Our 100+ Favorite DIY Halloween Decorating Ideas

Get ready to spook up your home — both indoors and out — with our favorite ideas for handmade Halloween decorations you can craft.

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By: H. Camille Smith and Jacquelyn McGilvray

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DIY Some Spooky Spiders

It's that magical time of the year when — and if you've got it — haunt it! From giving your front porch a slightly sinister seasonal makeover to transforming any room in your home with a frightening fix-up, keep reading for our most bewitching ideas for both indoor and outdoor Halloween decorations you can create.

First up, easily craft these larger-than-life spiders with the kiddos for a fun Halloween craft you can tackle together. Inexpensive craft store materials and a little imagination are all you need to build these creepy Halloween props. Make your own with our instructions, below.

Get the How-To: How to Make DIY Oversized Spooky Spiders

Pose a Skeleton or Two

Displaying life-size or giant skeletons doing everyday activities has become a favorite pastime of Halloween aficionados. This boney buddy is working hard on his skele-tan. Place your skeleton in a lawn chair with a beach umbrella and some sunglasses so he can soak up rays. You could also lie him down on a beach towel with a cooler for a similar summer vibe. Find more skeleton poses to delight your neighbors in the link below.

Find More Ideas: 19 Ways to Pose a Skeleton for Halloween

Start With the Front Porch

Even if Halloween guests never enter your home — like trick-or-treaters — they'll definitely see the front porch so give it a festive feel with a colorful rug, lanterns, mums and piles of pumpkins. For a spooky finishing touch, we added a pair of gnarled faux trees that are wrapped in mini orange lights to cast a spell long after the witching hour.

Find More Ideas: 70+ Front Porch Decorating Ideas for Halloween

From: H. Camille Smith

Halloween Bone Chandelier

With a few plastic bones, zip ties and some paint, you can transform a secondhand light fixture into this funky chandelier. This is a simple project that doesn't cost a lot to make. Whether you hang it over the dining room table or make it a doorway decoration for your haunted house, it is sure to shine, no bones about it.

Get the How-To: How to Make a Skeleton Chandelier for Halloween

Make a 'Dying to Meet You' Welcome Sign

Your neighbors will be just dying to know where you got this clever yet creepy welcome sign. You don't have to tell them it is one of the simplest DIY Halloween projects ever — it just takes a bit of assembly and not a lot of money.

Get the How-To: How to Make a 'Dying to Meet You' Welcome Sign for Halloween

Conjure Up a Tiny Ghost Town

Matte black spray paint turns craft store birdhouses into an eerie mini landscape. To bump up the creep factor, add oversized spiders, rubber snakes or faux birds to your scene.

Find More Ideas: 20+ Hip Halloween Decorating Ideas

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Spill Out the Pumpkins

If you do not use your fireplace to keep warm this fall, it's the perfect spot for holiday decorating. A pile of orange and white pumpkins pouring out of this fireplace creates a whimsical display that is easy to put together and easy on the eyes. Make sure to add a couple of large spiders to complete the look.

Get the How-To: How to Decorate Your Fireplace for Halloween: Two Ways

Try a Chic All-White Display

White pumpkins — covered in a variety of materials including cozy cable knit — create a cool-weather display that warms the space in tons of style. Gold lanterns and candlesticks add some glam while dried florals supply the texture and aroma.

Get the How-To: How to Decorate Your Fireplace for Halloween: Two Ways

Go a Little Batty on Your Entryway

Our free bat template, scissors and black card stock are all you need to give your front door a batty transformation. You can keep it simple and just add a few flapping paper bats or really make Halloween magic and first cover the door in purple bulletin board paper and add a glowing city skyline.

Find More Ideas: 25 Spellbinding DIY Halloween Door Decorations

Display Vintage Masks

Highly collectible and hard to find — if you are lucky enough to score vintage Halloween masks you need to make sure they are front and center in your holiday decor.

Learn More: Tips and Tricks for Collecting Vintage Halloween Masks

Create Chic Gothic Seating

Invite guests to sit a spell in this little gothic-style chair embellished with black florals, pampas grass and feathers. Add a few skeleton accessories and a couple of spiders and you’re all set. The spiderweb backdrop was crafted from beef netting that butchers use to wrap meat.

