80 + Cute and creepy Halloween decorations for a truly spectacular party

by John Griffith
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We’ve already devoted an article on fun DIY couple costumes, and offered you some spooky face paint ideas. Now, it’s time to take a look at another important aspect of Halloween – the decorations! Although you can buy a huge variety of ornaments from supermarkets and party shops, it is always better to make your own. This way you can be absolutely certain that your house will be 100% unique, while also saving money. Plus, way too many people buy cheap plastic halloween decorations, only to throw them away on the November 1st! Why not break the consummerist cycle and make something a little more environmentally friendly and sustainable?

In this article, we have included several fun tutorials which you can easily make repeat at home. From beautiful pumpkin decorations and funny balloon ghosts, to spooky bat ornaments and glow in the dark stickers, we have lots of great ideas to spice up your Halloween party!

A selection of ArchZine’s very best Halloween tutorials:

Trick or treat?

decorative ornament shaped like a pumpkin, with a large hole, revealing a small paper house inside, decorated with three paper ghosts, halloween decorations

Brr!! These spooky Dollar Tree Halloween DIYs are not for the faint of heart!

Not all Halloween decorations must be creepy, however! In our firts tutorial we will show you how to create these gorgeous painted pumpkins

halloween decorations, four pumpkins in different sizes, covered in fuchsia pink, red and purple paint, with speckles of white and blue

Painted pumpkins DIY tutorial

You will need:

  • White faux pumpkins in different sizes
  • Alcocol-based liquid paints in colors of your choice (we used purple, red, orange and blue)
  • Spray bottle filled rubbing alcohol
  • Silver acrylic paint for the finishing touches

How to do it:

  1. Begin by taking a pumpkin and spraying it generously with rubbing alcohol.
  2. Then, pour some alcohol-based paints on top. (Bear in mind that alcohol dries very fast, so you must be quick!)
  3. Allow the paint to drip down the pumpkin – this will create a beautiful pattern.
  4. Continue applying colors, until you get a result you like.
  5. Leave the pumpkin aside to dry for a few hours and then add a few speckles of silver paint.
  6. Voila! Your beautiful pumpkin Halloween decorations are ready!

Super easy and very effective!

halloween pumpkin decorations, three white fake pumpkins, placed on a pale pink surface, near four small bottles of paint, in differen colors

You will only need some pumpkins, a few alcohol-based paints, and a spray bottle with rubbing alcohol

clear green plastic spray bottle, near a small white fake pumpkin, and five bottles of paint, in different colors, halloween pumpkin decorations

Let the paint drip down the pumpkin, to create cool patterns

fuchsia pink paint, running down a small, fake white pumpkin, halloween pumpkin decorations, five small bottles, of liquid paint in different colors

Work in progress…

hand with pink nail polish, holding a small fake pumpkin, painted in pink, red and orange, halloween pumpkin decorations, over a piece of plastic with red paint

Add a few splatters of gold or silver acrylic paints for a chic finishing touch

finished painted fake pumpkins, covered in red and fuchsia pink paint, halloween pumpkin decorations, with splatters of gold paint

The final result:

purple and fuchsia pink, red and white and blue paint, covering four pumpkins, in different sizes, halloween pumpkin decorations, white and pale pink background

Clever Halloween hacks that will save you tons of money:

The next tutorial is our favorite! It’s super easy and the final result looks amazing!

tablecloth in black, decorated with a pale, spider web pattern, made with bleach, halloween decorations, three balloons shaped like stars and a heart

Spiderweb tablecloth – Halloween decorations

What you will need:

  • A black table cloth
  • Fabric safe bleach
  • A small bowl
  • A disposable brush
  • Latex gloves
  • Old newspapers

The process:

  1. Place the old newspapers out on the floor and spread the tablecloth on top of them.
  2. Put on the latex gloves and pour some fabric safe bleach into the little bowl.
  3. Take the brush, dip it into the bleach, and carefully start drawing cobweb patterns onto the tablecloth. If you are having trouble getting started, you can use the diagram bellow.
  4. Once you have finished drawing, leave aside to dry for 1-2 hours, then wash by hand, rinse and dry on a clothes line.
  5. Your spooky spider web tablecloth is ready!

how to draw a cobweb pattern, for a tablecloth, halloween decorations, three drawings showing the step by step process

Isn’t it beautiful? You can also use this technique on old clothes!

rectangular piece of black fabric, decorated with a pale cobweb pattern, hanging on a white brick wall, halloween decorations, pale yellow ballons, and a white chair, larger balloons shaped like stars and a heart

More amazing Halloween ideas:

And here is a fun DIY project that’s suitable for kids as well as adults!

