I’ve made a lot of Halloween decorations over the years, but these are the ones that have earned a spot in my Halloween bins.
Some started as Goodwill finds. Others were made with things I already had or simple craft supplies. None of them required a huge investment, and several years later, I’m still decorating with them.
That might be the best test of a DIY. Was it fun to make? Absolutely. But do I still like it enough to pull it out and use it again?
These six made the cut.
And if you have something sitting around your house—or spot something inexpensive while you’re thrifting—I hope they give you an idea or two for looking at it differently.
1. DIY Haunted Houses from Goodwill Finds
You know those little ceramic village houses that always seem to show up at Goodwill?
I used to walk right past them.
Then I started looking at the shape instead of the finish.
A coat of black spray paint completely changed these little houses. All of those tiny windows, doors and architectural details that made them look a little dated suddenly became perfect for Halloween.
And this is about as easy as a Halloween DIY gets.
I found the houses for $1.99, gave them a good cleaning and spray-painted them black. Grouped together with a little light glowing through the windows, they became a miniature haunted village.
Years later, I’m still using them.
What you’ll need
Ceramic village houses
Black spray paint appropriate for the surface
Cardboard or a drop cloth for spraying
Small lights, if you’d like them to glow
The thing to remember: When you’re thrifting, don’t get distracted by an ugly color or dated finish. Look at the shape. Paint can fix an awful lot.
SEE HOW I MADE THE HAUNTED HOUSES HERE:
2. An Easy SPOOKY Halloween Garland
This little garland is proof that Halloween decorating doesn’t have to be complicated.
I used tags to spell SPOOKY and tied everything together with black-and-white ribbon.
That’s it.
This would be cute hung across the front of the buffet, but it would be just as cute across a mantel, mirror, shelf or doorway.
What you’ll need
Paper or cardstock tags
Letters
Two little ghost shapes
Ribbon
Twine or string
3. Make Thrifted Art Scary
This is such a simple way to turn an ordinary piece of black-and-white artwork into Halloween decor.
Start with a thrifted black-and-white print or painting—or download and print one you like. Then find a simple silhouette of a ghost, witch, owl or bat to use as your guide.
Because you’re working with a silhouette, you don’t have to be an artist. The shape is the important part.
I added a little black witch silhouette to my vintage house print, and suddenly an ordinary piece of artwork looked like it had been made for Halloween.
What you’ll need
A thrifted or downloaded black-and-white print or painting
A simple Halloween silhouette for inspiration
Black marker, paint pen, paint or Cricut vinyl
A frame or hanger for displaying your finished art
Simply copy or trace your silhouette onto the artwork and fill it in with black. A witch, ghost, owl or bat would all work.
And don’t overthink the drawing. That’s why silhouettes work so well for this project—the simpler the shape, the better.
Once it’s finished, display your scary art in a frame, on a picture hanger or mixed in with the rest of your Halloween decorations.
4. Make “Witch Craft” Books from Old Books
These still make me smile.
I took old hardcover books, painted them black and added gold lettering to the spines to create my stack of WITCH CRAFT books.
They’re simple, but they’re also one of those little details that make a Halloween display more interesting.
And they serve another purpose.
Books are one of my favorite decorating tools.
Stack two or three under a haunted house, pumpkin or candle and suddenly you’ve added height and another layer to the display.
What you’ll need
Old hardcover books
Black paint
Gold paint or lettering
Paintbrush
If you have old books headed for the donation pile, this might be a reason to rescue a few.
5. Easy Halloween Art from a Printable
Not every DIY needs to involve paint, tools or an afternoon of work.
Sometimes you just need a printer.
I used a Halloween owl printable to create inexpensive seasonal artwork and tucked it into the buffet with the rest of my Halloween decorations.
The best part is that you don’t need another seasonal frame to store.
Use a frame you already own, swap in the Halloween art for a few weeks and then put your original artwork back when Halloween is over.
Simple.
What you’ll need
A Halloween printable
Printer
Paper or cardstock
A frame you already have
I like using heavier paper or cardstock because it makes a printable look a little more finished.
Keep the frame. Change the art.
That’s my kind of seasonal decorating.
6. A MacKenzie-Childs-Inspired Halloween House
This one is definitely not subtle—and that’s probably why I still love it.
I started with an ordinary ceramic house and gave it a completely different personality with black and white checks, stripes, metallic details and embellishments, all inspired by the whimsical MacKenzie-Childs look.
It takes a little more time than spray-painting my Goodwill haunted houses, but this is the kind of project I love: start with something ordinary and see how interesting you can make it.
Years later, it still comes out every Halloween and mixes right in with the simpler pieces on my buffet.
SEE THE HOUSE MAKEOVER HERE:
Which Halloween DIY Will You Try?
The funny thing about putting these projects together again is realizing how many of them I made years ago—and still use every Halloween.
That’s always a win in my book.
You don’t need to make all six. Maybe you have an old ceramic house that could use a can of black spray paint, a stack of books you could turn into Witch Craft books, or a piece of artwork that could use a slightly spooky visitor.
Sometimes the best projects start with looking at something you already have and thinking, I wonder what I could do with that?
Pick one and have some fun with it.
Happy Halloween! 🎃
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