Get the How-To: Black Gothic Halloween Front Porch Decor

Summon Up Some Ghosts for Your Yard

Create these fun, floating ghostly shapes with a little formed chicken wire. The larger-than-lifesize decorations are perfect for front yards and take on an eerie vibe when illuminated with color-changing spotlights.

get the how-to: How to Make Human-Size Chicken Wire Ghosts for Halloween

Mummify Your Front Door

Easily trick out your front door with this frightful facelift that's a snap to craft — and is also a snap to remove when Halloween has passed. Learn how with our step-by-step tips, below.

Get the How-To: How to Mummify Your Front Door for Halloween

Flank Your Stoop With Skull Topiaries

When the summer annuals in your front porch planters have succumbed to fall’s chill, fill those planters with skull- and moss-covered topiaries. While it does take more than a few plastic skulls, it doesn’t take much skill or many tools to craft this chic Halloween decoration. When displayed as a matching set, these topiaries make a big, spooky impact on any porch.

Get the How-To: How to Make a Halloween Skull Topiary

Turn Pumpkins Into Black Cats

Welcome trick-or-treaters and Halloween guests with a litter of black cat pumpkins. These carve-free kitties are easy to craft, making them a fun project for older children or small kids with a little help from a crafty adult.

Get the How-To: How to Make Black Cat Pumpkins

Stack a Pumpkin Topiary

Create a beautiful entry this fall with a nature-inspired topiary. Wrapped in baby's breath, vines, greenery and a few feathers, this trio of gourds matches the porch's natural colors and style.

Find More Ideas: 60+ No-Carve Halloween Pumpkin Ideas

Let Creepy Critters Take Over a Chair

Okay, this looks a lot creepier (and more destructive) than it actually is. Just place some fabric batting and stuffed mice on a little-used antique chair to give the appearance of a once-treasured piece of furniture being torn apart by a mouse infestation. Get more tips for haunting your foyer, below.

Find More Ideas: 7 Ways to Haunt Your Foyer for Halloween

Chisel Some Giant Tombstones

This Halloween, go big (we mean REALLY BIG) with these extra-large frightful and festive gravestones. Gigantic yard skeletons are having a massive moment and these tombstones can certainly add a little extra magic to the scene. Whether you invested in a 12-foot skeleton and need some affordable decor to complement it or you just want to create your own super-sized graveyard masterpiece, this is the project for you.

Get the How-To: How to Make Giant Tombstones for Halloween

Indoors or Out: Pick a Palette

Limiting your decor's color palette to just a few shades creates a look that's perfectly pulled together. For our Halloween mantel, we chose black-and-white and shades of orange. Metallics are a must for any well-style vignette so mix in copper, gold or silver for an added touch of glam.

Find More Ideas: The HGTV Stars’ Favorite DIY Halloween Decor Crafts

From: H. Camille Smith

Put Your Robot Vacuum to Work

Add a little magic to your Halloween by transforming a robotic vacuum into a self-moving witch’s broom. Every witch and wizard home needs a magic broom on Halloween, and this one is super easy and quick to DIY, with no charms or potions necessary. Thanks to some hidden support under the bristles, this self-propelled Halloween decoration stands up by itself and can even do a little cleaning.

Get the How-To: How to Make a 'Broomba': A Robot Vacuum Turned Into a Halloween Witch’s Broom

DIY Madame Halloween

Greet trick-or-treaters with this easy-to-make yard witch with a light-up skirt made of twigs, a fancy corset, and flaming red hair.

Get the How-To: DIY Outdoor Halloween Decoration: Illuminated Life-Size Witch

Opt for Scare-Free Decor

If your Halloween celebrations will include folks who are sensitive to scares or aren't fans of Halloween's more macabre aspects, skip the spooky decor altogether and opt instead for a classic fall front porch. Planters filled with a candle lantern and an assortment of pumpkins, gourds and fall foliage will suit the season from now till Thanksgiving.