glow-in-the-dark pumpkin sticker, in orange and green, decorating a small orange glass, halloween decorations, more glowing shapes in the background

Halloween decorations for kids

Materials:

  • A white sheet of paper
  • A black pen or pencil
  • A large Ziplog bag
  • Dimensional glow in the dark paints in different colors

How to do it:

  1. Draw some basic Halloween-themed shapes (a ghost, a pumpkin, a bat, etc.) on the sheet of white paper, using the pen/ pencil.
  2. Put the sheet of paper inside the Ziplog bag.
  3. Trace the Halloween shapes onto the Ziplog bag, using the dimensional glow in the dark paints
  4. Color in the shapes and leave them to dry overnight
  5. In the morning, carefully peel off the shapes from the Ziplog bag and stick them on any smooth surface you like. You won’t need any glue as the dry paints will still be slightly sticky.

You will need the following materials:

materials needed for creating diy, glow-in-the-dark stickers, halloween decorations, five small tubes of glow-in-the-dark paint, a clear zip bag, and a piece of white paper, with halloween-themed shapes

Place the sheet of paper inside the Ziplog bag

sheet of white paper, with simple drawings of halloween related objects, placed in a ziploc bag, held by a hand, with pale pink nail polish, halloween decorations diy, tubs of paint in the background

Then simply paint over it

painting over a clear ziplog bag, containing a white sheet of paper, with simple halloween shapes, using a tub of purple paint, halloween party decoration ideas, glow-in-the-dark-stickers

The end result:

a pair of bats, painted in a glow-in-the-dark neon green color, and stuck on a small orange glass, halloween party decoration ideas, glowing stars in the background

Spooky and cute!

purple witch's hat, glow-in-the-dark sticker, with neon green, and orange details, stuck on a glass, halloween party decoration ideas, more glowing shapes in the background, bats and stars

This nifty video has even more cool suggestions:

Why not try making some funny balloon ghosts?

balloons in white, decorated with paper, to look like ghosts, with funny hand-painted faces, halloween party decoration ideas, hand holding one of the balloons

Balloon ghosts DIY Halloween decorations

You will need:

  • Several medium sized white balloons
  • White arts and crafts paper
  • Black permanent marker
  • A sheet of pink paper
  • Some sticky tape

How to do it:

  1. Inflate the balloons and put one aside.
  2. Take a piece of white arts and crafts paper, and cut a wavy pattern along its long end.
  3. Carefully wrap the paper halfway around the balloon, and fix it in place, using sticky tape.
  4. Now, draw a funny face onto your ghost, using a black permanent marker.
  5. If you like, you can add some pink paper cutouts for the mouth or tongue. Easy peasy!

The materials:

sticky tape on a dispenser, three white balloons, black permanent marker, pale pink paper, and white paper, materials needed for making halloween ghost ballloons

This tutorial is super easy and suitable for children

face drawn with black permanent marker, on a white balloon, decorated with white paper, to look like a ghost

Easy and fun!

bunch of white balloons, decorated with white paper, to look like ghosts, with silly hand-drawn faces

This lovely Halloween bat tree is super easy to make

thin dried branches, decorated with small bath shapes, cut out from black card, in a clear glass vase, on a white background

Bat tree DIY tutorial

You will need:

The process (with pictures):

Prepare the materials

glue gun and several black, bat-shaped card cutouts in black, on a marble surface, near a bunch of thin, dried tree branches

Take a bat shape

extreme close up, of a small bat shape, cut out from black glittering card, and placed on a marble surface

Put some glue on it, using the glue gun

person pouring glue on the back, of a bat-shaped cutout, using a glue gun, more bat shapes in the background

Carefully stick it onto one of the dried branches

gluing a black, bat-shaped card cutout, onto a dark brown, thin dried branch, placed on a light marble surface

Rerpeat the process, until you have decorated all branches

close up of a thin branch, decorated with a small, glittering bat shape, cut out from black card

Place the branches in a vase

putting the ready halloween decoration, consisting of thin dried branches, with small glittering black bat shapes, in a clear glass vase

Easy as pie and rady in just a few moments!

antique wooden cupboard, decorated with small dishes and candles, in black and gold, and a clear vase, containing dried branches, with small black bat shapes, insects ornaments and paper bats on the wall nearby

Our next tutorial is fund AND cute – origami jack-o’-lantern string lights!

string lights decorated with paper origami shapes, in orange and white, made to look like jack-o-lanterns, and little ghosts

Origami Jack O’ Lanterns

You will need the following materials:

  • White origami paper
  • Orange origami paper
  • Sticky tape
  • Black permanent marker
  • Plain string lights from the Dollar Store

The process (with pictures):

First, get everything you need

paper in white and orange, a black permanent marker, string lights and sticky tape, materials required to make diy halloween fairy lights

