Easy and Spooktacular Halloween Decorations!
Whether we like it or not, Halloween is a spooky celebration that’s becoming more popular in Australia with each passing year.
Skeletons, pumpkin heads, bats and witches; orange and black; spider webs galore… and Aussie kids (and adults!) are loving getting festive!
Many of us aren’t hugely familiar with Halloween. It’s an American tradition, and for a large proportion of the parent and grandparent generation in Australia, it’s not something we celebrated as children. In fact, for many Melbournites, dressing up and decorating our homes for the ‘spooky season’ is really only something that has become popular in the last decade or so.
Whether you’re planning to host a simple spook-fest in your own home, or joining the decorating frenzy for the creepiest house in the street, your Halloween decorations don’t have to be expensive (after all, Christmas is just around the corner and we’re all saving hard for that too!).
With the 31st October fast approaching, are you looking for some spooky decorating tips? Or are you wanting to host a dinner party that’s chic as well as in keeping with the Halloween theme?
Read on…
- Craft a Creepy Door Wreath
Put your creative hat on and make yourself a creepy door wreath! The options are endless and super effective.
Think bandages, yarn pom poms, skeleton hand toys – anything goes! Check out the below for some ideas and how to go about making them.
- Pumpkins (or Oranges and Mandarines), Oh My!
Traditional pumpkin heads with candles or lights inside are always cool, and they’re something that you can create with your kids. Small, large, medium-sized… all you need is a homemade template for the features, and a good, strong knife (a task left to the adults of course, just letyour little people spectate!).
Even a bit of spray paint does the job, look at the chic display of black white and gold pumpkins!
On a smaller scale and a great option for the kiddies – mandarins and oranges can also be used to make mini spooky faces – use a black permanent marker to draw eyes and a mouth on the rind and create some super delicious Halloween snacks!
- Spider Webs
Not keen on cleaning up meters of stretchy fake webs? Thankfully, there are plenty of options when it comes to creating your own spooky spider artwork!
Use braided ropes to create oversized webs – these innovative giants can be strung across your verandah or on windows to add a serious amount of wow factor! And perhaps the best thing about them is that they can be re-used next year too!
- Doormats
Ahh we’ve seen some super creative ones in our time! Ensnare trick-or-treaters with a crafty Halloween doormat.
Spray paint some rubber snakes or spiders, or get some chalk out and write a spooky message!
Balloons and Bat Leaves
All you need is a good set of lungs (or a balloon pump for the clever cookies out there) and a permanent marker for this super cheap, super effective decoration!
Pick out the orange, black and white ones (and maybe green and purple, depending on your colour scheme) and use a permanent marker to draw creepy faces or pictures on your balloons. Hey Presto! They look as good as a pumpkin, make no mess, and only take a few minutes to do!
An easy one for the kids is bat leaves. All you have to do is gather some leaves, spray them with matte black paint and use a white marker to draw on little faces. Super cute right?!
- Adorn Your Walls With Black Bats
Bats are a classic Halloween decoration so grab yourself some black cardstock and get cutting. Find yourself a bat template online and vary the sizes of your bats to create perspective and drama.
Your cardstock bats can be used as wall decorations, placemats or hung from the verandah. If you have a laminator handy, you can create your own weatherproof bats for outdoor displays too!
- Spook Up the Dinner Table
If you’re inviting guests over, why not amp up the drama by creating a frighteningly beautiful table setting? Think gold skulls and candelabras, bold blooms, black napkins and tableware and candles. Your guests will be in awe! We love this inspo shared by Sitchu!
So off you go, get your DIY on! Images are linked so you can learn how to make these crazy crafts. Beautiful cover image from Good Housekeeping.
Happy Halloween from the team at Love & Co!