Find More Ideas: Our Favorite Fall Decorating Ideas

From: H. Camille Smith

Trim the Tree for Halloween

Halloween is meant to be fun and outrageous, so why not do something different, like adding a spooky, kooky tree to your Halloween decor? Check out these creative ways to decorate a Halloween tree, including DIY tree toppers, upcycled ornaments and more.

Find More Ideas: 29 Whimsical Ways to Decorate a Halloween Tree

Paint a Witchy Pumpkin

Magic up this not-too-scary witch for your front porch or entryway using a faux pumpkin and basic supplies from the craft store. Create a friendly witch to welcome Halloween guests or a scowling witch to keep mischief-makers at bay.

Get the How-To: How to Make a Bewitching Halloween Pumpkin

Eerily Greet Guests

Give trick-or-treaters and Halloween party guests a (slight!) scare with this smaller-than-life-size headless horseman figure. Add his jack-o'-lantern head to one hand and a sign leading the way to the festivities in the other. Add a little character to your front porch with our free template and instructions, below.

Get the How-To: Make a Headless Horseman Figure for Halloween

From: Sam Henderson

Light Up the Porch With Spooky Candles

Illuminate your front porch with this dripping bundle of candles that looks like bubbling hot lava. Worthy of any haunted house, these candles were made inexpensively from pool noodles, paint and hot glue; battery-operated votives keep it safe and worry-free.

Get the How-To: How to Make Scary Halloween Candles Out of Pool Noodles

Craft Some Spellbooks

Make brand new books look like old leather-bound tomes by covering them in a removable leather jacket that you've distressed and antiqued. Stack them as part of a vignette with lit taper candles for a touch of spooky sophistication. Magic up your own with our instructions, below.

Get the How-To: How to Make Distressed Leather-Wrapped Books

From: H. Camille Smith

Make Your Front Porch More Magical

Let your imagination take flight (or show your neighbors who they're really dealing with!) by crafting your very own besom, or traditional twig broom. Prop a besom next to your front door or in your foyer, as if you just arrived home from a midnight ride, or craft a pair and use them to Halloween-up your front porch planters.

Get the How-To: How to Make a Witch's Broom or Besom

From: H. Camille Smith

Let Spiders Overtake a Stairwell

Faux spiderwebs are everywhere this time of year, including most dollar stores. Put this budget-friendly material to work anywhere you want to up the creepy factor — and don't forget to work a few plastic spiders into the web. Safety note: When using this flammable material, use extra care around any source of flame and always use battery-operated candles, instead of using the real deal.

Find More Ideas: 60 Halloween Dollar Store Hacks That Give You More Boo For Your Buck

Turn a Peaceful Plant Into a Man-Eating Monster

Betcha never thought about giving your houseplants a Halloween makeover, right?! Hit the hardware and craft stores for supplies to turn the humblest of household residents into a devilish denizen.

Get the How-To: Halloween Decor: Turn a Peaceful Plant Into a Man-Eating Monster

From: Sam Henderson

Safely Set a Sinister Tone With Dry Ice

Dry ice + spooky decor = a match made in Halloween heaven — but, you must use this subzero substance safely. Get all our tips for adding an eerie effect to your haunted house without getting burned, below.

Learn More: Learn How to Safely Use Dry Ice This Halloween

From: H. Camille Smith

Cast a Giant Web

Butchers know the trick to putting up a sturdy spiderweb — polyester beef netting! This material used to wrap meat is inexpensive, easily stretches and it's durable so you can use it year after year. The type of spiders is up to you, go for the store-bought or go the DIY route.

Get the How-To: How to Make Giant Spiderwebs for Halloween

Give Arachnophobes a Fright, Indoors

Inexpensive (and removable) supplies give an everyday shade a creepy-crawly makeover that's only visible when illuminated. Learn how to craft this lampshade with a scary surprise, below.

Get the How-To: Spook Up an Everyday Lampshade With a Spiderweb Silhouette

From: Sam Henderson

Distressingly Dress the Windows

Give the front of your home a haunting makeover in a flash with curtains stencilled with Halloween designs to transform windows or clear doors into a spooktacular scene.

