Ghosts, spiders, pumpkins, and candy add festive touches to your home
Halloween is almost here! When I first came to Canada, I was fascinated by my neighbours’ fun and scary Halloween decorations inside and outside of their houses. Ever since then I’ve liked to decorate my house too, but, as you’ve probably noticed for yourself, buying decorations from stores can be quite pricey. In order to save a bit of money (and have some fun), I like to craft my own decor items to welcome trick-or-treaters or friends for a party. Here are four that you might like to try. They are simple to make yet wickedly delightful, and will certainly get you prepared for the spookiest night of the year!
Pumpkin Spider
Inspired by Rachel Paxton via Creative Homemaking
Materials:
- Mini pumpkins
- Black pipe cleaners
- Knife
- Tea light candles
- Small drill or awl
Brubey’s take on the Pumpkin Spider and Candy Jar.
Directions:
- Use the tea light candle to mark a round shape on top of the mini pumpkin.
- Carve out a shallow round hole with a knife and scoop out the pumpkin guts. Have
the candle sit flush in the hole. - Drill or punch four small holes on each side of the pumpkin.
- Twist the pipe cleaners into a Z shape resembling spider legs.
- Insert the pipe cleaners into the holes. Adjust as needed to make them look like spiders.
- Voila! Now you have a cute yet eerie addition to your dining table or patio.
Candy Jar
Inspired by Desiree Martin via The 36th Avenue
Materials:
- Glass jar
- Orange acrylic or spray paint
- Brush
- Black marker
- Decorative tapes and ribbons
Optional:
- Black/yellow acrylic or spray paint
Directions:
- Paint the glass jar orange. If you are making multiple jars, it’s a good idea to have them in different colours.
- Draw Halloween-related imagery on the jar. Some things I drew on mine include a Jack-o’-lantern, bats, ghosts, and spider webs.
- Wrap the tape around the side of the jar lid.
- Tie a ribbon around the neck of the jar.
- Done! Fill the jar with assorted candies.
Bucket Ghost Windsock
Inspired by Alecia via Chicken Scratch NY
Materials:
- A large bucket (or a large tin-can)
- White paint
- Black paint/marker
- Hammer
- Awl
- White ribbon
- Hot glue gun
- Paper clip
- Fishing threads
Directions:
- Punch a hole on top of the bucket using a hammer and an awl.
- Paint the bucket white.
- Draw a ghost face on the outside of the bucket. It can be as simple as three oval shapes that resemble the eyes and the mouth.
- Tie one end of the fishing thread onto the paper clip and make taut knots. Then thread the other end through the hole on top of the bucket.
- Cut roughly 24” ribbons. Make enough ribbons to hang from the entire circumference of the bucket.
- Use a hot glue gun to paste the ribbons all around the inside edge of the bucket.
- Hang the windsock up outside and watch it dance!
Candy Wreath
Inspired by Jessica via Living La Vida Holoka
Materials:
- An assortment of packaged candy
- Plain craft wreath
- Hot glue gun
- Yellow or orange ribbon or felt
Optional:
- Small Halloween-themed toys or stickers
Directions:
- Wrap ribbon or felt around the wreath. Use a hot glue gun to adhere it onto the wreath as you go.
- Cut another piece of ribbon or felt. Tie it around the top of the wreath, and make a loop for hanging.
- When the ribbon or felt is dry, glue the packaged candies onto the wreath. Make sure they cover the majority of the wreath.
- If you have small Halloween toys or stickers, glue them on top of the candies to make the wreath look more spooky.
- Hang it on your front door and welcome trick-or-treaters!
Photos courtesy of The Ontarion Staff.
A version of this article appeared in print in The Ontarion issue 191.3 on Oct. 28, 2021.
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