Halloween festivities have begun and what better way to celebrate than by decorating? As a college student, crafting decorations can be a budget friendly alternative and add that personalized touch to your dorm or living space! As an avid TikTok user, I have compiled a list of creators that have inspired me this season with their easy do-it-yourself decoration tutorials that I encourage you to try!
- Trapped Soul Jars
Check out @evergreeninthecouve on TikTok for video tutorial
Materials needed:Â
- PrinterÂ
- Paper
- Clear glass jarsÂ
- ScissorsÂ
- Phone camera
- A friend!Â
Ready to Create?Â
Meet up with your friend and find a light, neutral background. Then with your phone camera, begin taking portrait style photos of your friend making silly or scary facial expressions! Once you have your photo, size it down on a Google or Microsoft Word document. Adjust this measurement according to the size of your jars. Print each photo out in either color or black and white on standard 8.5Â x 11 inch letter paper. Then using scissors, cut the photos out and slip them inside your jars. Close the lid and now you have your very own spooky soul jar!
- Festive Frames
Check out @kraftikellii on TikTok for video tutorial
Materials needed:Â
- Any sized picture frame of your choosing
- Plastic trick-or-treat tote bag with handles
- ScissorsÂ
Ready to Create?Â
Take your trick-or-treat bag (it could be a bag printed with ghosts or with a jack-lantern face) and find the side with a design. Take your scissors and carefully cut out this side of the bag so that the corners and edges are straight. Continue to cut down the size of this panel to fit the size of your picture frame if needed. Once you are finished, open the back of the frame and place the bag panel with the design facing the glass. Close and secure the back of the frame and you are finished! Place these festive frames anywhere in your living space!
- Creepy Creature CandleÂ
Check out @macy.blackwell on TikTok for video tutorial
Materials needed:Â
- Plastic or glass stemless glassesÂ
- LED tea lightsÂ
- White yarn or string
- Hot glue/permanent glue alternativeÂ
- ScissorsÂ
Optional materials:Â
- Plastic toy spiders and googly eyes
Ready to create?Â
Take one of the cups and carefully, with your glue, trace a line along the side of the cup, wrapping around the surface. After tracing this line, take your string and place it directly on the glue line. Continue this gluing process until the string criss-crosses and overlaps, creating a spider-web effect. If you have plastic spiders, once the string is dried, glue these creepy-crawlies onto the glass. Or if you have googly eyes, glue a pair on to make the glass look like a mummy! Finally, place the tea lights inside the cup to finish off your creepy creature candles!
- Scary Flying Bats
Check out @Midnight_Pictures on TikTok for video tutorial
Materials needed:Â
- Black cardstock
- Wall-safe tape or mounting putty
- Scissors
- Red sharpie
Ready to create?Â
Take a piece of cardstock paper and lay it horizontally on a flat surface. Next, fold this paper in half. If you have a sharpie, use this to draw a guideline. On the fold, draw a wing shape and make sure that your wing shape has enough width. Then, with your scissors, cut along the sharpie guideline until you have the traced shape separated from the paper. Open the fold and now you have a flying bat you can place anywhere on your wall!Â
- Spooky Ghosts
Check out @Tazsmine on TikTok for video tutorial
Materials needed:Â
- Creepy Cloth (Find at your local Dollar Tree or Amazon)
- 4 ounce white liquid glue bottle
- Latex or substitute with latex-free balloonsÂ
- A black felt sheet (Find at Michaels or Amazon)
- Bowl
- ScissorsÂ
- A tall glass vase or cup
Optional materials:Â
- Latex gloves
Ready to Create?Â
Take your bowl and place the creepy cloth inside. Pour half of the 4 ounce glue bottle inside, then with your hands, incorporate the glue into the creepy cloth. Make sure that all the cloth is covered and not dry. Then set this bowl aside and blow up one balloon. Tie off the end and place this balloon inside your tall glass or vase. According to @Tazmine’s TikTok video the next step is to, “drape the cloth over the balloon twice to give the body more dimension and sturdy structure. Then trim the bottom of the cloth so the hanging ends are not too big.” Set this aside to dry overnight. Once dried, carefully remove the dried cloth from the vase and balloon. Cut a pair of ovals from the black felt and glue them to your spooky ghost!Â
Happy Halloween!Â
I hope you have lots of fun trying these DIY decorations on your own and with your friends! These decorations are the perfect way to celebrate the spooky season with a creative flair. Don’t forget to check out the amazing TikTok creators that I mentioned above and their video tutorials for more guidance as you follow these steps. Have a happy Halloween!