It's Halloween Week at the Manor
Decor & Ambiance

15 DIY Halloween Decorations: From 20-Minute Crafts to Weekend Builds

Hallowmix

Workbench with DIY Halloween decorations in progress including painted foam tombstones and cheesecloth ghosts

Store-bought decorations have their place, but nothing beats the look (or the satisfaction) of something you built yourself. These 15 projects range from dead-simple afternoon crafts to full weekend builds. Each includes a difficulty rating, estimated time, and a complete materials list so you know exactly what you’re getting into before you start. If you’re working with a limited budget, our Halloween on a budget guide pairs perfectly with these DIY projects.

Difficulty ratings: Easy (no special tools, anyone can do it), Moderate (basic tools required, some experience helps), Advanced (power tools and/or significant construction time).

1. Cheesecloth Ghosts

Difficulty: Easy | Time: 20 minutes per ghost | Cost: $5-8 each

The oldest trick in the book, and it still works. A cheesecloth ghost hanging from a tree branch or porch ceiling catches the wind and glows under a blacklight or uplight.

Materials: 2 yards cheesecloth per ghost, one 12-inch balloon, one 36-inch wooden dowel, spray starch, fishing line, optional glow-in-the-dark spray paint.

Method: Inflate the balloon and set it on top of the dowel (stuck in the ground or in a bucket of sand). Drape the cheesecloth over the balloon and spray heavily with starch. Let dry for 2 hours. Pop the balloon, remove the dowel, and hang with fishing line. For an outdoor ghost, use a styrofoam ball instead of a balloon so rain doesn’t deflate your specter mid-party. Hang several across your front porch for a ghostly welcome — see our porch decorating guide for layout ideas.

OUR PICK

Flameless LED Tea Lights 24-Pack

Bulk pack of flickering LED tea lights with 200-hour battery life. Essential for luminaries, witch hats, sconces, and half the projects on this list.

4.4

$9.99

View on Amazon : Flameless LED Tea Lights 24-Pack

2. Mason Jar Luminaries

Difficulty: Easy | Time: 15 minutes per jar | Cost: $3-5 each

Materials: Mason jars (any size), Mod Podge, tissue paper (orange, purple, black), paintbrush, LED tea lights.

Method: Tear tissue paper into irregular pieces. Brush Mod Podge onto the outside of the jar and layer tissue paper over it, overlapping pieces. Add a second coat of Mod Podge on top. Let dry 30 minutes. Drop an LED tea light inside. These look best clustered in groups of 5-7 on a table or along a walkway. For table arrangement ideas, check our Halloween table setting guide.

OUR PICK

Mod Podge Gloss Sealer 16 oz

The original all-in-one sealer, glue, and finish. One bottle handles all 6 luminaries with plenty left over for other projects.

4.8

$7.99

View on Amazon : Mod Podge Gloss Sealer 16 oz

3. Trash Bag Spiderweb

Difficulty: Easy | Time: 30 minutes | Cost: $1

Materials: One large black trash bag, scissors, tape.

Method: Flatten the trash bag and fold it in half, then in half again, then fold diagonally to form a triangle. Cut small triangles out of the folded edges (like making a paper snowflake). Unfold carefully. Tape the resulting web flat against a wall, window, or fence. One bag makes one web roughly 3-4 feet across.

4. Floating Witch Hats

Difficulty: Easy | Time: 45 minutes for a set of 8 | Cost: $15-20

Materials: 8 black witch hats (dollar store or bulk pack), fishing line, small adhesive hooks, LED tea lights.

Method: Poke a small hole in the tip of each hat. Thread fishing line through the hole and knot it inside. Stick adhesive hooks to the ceiling at varying heights. Hang the hats at different lengths so they appear to float. Place an LED tea light inside each hat for an eerie underglow. This works best in an entryway or above a dining table. Pair this with other floating effects from our indoor decorating guide.

OUR PICK

Black Witch Hats 12-Pack

Bulk pack of classic black witch hats. Lightweight enough to hang from fishing line and sized right for LED tea light inserts.

4.3

$13.99

View on Amazon : Black Witch Hats 12-Pack

5. Faux Flame Torch Sconces

Difficulty: Easy | Time: 30 minutes per sconce | Cost: $8-12 each

Materials: Cardboard paper towel tubes, brown and black acrylic paint, hot glue, orange/yellow tissue paper, LED flickering tea light, mounting tape.

Method: Paint the tube to look like weathered wood or stone (dry brushing brown over black works well). Drip hot glue down the sides for a melted-wax look, then paint the glue drips with brown/tan paint. Stuff crumpled tissue paper in the top and nestle the LED light inside. Mount on walls with strong double-sided tape. Line a hallway with these for instant dungeon atmosphere — see our guide on creating a haunted hallway for placement strategy.