Get the How-To: Halloween Decorating Ideas With Stencils

From: H. Camille Smith

Or, Give Them a Giggle

Seriously, where would our digital lives be without the handy emoji? Give your Halloween pumpkins the same shorthand sense of fun with a little yellow paint and construction paper.

Get the How-To: Create a Fun Fall Front Porch With Emoji Pumpkins

Create a Shadowy Scene

Adhesive black vinyl sheets and a bit of creativity turned this ordinary garage door into a shadowy Halloween scene. Best of all: It's easily removable when the season has passed. Get more tips for recreating this look, below.

Get the How-To: Make Frightening Garden Silhouettes for Halloween

Mummify a Beverage Tub

Need a quick and easy decorating idea for your monster mash? Turn a galvanized tub into a friendly mummy, ready to keep ice and cold drinks easily at hand. Just a few craft materials and our tips, below, are all you need.

Get the How-To: Halloween Entertaining: Make a Mummy Beverage Tub

Construct a Candy Corn Piñata

What's Halloween without the candy, right? Construct this colorful piñata to serve as both a party decoration and crowd-pleasing game for your Halloween get-together. Get started with our free templates and step-by-step instructions, below.

Get the How-To: How to Make a Candy Corn Pinata for Halloween

From: Sam Henderson

Decorate With Candy-Corn Colors

Make a grand entrance with front porch planters filled with colorful fall annuals — like purple fountain grass, mums and ornamental sweet potato vine — surrounded by piles of pumpkins and candle-filled lanterns.

Find More Ideas: 60 Fall Front Porch Decorating Ideas to Celebrate Autumn

From: H. Camille Smith

Add a Wayward Witch to Your Planter

Garden stakes, pillow stuffing and a thrifted pair of stockings and shoes will add a playful twist to a flower bed or front porch planter.

Get the How-To: Crafty Fall: Create These Kooky Witch Legs Just in Time for Halloween

From: Melissa Caughey

Repurpose an Old Frame Into a Spooky Sign

Shop your basement, attic or garage (or hit your local thrift store) for an interesting old frame. Remove the glass, paint the backing with chalkboard paint, then use a chalk marker to add a punny phrase.

Find More Ideas: 35 DIY Halloween Wreaths and Door Decorations

From: H. Camille Smith

String the Candy Corn

Whether you're a fan of the candy or not, there's no denying the appeal of this sweet front door that upgrades a standard white paper pennant-style banner with painted-on bands of orange and yellow. Bonus: This candy-colored makeover works for Thanksgiving too, so just leave it up thru Turkey Day.

Find More Ideas: 70+ Front Porch Decorating Ideas for Halloween

Find a Monstruous Use for Paper Pennants

Inexpensive paper party bunting, colorful card stock and double-sided tape are all you need to turn an interior wall or door into a menacing monster. Best of all, you can make your beastie as large or small as you'd like and it's a snap to make this denizen disappear when Halloween's over.

Find More Ideas: 60 Halloween Dollar Store Hacks That Give You More Boo For Your Buck

Turn a Frame Into a Crafty Candy Hanger

Delight trick-or-treaters by turning a faux pumpkin and an old frame into a playful black cat-themed candy holder. Hang or lean it against an interior or exterior wall to create an interactive candy bowl the kiddos will love.

Get the How-To: Wow Trick-or-Treaters With a DIY Black Cat Candy Hanger

Scare Up Dollar Store Crafts

Get creative to turn $1 finds and basic craft supplies into creepy-crawly wall art. Plus, check out four more Halloween decor DIYs you can craft on the cheap, below.

Get the How-To: 5 DIY Dollar Store Halloween Decor Ideas

Give Passersbys a Fright

Neighbors are sure to do a double take when they catch a glimpse of your home's façade seemingly overrun by monster-sized spiders. While these beasties certainly look menacing, they're actually easy to upcycle from hardware store supplies, and then hang using clear fishing line. Learn how to craft your own, below.

get the how-to: Two Ways to DIY a Giant Spider for Halloween

Make a Mini "Pumpkin" Wreath

Although the tiny orange shapes covering this wreath look like diminutive pumpkins, they're actually putka pods. A great stand-in for mini pumpkins, the dried organic seed pods don't deteriorate so your wreath can be displayed year after year.

