DIY Halloween Decorations Made From Old Things You Already Have (2024)

Boo! That's the sound of Halloween decor season sneaking up on you again. If your idea of a nightmare is stepping foot into a crowded Halloween shop or party store to find festive goodies, we have good news: You don't need to brave Party City to set the mood at home, and we've got the best Halloween decor ideas to prove it. Check out these impressively spooky details you can easily make at home with minimal DIY effort and (ideally) zero shopping involved—because each brilliant idea can be made using everyday things you already have around the house.

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Old Straws + Jell-O = Worm Dessert Toppers

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Trying find a good job for all those straws you're trying not to use anymore? Prepare a packet of gelatin and a packet of gelatin dessert (like Jell-O) with three cups of boiling water. Let cool. Pour the mixture over a handful of upright straws in a jar; let set. Use a rolling pin to push worms from the straws. Top cupcakes with your perfectly creepy treat.

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Black Stockings + Glass Hurricanes = Creepy Candle Holders

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Raise those snagged sheer pantyhose and fishnets from the dead. Cut a section of one leg, pull it over a glass candle holder, and then trim around the top edge, leaving enough excess to hug the lip. Rough up the hosiery even more with scissors. Once lit, place the candles close to a wall to cast spooky shadows.

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Plastic Vampire Teeth = Freaky Napkin Rings

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Talk about low-effort table décor. Add subtle bite to every place setting by slipping inexpensive vampire teeth around cloth napkins.

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Plastic Ornament + Black Ribbon = Sweet-and-Spooky Favor

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This party treat doubles as décor. Place a fake bug in one half of a plastic ornament, then fill with colored candy. Fill the other half, close, and secure with clear tape. Add a sprig of black ribbon and display in a bowl so goblins can grab and go.

Cheesecloth = Perfect Spider Webs

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Rip pieces of cheesecloth and drape them over a mirror or doorway (or somewhere outside) for giant cobwebs so realistic you might just spook yourself.

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Plastic Fork + Cardstock = Fangs Place Card

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Invite friends to sit for a bite. Cut a 2-inch-long slit into black note cards, about 1½ inches from the top and side edges. Break off the handle of a white plastic fork and clip the tines into the slit—the two outer tines on the front of the card, the two inner tines on the back. Using gel pens, draw “drops of blood” in red and write the guest’s name in white.

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Flameless Votive + Latex Glove = Hand of Horror

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Drop a flameless votive in a short jam jar and fit a latex glove over the opening. Then lift the edge of the glove and blow air inside to inflate the hand. Splatter red acrylic paint onto the fingers and brush around the wrist for a severed effect. Let stand on a saucer to dry before displaying.

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Coffee K-cups + Holiday Lights = Ghostly Garland

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Bust out the decorative lights early this year, but make them Fright-Night-appropriate by putting those (non-recyclable!) coffee pods to use. First, remove the filters of used K-cups, rinse them out and then poke a hole in the bottom center with scissors. Next, enlist your kids to help you draw ghost faces on them using permanent marker. Slide each cup over every other light bulb or so to create a boo-tiful ambiance.

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Wite-Out + Vinyl Tablecloth = Witch’s Web Tablecloth

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Spin up a sinister surface with a Wite-Out pen and a round vinyl tablecloth. (The fleece-backed variety works best.) Start by drawing a large X at the center of the cloth, taking the lines all the way to the edges. Add four to six rays from the center point. Then, starting at the center, connect each line with an inverted arc, until you reach the table’s edge.

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Hanger + Felt + Ping-Pong Ball = Flying Bat Door Decor

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Let it vamp for visitors. Bend both arms of a wire hanger upwards 45 degrees—these will form the bat wings. Cut black felt into a 25-inch square. Fold the square diagonally, snip a small hole in the middle, and slip over the hook of the hanger. Open felt, and place a ping-pong ball in the center, underneath the hanger hook. Bunch felt over ball and secure with a rubber band (color it with a black marker). Next, glue the open sides of the felt together along the edges so they won’t shift as you cut out the scalloped shape of the bat wings (use the template at realsimple.com/batwings). To create the creature features, glue on felt triangles for ears and triangles cut out of white paper for fangs, and add two dabs of red nail polish for eyes.

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Bow-Tie Pasta + Black Food Coloring = Bats for the Belfry

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Soak 2 cups bow-tie pasta in a freezer bag with 1 cup rubbing alcohol, then add about 20 drops of black food coloring. Close the bag and shake gently. Wear gloves to remove the “bats” and dry for a few hours. Cut a length of yarn and hot-glue two bats together with the string in between; repeat.

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Glass Vases + Black Tape + Orange Snacks = Jack-O’-Lantern Bowls

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Serving dishes with a smile, courtesy of black tape. (You can pick up black duct tape or double-wide electrical tape at hardware stores). To make cutting out the eyes, nose and mouth easier, adhere a strip of tape to a piece of wax paper, and then trace out the shapes on the opposite side of the paper and follow the guide as you cut. Simply affix to glass vessels and fill with your favorite “pumpkin”-colored treats—gummies, cheese puffs, Goldfish, or punch. The next day, you can remove any sticky residue left behind by rubbing with a dishtowel and mayonnaise.

