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    Home » How To Stuff » House Stuff » My House at Halloween

    DIY Halloween Decorations. Creepy, Elegant & Haunting.

    September 27, 2020 by Karen 93 Comments

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    These are my best Halloween decorating ideas to date. Easy (ish) DIYs for haunting the hell out of your home.

    White marble tulip table covered in skulls beneath an antique chandelier covered in thin cobwebs for Halloween.

    I would like to take a moment to officially voice my disdain over the latest kind of Haunted Houses up and running for Halloween.  I feel it's my civic duty to bring these abominations to your attention. Like that time I told you about the ill conceived 1980's invention: the Cherry flavoured potato chip.

    Your community might have one of these horrors in your midst this very moment and you don't even know about it so I encourage you to seek them out and protest them.  They're Haunted Houses ... that aren't haunted.

    That's right.  They are unHaunted Houses.  This is such a grotesque and appalling distortion of what Halloween is supposed to be that it sickens me.  You know what Halloween without the haunt is??  It's Easter.

    I was listening to the radio the other day and there was an advertisement for one of these attractions.  According to the soothing sound of the announcer, it was a family friendly Haunted House that wasn't scary at all.  So, um.  That's just a house, right? Am I missing something?

    We are literally taking the scare out of scary because we're scared of scaring someone.

    IT'S HALLOWEEN.

    The whole point of it is to be scared. And might I add, if a child can learn to confront their fears and walk past a dark corner that may or may not be hiding a Zombie with teenage acne, they'll be able to confront even more terrifying things later in life.  The ability to overcome fear is one of the most important qualities we can instil in children.  We are currently raising a platoon of kids whose greatest fear is their iPad battery running out mid-YouTube video.

    Which as everyone knows is only scary if you're in the middle of a hair tutorial.

    So today I bring to you the opposite end of the Halloween spectrum. My idea of Halloween.    Unnerving.  Disturbing. Creepy.  But beautiful.

    It's Pretty Grimm.

    Indoor Halloween Decorations

    A lot of my Halloween decorations have been collected over the years like the realistic skulls, but even more of it has either been DIYed or just taking things I already own and presenting them in a creepy way. But classy! Creepy but classy halloween decorations.

    In other words, there's no fake barf or disembowelled anything.


    Bones

    Chicken and turkey bones.  When I make stock after Thanksgiving I save the bones, clean them, bleach them and then put them away because nothing comes in handier around Halloween than a box full of bones.

    Wreath made out of chicken bones displayed over white lacquer buffet with mummified cat sitting on it.

    The Bone Wreath was the first thing I made out of real bones.

    Read the tutorial on How to make a Bone Wreath here.


    The bone crown is another way to use bones. You can wear it (carefully) or just put it out as a decoration.

    Crown made out of bones with jewels sits atop Karen Bertelsen's head.

    Honestly it's just a bunch of bones glued together but you can get the details and tips for how to make it in this bone crown tutorial.

    I like it just sitting out on a table or on top of one of my 40 bazillion skulls.

    Gold skull topped with a homemade crown made of chicken bones for Halloween.

    Finally, if you can't be bothered to DIY anything out of your bones, you can just pile them on a table.

    A black candelabra with bones scattered around it.

    Learn how to clean the bones in this how to make a bone wreath post.

    Antlers are part of the bone category AND the creepy category so if you have them, use them.

    A lifelike skull with deer antlers glued to the top sits beside a pile of bones set into a crib formation.
    HALLOWEEN CREEPIES

    Cobwebs

    An antique portrait print from the 1800s in an ornate gold frame dripping with cobwebs.

    Flea markets are perfect places to find Halloween decorations. I got this frame and portrait locally for $10.  I didn't have to do a thing to it other than put the creepy thing on display and add a few cobwebs.


    To make bagged cobwebs look good you have to pull it and stretch it apart so it becomes very fine threads. As fine as cobwebs.


    A black leather saddle sits on an cobweb laden antique saddle stand in front of a bookcase with mercury glass pumpkins and a framed taxidermy bat in it.

    Cobwebs.  Let's have a little lesson on that right now.  When I drive around neighbourhoods at Halloween the #1 mistake I see is people doing their cobwebs wrong.  They're too clumpy and thick. Now, I happen to have a lot of experience with real cobwebs so that's why I might be a bit more of an expert than the rest of you.

    When you buy spider web it comes in a bag in a clump.  It needs to be pulled apart, separated and teased until you don't think it's going to hold together anymore.  THAT is the perfect spiderweb.  Something so fine it seems breakable.

