Festive & Fun Homemade Halloween Decorations You Can Make

Halloween has always been a fun time in our house.

My kids love Halloween, and right now my daughter is all about making little Halloween crafts and decorations for her room. She’ll get an idea, pull out the craft supplies and suddenly there are little ghosts, pumpkins and spooky things popping up everywhere.

And, of course, watching her get creative got me wanting to make things too!

I’ve always loved taking simple things we already have around the house and turning them into cute seasonal decor. And Halloween is probably one of the best holidays for doing this because your decorations don’t have to be perfect.

A crooked little ghost? Cute.

A funny-looking pumpkin? Even better!

You can grab some paint, cardboard, old jars, fabric, paper and a few inexpensive craft supplies and make some really fun Halloween decorations for your home.

Plus, homemade decorations just have a little more personality than something you grab off the shelf.

So, inspired by my daughter and her growing collection of Halloween crafts, I rounded up some festive and fun homemade Halloween decorations you can make for your home this spooky season.

Let’s get crafting!

What You Need to Make Homemade Halloween Decorations

Before you start crafting, take a look around your house first!

You probably already have quite a few things you can turn into Halloween decorations. I’m always saving jars, cardboard, leftover ribbon and random craft supplies because you just never know when they’ll come in handy. 

And for Halloween? The more creative you get with what you already have, the better!

Here are some basic supplies that are great to have:

Mason jars and empty glass jars
Cardboard and empty boxes
Construction paper and cardstock
Black, white, orange and purple craft paint
Paintbrushes and foam brushes
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Scissors
Twine, yarn and ribbon
Black and white fabric or felt
Googly eyes
Pipe cleaners (loving this Halloween pack)
Popsicle sticks
Cotton balls or faux spiderwebs
Plastic spiders and bugs
Mini faux pumpkins
Battery-operated tea lights and fairy lights
Paper plates and paper cups
Toilet paper and paper towel rolls
Old sheets or pillowcases
Small branches, leaves and pinecones from outside

You definitely don’t need to run out and buy everything on this list!

Start with what you have and then pick up a few inexpensive supplies depending on the Halloween decorations you want to make.

That’s part of the fun for me — seeing what I can turn an old jar, piece of cardboard or leftover fabric into.

Okay, now that we have our supplies, let’s make some spooky (and cute!) Halloween decorations!

Homemade Halloween Decoratrions for the Home

So, ready to have some fun this afternoon? I sure am. Let’s see what we can make with these materials for Halloween.

1. Bubbling Witch’s Cauldron Planter

Take a large black planter and turn it into an overflowing witch’s cauldron! Fill the top with different-sized round Styrofoam balls painted lime green, pale green, and white to look like bubbling witch’s brew. Add green fairy lights between the “bubbles” and drape a little faux spiderweb around the edge.

2. Matte Black Mason Jar Candle Holders

I’m all about using mason jars this season. They are perfect for fall decor and even for Halloween too.

Paint a few mason jars with matte black craft paint and wrap a thin piece of twine or black ribbon around the top. Add battery-operated tea lights inside for a soft glow. Group three different-sized jars together with a couple of mini pumpkins for an easy Halloween centerpiece.

2. White Fabric Ghost Garland

Use scraps of white fabric to create small, simple ghosts and tie them onto a long piece of twine. Keep their faces minimal with just two tiny black eyes. Hang your ghost garland across a mantel, bookshelf or entryway mirror for Halloween decor that’s cute without looking too childish.

3. Giant Planter Ghosts

Turn tomato cages upside down inside large planters and place a round Styrofoam ball on top for each ghost’s head. Drape an old white sheet or lightweight white fabric over the entire thing and add simple black felt eyes. Put fairy lights underneath so your ghosts actually glow at night. These would be SO cute standing on either side of the front door!

4. Black Branch Halloween Centerpiece

Grab a few bare branches from outside and paint them black. Arrange them in a clear glass jar or a jar painted cream or white, then add a few small hanging ghosts, bats or spiders made from cardstock. It makes such a dramatic Halloween centerpiece with hardly any supplies!

5. Neutral Mini Pumpkin Display

Paint mini faux pumpkins in shades of white, cream, black and soft beige rather than traditional bright orange. Arrange them in a bowl, wooden tray or along your mantel with a few dried leaves and branches. This is perfect if you want your Halloween decor to blend with your regular fall decorations.

6. Spooky Black Butterfly Wall Display

Cut butterflies or moths from black cardstock and gently fold the wings so they stand away from the wall. Arrange them so they look like they’re flying up one section of your wall or around a mirror. It’s a little spooky but still really pretty and chic.

7. Glowing Spiderweb Mason Jars

Wrap a thin layer of faux spiderweb around clear mason jars and add one or two small black plastic spiders. Place fairy lights inside so the web glows at night. These would look so pretty grouped together on an entryway table or covered porch.

8. Chic Black-and-White Halloween Village

Save a few small cardboard boxes and turn them into miniature haunted houses. Paint them matte black, cut out little windows and place battery-operated tea lights behind them. You can make several different shapes and sizes to create your own little Halloween village for a mantel or console table.

9. Floating Cheesecloth Ghosts

Use white fabric or cheesecloth to make wispy little ghosts that can hang from your ceiling, mantel or porch. Instead of adding big cartoon faces, keep them simple and almost faceless for a more elegant, slightly spooky look.

10. Black Paper Bat Wall

Cut bats in a few different sizes from black cardstock and fold their wings slightly in the middle. Arrange them flying across a wall, around a doorway or above your fireplace. I love this one because all you really need is paper and scissors, but it can completely transform a room for Halloween.