Then, cut the origami paper into medium sized squares and fold them, following the instructions bellow. Keep folding until you have enough origami shapes to cover all of the sting lights’ bulbs.

tutorial with photos, explaining how to make a pumpkin origami, glossy orange paper, folded in six steps

When you are done, begin decorating them. Take the permanent marker and use your imagination to draw as many different faces as you can

fifteen paper origami shapes, in orange and white, one shape has a hand-drawn, jack-o-lantern face, done in black marker

You can draw jack-o’-lantern faces on the orange shapes, and ghost faces on the white ones:

smiling jack-o-lantern face, drawn with black permanent marker, on an orange, paper origami shape, more white and orange shapes, and a marker, in tne background

Finally, attach the orange and white origami shapes to the string lights, using some sticky tape. Make sure every bulb is covered

using sticky tape, to attach white and orange, paper origami shapes, with black hand-drawn jack-o-lantern faces, on a string of decorative lights

Ta-dah! Your spooky pumpkin string lights are ready!

lit pumpkin fairy lights, string lights covered in orange, paper origami shapes, with hand-painted jack-o-lantern faces, placed on dried tree branches in a vase

And now we have something truly special for you – a DIY moon witch lamp!

halloween witch decorations, black outline of a witch, flying on a broomstick, stuck to a glowing, moon-like beige lamp

DIY witch lamp

You will need:

  • A round white lamp
  • Some beige acrylic paint
  • A sponge
  • A sheet of black card
  • A printed black and white image of a flying witch
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • A White pencil
  • A plate

The process (with pictures):

Begin by getting your materials ready:

spherical white lamp, a sheet of black card, a pair of scissors, and a white piece of paper, with a simple drawing of a witch, in black and white, materials needed for making, halloween witch decorations

Remove the bottom part of the lamp

diy halloween witch decorations, halloween moon lamp, made from a sperical white lamp, painted in beige, with a sponge

Pour some of the beige acrylic paint on a plate. Using the sponge, start gently dabbing paint on the inside of the lamp.

applying beige paint, on the inside of a spherical whte lamp, using a painting sponge, halloween witch decorations, seen in close up

The end result should be spotty and uneven, resembling the surface of the moon

spherical white lamp, painted beige on the inside, halloween witch decorations, diy witch moon lamp, white plate with paint, and a sponge nearby

Leave to dry overnight and then turn the lamp on. Beautiful, no?

finished glowing moon lamp, halloween witch decorations, round white lamp, painted with beige on the inside, to resemble the moon

Cutout the black and white witch image and reverse it. Using the white pencil, trace the shape of the witch onto the sheet of black card

tracing the shape of a witch on a broomstick, on a sheet of black card, using a stencil and a white pencil, halloween witch decorations, easy diy ideas

Cutout the traced shape and stick it on the lamp. Done!

cream colored round lamp, on a small black plastic stand, decorated with a black cutout, shaped like a witch on a broom, halloween witch decorations, diy moon lamp

We love this fun bats and autumn leaves tutorial!

fall leaves covered in white paint, halloween party decoration ideas, bats made from egg cartons, hanging from a black chandelier

Cute and easy cobweb paper garland

garland of black, orange and white paper cobwebs, hanging on a mantlepiece, tutorial with six images, showing how to make the cobwebs

What’s an adult Halloween party without some boo-ze?

glass bottles painted like halloween monsters, an orange jack-o-lantern, a white ghost, and a green frankenstein's monster, halloween party decoration ideas

halloween party decoration ideas, three round orange paper ornaments, decorated with black cutouts, shaped like a witch flying on a broomstick, and two bats, hanging over a table, with snacks and drinks

jack-o-lanterns carved from pumpkins, lit with candles from within, four traditional skeleton pumpkin lanterns

Isn’t this portait creepy?

antique black and white photo, of a family with glowing eyes, scary halloween decorations, next image shows three candles, painted with blood-like red paint, and stabbed with nails

the letters B O O, written in orange, in three black frames, on a table near a ghost decoration, made from gauze and glue, scary halloween decorations

How amazing is this Predator pumpkin art?

sculpture of the predator's head, made from a carved pumpkin, scary halloween decorations, very detailed and realistic art

massive brown wooden chest, decorated with fake cobwebs, a skull and an antique gas lamp, candles and black plastic spiders, haunted house decorations, jack-o-lantern ornament on the floor

Check out these amazing Halloween decorations

scary outdoor halloween decorations, house covered in fake cobwebs, with boarded windows, huge plastic spiders, and several skeletons in the yard

baroque frame in black, on a mirror, decorated with an image of grey smoke, haunted house decorations, several small pumpkins, a silver bottle with black feathers, a glass dish with a pumpkin, and a crow statuette

