Has it taken you longer this year to get into the Halloween spirit and now you’re scrambling to prepare for the big day? Here are some easy ideas so you can begin now!
The good news is that you don’t need to be super handy to tackle these DIY projects. Your little ghouls and goblins can even take part!
Haunted Walls Along the Staircase
Metamorphose your staircase with spiderwebs, haunted manor posters or glow-in-the-dark wall stickers. Or, for a less “cliché” decor, cut a large-scale tree silhouette and a few crows or bats out of black cardboard. An original and effortless DIY project!
Modern Jack-O’-Lanterns
Instead of carving your pumpkins yet again this year, why not paint scary faces on them (see this article’s cover photo) or decorate them with glitter and various types of light accents? This will give your outdoor decorations a chic and contemporary touch. Use LED tea lights, rather than candles, to illuminate your jack-o’-lanterns safely.
Flitting Ghosts
Just hang handmade ghosts on trees, posts, or furniture around the home. You can make them out of white sheets or recycled material like newspapers, to stuff the head. Drawn on the eyes and voilà! Psst! Pique passersby’s curiosity at night by placing LED tea lights or light sticks inside.
Eerie Apparitions
Do you own a projector? Another idea is to project silhouettes or horror movies onto your walls to create a terrifyingly immersive atmosphere throughout your home. Have the projector skip a few frames every now and then for added chills.
Colourful Lights
Lighting is the key to a successful Halloween ambiance. The fact that this constitutes a quick and easy project is an extra bonus. To achieve the desired effect, install coloured lights (in purple, green and orange, for example) around your yard and front door. You could also run projectors that display images of pumpkins and ghosts over your exterior walls (available in big-box stores).
Sinister Steps
For a hassle-free decor, only decorate your front stairway! Position skeletal hands in such a way that they seem to be emerging from the risers. Or place lanterns on the steps and stretch spiderwebs over them for an added layer of creepiness. You could likewise arrange miniature pumpkins along the handrail or large grotesque squashes for a forbidding atmosphere. Remember, though, to leave enough free space for people to move up and down the stairs without difficulty. Safety first!
A Devilish Front Door
Why not turn your front door into a truly haunted work of art? Whether it’s with macabre wreaths, oversized googly eyes stickers or a cardboard graveyard gate, your primary goal should be to set the mood the minute your guests—or trick-or-treaters—knock at the door.
Frightful Windows
Stick hair-raising silhouettes in your windows: witches, zombies, giant spiders, etc. The children will in fact have tons of fun drawing and cutting these characters out of black cardboard. Heighten the effect when the sun goes down by backlighting the silhouettes with red or orange bulbs.
A Spellbinding Balcony
If you have a balcony, transform it into a witch’s lair! Suspend cauldrons, brooms and even fake bats overhead. Add dark curtains and glittering string lights for a mystical ambiance.
Paper Pumpkins
Need a change from the ubiquitous natural carved pumpkin? Try paper instead. Lots of DIY tutorials on how to create this astonishingly simple papercraft are available online. Plus, they only cost a few dollars each.
Whether you prefer a spooky or silly atmosphere, the important thing is that you have fun and celebrate this holiday by letting your imagination run wild! Don’t wait! You only have a few days left to get everything ready!