Get the How-To: Make a Mini Pumpkin Wreath for Fall

From: Marian Parsons

DIY a Dismembered Hand

Make a plaster cast of a family member's or your own hand for a lifelike and decidedly creepy addition to a bookcase or mantel. Watch our quick video to learn the two-step process for creating the cast, below.

Watch Video: DIY Hand Sculpture

Bring Your Living Room to Life

Hit your local craft or dollar store for googly eyes in assorted sizes and shapes to give everyday objects big and small an ever-watchful gaze.

Metallize Some Gourds

Give faux pumpkins a glamorous makeover with gold, silver and copper leaf. They'll add just the right amount of sparkle to any fall display and can be left out till time to deck the halls for the holidays.

Get the How-To: Make Metallic Copper, Gold and Silver Pumpkins for a Chic Fall Display

From: Marian Parsons

Conjure Up a Lucky Black Cat Mum-ster

Add a little personality to your planters with our tips for dressing up a fall mum as a lucky black cat — just in time for Halloween. Craft your own with our instructions, below.

Get the How-To: Monstrous Mums: Craft a Lucky Black Cat

From: H. Camille Smith

Turn Wood Planks Into Ghosts

Give those wood scraps in your garage a decorative afterlife as a friendly gaggle of ghosts. Just paint the boards white, add facial features, and then distress a bit with a hand sander for a timeworn look.

Get the How-To: Say No to New: Scare Up What You Have This Halloween, Instead

Mix Up a Little Poison

Don't toss that old bottle. Instead turn it into sleek Halloween decor. To get the look: Thoroughly clean the glass; once dry, coat each bottle with one coat of spray primer and 2-3 coats of matte black spray paint. Add a handwritten label and display your potent potables as a group.

Find More Ideas: 20+ Hip Halloween Decorating Ideas

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Stick to Can't-Miss Color Combos

Black and white is a classic color combo for a reason: It never goes out of style. For a timeless look, stick to just the high-contrast hues or mix in pops of orange or red or green for a more colorful take.

Find More Ideas: 5 DIY Decorations That Transition From Halloween to Thanksgiving

From: Kim Stoegbauer

Ditch the Wreath for a Basket

1 basket, 3 holidays. Make swapping out your Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations a snap by trading multiple wreaths for a single straw tote or basket you can fill to fit the season. Bonus: Add vinyl house numbers for a personalized touch.

Get the How-To: Skip the Wreath: Try a Holiday-Spanning Front Door Basket Instead

From: H. Camille Smith

Turn a Board Into a Scarecrow

Greet trick-or-treaters with this friendly character that — surprise! — is backed by an equally cheerful snowman so this one easy project will have your front porch decor covered from fall through winter.

Get the How-To: Snowman + Scarecrow: Two-in-One Front Porch Decor

Craft a Litter of Black Cats

Turn a sheet of plywood into these simple cat silhouettes that keep a baleful eye on Halloween visitors with glowing eyes created by backing moon-shaped cut-outs with small, battery-powered lights. Get more tips for decking out your home with silhouettes, below.

Get the How-To: Make Frightening Garden Silhouettes for Halloween

Craft a Galvanized Jack-O'-Lantern

For a pumpkin that'll last for many years to come, follow our tricks, below, to dramatically age a new galvanized metal bucket, then paint on a friendly (or not so friendly) jack-o'-lantern grin.

Get the How-To: 3 Pumpkin Projects That Will Outlast the Season

Upcycle Old Hanging Planters Into Pumpkins

Hit the hardware store (or your potting shed) to gather the inexpensive materials you'll need to create blooming 'pumpkins' you can display all fall long. Tip: Because the pumpkin's body is made out of porous coco mat, these are best displayed (and watered) outdoors.

Get the How-To: 3 Pumpkin Projects That Will Outlast the Season

Repurpose Summer's Beach Ball

Turn balls in assorted sizes into giant bloodshot eyeballs that'll add a creepy touch to your indoor or outdoor Halloween decor. Kids are sure to get a kick out of them.

