Easy DIY Halloween Decorations
Get Creative with Painted Pumpkins
Add some Halloween design to your porch with this easy and fun DIY project. Painted pumpkins can easily be customized to fit your Halloween style and décor, including colour, patterns and more.
Make sure to clean the outside of your pumpkin before decorating, this will help paint stick to it, and also ensure there is no dirt or debris on there that can mess up your design.
Use a matte or glossy black spray paint to get a muted look. Paint some orange polka dots on top for a more fun, playful aesthetic. You can paint them in fun colours for a trendier look or even paint the faces on them instead of carving them!
Once they’re painted and decorated, you can place them side by side or stack them for different looks. For more fun pumpkin carving ideas, check out our Pumpkin Painting Ideas & Tips guide!
Carve the Perfect Pumpkin
Pumpkins are one of the most loved parts of Halloween. Carving your own can be a fun activity for you and your family, so get your carving tools out and create something awesome!
Start by cleaning your pumpkin and then cutting a hole in the top and removing the seeds and pulp inside. Don’t forget, you can roast the seeds for a fun snack later. Once your pumpkin is cleaned both inside and out, you can start carving it.
Use a sharp jab saw to get the best cuts. If you’re a beginner, start with some simple shapes like triangles and circles to create a fun face. You can use more intricate cuts and techniques to get even more detailed as you get more comfortable carving.
Once you’ve carved your pumpkin, light it up with an LED candle or tea light for maximum effect.
For more tips on how to carve a pumpkin, check out our guide below!
Get a Unique Look with Drilled Pumpkins
Drilled pumpkins have a different look that makes spelling words out much easier. They’re simple to create, and a fun DIY Halloween project for the family.
Start by cleaning your pumpkin inside and out as if you were carving it. Then simply mark out your letters using a stencil and use a drill to create a great-looking, drilled shape, word or pattern.
To learn more about how to create this effect, see our guide below.
Make a Pinecone Wreath
A pinecone wreath is a green, earthy addition to any indoor or outdoor décor. It’s also a great project for small kids, and something you can hang up for everyone to admire.
Start by gluing pinecones to the wreath base, using larger ones on the outside and smaller ones as you work your way inward.
Once you’ve got your wreath glued up, you can spray paint it with a colour that matches your décor.
For a fun tough, add some googly eyes to make a silly yet beautiful addition to your door décor.
Add a Spooky Touch with Halloween Floating Candles
Floating candles are a great addition to any Halloween scene. Any candles will work, but heavier ones will require thicker fishing line.
Wipe your candles to make sure they’re clean and then simply spray paint them in a fun or spooky colour and attach them with fishing line to hang them. Gradients can look cool as well, so try painting thick at the bottom of the candle and then thinner as you go up, letting the natural colour of the candle come through.
Space them apart and attach each end of the line to the wall. They’ll look like they’re magically floating!
Paint Your Votive Holders for Halloween
Spray painting your votive holders is another great way to add some spooky illumination to your Halloween décor. They also look great in the daylight!
First, clean and dry your votive holder so that the paint will adhere better. Use some puffy paint to create a design – like a spider web or something else that’s spooky – on the outside.
Spray some mirror effect paint onto the inside for added light reflection. Once your paint is dry, you can use steel wool to rub over the outside of the votive to create a textured look.
Decorate Your Front Yard with Glow-in-the-dark Fence Post Ghosts
These glow-in-the-dark fence posts can add a fun look to your yard this Halloween.
First, cut your fence posts to size, using different lengths for variety. Sand them if necessary and then wipe them down with a microfibre cloth.
Coat your wooden stakes in two or more coats of Glow in the Dark spray to get the desired level of glow.
To charge the glow in the dark paint, set the Ghosts under direct light for several hours. You can even paint a face onto them to get an eerie glowing Halloween feature that’s sure to impress.
Turn a Watering Can into a Jack-o’-lantern Flowerpot
It’s easy to turn an every day watering can into a jack-o-lantern themed flowerpot. Using some paint, magnetic sheeting and your own creativity, you can add this fun item to your Halloween décor.
Using some magnetic sheeting, draw your face and cut it out so that the magnet side will sit on the watering can.
Paint your watering can silver or another colour that matches your décor. Then add the magnetic face to the watering can to create a great visual element for your porch décor.
DIY Halloween Spider Web Vase
This simple addition to your mantle is easy to make and fun to display. Start by drawing or printing out a spider web pattern on a piece of white paper.
Place it on the inside of your vase, and – using a hot glue gun – trace it with glue on the outside of the vase.
Let it dry, then spray paint it black or another fun Halloween colour. Then decorate it with your favourite Halloween accessories and display it on your mantle!
DIY Wooden Block Pumpkin
This DIY wooden pumpkin in a great way to use up some of the of cuts of lumber from your other projects.
Start by cutting five pieces of wood, two short, two a bit longer and the final one a bit longer than the last. Arrange them on top of each other in this order: short, longer, longest, long, short, creating a circle or pumpkin shape.
Once the glue has dried, sand them smooth, paint the face orange and add spooky or funny eyes and a mouth to complete the face.
Drill a small hole in the top and fill it with a stained dowel to add the “stem”. Tie a Halloween-coloured ribbon around your stem and display your DIY pumpkin on a table or shelf!
DIY Crayon Pumpkin
For this one, you’ll need to start with a white or an orange pumpkin for the best results.
Get some orange, brown and black crayons and peel off the wrapping. Break them in half and use a hot glue gun to adhere them to the top of your pumpkin, facing outward in a circle and alternating the colours.
Use a heat gun to melt the wax crayons and let the colours run down the sides of the pumpkin, creating a unique looking pumpkin that’s sure to please at your next Halloween party.
