More DIY Halloween Decorations
Here is Part 2 of my DIY Halloween decoration roundup, just in case you didn't find enough inspiration in Part 1 :)
Below you will find loads of ideas for decorating pumpkins, as well as instructions on how to make spooky garlands, eerie outdoor props, and plenty more to make sure your Halloween party is a real scream :-0
Photo of glamorous pumpkins by Ciera Holzenthal.
Hauntingly Homemade Crafts:
With drinking straws as bendy legs!
Amusing paint design.
Adorable fanged creatures with felt wings.
Metallic decor made with plastic toy props.
Just print out this free spooky download.
A 3D framed head that produces a great effect!
Made from wicker plate holders.
Featuring black and orange medallions.
A simple but effective painting exercise.
Sophisticated and spooky ornaments.
Elevated mason jars with a pumpkin design.
Clever idea for making bats you can clip to anything.
Photo of a paper mache skeletal cat by Stitchlily.
Spooky Craft Projects:
Lightweight enough to hang from string webs.
Baubles aren't just for Christmas!
Perfect for putting in potion jars and cauldrons.
Follow the free template to create the intricate folds.
With shiny beads strung in between.
An impressive build, and it lights up!
Sophisticated ornaments with a common theme.
Sparkly door decoration with added spiders.
Rustic sign to stick in your yard.
Cute pom-pom pumpkins with pipe cleaner stems.
F i n d H a l l o w e e n P r o p s o n A m a z o n :
Up For A Challenge?
Try Sculpting Your Own Outdoor Props:
Ghoulish Home Decor:
Feather boa and plastic eyeball embellishments.
Classy glass specimen jars.
Fun paper mache and paint makeover.
Brilliantly effective project that looks like a pile of bones.
Wooden triangle garland.
Create a range of monster faces.
Easy decor made with black satin ribbon.
Traditional centrepiece that I think looks fab.
Giant cobwebs made with kraft paper.
A range of jars painted black, with silver buckles.
Props that are very easy to construct.
Simply wrap muslin around a regular cushion.
Photo of a funny 'pukey pumpkin' by JD Hancock.
Lots of Pumpkin Decorating Ideas:
Including disco ball pumpkins and stained glass effects.
Use a drill to turn pumpkins into magical lanterns.
Using epsom salt to add some glitz.
Using just tape to decorate.
An artistic take on the classic.
A pretty idea using fake pumpkins.
Fun use of pumpkins to make giant cat decorations.
Really elegant and detailed jack 'o' lanterns.
Perfect technique for creative crafters.
Craft an impressive scene inside a pumpkin.
A simple covering of wood slices looks very Autumnal.
Get on trend with nuts, bolts and all things steampunk.
Dramatic and luxurious embellishment.
Free templates for a fox, an owl and a cat.
About as elegant as a pumpkin gets!
Photo of a Halloween wreath by Roxanne Ready.
To make some paper mache bones to use as props, you will need:
* Newspaper
* A paper mache mixture (equal parts white flour and water OR 1 part water to 3 parts PVA glue)
* Masking tape
* White paint (preferably spray paint but you can use acrylic/poster paint).
- Rip pages from the newspaper and make them into ball shapes for the ends of the bones, and long shapes for the center part.
- Attach the newspaper shapes together with masking tape so that you make a bone shape. Try and make the surface as smooth (and as tightly packed) as possible.
- Rip more newspaper pages into thin strips that are approx. 6" long or less and are no more than approx 1" wide unless you are making a very large bone shape.
- One at a time, dip the strips into the paper mache mix, use your fingers to wipe some excess mixture off and back into the bowl, then wrap the strip around the bone shape. Do this tightly enough so that you don't have wrinkles in the paper.
- Keep repeating this until the bone has been covered 2-3 times with paper mache strips. Leave it to dry completely.
- Now it is time to paint it. I would personally spray paint the bone with enough layers so that the newspaper print is no longer visible (remember you will need good ventilation when spray painting). However, you can paint acrylic/poster paint directly onto the bones instead if you prefer, or, if the bone is small enough you can dip it straight into a pot of paint. To cover up the newspaper print before you start painting, you can also choose to apply a white primer.
- Leave to dry and then it's completed! If you want to have the bones as an outdoor decoration, you can apply a clear acrylic spray, a layer of 'Mod Podge Outdoor', a layer of clear Plasti-dip or some other protective coating to stop any rain from destroying it. You will also need to weight it down or attach it to something heavier to stop it blowing away because they are very light.
- If you are keeping them indoors, another option would be to dip the bones in plaster rather than paint them - like shown here and here.
Have fun!
Photo of twig-and-pinecone spiders by Zombie Leah.
Dastardly DIYs:
Quick DIY which makes an effective table centrepiece.
Add a blacklight to activate this brilliant effect.
Replicate bone shapes in plaster.
Transparency film is the secret ingredient here.
How to decorate a paper mache house for Halloween.
And more wall ornament ideas.
Stylish curved wire sculpture.
Pumpkin, cat and ghost cone characters.
Put your papercutting skills to the test!
Spell and potion book covers to download.
A fun way to make a Halloween display.
Socks & Pipe Cleaners = Spiders
With tips on making a cobweb too.
More Inspiration, Ideas & How-Tos:
Transform white garbage bags in a matter of minutes.
Fabric wall banner with cut-out letters.
Great idea for recycling old clothes.
Follow along with the video tutorial.
Many fun design ideas including ghosts and skulls.
Rustic wreath design with yarn tassel ghosts.
Dripping candles made from cardboard tubes and hot glue.
Put together your own funny or scary scene with props.
Recycling idea for those who want cute decorations on a budget.
Funny idea for wall decor.
Clever way to make a house look condemned using foam.
How to Make a Fringed Halloween Garland:
What you need:
* Multiple strips of paper (tissue or crepe preferably - I prefer crepe); One half of the strips will need to be black and the other half will need to be orange, and all of the strips should be exactly the same length and width. The length of each strip is as long as you can get (which depends on the size of paper sheet you can buy), and the width is up to you but I would suggest between 3" and 8". As an example, I could make a garland from 4 strips of orange paper and 4 strips of black paper with each strip measuring 4" x 40". This would result in a garland approx. 155" long in total, allowing room for overlapping.
* Scissors
* Glue stick
- You will be working with a pair of paper strips at a time - one orange and one black - and adding pairs of strips together until you have a garland as long as you need it to be. First you will apply glue down the center of one of the strips of paper (see yellow line in first part of the diagram above). The glue should be about 1" across and run along almost the whole length of the strip, except for a gap of 1" at the end(s) you will be joining to another pair of paper strips later.
- Place your pair of paper strips together on top of each other so that they are glued securely down the center.
- Now you can do the same thing for your other paper strip pairs until you have enough to make the length of garland you require (in my case 4).
- Next you will need to join the glued-together paper pairs together in a long line, and to do this you will need to insert the short edge of one pair between the two strips of paper in the adjacent pair. This is why you left a glueless space at the end of the paper earlier - so that you can slide other pieces of paper in between and secure them either with staples in the center, or just glue. Keep the glue about 1" across and in the center of the strips as before.
- You should now have a long double-layered strips of paper; orange on one side, black on the other.
- Now take your scissors and cut slits along both of the long edges, quite close together, to produce a 'fringed' effect. Leave the 1" central glued section in-tact otherwise the whole garland will fall apart!
- Now fluff up the finging by separating the strands, and then twist the garland to produce a better effect.
- Finished!