Find More Ideas: The HGTV Stars’ Favorite DIY Halloween Decor Crafts

Or, Keep Your 'Eye' on the Ping Pong Ball

Break out the Christmas string lights a little early this year, then give them a spooktacular Halloween makeover with Ping Pong balls and a little craft paint.

Find More Ideas: 42 Outdoor Halloween Decorations to Create the Creepiest Yard on the Block

Add Ever-Watchful Owls to the Porch

These denizens of the dark are a just-spooky-enough way to decorate your front porch without making it too scary for the littlest trick-or-treaters. Learn how to attach them to the banister, below.

Get the How-To: Outdoor Halloween Decoration: Banister Owls

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Monster Up Your Mum

Give your entryway a not-too-scary Halloween update with this easy-to-craft blooming beastie. Our tutorial, below, makes this front porch fix-up a snap.

Get the How-To: Halloween Front Porch Fix-Up: Magic a Mum Into a Monster

From: H. Camille Smith

Turn Your Family Into Pumpkins

OK, not really, but you can add signature characteristics to pumpkins and gourds that resemble your nearest and dearest. Fresh produce, felt, a permanent marker and a few bits of clothing are all you need.

Get the How-To: Parsnip and Carrot Pumpkin Characters

Turn a Pallet Into a Jack-O'-Lantern

Spook up your front porch, walkway, foyer or any dark corner with this rustic recycling project that uses a (free!) wood pallet to craft a Halloween pumpkin you can display year after year.

Get the How-To: Turn a Wood Pallet Into a Halloween Jack-O'-Lantern

From: Sam Henderson

Set Up an Outdoor Trick-or-Treat Station

Weather permitting, bring a lightweight table or shelf outside, then fill it with an assortment of kids' favorite treats packaged using one of our free printable templates. Have adults on hand to make sure everyone gets their fair share and with cameras at the ready to snap photos of the neighborhood kids enjoying the spread.

Get the How-To: Halloween Trick-or-Treat Candy Station

From: Kim Stoegbauer

Win at Trunk-or-Treat

Craft store supplies and a red flat sheet or tablecloth are all you need to give your trunk a great white shark-themed makeover that'll draw kids over for a quick bite.

Get the How-To: How to Make Your Own Shark-Style Trunk-or-Treat Halloween Decoration

Transform a Pumpkin Into an Owl

You don't need an intricate pattern or advanced pumpkin-carving skills to turn a fresh pumpkin and wee white gourds into this adorable decoration.

Get the How-To: Cute Owl Pumpkin

Paint a Pretty Pumpkin

Painter Amy Moffat creates a head-turning porch display with this collection of handpainted faux pumpkins. Timeless blue and white chinoiserie and glam, gilded pumpkins act as a backdrop to the flirty, floral stunners in front. Learn how to recreate these gorgeous designs and more at the link, below.

Get the How-To: 40+ Painted Pumpkin Ideas

Let Your Yard Go to the Birds

Print out our free template, below, to turn plywood and paint into a larger-than-life raven you can display either indoors or out.

Get the How-To: Giant Raven Outdoor Halloween Decoration

Go Glam With Glittered Pumpkins

School glue and black glitter are all you need to give natural or faux pumpkins a chic makeover. Choose an easy pattern for crafting with kids or go with a timeless design, like a monogram or graphic pattern, for a sophisticated look.

Get the How-To: Halloween Decorating Idea: Black-Glittered Pumpkins

From: Marian Parsons

Craft a Cheery Orange Wreath

Bright orange tow rope makes it a snap to craft a cheery orange wreath you can display from Halloween till Thanksgiving. Just swap out the saying on the mini pumpkins for an easy holiday update.

Get the How-To: DIY Halloween Decor: A Tow Rope Wreath

Make Wine More Wicked

Don't forget to deck out your Halloween party. Get crafty to turn a party staple, like boxed wine, into dastardly decor that'll cast a spell over your guests.

Get the How-To: Halloween Party Magic: Make a Wicked Wine Cauldron + Ghostly Garnishes

Keep It Classic

Lend your front porch or foyer a warm, welcoming feel with a grouping of candle lanterns and bundled wheat sheaves for a vignette that'll stay seasonally stylish until winter. Learn how to make your own dried grass bundles at the link, below.

