It's time to start getting your Halloween decorations up. For those that have an entire yard to work with, well, lucky you, because you'll have tons of space to up the spooky factor around your home! Some might see this extra area to do up as an added expense, but not if you make the decorations yourself, and that is half the fun of Halloween, anyway. You don't need to be a creative genius to make these eerie yard-adornments, plus they can also be a fun project for kids to help them get in the spirit of the season.
Whether the extent of your artistic ability is cutting and pasting, or if you see yourself as a creative visionary, here are a bunch of Halloween yard decorations that will not only make your property the envy of your neighborhood, but also won't break the bank. As an added bonus, you might even have a lot of these materials laying around the house already. So pull up a seat and scroll through these ideas for Halloween yard decorations.
You'll be surprised how easy it is to make your yard look incredible with very little effort or expense needed at all.
1. Floating Ghosts
What you'll need:
- Foam balls
- Lightweight white cotton fabric (about 1 square yard per ghost)
- Black paper
- Scissors
- Dowels or garden stakes
- Spray adhesive
How to make them:
- Start by cutting your fabric into squares. When you place the fabric over the foam ball, you want it to hang down well past the ball to form the body of the ghost.
- Cut out two small ovals from black construction paper to make eyes for each ghost.
- Stick the dowel into the foam ball at least 3″-4″.
- Spray the top of each foam ball with spray adhesive, place the fabric square over the ball, and press it down onto the adhesive at the top.
- Plant the ghosts in your yard, making sure the dowel or garden stake goes at least 6″ into the ground to help keep the ghosts sturdy even if it’s rainy or windy.
2. Graves Lit by Soda Can Lights
What you'll need:
- A can of flat black spray paint
- Clear holiday lights, size C9
- Clean soda cans
- A utility knife
- An unibit for your drill, 3/16 to 7/8″
How to make them:
- Drill the circle out of the bottom of the soda cans.
- Cut the soda cans on the top with your utility knife, right where they are beginning to taper (the edges will be sharp, so lightly bend them inward if you wish.)
- Spray the soda cans with the flat black paint and wait 1-2 hours to dry completely.
- If the things you would like to highlight are already set up, take the lights and the soda cans out to your display and figure out proper spacing.
- Take the bulbs off the sockets. Place the soda can over the socket and replace the bulb. The size of the hole is such that the metal of the soda can will not touch any metal on the lights.
- Position lights and test.
3. Sleepy Hollow Scarecrow
What you'll need:
- Metal post
- PVC pipe
- Pumpkin
- Black cloth
- Black and brown paint
- Sticks and straw
How to make it:
- Paint PVC pipe to resemble rotten wood and attach sticks horizontally to make ribs and arms. Decorate with straw.
- Stake metal post into the ground and slide entire assembled prop down over the stake.
- Carve pumpkin into jack-o-lantern and place on top of stake.
- Drape with black cloth.
4. Drunk Witch
What you'll need:
- Witch’s costume (hat, cape, stockings, boots)
- Broom
- Prop arms and legs
How to make it:
- Dress arms and legs in witch’s costume.
- Attach to tree.
- Attach hat and cape to tree.
- Cut broom to length and insert under cape.
5. Crime Scene
What you'll need:
- Fake crime scene tape
- Stakes
- Soil
- Fake blood
- Plastic skeleton
How to make it:
- Lay plastic skeleton on ground and partially cover with soil.
- Splatter fake blood around.
- Hammer a stake into each corner of your crime scene.
- Drape ‘Crime Scene’ tape around stakes.
6. Pumpkin Victim
What you'll need:
- Large pumpkin
- Old clothing
- Newspaper or straw
- Hatchet
- Plastic hand
How to make it:
- Carve pumpkin into vicious-looking jack-o’-lantern.
- Stuff clothing with newspaper or straw and lay out so the neck of the shirt is in the mouth of the jack-o’-lantern.
- Place the hatchet in the plastic hand in the sleeve near the pumpkin to give the impression that the victim tried to defend himself.
7. Bats!
What you'll need:
- Black craft foam
- Fishing line
- Scissors or craft knife
- Fake eyes
- Holepunch
How to make them:
- Trace outline of bat onto craft foam and cut out.
- Stick eyes to bat.
- Punch hole in bat.
- Tie bats to trees with fishing line.
8. Glass Jar Lights
What you'll need:
- Glass jars
- Acrylic paint
- Sponge
- Paintbrush
- Black Sharpie
How to make them:
- Paint base coat inside jars with sponge and wait for it to dry.
- Once it has dried, add details to the outside with either a Sharpie or paint.
- Insert a tea-light candle or you can use a string of lights to illuminate multiple jars.
9. Halloween Doormat
What you'll need:
- Plain doormat
- Adhesive stencil film
- Multi-purpose heat tool or X-ACTO knife
- Black acrylic paint
- Stencil brush
How to make it:
- Print out “BOO” letters. Place adhesive stencil paper on top of each letter and cut around the letter using an X-ACTO knife or multipurpose heat tool to create a stencil.
- Peal adhesive backing off of the stencils and adhere to the doormat.
- Use a stencil brush to add two to three coats of paint. Allow to dry before peeling off stencils.
10. Spider Egg Sacks
What you'll need:
- Small glow-sticks
- Balloons
- Stockings
How to make them:
- Put small glowsticks in balloons.
- Fill the balloons with water.
- Slide the balloons into stockings and hang them from your trees.
