Halloween is truly a fun time of year. In addition to the joys of costumes and candy, this particular holiday offers a great opportunity to put your creative cap on and get seriously crafty. We encourage you to start a new family tradition, a mid-October pumpkin carving and crafting party, to turn your home into the coolest haunted house on the block. These low-cost DIY projects will entice the entire family, and be enjoyed by every trick-or-treater at your door.
Halloween Curtains
Deck your porch with Halloween hangings! Grab a box of extra large heavy-duty black garbage bags; lay the bags flat, and cut slits from the bottom, stopping one inch from the top. You don’t need to be too precise, allow for some strands to be thicker than others, creating a more dimensional, Halloween-hectic look. Once your bags are cut to shreds, you can hang your new drapes from your porch, windowsills, or wherever you see fit! Secure the un-cut top of the bag to your location of choice with thumbtacks, nails or durable double-sided tape. You can then choose to let the stripes hang free, or separate the strips in the middle, and secure each half to a side for a more tailored look.
Haunted Windows
Turn your home into a smiley jack-o’-lantern with a little cardboard and crafting. Measure the inside of your window(s) of choice. Gather large pieces of corrugated cardboard, and cut them to fit your window. Once the cardboard is appropriate size, have the kids draw big jack-o’-lantern faces with pencil, and then cut out the children’s designs. Use black paint to cover the cardboard surrounding the cut out, allow to dry, and then fit to your window. Place a lamp in front of the window, and watch your window-turned-jack-o’-lantern come to life!
Spooky Lanterns
Purchase a pack of mason jars, chrome spray paint, vinegar and viola! You’ve got yourself some crafty lanterns to light the way to your haunted house. Simply cover the jars in spray paint and immediately mist the jars with a mixture of half water and half vinegar. The vinegar mist will cause the paint to bubble creating a cool look. Dab the bubbles with a soft cloth for an exaggerated look. Get some twine to line the tops of the jars, place a tea light inside of each, and your all set!
Gauntly Garden
Add some Halloween-inspired props to your existing garden for extra festiveness. You will need two medium sized pots, potting soil, some artificial moss, and a few props for “Basil” and “Rosemary” who will be planted. For Basil and Rosemary, head to a craft, consignment or costume shop for either parts of a mannequin, or an artificial hand and leg. Pot and plant the arm and leg, each sticking out of one pot. Get a any kind of stick, and parchment paper to label both Basil and Rosemary, and ta da! Your garden is ready for the trick-or-treaters.