of orange tissue paper over the hole.

Candy Dispenser

This hissing papier-mache cat has a mouthful of treats.

You will also need: newspaper, white pencil, black duct tape, white and black card stock, treats.

Cover balloon with two layers of red tissue paper, two of newspaper, then with black tissue. Let dry. With utility knife and scissors, cut out a mouth-shaped wedge (sketch with white pencil first); set aside. Secure with duct tape across inside of upper lip. Cover tape with black tissue. Cut ears from wedge, and affix with duct tape; cover with tissue. Download and print face template; trace onto card stock. Cut out features; attach with undiluted craft glue. Roll black tissue into whiskers; glue in place. Fill mouth with treats.

Cat-Bucket Variation
Make head without cutting out mouth; cut a hole on top. Place ears on either side. Poke a hole 1/2 inch in from edge on each side of rim; thread with black wire and twist ends for handle.

“Trick or Treat
Smell my feet
Give me something good to eat!”

Creepy Candles

As day turns to night, call on candles to cast an eerie glow throughout your home. When fierce silhouettes are propped above them, spectacular shadows dance across the walls.

Silhouette How-To
1. Print templates. Trace onto heavyweight black card stock; cut out with a utility knife. Straighten a length of 18-gauge wire, and tape one end to the back of a card-stock creature.

2. Using pliers, shape the other end of the wire into a circle large enough to loop around the bottom of a candleholder. Bend the wire so the card stock creature is positioned behind the back lip of the glass.

3. Be sure to use a candle holder that is taller than the candle, in order to keep the flame away from cutout. Adjust distance from wall to create smaller or larger shadows.

Cobweb Candles

Plain candlesticks look positively creepy in critter-covered cobwebs. Cut a length of cheesecloth, and gently pull to make it look tattered. Drape cloth over candlesticks and mantel; add plastic spiders and leaves. Top candlesticks with bobeches -- collars that catch drips -- and insert tapers.

Pumpkin Flower Vase

Pumpkins wear many hats this time of year, appearing in pies and soups as well as in centerpieces. Here's another use: Transform one into a colorful homemade vase.

Tools and Materials
A round pumpkin
Cylindrical-shaped container
Knife or pumpkin-carving tool
Pen
Pumpkin scoop or spoon
Flower food
Water
Seasonal flowers

Pumpkin Flower Vase How-To
1. Put the cylindrical-shaped container on top of the pumpkin, to use as tracing guide. Using a pen, trace outside rim of container and score for a perfect fit.

2. Cut off the top of the pumpkin. Be careful not to break the stem when removing the top.

3. Scoop out the pulp on the inside with a pumpkin scoop or spoon. Discard pulp.

4. Place the cylindrical container inside the pumpkin to hold the flowers.

5. Pour water into the container and add flower food.

6. Arrange a variety of seasonal flowers such as dahlias, cockscombs, rose hips, and mini crab apples.

Specimen-Jar Candle

Here's a Good Thing that will add a spooky touch to your home for Halloween. The specimen-jar candle looks like it came straight from a mad scientist's laboratory, but it's really easy to make -- and little trick-or-treaters will love it.

Tools and Materials
Cauliflower head
Grapes, optional
Celery root, optional
Glass vase
Small suction cup
Water
Food coloring
Wax granules
Wicks
Lighter

Specimen-Jar Candle How-To
1. Attach a cauliflower head to the metal part of a small suction cup, and secure it to the inside of a glass vase. You can also experiment with other fruits and vegetables instead of cauliflower, such as grapes or celery root.

2. Fill jar with water (water should cover top of cauliflower head).

3. Dye water with one or two drops of food coloring.

4. Pour wax granules on top of water and lace wicks in granules. A 1-inch layer of granules burns for about 1 hour.

5. Light candles.

Bloody Candles

Cast a sinister glow over any setting with a cluster of white tapers dripping with "blood" (actually red candle wax). Fill a cup or a small pail with sand, and plant white candles inside so they stand upright. Light a red candle and tip it over the white candles so the wax drips down the tops and sides, being careful not to burn yourself. Let wax cool completely before removing candles from sand.

Forbidding Flowers

A floral arrangement becomes positively frightening when covered in creepy cobwebs. To make the webs, cut a 5-inch section from inexpensive or damaged white panty hose, and pull apart until it becomes wispy and resembles cobwebs. Stretch the material over a cluster of dark blooms (we used crimson roses and dahlias, as well as some fiddlehead ferns). Set on a sideboard, or on a dining table as a centerpiece.

Creepy Halloween Centerpiece

Now is the time of year when the air turns chillier, the moon glows brighter, and the desire to scare the willies out of loved ones grows greater.

Make this shadowy centerpiece, and friends and family will quickly discover they aren't the only guests at the table.

