100+ Unique DIY Halloween Decorating Ideas

It's that magical time of year when it's time to make your house super spooky. From giving your front porch a slightly sinister seasonal makeover to transforming any room in your home with a frightening fix-up, we've got bewitching ideas for both indoor and outdoor DIY Halloween decorations you can create.

First up, DIY some spooky spiders. Easily craft these larger-than-life spiders with the kiddos for fun Halloween decorations 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.

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.

Don’t put those tomato stands away for the winter just yet, we’ve got a better idea. Use them to make these adorable porch ghosts. It takes just a few dollars in materials — fabric, a paper lantern and holiday string lights that you probably already have. Make a cute pair like we did or fill your entire yard with a troupe of ghosts to greet trick-or-treaters.

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.

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.

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.

Create a mysterious and fanciful woodland party with creepy-crawly accents and sophisticated elegant floral arrangements. We made our glamorous gothic party for Halloween, but you can use this theme any time of the year.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Try adding a little romance to your Halloween decor. Show your eternal love this sweet wreath of black roses and smooching skeletons.

Concrete projects often get a bad rap for being too difficult or messy, but this DIY Anthropologie dupe is possibly the quickest, easiest and most inexpensive concrete project ever. Neutral fall decor is here to stay, so these pumpkins will surely be a favorite for years to come.

Add a touch of dramatic elegance to your fall decor with this easy-to-make skull planter with dusty pink roses, turquoise pumpkins and billowy black florals.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.