Truly scray!

hooded faceless figures, with pale grey tattered, cobweb like clothes, and skeletton hands, scary halloween decorations, one is holding a glowing lantern

skeleton pumpkin, detailed and realistic carving, of an evil skull, made from an orange pumpkin, placed on a bed of red fall leaves

collage with three images, showing examples of haunted house decorations, three white candles, decorated with tiny pumpkins, a front door, painted to look like a jack-o-lantern, a staircase decorated with pumpkins, and a dried branch with small, black bat shapes

Showcase your originality and artistic skills with DIY Halloween decorations

carved pumpkin with two layers, orange jack-o-lantern, cut to reveal a smaller, white pumpkin within, carved to look like a skull, skeleton pumpkin

realistic human skull, with lots of detail, carved from an orange pumpkin, skeleton pumpkin, lit from above, on a black background

porch decorated with several pumpkins, in different shapes and sizes, halloween pumpkin decorations, black paper bats, hanging above them

Fun idea for your garden

ghosts made of sheer fabric, stuck on wooden poles, with arm-like parts, and simple hand-drawnfaces, in a garden with a broken, old wooden shed, scary outdoor halloween decorations

Whoever created this deserves a medal

monster with long tentacles, made from inflatable material, climbing out from a fake manhole, scary outdoor halloween decorations, on a large green lawn

scary halloween decorations ideas, ghost made from gauze, a plastc bottle and glue, mummy candle holders, glow-in-the-dark mason jars, ghosts made from mannequins' heads, and white see through fabric

red door boarded with pieces of cardboard, with the words keep out, written in black runny paint, scary outdoor halloween decorations, stairs covered with green stickers, looking like slime, chains and fake gravestones

These amazing Halloween decorations are super cheap and easy to make

funny halloween diy ideas, skeleton man chased by a skeleton dog, mason jar painted like a skeleton pumpkin, spider made from pipe cleaners and a pot, and two other ideas

fall garden with fallen leaves, and several pumpkins, decorated with a ghost, made from sheer white fabric, with a simple, hand-painted face

giant black spider ornament, black cobwebs and small white skulls, scary halloween decorations, near a front door, decorated with dried twigs, and black and orange baubles

Taking pumpkin carving to a whole new level…

anatomically correct human skull, with lots of details, and one tooth missing, carved from a pumpkin, skeleton pumpkin ideas

flowers in black, in a vase, on a table, covered in fake cobwebs, with a big black spider ornament, black candlesticks, pumpkins and different snacks, haunted house decorations

evil laughing skeletton, carved on an orange pumpkin, lit with candles from within, skeleton pumpkin, in a dark space

Simple, but effective way to decorate your front stairs

cans painted in black, wit holes spelling the words trick and treat, containing lit candles, haunted house decorations, placed on a brick staircase, with several orange pumpkin ornaments nearby

miniature haunted house decorations, a black house illuminated from within, and two small tree figurines with faces

two fake skelettons, sitting on an antique, red velvet settee, with several fake crows, and a skeleton dog, scary outdoor halloween decorations, in front of a double door, decorated with two skulls, and fake cobwebs

Spooky and stylish

wall decoration made from black, white and grey fabric, made to look like smoke, haunted house decorations, surrounded by black plastic spiders, near a shelf with candles, painted pumpkins and other ornaments

puns printed in black letters, on five pumpkins, in different sizes, painted in various pastel colors, halloween pumpkin decorations, on a white surface

We love funny Halloween decorations!

three sets of legs, in different sizes, dressed in trousers and socks, sticking out from the ground in a garden, scary outdoor halloween decorations, i grounded the kids for halloween, written in white, on a black sign

several small ghost ornaments, made from white gauze, scary halloween decorations, hanging on pieces of white string, from a chandelier, decorated with a wreath, made from brown twigs, with orange berries

bloody arm prints and splatters, painted on a sheet of white plastic, stuck to a door, scary outdoor halloween decorations, fake cobwebs and a pumpkin nearby

Have a spooky Halloween filled with treats!

roses and a skull with ornaments, carved on an orange pumpkin, lit with candles from within, skeleton pumpkin, inspired by dia de los muertos

huge spider web, made from grey yarn, and masking tape, candles decorated with blood-like red paint, scary halloween decorations, three with huge eyes, made from painted balloons

haunted house decorations, huge fake cobwebs, hanging over a table, with a black tablecloth, two vases with wilted flowers, and an antique candlestick

John Griffith
John Griffith

John Griffith is a young, passionate journalist. Writing has been John’s hobby ever since he was a boy. He has worked in some of the UK’s most successful news portals over the course of his professional career but found his forever home at Archzine.

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