6. Specimen Jars

Difficulty: Easy | Time: 45 minutes for a set of 6 | Cost: $10-15

Materials: 6 glass jars of different sizes (thrift store or recycling bin), rubber insects/eyeballs/fingers from a dollar store, water, green food coloring, parchment-look labels (print or hand-write), string or twine.

Method: Drop specimens into jars. Fill with water tinted with green or yellow food coloring. Seal the lids. Write creepy labels in your best Victorian script (“Toad Eyes, Collected 1887” or “Fingers, Unidentified”). Tie labels around the neck with twine. Arrange on shelves or a bathroom counter. These photograph extremely well.

7. Fog Chiller from a Cooler

Difficulty: Moderate | Time: 1-2 hours | Cost: $15-25 (assuming you own a cooler and fog machine)

Materials: Styrofoam or plastic cooler (28-48 quart), dryer vent hose (4-inch diameter, 3 feet), box cutter or hole saw, duct tape, 10-20 lbs of ice.

Method: Cut a hole in one end of the cooler sized to fit your fog machine’s nozzle. Cut another hole in the opposite end for the dryer vent hose. Seal both connections with duct tape. Fill the cooler with ice. Point the fog machine into the intake hole. Fog passes over ice, cools, and exits through the hose as low-lying ground fog that crawls instead of rising. For a more detailed guide, see our fog machine beginner’s guide, or dive into advanced techniques in the Fog Mastery masterclass series.

OUR PICK

VIRFUN 400W Fog Machine

Budget-friendly 400W fog machine with wireless and wired remotes. Pairs perfectly with a DIY cooler chiller for ground-hugging fog.

4.3

$29.99

View on Amazon : VIRFUN 400W Fog Machine

8. PVC Candelabra

Difficulty: Moderate | Time: 2 hours | Cost: $20-30

Materials: 1/2-inch PVC pipe (10 feet), assorted PVC fittings (tees, elbows, couplings), PVC cement, flat black and metallic bronze spray paint, hot glue sticks, LED taper candles.

Method: Design a candelabra shape using the fittings to create arms at different heights. Cement the joints. Spray the whole thing flat black, then lightly mist with bronze to simulate aged metal. Drip hot glue down from the top of each arm to mimic candle wax. Insert LED tapers. A 5-arm candelabra stands about 24 inches tall and looks $200 more expensive than it cost. A finished PVC candelabra makes a stunning centerpiece — see our gothic tablescaping masterclass for styling ideas.

9. Concrete Pumpkins

Difficulty: Moderate | Time: 3 hours (plus 24 hours curing) | Cost: $8-12 each

Materials: Quick-set concrete mix (one 50-lb bag makes 3-4 pumpkins), pantyhose or fabric sack, rubber bands, cooking spray, stems (real sticks or wine corks).

Method: Spray the inside of the pantyhose with cooking spray. Fill with mixed concrete. Tie the top. Use rubber bands to create vertical segments (wrap them around the filled pantyhose like pumpkin ribs). Set on a flat surface and let cure 24 hours. Cut away the pantyhose. Paint if desired, or leave the raw concrete for a modern gothic look. Attach a stick or cork as a stem with construction adhesive. These weigh 5-10 lbs each and will never blow away.

Difficulty: Moderate | Time: 2-3 hours | Cost: $15-30

Materials: 5-8 old picture frames (thrift stores sell them for $1-3 each), printed portraits (Victorian-era public domain photos work perfectly), acrylic paint, sandpaper, hot glue, optional lenticular “moving eye” prints.

Method: Sand the frames lightly and paint them black or dark brown with a dry-brushed gold highlight. Print portraits sized to fit each frame. Age the prints by lightly staining them with tea or coffee, then letting them dry wrinkled. For the unsettling touch: cut the eyes out of one portrait and mount a phone or tablet behind it playing a looping eye video. Hang the gallery in a hallway or stairway. See our haunted hallway guide for placement tips. For real-world inspiration, browse our Victorian gothic decor gallery.

11. Foam Tombstones

Difficulty: Moderate | Time: 2-3 hours per stone | Cost: $5-8 each

Materials: 2-inch thick rigid foam insulation board, box cutter or hot wire cutter, wood skewers or rebar for stakes, acrylic paint (gray, black, green, white), sandpaper, clear exterior sealer.

Method: Cut tombstone shapes from the foam (arch-top, cross-top, or flat slab). Carve epitaphs and details with a box cutter or soldering iron. Paint with a gray base, then dry-brush black into the carved letters and green along the bottom for a moss effect. Seal with two coats of exterior polyurethane. Attach wooden skewers or short rebar pieces to the back with construction adhesive for ground stakes. These are lightweight, weatherproof (once sealed), and look real from 5 feet away. Download our tombstone templates for epitaph and shape ideas.