    One bag of spider webbing should do your entire house, not just your front door if you're using it right.

    Dried bag displayed in a bookcase with cobwebs.

    Like the taxidermy bat?  Me too. 

    I can't teach you how to make a taxidermy bat but I can tell you where to get one.

    You can get a dried hanging bat on Amazon . It comes without a display box but you can hang it from anything anywhere!.

    You can get a taxidermy bat with a display box on Amazon for between $50 and $78.


    Witches broom

    The Witches Broom is one of my favourite Halloween DIYs from the past few years.  This time of year there are branches falling down all over the place, which makes it the perfect time of year for scrounging materials for this.

    A witches broom appears suspected on a painted white brick wall with a large spider climbing towards it.

     

    You can use a DIY witches broom for decorating indoors or outdoors.

    A DIY witches broom made with twigs and branches rests on an old porch.

    Read the tutorial on How to Make a Witch's Broom here.


    Black gauze

    The black fabric is just cheap cotton Halloween fabric from the Dollar Store and you can put it ANYWHERE and it'll look good.

    Would you like to save this stuff?

    We'll email you this post, so you can refer to it later.

    Black gauzy material swagged over large gold framed mirror, spilling on the floor below.

    Just add gold spiders.

    Gold sparkly spiders crawl up a swath of black gauze amid white pumpkins.

    You can use black gauzy fabric on the back of your sofa like a throw, hanging down like curtains or over your dining room table like a tablecloth.

    Doll parts

    I said there wouldn't be any disembowelled things, there are however dismembered things.

    An antique straw-filled doll with porcelain head displayed next to a doll's torso under glass on a dining room table for Halloween.

    If you missed my first post on these vintage doll parts you can read it here and see alllll the photos.  If anyone has ever looked at your Halloween decorations and proclaimed "Oh, that's CUTE!", then you will probably not like this.  But I *do* know of an unHaunted house you might be interested in.

    Red hardcover book opened up to reveal two blue eyes bulging out of the pages.

    With a couple of doll parts you can DIY a regular book into an impressive Halloween decoration. Actually the eyes in this book are from dollar store rings now that I think about it. But doll eyes would work too.

    If you want to learn how to make one you can learn how to do that in my Book with Eyes tutorial.

    Hands can be stuck out of anything and look disturbing.

    A dirty, plastic doll hand sticks out of the side of a white pumpkin sitting on a bale of straw.

    Spiderwebs

    One ball of yarn and a roll of two sided tape and you're on your way to a spiderweb big enough to trap a mature gazelle.

    A huge spiderweb made with yarn fills an entire wall with a large black widow type spider in the centre of it.

    Learn the tips to making a good wall web here.

    Not enough yarn? Use a single thread to hang a big spider from something.

    A large fake spider hangs upside down on a thin thread from a chandelier.

    Pumpkin Diorama

    You know your Halloween Decoration has met the pinnacle of Halloween decorations when Elvira reTweets it. And she did.

    A hollow foam pumpkin with an entire graveyard scene including skeletons and bats inside.

    The Die-O-Rama

    The Die-O-Rama is hands down my most popular Halloween DIY among readers.  They like it when they see it during the day ...

    A hollow foam pumpkin with an entire graveyard scene including skeletons and bats inside all lit up.

    ... but they love when they see it lit up at night.


    To learn How to Make a Pumpkin Diorama click here for the full tutorial and tips.

    Glow in the dark

    It's easy to find glow in the dark paint at Halloween, what's hard is finding a place where it's dark enough that it'll actually glow.

    The outline of a skull glows in the dark in a dark staircase.

    This skull has been painted on my staircase for SIX YEARS and it still glows. Yes I should have washed or scraped it off but no, I never bothered to do that since you can't see it during the day or if the lights are on.

    It STILL shows up thought when the lights are all off.

    SIX YEARS.

    Outdoor Halloween decorations

    Wreath

    So you need a wreath because in recent years every holiday has a wreath. Easter? Hang a wreath. Christmas? Hang a wreath. Your kid lost a tooth because they were spinning and circles with their eyes closed while wearing boxes on their hands? Hang a wreath.

    A Halloween wrath made of feather boas and skulls hangs from a black front door.
    A Halloween wrath made of feather boas and skulls hangs from a black front door.

    This one is made entirely from stuff from the dollar store. Black feather boas, black gauze, sparkle skulls and probably a real life bug or two.