11. Moody Halloween Fairy Light Jars

Fill clear glass jars with fairy lights and add black ribbon around the rim. Tuck in a few small black paper bats or spiders around the outside. Place them among pumpkins, pinecones and fall leaves for a Halloween display that still feels warm and cozy.

12. Black Yarn Spiderweb Hoop

Use black yarn to create a simple spiderweb design inside an embroidery hoop or circular frame you already have. Add one small plastic spider and finish it with a black velvet or satin ribbon. Hang it on the wall or layer it into a Halloween mantel display.

13. Chic Pumpkin & Candle Halloween Tray

Gather a few mini pumpkins and paint some matte black, some creamy white and leave one or two orange. Arrange them on a tray with battery-operated candles, pinecones, dried leaves and a few subtle black spiders. It’s an easy way to make a Halloween centerpiece that feels festive without making your whole house look like a haunted house.

14. Witch Legs in a Planter

Fill a large outdoor planter with fall branches, black faux flowers, or greenery, then add two stuffed witch legs sticking straight out of the top. Make the legs from striped tights or fabric and create little pointed shoes from black felt or cardboard. It looks like a witch crash-landed right into your planter.

15. Pool Noodle Halloween Candles

Cut pool noodles into different heights, paint them black or cream, and use hot glue around the tops to create dripping “wax.” Add battery-operated tea lights and group several together on a mantel or porch. These look especially good when you make a lot of them!

16. Giant Glowing Ghosts

Use tomato cages for the bodies and large round Styrofoam balls for the heads. Drape sheer white fabric or cheesecloth over them and place battery-operated lights underneath. Make three in different heights and group them together on the porch for a little glowing ghost family.

17. Giant Spider Planter

Turn a large black planter into the body of a spider and use black pool noodles for those giant creepy legs. Bend and position the noodles around the planter, then add two oversized eyes if you want it a little more fun than scary.

18. Floating Witch Hat Lights

Hang inexpensive witch hats from your porch ceiling using clear fishing line and tuck battery-operated lights inside. At night, they’ll look like glowing witch hats floating above your porch!

19. DIY Giant Lollipop Ghosts

Place large Styrofoam balls onto wooden stakes or PVC pipes and cover them with white fabric. Tie ribbon underneath each “head” and add simple black eyes. Stick several throughout your front garden so it looks like little ghosts are floating across the yard.

20. Trash Bag Giant Spiders

Stuff black garbage bags to create a big round spider body, then use black pool noodles or rolled black plastic for the legs. These can get HUGE, which is what makes them so fun. Put one crawling over your porch railing or climbing up the side of the house.

21 Tomato Cage Witch

Flip a tomato cage upside down and use it as the base for a witch. Add a Styrofoam ball for the head, drape black fabric around the cage, and top everything with a big witch hat. You can even tuck fairy lights underneath her dress so she glows at night.

22. Lighted Laundry Basket Pumpkin

Grab a couple of inexpensive round laundry baskets and start weaving orange burlap through the openings. Add a stick for the stem, some raffia and fall ribbon, then tuck battery-operated fairy lights inside so your pumpkin glows at night. So cute for the front porch!

23. Chicken Wire Yard Ghosts

Shape chicken wire into a simple human-like form and drape cheesecloth or thin white fabric over it. Once it’s standing in the yard, the transparent wire almost disappears, making your ghost look like it’s floating. This one can look surprisingly spooky at night!

24. Giant Eyeball Planters

Paint large Styrofoam balls to look like eyeballs and place them inside black outdoor planters. Add branches, moss, faux spiderwebs, or black flowers around them. Make two matching planters so it looks like your front porch is watching everyone who walks by. 

25. Pumpkin Archway

Use PVC pipe or another sturdy arch-shaped base and cover it with faux pumpkins, fall leaves, black branches, and fairy lights. Place it over your front walkway or doorway for one of those big TikTok Halloween porch transformations.

26. DIY Ghosts Coming Out of Planters

Instead of making full-sized ghosts, use small Styrofoam balls and white fabric to create several tiny ghosts coming out of a large planter. Add wispy cheesecloth and fairy lights around them so it looks like the ghosts are floating up from inside.

29. Giant Witch’s Broom

Bundle long branches or inexpensive bamboo stakes together to make an oversized broom handle. Add twigs, raffia, or dried grasses at the bottom and tie everything together with thick rope. Lean it beside your front door with a witch hat hanging from the handle.

30. Glowing Skeleton Planters

Place a plastic skeleton inside a large planter so the upper half looks like it’s climbing out. Surround it with black branches, faux flowers, moss, and fairy lights. You could even have one skeleton hand hanging over the side of the planter for that extra creepy touch.

31. Giant Halloween Fireplace Garland

Make an oversized garland using black fabric, faux leaves, mini pumpkins, paper bats and long pieces of ribbon. Drape it across your mantel and let pieces hang down the sides, then weave fairy lights throughout for that big, dramatic Halloween look.

32. Floating Ghost Circle

Make five or six simple ghosts using Styrofoam balls, stakes, and white fabric, then arrange them in a circle in the yard. Position their fabric “arms” so it looks like they’re holding hands. Add solar or battery lights underneath and you’ll have a whole circle of glowing ghosts dancing in your yard.

33. Witch’s Potion Bottle Shelf

Save glass jars and bottles in different shapes and paint or distress them in black, smoky gray, green, and purple. Add homemade potion labels, twine, dried branches, and battery candles. Group everything together on a shelf or bar cart for your own little witch’s apothecary.