Halloween is an exciting holiday and it’s exceptionally fun to celebrate it as a college student. Whether it’s deciding on a costume or baking spooky treats, there are so many reasons to celebrate this thrilling day. So get festive and add some cute Halloween décor to your apartment or dorm room! HerCampusIUP has come up with several cheap and easy-to-make Halloween decorations to get you in the spirit.
Candy Corn Centerpiece
What you’ll need:
old vases and glass bottles
white, yellow, and orange spray paint
How to make it:
First, clean and scrub off any labels with dishwashing liquid and let dry before painting. Next, paint a base coat of white on each bottle or vase. Once the basecoat is complete, spray orange around the middle and let dry. Note: You may have to add more than one coat- let each coat dry before adding another. Once the orange part is finished, do the same except with yellow spray paint at the bottom. Once it’s all dry you can add ribbon, fall flowers, or leaves to give it your own special touch!
Chevron Pumpkins
What you need:
pumpkins (real or fake)
painter’s tape
acrylic craft paint
small paintbrushes
How to make it:
First, cut the painter’s tape in small strips and create a zig zag around the top of the pumpkin (you can cut tape in half for smaller strips). After the tape is in place, press it down really well to make sure that there aren’t bubbles. Next, paint the pumpkins! After that, let the paint dry completely and remove the tape. Note: There will be drips but you can wipe them off since it’s acrylic craft paint and touch up any messy areas with a little paint.
Halloween Mason Jars
What you need:
mason jars
black, white, and orange paint
How to make it:
Pour some white craft paint into a mason jar and turn it around to coat the entire thing. Lay it upside down on wax paper and let it drip down. (You may have to go back with a brush to cover up some spots). After it’s dry, cut out circles of vinyl or some other small circle sticker/template and place them on the outside of the jar. Paint black and let it dry before peeling off the stickers.
For the spider jar, do the same thing with putting white craft paint into the inside of the jar. Then, use spray adhesive to attach the spider cut out (can find template online) and let dry.
For the lids, spray paint with orange gloss spray paint (you may have to do about 3 coats).
Hanging Pumpkins
What you need:
dollar tree pumpkins
black, orange, and white paint
ribbon
How to make it:
Carefully slice dollar tree pumpkin in half. Next, paint pumpkin white, black, or dark orange. You can use a stencil to add designs to it after base coat dries. Garnish the top with decorative ribbon and hang wherever you so choose!
Illuminated Ghost Garland
What you need:
strand of white lantern lights
2 yards of white cotton fabric
white string
scissors
black sharpie
How to make it:
First cut ten 14” squares. Fold them into a triangle and cut the tip off to create a hole in the center of the square. Carefully remove the lantern from the light. Thread the light through the hole in the square piece of fabric. Carefully secure the lantern back in place and wrap the fabric around the sphere.Tie a piece of string around the bottom of the sphere to hold the fabric in place. Using a sharpie, draw ghostly eyes and a mouth! Plug it in and, voila, instant cuteness.
Egg Carton Bats and Leaf Ghosts
For Bat:
What you need:
egg carton
scissors
black paint
paint brush
googly eyes
glue ribbon
How to make it:
First, cut out 3 cups from an egg carton. Then, cut the bottoms of the 2 outside cups to resemble bat wings. Next, paint a coat of black and let dry. Then, glue the googly eyes onto the middle cup. And finally, glue ribbon to the top of each bat to hang them.
For ghost:
What you need:
artifical maple leaves (from dollar tree)
white paint
black sharpie or black paint
paint brush
ribbon
How to make it:
First, paint the leaves white on both sides. Note: you may have to add more than one coat. Once paint is completely dry, use a black marker or small paint brush with black paint to draw eyes and a mouth on the ghost. Glue festive ribbon to the back to hang.