    I've had it for 10 years and it still looks as good (bad?) as the day I made it.

    Here's how to make your own Halloween wreath for outside but if you want to go the super-simple route, just wrap a styrofoam wreath form with black feather boas. Done.

    Pumpkins

    You don't have to carve them.

    A black front door with black feather boa wreath and garland blanked by 2 black stools holding orange pumpkins.

    No seriously, just don't. I used to spend DAYS carving pumpkins into 3 dimensional creative pieces of art. You can see some of them here.

    Now?

    You're lookin' at it. I add a few sparkle lights and that's it.

    Ghosts

    Contrary to what popular culture might have you believe sheets aren't the best material for making ghosts.

    The very BEST material for making ethereal ghosts are gardening supplies.

    Ghost bride made with foam pumpkin, a fan and garden netting blows in the wind on a front porch.

    This ghost that flutters and blows with the help of a fan behind it, is made out of lightweight gardening row cover and insect netting. The lighter the fabric the more fantastic the flutter.

    Watch the video of how to make this ghost bride here.


    This year above any others I think I'm going to go all in with my Halloween decorating.

    It just feels like that kind of year. Where you need to do something BIG.

    A dining room featuring a white brick wall showcases doll parts under glass cloches all along the centre of a harvest table.

    Only in 2020 could filling your house with horrifying things be a guaranteed way to cheer yourself up.

     

    →Follow me on Instagram where I often make a fool of myself←

     

    More My House at Halloween

    • An Easy, Creepy, DIY Witches Broom for Halloween.
    • Edgar the Spider. A Halloween story.
    • Halloween Picks
    • Cheap & Easy Halloween Decoration Ideas.

    Reader Interactions

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    1. Rose Devlin

      November 03, 2017 at 2:38 pm

      Thanks for all the inspiration, Karen!

      Reply
      • Karen

        November 04, 2017 at 12:31 am

        It looks great! Turned out perfectly. :) ~ karen!

        Reply
    2. Handyman Liverpool

      October 30, 2017 at 6:52 am

      What an awesome spooky collection you've made here! I like the witch's broom the best! I think it's very appropriate for a DIY project and will definitely try it!

      Reply
    3. Sheila

      October 26, 2017 at 9:54 pm

      Love. It. All.
      Where do you keep all your stuff??? I decorate for every occasion...and I'm running out of room. I may have to get rid of someone around here!

      Reply
    4. Meg

      October 26, 2017 at 3:06 pm

      omg YOU ARE THE MOST FUN

      I love all of this. I have experience with real spiderwebs too, so I share your disgust at clumped bunches of fake webs.... your double gold mirrors are lovely, regardless of halloween, and the bones, oh man, the bones. *makes notes for thanksgiving cleanup*

      Reply
    5. Benjamin

      October 25, 2017 at 12:51 am

      I see nothing wrong with sparkle glitter spiders at Easter. Sassy just when you need some celestial spookiness. Plus they go with the cobwebs on my Bible. LOL Love your haunted décor kiddo.

      Reply
      • Karen

        October 25, 2017 at 12:52 am

        Thanks honey! ~ karen

        Reply
    6. SusanR

      October 24, 2017 at 8:38 pm

      You always do such a creative job of decorating! Atlas Shrugged? So did I. :)

      Reply
      • Karen

        October 24, 2017 at 9:04 pm

        Ha! I forgot that when I post pictures that include my bookcases everyone checks out my books. I always mean to put something weird in there. You know, weirder than dental surgery. ~ karen!

        Reply
    7. Heidi

      October 24, 2017 at 9:37 am

      🙀😼😸
      Happiest Hallows Eve and really Diggin your house theme. Thanks for sharing !
      Heidi

      Reply
    8. Heidi

      October 24, 2017 at 8:21 am

      Fantanghoulis!
      Where’s my invite? I’ve made some bleeding cupcakes and plate of severed finger sandwiches to bring.

      Reply
      • Karen

        October 24, 2017 at 9:18 am

        Perfect! I haven't had a good bleeding cupcake since "the incident". ~ karen!

        Reply
    9. Nancy Blue Moon

      October 24, 2017 at 12:34 am

      Very classy... Sorta like you!

      Reply
    10. Melissa Keyser

      October 23, 2017 at 9:22 pm

      I love your decorations. I'd want to do similar, but being just me and my husband, who could care less, it seems like it's not "worth it".

      Do you ever feel like that, since it's just you? (and obviously, all the readers). Maybe I should start writing about my house just so I feel I have someone who cares.