How-To
1. Arrange deep-hued fruits on a large platter around dark pillar candles; set platter on dining table over a gauzy fabric runner.

2. Add insects of your choosing -- plastic ones only, please.

TRICKS...

Walking Phantoms

A solitary specter walks across a courtyard, disappearing into thin air as she moves. Witness to her ghostly stroll might rub their eyes in disbelief. Was she really there at all? The proof is in the photo.

Most trick photography starts with a series of images that are layered in the same digital file. Take more photos than you think you'll need, so you can get just the right effect in your finished picture.

Ghost How-To
1. Photograph the empty backdrop.


2. Take a few dozen pictures of the ghost -- a model dressed in a white cape and a gauzy dress -- walking in front of a plain wall. Next, cut out the figures that evoke the most realistic motion and layer the images against the background photo, making each one more transparent than the last. Also make the bottom of the ghost's dress transparent so that she appears to float across the frame.

Mirror, Mirror

A partygoer admires his reflection -- just the sort of turn of events one expects on Halloween. The looking glass itself does the work. To create the fun-house illusion, we mounted mirrored film (from an art-supply store) to a sheet of curved posterboard and then slipped it into a frame.

Giving mirrored film (available at art-supply stores) even a subtle curve will provide a fun-house-like distorted reflection: You might look upside down when standing up close, very tiny when standing back a few feet, and so on. This project is simplest with a rectangular mirror frame.

Mirror, Mirror How-To
1. Remove the original mirror from the frame. Flip the frame over, and place it on a piece of poster board or corrugated cardboard. Trace the opening of the frame onto the board, adding 1/4 inch to the top edge; cut out with scissors.

2. Coat the smooth side of the board with super spray adhesive, and adhere a 2-mm-thick sheet of mirrored film to it. Trim any excess film around the edges of the board. Apply a thin strip of hot glue to the inner lip at the top of the frame; secure one edge of the mirrored board to the lip. Repeat process on bottom lip. This will create a slight concave curve in the mirror, since the board will be larger than your frame.

3. The curve in the mirror will leave small gaps between the mirror and the sides of the frame. Cut pieces of cardboard in the shape of these gaps and cover them with mirrored film. Using hot glue, attach the pieces to the mirror and frame, plugging the gaps.

4. Hang mirror as usual.

Levitating Halloween Table and Treats

Trick or treat? This witch appears to have both at her disposal. Ghouls in her good graces can help themselves from an urn of candies. But get a little cheeky and the treats won't be the only thing to go flying.

Ready to make your own levitating table and treats? Learn how to create this enchanting illusion.

Tools and Materials
* Round table kit (available at home centers)
* Large cardboard tube (available at home centers)
* Black spray paint
* Hammer and nails
* Sandbags (available at home centers)
* Lightweight, gauzy fabric (for tablecloth)
* Stiffy fabric stiffener (BAI100 1419613), $5.99 for 16 oz., by Plaid, from joann.com
* Medium weight string
* 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch dowels
* Glue gun
* Candy chain template
* .005-inch-thick clear acetate (SO5CL2540), $3.01 each, from Grafix, 216-581-9050 or shopatron.com
* Candy in wrappers
* Similar urn, $8.99 each, from Jamali Garden
* Monofilament (34568437), $4.19, from Create for Less
* Screw eye (60025617), $.89 for 20, from Create for Less


Step 1

Buy a round table kit and a large cardboard tube (available at home centers). Spray-paint tube black to make it less visible. Cut tube on an angle at the top to desired height for table. Nail three 1-by-1-inch blocks of wood to underside of tabletop, spaced to fit just inside tube, to hold it in place; anchor tube's bottom with sandbags, and then place tabletop.

For tablecloth, saturate layers of lightweight, gauzy fabric with fabric stiffener; place on tabletop and use string and dowels to hold fabric in position until dry. Attach table legs, and glue mini pumpkins to tablecloth.



Step 2

For candy chain, enlarge template to desired size, and trace onto .005-millimeter-thick clear acetate; cut out. Hot-glue candy onto acetate; adhere one end to the inside of an urn and attach other end to ceiling with filament and a screw eye.

TREATS...

Punch Bowl Prop

Fill this vessel with dry ice for a smoldering display, or skip the mysterious mist and use it to serve punch.

1. You'll need: a ruler, two pumpkins (one about 2/3 the size of the other), a grease pencil, a keyhole saw, a fleshing tool, tape, templates (enlarge as needed), an awl, a short length of square brass tubing (bent in on the flat sides to form a 4-pointed star), a wood screw, a screwdriver, a glass bowl, dry ice



2. Use ruler to measure the halfway point on each pumpkin, and draw a horizontal line around circumferences with grease pencil. Cut pumpkins in half; discard tops. Lightly scrape insides clean. Tape templates to pumpkins (starting at the backs, since templates won't meet up exactly). Poke holes with awl along outline of the patterns; continue around pumpkins, moving template as you go.