Get the How-To: Natural Wheat Bundle Centerpiece

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Create Critters With the Kiddos

Black craft foam, googly eyes and fishing line are all you need to create a colony of swooping, weatherproof bats. Kids big and small will love this quick and easy Halloween craft, that's perfect for adding a spooky touch to your front yard.

Get the How-To: Halloween Kids' Craft: Hanging Foam Bats

Conjure Up a Floating Ghost

Turn craft store materials into a lifesize (or at least afterlife-sized) ghost that appears to float several feet above the ground.

Get the How-To: How to Make a Life-Size Halloween Ghost

Stack a Jack-O'-Totem

Add some personality to your entry with a pumpkin topiary in the shape of a totem pole. All it takes is a few faux pumpkins, basic craft supplies and a little imagination.

Get the How-To: How to Make a Halloween Jack-O'-Stack

Fake Some Formaldehyde

Fill lidded jars with water, green food coloring, rubber creatures (like mice, snakes, bats or insects), leaves or dried flowers to give any room the look of a mad scientist's lab.

Find More Ideas: The HGTV Stars’ Favorite DIY Halloween Decor Crafts

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Spin Yarn Into a Spider's Nest

Get an assist from your littlest bug aficionado to turn chunky white yarn and dollar store plastic spiders into an oversized nest full of creepy crawlers.

Find More Ideas: 42 Outdoor Halloween Decorations to Create the Creepiest Yard on the Block

Invite Bugs to the Dinner Table

Give inexpensive white dinner plates a creepy-crawly makeover with black ceramic paint and bug silhouettes. Learn how to make the painted plates food-safe, below.

Get the How-To: Hand-Painted Insect Plates

From: Marian Parsons

Hang Some Ghostly Draperies

These billowing, tattered draperies made from budget-friendly cheesecloth will add an eerie, haunted house atmosphere to your front porch or an interior doorway.

Get the How-To: Make Ghostly Outdoor Draperies for Halloween

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Impress Guests With Wee Witch's Broomsticks

Made from a twig, raffia and a scrap of paper, these diminutive brooms add an enchanting touch to any Halloween get-together, plus they're a fun party favor that guests can take home with them.

Get the How-To: Witch's Broom Halloween Place Card Holders

From: Marian Parsons

Turn Mini Pumpkins Into Itty-Bitty Bats

Mix a little mischief into your Halloween decorations with these mini bat pumpkins. These not-too-scary creatures are fun to create and will look great grouped together on your mantel, entry table or as a centerpiece.

Get the How-To: Mini Bat Pumpkins

Craft a Giant Rat

Our free printable template, below, makes it easy to turn plywood and paint into a creepy indoor or outdoor decoration in the shape of an oversized rat.

Get the How-To: Giant Rat Outdoor Halloween Decoration

Cut Out a Scaredy Cat

Create an arched-back black cat for your front yard to give trick-or-treaters and Halloween guests a fright. Download our free template, below.

Get the How-To: Black Cat Outdoor Halloween Decoration

Turn Scrapbook Paper Into "Specimens"

Another great craft to do with kids, this project couldn't be simpler. Just stamp creepy animal shapes — like vampire bats, snakes or spiders — out of colorful card stock to create a collection of "specimens" to fill a shadowbox-style frame.

Get the How-To: Creepy Specimen Art

'Mum-mify' a Friendly Ghost

This project's easy assembly makes it perfect to craft with the kiddos. Get an assist from your little ghouls to make this cute ghost planter with personality. Our tutorial, below, shows you how.

Get the How-To: Halloween Kids' Craft: Make a Friendly Ghost Mum-ster

From: H. Camille Smith

Craft a Classic Banner

You certainly don't need sorcery on your side to create this budget-friendly decoration. Our free printable template, below, makes it a snap.

Find More Ideas: 60 Halloween Dollar Store Hacks That Give You More Boo For Your Buck

Whip Up a Spider Web Pillow

Fuzzy yarn on gray wool fabric is used to make this arachnophobic (but cute!) Halloween pillow. This project involves basic machine- and hand-sewing, so it's a snap to make, even for crafters new to sewing.