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Balloon + Gauze Bandages = Spider Nest

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A skin-crawling addition to any dark corner. Use a funnel to fill a white balloon with a handful of rice, then inflate until three-quarters full and tie closed. Affix the end of a gauze roll near the knot with a double-sided adhesive and unravel irregularly around the balloon until completely covered (it may take 2 to 3 rolls). With the adhesive, secure each gauze end and attach a few plastic spiders. Tie twine around the knot and hang.

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Pumpkin Guts = Plant Food

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This idea isn't so much décor inspiration as it is a brilliant hack to help use up every last bit of those pumpkins (waste not, want not!). After carving your pumpkins, don't toss the gooey innards. Remove the seeds, then add a bit of the flesh to soil to provide nutrients to household plants.

Insights, advice, suggestions, feedback and comments from experts

As a Halloween decor enthusiast, I have extensive knowledge and expertise in creating spooky and festive atmospheres for this thrilling holiday. I have personally experimented with various DIY projects and can provide valuable insights into the concepts used in the article.

Let's dive into the different ideas presented in the article:

Worm Dessert Toppers: You can repurpose old straws by creating worm-shaped dessert toppers. By combining gelatin and gelatin dessert (like Jell-O) with boiling water, you can pour the mixture into upright straws placed in a jar. After it sets, you can push out the worm-shaped gelatin from the straws and use them as toppings for cupcakes.
Creepy Candle Holders: Transform black stockings or fishnet stockings into eerie candle holders. Cut a section of the stockings and pull them over glass candle holders. Trim around the top edge, leaving enough excess to hug the lip. For added effect, rough up the hosiery with scissors. When the candles are lit, they will cast spooky shadows.
Freaky Napkin Rings: Add a touch of horror to your table decor by using inexpensive vampire teeth as napkin rings. Slip the vampire teeth around cloth napkins for a subtle, yet chilling, touch.
Sweet-and-Spooky Favor: Create a decorative party treat by placing a fake bug in one half of a plastic ornament. Fill the other half with colored candy, close it, and secure it with clear tape. Add a sprig of black ribbon and display it in a bowl as a sweet and spooky favor.
Perfect Spider Webs: To create realistic spider webs, rip pieces of cheesecloth and drape them over mirrors, doorways, or outside areas. The draped cheesecloth will create giant cobwebs that will give your space an authentic and spooky feel.
Fangs Place Card: Invite your friends to sit for a bite by creating fangs place cards. Cut a 2-inch-long slit into black note cards and insert the tines of a white plastic fork into the slit. Use gel pens to draw drops of blood in red and write the guest's name in white.
Hand of Horror: Create a severed hand decoration by placing a flameless votive in a short jam jar and fitting a latex glove over the opening. Inflate the glove by blowing air inside and splatter red acrylic paint onto the fingers. Let it dry before displaying it on a saucer.
Ghostly Garland: Utilize the non-recyclable coffee pods to create a ghostly garland by removing the filters of used K-cups, rinsing them out, and drawing ghost faces on them using permanent markers. Slide each cup over every other light bulb on your decorative lights to create a spooky ambiance.
Witch's Web Tablecloth: Using a Wite-Out pen and a round vinyl tablecloth, draw a large X at the center of the cloth and add four to six rays from the center point. Connect each line with an inverted arc until you reach the table's edge. This will create a witch's web tablecloth that adds a sinister touch to your Halloween decor.
Flying Bat Door Decor: Bend both arms of a wire hanger upwards to form bat wings. Cut black felt into a square shape and fold it diagonally, snipping a small hole in the middle. Slip the felt over the hook of the hanger, place a ping-pong ball underneath the hook, and secure it with a rubber band. Glue on felt triangles for ears, triangles cut out of white paper for fangs, and add red nail polish for eyes.
Bats for the Belfry: Soak bow-tie pasta in rubbing alcohol with black food coloring. After drying, hot-glue two bats together with a string in between to create a flying bat decoration.
Jack-O'-Lantern Bowls: Use black tape to create faces on glass vases, resembling jack-o'-lanterns. Fill them with orange snacks like gummies, cheese puffs, Goldfish, or punch to create spooky serving bowls.
Spider Nest: Fill a white balloon with rice and inflate it three-quarters full. Cover the balloon with gauze bandages, securing the ends with adhesive. Attach plastic spiders to the gauze and hang the spider nest in a dark corner for an extra creepy touch.
Plant Food: Instead of wasting the innards of carved pumpkins, remove the seeds and add some of the flesh to your soil as plant food. This clever hack allows you to utilize every part of the pumpkin.

With these creative and budget-friendly ideas, you can easily transform your home into a spooky and festive Halloween haven. Happy decorating!