3. Use keyhole saw to cut out shapes along dotted lines and tubing to cut tiny holes.



4. Place larger pumpkin on top of inverted smaller one. Use a 2-inch wood screw to fasten pumpkins to each other. Insert glass bowl, and fill with water and dry ice. Note: Wear gloves when handling dry ice; use in well-ventilated areas.

Medusa Ice Face and Hands Punch

Although the mythical Medusa was initially worshipped for her beauty, when Athena wrathfully turned her long, flowing tresses to snakes, Medusa was forever cursed with the alarming ability turn all those who looked at her to stone. Although this festive punch won't produce quite the same effect, it's sure to leave your Halloween guests frozen in their tracks as they gaze into the bowl to find the serpent creature staring back at them.

Tools and Materials
Duct tape
Plastic face mask
Green liquid food coloring
Clothespins
Plastic container, such as a Sterilite bin
Packing material such as Styrofoam peanuts or bubble wrap
Gummy worms
Pair of large latex gloves
Rubber bands
Sheet pan
Parchment paper
Beverages, such as ginger ale or lemonade, to make punch

Ice Face and Hands How-To
1. Using duct tape, tape up all of the mask's orifices, such as the nostril holes, inside and out. Place the mask face-down in the plastic container, stabilizing the mask in place with the packing material.

2. Using the food coloring, dye about 3 cups of water light green (this should require only about one drop of the coloring). Pour the mixture into the mask, filling it about halfway.

3. Lay the gummy worms as desired around the head of the mask, creating Medusa's hair and using clothespins to hold them in place. Freeze the mask, at least overnight.

4. To create the hands, fill the latex gloves with water (one glove holds about 1 1/2 cups water, so you'll need about 3 cups for both). Using rubber bands, tie the gloves at the wrists to seal them shut. Place the hands flat on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper, to prevent them from sticking. Freeze the hands, at least overnight.

5. Remove the mask from the container, remove the face from the mask mold, and remove the hands from the gloves. (They should come out easily, but if not, place the hands and face in another container filled with room-temperature water to loosen them from the molds.) Turn the face upside-down to reveal the green face with worm hair.

6. Prepare the punch of your choice (Martha uses lemonade and ginger ale), gently slide the face into the punch, and add the hands -- one on each side, palms facing up.

Eyeball Highball

At Halloween -- the one time of year when the grotesque, gruesome, and horrifying are worth aspiring to -- take the opportunity to express your holiday spirit with just the sort of drink Dr. Frankenstein might have enjoyed during cocktail hour. With medium-size radishes and olives, you can create creepy ice cubes that appear to contain eyeballs -- ideal for a macabre martini on the rocks or in a ghastly glass of flavored seltzer for your young ghouls-in-training.

Trim the stem and root ends of a radish (make sure it's small enough to fit the individual section of an ice-cube tray), and use a paring knife to scrape off most of the red skin. Leave just enough red to give the radish a veined appearance. Rinse the radish off, and use a small melon baller to cut 1/2-inch-diameter hole into the radish. Fit an olive, cut side out, into the hole, and place the radish in the ice-cube tray. Repeat this process until the tray is full, then pour water over the eyeballs, and freeze.

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How do you decorate for Halloween?

What are your favorite decorations?

  • Terri_Buckner Oct 12, 2011 @ 9:45 am | delete
    Very cute ideas. The mini-paper mache candy holders are great for classroom gifts and to give a little something special to neighborhood kids.
  • pamscape Oct 11, 2011 @ 2:44 am | delete
    well i never tired the stair silhoutte, but now that is the neatest halloween decoration idea i have ever seen
  • rainbowruffles Oct 3, 2011 @ 5:18 pm | delete
    Very cute ideas, great lens!
  • lbrummer Oct 2, 2011 @ 6:03 am | delete
    Very nice lens. Have added it to a list of Halloween sites on my Kids & Glitter blog.
  • cgreen7090 Sep 25, 2011 @ 2:09 pm | delete
    Really good lens you got here. Unique ideas.
  • MaryMorgan Sep 19, 2011 @ 9:00 pm | delete
    There are some amazing and creative ideas here, with such clear instructions. Thanks!
  • Lilly-n-Lloyd Sep 17, 2011 @ 7:44 am | delete
    I must try your Eyeball Highball. It's too grotesque not to!
  • JC Sep 14, 2011 @ 7:53 am | delete
    Love the ideas here...I am going to try and do a few of them.
  • franstan Sep 11, 2011 @ 7:16 pm | delete
    I love the fact that you included the instructions for how to make the Halloween decoration and not just the photos
  • chelseamarsden Sep 11, 2011 @ 1:24 am | delete
    I got a couple of awesome ideas from here for my decorations this Halloween. Thanks!
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BrandyT

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