Get the How-To: How to Make a Spider Web Pillow

From: Marian Parsons

Turn a Faux Pumpkin Into a Gumball Machine

Bubble gum fans, old and young, will love this vintage-inspired gumball machine that's easy to create from a faux pumpkin and ceramic pot.

Get the How-To: How to Make a Gumball Machine Pumpkin

Craft Kid-Friendly Luminaries

Fill clear buckets or cylindrical glass vases with battery-operated tea lights to easily craft kid- and pet-safe, fireproof luminaries to light up your Halloween celebrations.

Get the How-To: Halloween Jack-o'-Lantern Luminaries

From: Kim Stoegbauer

Conjure Up a Ghostly Slipcover

Use gauzy fabric and cheesecloth to give a traditional dining chair a tattered, ghostly silhouette for Halloween. With raw edges and a simple shape, this slipcover is a snap to make using basic sewing skills.

Get the How-To: Easy-Sew Ghostly Chair Slipcover

From: Marian Parsons

Craft a Welcoming Wreath

Embrace a bit of the macabre with an iron shackle wreath. Search online or at local antique/thrift stores for authentic iron or steel shackles. Pick up a twig or grapevine wreath from the craft store, then wrap and drape the chain around it. Adorn the wreath with a faux black crow or raven for an added eerie touch.

Find More Ideas: 35 DIY Halloween Wreaths and Door Decorations

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Add a Trendy Silhouette

Add a timeless twist to your Halloween decor by embellishing a faux pumpkin with a trendy Victorian-inspired silhouette. Our tutorial, below, shows you how.

Get the How-To: How to Make a Silhouette Pumpkin

Play Peekaboo With Pumpkins

Kids will love helping you create a spooktacular vignette of peeking pumpkins with mini gourds and a variety of inexpensive bowls and lidded dishes.

Get the How-To: How to Make Peekaboo Pumpkins

Make Your Mark With a Monogram

Add a sophisticated touch to your Halloween decor with this personalized pumpkin you can display year after year.

Get the How-To: How to Make a Monogrammed Pumpkin

Turn a Pumpkin Into a Candy Dish

Cut a faux pumpkin in half to create a handy lidded container for serving Halloween candy. The waterproof interior also makes foam pumpkins a great cooler stand-in when filled with ice and beverages.

Get the How-To: How to Make a Pumpkin Candy Dish

Haunt an Old Mirror

Transform a thrifted modern mirror into a centuries-old looking glass with our tips, below. Select a mirror in an ornate frame, as we have, to boost the haunted house vibes.

Get the How-To: How to Make a Ghostly Antiqued Mirror

From: Marian Parsons

Set the Scene for a Fiendish Feast

Gather a few of your favorite ghouls for a dinner party where handmade Halloween decor with a macabre twist sets the scene.

See More Photos: 40+ Haunting Halloween Table Settings + DIY Table Decorating Ideas

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Turn Bats Into a Pillow

This oh-so-cute felt pillow requires basic sewing skills and will bring a handmade touch to your Halloween decor — our free template, below, makes stitching one up a snap.

Get the How-To: How to Make a Halloween Applique Pillow

From: Marian Parsons

Make a Pretty Fretwork Pumpkin

Looking for a new pumpkin-carving technique? Requiring just two different-size drill bits, this intricate design is much easier to create than you may think.

Get the How-To: How to Make a Pretty Fretwork Pumpkin

Craft an Upcycled Cloche

Repurpose a metal lamp frame and chicken wire into a rustic cloche you can use year-round. Add pumpkins, plastic spiders and webbing for a not-too-scary Halloween vignette.

Get the How-To: How to Make a Chicken Wire Cloche for Halloween

From: Marian Parsons

Turn Felt Into a Holiday-Spanning Wreath

This grapevine wreath covered with double-sided felt leaves is a colorful way to add festive fall color to your front door from Halloween till Thanksgiving.

Get the How-To: How to Make a Fall Felt Leaf Wreath