      Reply
      • Karen

        October 23, 2017 at 11:22 pm

        I've always decorated for major holidays. Even before the blog. Same with cooking for myself. Before I was partnered up with my fella I still always cooked good meals for m just me. But yea, the decorating is definitely bigger and better knowing it's going on the blog! Plus I like it to inspire people to do a little something and it's hard to inspire with just a pumpkin on the table and a fake spider stuck to the wall. ~ k!

        Reply
      • SusanR

        October 24, 2017 at 8:36 pm

        I formerly felt that way about holidays, except Christmas, until I noticed that my husband would change the background on his computer monitor for every holiday. So now I do it for him, because he enjoys that little bit of celebrating each holiday.

        I don't do much. For Easter, I've some very large eggs that I painted in metallic colors that I put into a large nest on the mantle I found outside after a heavy windstorm, plus some fabric flowers that I flatten and double-sided tape onto the mirror over the fireplace.

        For Halloween it's a plastic lighted pumpkin that goes on the porch, even though we never get Trick or Treaters, and some Halloween fabric draped over a corner of the window drapes, and a bowl of our favorite candy.

        Those are just two examples. Neither takes any time, everything is in a single box out in the garage so it's easy to find and put away. Doesn't take more than 10 minutes to "decorate", and now we both enjoy it!

        Reply
    11. Mary W

      October 23, 2017 at 6:36 pm

      LOVE your home! I forgot about your bones from last year and just through out a huge pile from a chicken and a bone-in pork shoulder. Why is it that when I clean, I ALWAYS regret the junk thrown away within one week? Always!

      Reply
    12. Linn

      October 23, 2017 at 1:10 pm

      As much as I appreciate your creativity and individuality, my favorite color is orange.
      So.......

      Reply
    13. Sherylann

      October 23, 2017 at 12:41 pm

      Those dolls.....OMG, that is truly creepy. I could not have those in my house, just too freaky. So many of older pics ha e that creepy vibe. Well done🎃👻

      Reply
    14. Jackie Cameron

      October 23, 2017 at 12:29 pm

      Karen, you've done it again. Perfect for Halloween. We've stopped all the decorating because we don't get trick or treaters anymore. I guess all the kids are going to parties now & our town has activities for them in the city park. But I really love seeing what you've done. Thanks for letting us in on it.

      Reply
    15. Martina

      October 23, 2017 at 12:06 pm

      There is a store just up the street from me that you would LOVE!
      https://id3469.securedata.net/necromance/catalogue.php?category=zoology
      Check out the hanging bat in a bell jar.

      Reply
      • Karen

        October 23, 2017 at 6:43 pm

        LOVE the bat! ~ karen

        Reply
    16. Kris Wilson

      October 23, 2017 at 11:41 am

      Love your post, as usual!
      Another goulish addition to your “dec-horr” would be a Book of the Dead.
      A memento mori. Common in Victorian times. First learned of this in the movie The Others with Nicole Kidman. One if my favorites for this time of year👻!

      Reply
    17. Janice

      October 23, 2017 at 11:28 am

      I think you meant "disdain" in your first sentence, not "distain"...

      Reply
      • Lois Baron

        October 23, 2017 at 11:58 am

        Sometimes we distain good spellin'. And that's OK. :-)

        Reply
    18. Tracy Martinez

      October 23, 2017 at 10:54 am

      I totally agree with you on the cobwebs. I see houses all over that just do the clumping thing. You really need to stretch them out thinly and they go along way. I decorate very similarly to you for halloween so I LOVE all your stuff.
      Thanks for the Halloween inspiration.

      Reply
    19. Megan

      October 23, 2017 at 10:05 am

      And for some really really cool Glam Spook check out this stained glass spider webs. Just stick them in a doorway for some instant decor. There are more than one type and color. I really love this shop!!
      https://www.etsy.com/listing/502386578/black-glass-spider-web-cornerhome-decor?ref=finds_l

      Reply
    20. christine Hilton

      October 23, 2017 at 10:01 am

      OMG! Let me know if you find a place to take the taxidermy course.I am so in.
      Today would be a good day to order that tongue from the butcher for Halloween night.A big old hunk of liver will do in a pinch.Just lie in on the steps and apologize for the mess.It is hard to tell who is more horrified,the kids or the parents.

      Reply
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    My name is Karen Bertelsen and I was a television host. In Canada. Which means in terms of notoriety and wealth, I was somewhere on par with the manager of a Sunset Tan in Wisconsin.

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