OUR PICK

Flex Seal Clear Spray 14 oz

Waterproof rubber sealant spray that protects foam tombstones, skulls, and other props from rain and moisture. Two coats and they're outdoor-ready.

4.4

$14.98

View on Amazon : Flex Seal Clear Spray 14 oz

12. Blacklight Reactive Wall Art

Difficulty: Moderate | Time: 1-2 hours | Cost: $15-25

Materials: White poster board or canvas, fluorescent acrylic paint (available at craft stores in neon colors), blacklight bulb or LED strip, paintbrush.

Method: Paint designs on white surfaces using fluorescent paint. Skeletons, bats, spiderwebs, ghostly faces, occult symbols, whatever matches your theme. Under normal light, the paintings look faint and washed-out. Mount a blacklight strip above or beside the art, and it blazes to life. Hang several pieces together for a gallery wall that transforms when the lights go down. For more on how colored light transforms a space, see the Lighting Your Haunt masterclass.

13. Hanging Gauze Ghoul

Difficulty: Moderate | Time: 2-3 hours | Cost: $20-30

Materials: Wire clothes hanger, 12-inch styrofoam ball, 4 yards of gray or white gauze fabric, zip ties, fishing line, LED tea light, black fabric paint.

Method: Bend the hanger into a shoulder shape (pull the bottom wire out wide). Wire or zip-tie the styrofoam ball to the hook as a head. Drape gauze over the entire form in layers, letting it hang in ragged tatters at the bottom. Paint or draw a simple face (two dark eye sockets and a mouth work best). Hang from a tree branch or porch ceiling with fishing line. Put an LED light inside the head for a glow effect. In a breeze, these things move in a way that’s genuinely unsettling.

14. Spell Book Prop Stack

Difficulty: Moderate | Time: 3-4 hours | Cost: $10-20

Materials: 3-5 old hardcover books (thrift store), leather-look faux leather or brown craft paper, hot glue, acrylic paint, twine, decorative charms or old keys, printed spell pages.

Method: Wrap each book cover in faux leather or brown paper, gluing it down. Paint or stamp titles on the spines (“Necromancy for Beginners,” “A Compendium of Shadows,” “Household Curses, Vol. III”). Age the covers with watered-down black and brown acrylic paint. Stack them slightly askew and bind the stack loosely with twine. Attach old keys or charms to the twine. Print a few “spell pages” with aged parchment effects and tuck them into the books with edges sticking out. Place on a side table with a candle and a skull.

15. PVC Pipe Cemetery Fence

Difficulty: Advanced | Time: Full weekend (8-12 hours total) | Cost: $60-100

Materials: 3/4-inch PVC pipe (80 feet total), PVC tee fittings (20), PVC cement, flat black spray paint (4-6 cans), finial caps or pointed wooden dowels, rebar stakes (6), zip ties.

Method: This builds a 20-foot run of Gothic-style fence in four 5-foot sections that connect and disassemble for storage. Cut vertical pickets at 30 inches tall and horizontal rails at 60 inches. Assemble each section as a ladder: two horizontal rails connected by vertical pickets spaced 6 inches apart. Cement the joints. Add finial caps or sharpened dowels to the top of each picket. Paint everything flat black. Drive rebar stakes into the ground and zip-tie the fence sections to them. Place your foam tombstones behind the fence for a complete cemetery scene.

This project requires a pipe cutter or hacksaw, a flat work surface, and patience for the painting phase (you’ll be spraying a lot of small pieces). Build the sections in your garage and paint them before assembly day. The finished fence stores flat and lasts for years. Once your cemetery is set, check our outdoor decorating guide for zone planning and our yard haunt basics for walkthrough design.

Materials Shopping List (All Projects)

If you want to build several of these projects, here are the most commonly needed supplies across all 15:

  • Hot glue gun and glue sticks
  • Acrylic paint (black, white, brown, gray, orange, green)
  • Spray paint (flat black, bronze metallic)
  • Fishing line
  • LED tea lights (buy a bulk pack of 24+)
  • Cheesecloth (sold by the bolt at fabric stores, much cheaper than craft store packages)
  • Duct tape and electrical tape
  • Box cutter with fresh blades
  • Mod Podge
  • Assorted thrift store frames, jars, and books

Most of these materials are available at any hardware store, craft store, or dollar store. Buy your foam insulation board at a home improvement store, not a craft store, as the markup is significant. For ready-made alternatives to supplement your DIY projects, browse our best Halloween props roundup.

OUR PICK

Full Size Hot Glue Gun 150W

Temperature-adjustable 150W glue gun with 6 interchangeable nozzles. Heats fast, flows smoothly, and handles everything from cheesecloth ghosts to PVC candelabras.

4.5

$29.99

View on Amazon : Full Size Hot Glue Gun 150W