DIY Halloween decorations to make your holiday wonderfully spooky

By: Hannah Gandee

  Black cats and witch’s laughs, haunted houses and jack-o-lanterns, Halloween is a time for fun and fright no matter how old you get.

  Halloween allows us to be whoever we want and to get creative with the decorations. So for all who want to try out their creative sides this Halloween, here are a few fun and spooky do-it-yourself ideas that will make your friends scream and stare in amazement at the finished products.

  Spooky Cool Colors

  The main colors of Halloween are orange and black, just like pumpkins and witches cats. If you want to add variety go for white, gray, red, and dark purple. You want colors that will pop or blend into the background to make your color scheme come together.

  Ghosts

What would Halloween be without the spirits that wander Earth after death? Ghosts need as much love as any other Halloween creature, so here are some ideas to make some scary ghosts.

  Tape Ghosts- What you will need

• Clear packaging tape
• LED light (any color)/ Optional
• Styrofoam Head
• Dress shape, which can be made by filling one of your own outfit with crumpled newspapers to give it shape.
• Fishing line or 2x4 depending on placement

  To make a tape ghost, you connect the styrofoam head and a dress shape and wrap clear packaging tape around them to create the your ghost. To remove the head and dress shape, cut the tape open from the back and then retape. Then you can suspend the “ghost” in a tree with fishing line or place on a 2x4 painted to match the grass around it. This will make the post blend in after dark and with an LED light the ghost will look terrifying.

  Chicken wire ghosts- What you will need

• A roll of chicken wire
• Tape

  To make a chicken- wire ghost you take the chicken wire and shape it into the basic form of a human. This is actually the hardest part, but once you get it shaped you can use some clear tape to keep the wire closed. The “ghost” will look the best at a distance where you can’t really tell what it’s made of. If sitting them in your yard you can cover them in a sheet to keep the chicken- wire hidden.

  Illusions and Webs

  Floating Candle Illusion- What you will need?

• Cardboard paper towel rolls
• LED lights
• Fishing line
• Tape
• Paint (color optional)

  To make these candles you take lots of paper towel rolls and paint them any color you want. Then you attach LED lights to the top of your rolls using tape to make the “flame”. After that you take the rolls and pop some holes in the sides to thread the wire through. After this all you have to do is find places to hang the candles from the ceiling, either by tying fishing line to rafters or by getting some clear tape and taping the line to the ceiling.

  Homemade Spider Webs- What you will need

• Trashbags
• Scissors
• Tape

  To make these webs you take trash bags and fold them into triangular shapes. Then you take your scissors and cut the trash bags like you were making a snowflake. Once this is done all you have to do is unfold them and you have a spiderweb. You can tape these to walls, ceilings, doors, windows, or even drape them over your bushes.