Inspire Ghoulish Delight with Your Halloween Decor
Three Easy, Inexpensive Ideas
By Iva Wilcox (ivas_creations)
When most people think of Halloween decorating, images of pumpkins and a
jack-o-lantern come to mind, maybe a cobweb or two thrown here or there.
And actually, the holiday wouldn't be the same without those venerable
mainstays. But if you're looking to entice trick-or-treaters or party goers with
a wickedly haunting display indoors or out, here are a few decorating tips
you can create easily which cost very little, or are free.
Look to mother nature for some spooky props! Usually during the fall, a
crisp breeze will fill the air. Sometimes that breeze turns into a downright
windstorm, and that's a perfect time to scope out fallen branches. After the
winds die down, look for dead branches that are three feet or longer and fairly
full of dead growth. The more limbs, the better. Tall branches can be
propped up against the door or wired to a fence and then strewn with lots of
cobwebs. Create an arbor over your walkway with them by stretching the
super size cobweb across the top. If you pull the webbing tight and slightly
bend the branches, it creates the look that they're reaching out for the next
passer-by. Use floral wire for securing the branches and garden pruners to shape
them. Best of all, the branches are free!
Indoors, you can create a bevy of flying bats, or several serene owls to watch
over your guests, using black construction paper. There are many templates
on the web and in magazines, or simply draw one on cardboard and use as a
template. Make the bats flying or hanging upside down and make each in two
sizes. Try making a few with a 20" wingspan, while others are smaller.
Use temporary tacky gum found in the framing department of craft stores or in
hardware stores to secure the cutouts to your walls or frames. Add three
or four to each wall. Or, hang a few upside down on the top portion of the
door frame. Use the same method to create owls and place them above pictures
hanging on the wall. The owls will look like they're perched on the
picture. Turn the lights down or use a strobe light the night of the party and
the eerie creatures will seem to descend on the festivities.
Another great, inexpensive idea is to create spirited ghosts hanging upside down
in the small windows around your front door. Using white sheer fabric,
draw a ghost with his arms outstretched above his head. Make the ghost
long enough to hang down the window about two feet. To make the eyes and mouth,
draw a fat long "C" for each. The open part of the letter
becomes the eyes and the tongue, while the cutout portions are the whites of the
eyes and the inside of the mouth. Once cut, use the same temporary tacky
gum to attach the bottom or "top" of the ghost to the top of the
interior window. The ghost will flutter every time the door opens and shuts.
There are so many ideas to make October 31 most spirited, which are easy and
cost next to nothing. Even a bag full of dead leaves scattered over your
porch or even - dare I say - on your dining room wood floor can make a haunting
impression. What ever you choose to do, your hair-raising efforts will
surely inspire ghoulish delight for all on Halloween.
Iva Wilcox is an artist who resides in California and who loves to entertain
during All Hallow's Eve. Find her work at www.ivascreations.com.