DIY the Best Halloween Decorations in Town With These Easy, Crafty Ideas (2024)

Grasses come in all colors, shapes, and textures, creating infinite opportunities for embellishment.

To make: Craft a wreath from dried millet and hare’s-tail grass to circle the stem of a larger pumpkin, such as a blue Jarrahdale (middle), or use a wispy grass such as stipa to crown a small white pumpkin (bottom center). Glue stems of puffy hare’s-tail grass (far left) at differing heights around a white pumpkin.

Get more Halloween wreath ideas.

Set a festive, seasonal table by turning an orange linen or cotton napkin into a perfectly formed pumpkin.

Get the instructions.

Leaves and vines made from twine add a layered natural element to pumpkins. Opt for monochromatic colors for a sophisticated look.

To make: Start by drawing your desired shape on the pumpkin. Use hot glue to attach lengths of twine, following the outline of your drawing.

Toto and Dorothy will thank you for stealing the Wicked Witch of the West's boots! Proudly display her demise by hanging them on your front door.

To make: Hammer a nail into your door. Hang vintage or new Victorian-style boots from their laces. Hang a bow (ours is made from jute upholstery tape) just above the nail with heavy duty double-sided tape.

Get more Halloween wreath ideas.

Artfully arrange cleaned and dried pumpkin seeds with an acorn top center on a classic orange pumpkin.

To make: Start by cutting small circles of craft paper (about a 1/2-inch diameter). Hot-glue the pointy ends of the seeds around each circle to create the petals, then cover the exposed center with a small acorn top. Use craft or hot-glue to attach the flowers to the pumpkin in a haphazard fashion.

Create a textural wreath by incorporating different types of moss, such as Spanish moss, preserved forest moss, and dried tree lichen.

To make: Cover a 12- to 16-inch foam wreath form with clumps of moss and lichen, attaching with hot-glue. Glue tiny bits of moss and lichen around the stems of mini white pumpkins, then secure to the wreath with floral pins and wire.

Get more Halloween wreath ideas.

Spooky but sweet, these ghosts are made from easy-to-access craft materials.

To make: Place 6-inch craft foam or styrofoam balls on long wooden dowels. Cover balls with metallic mesh ribbon, layering if necessary to cover completely. Secure mesh with thin ribbon or string. Tie black-and-white striped ribbon into a bow around the ghost "neck," covering thin ribbon.

Or ghost houses..either, way this easy DIY can be used year after year on the mantel or Halloween treat buffet.

To make: Paint wooden bird houses with black acrylic paint. Once dry fill with paper ghosts or fake birds. Set on the mantel and stretch fake spider webs over the houses. Hang paper bats above the houses, if desired.

Keep the blood suckers away with a wreath fashioned from fresh garlic cloves (you can use artificial garlic if you want to keep the wreath from year to year).

To make: Start by hot gluing moss to a wooden wreath form. Next glue garlic cloves, root side out, on top of the moss. Hang using a piece of natural jute ribbon.

Get more Halloween wreath ideas.

Skip the carving (and dealing with the gunky insides of the pumpkin) by simply etching a shape in the front. We opted for leaf patterns like ginkgo, maples, and oak.

To make: Start by tracing leaves on a pumpkin with a pen. Use a thin linoleum cutting tool to etch each leaf outline and stem, then a wider linoleum tool to remove the skin inside the etched outlines, exposing the flesh. To prevent the pumpkin’s exposed flesh from browning, spread a thin layer of petroleum jelly on the area.

The puuurfect front door decor for the season. And the silly bow tie makes him extra sweet so trick-or-treaters won't get scared away!

To make: Wrap 14-inch foam wreath form with wide black ribbon, securing with floral pins as you go, until completely covered. Cut two 10-inch lengths of 18-gauge craft wire. Poke holes in top of wreath for ears. Bend wire to make ear shapes, and insert into wreath form. Wrap wire ears with ribbon, using hot glue to secure. Add orange burlap bow.

Display this towering beauty on a sideboard during your Halloween soirée! It's also makes perfect decor for a fall wedding!

To make: Start with three white pumpkins that stack nicely. Remove the stems from the bottom and middle pumpkins. Insert three wooden skewers into the bottom of the middle pumpkin, then pierce the skewers into the top of the bottom pumpkin to help hold them together. Repeat with the top and middle pumpkins. Using long floral greening pins, attach small pieces of floral foam where the pumpkins meet. Dampen the foam, and insert flowers (here, dahlias, ranunculus, and roses), foliage, and privet berries.