Trick Out: How to Decorate For Holloween

Trick Out: How to Decorate Your House for Halloween

Fall is upon us. While most people are always sad to see the back of summer, there is a certain charm that comes with fall that is hard not to love. When you get over your summer blues, that is.

Maybe it’s something to do with the chilly weather. Or the sight of the beautiful orange and yellow leaves before they begin to wither.

For some, it’s football season. For others, it’s time to fall in love with baking again. And pumpkin pie. Snuggling inside. With hot chocolate. In cozy sweaters. And the calming effect of spiced candles.

But fall also happens to be event season. There are county fairs, Halloween, and of course, there is always Thanksgiving to look forward to, the prelude to holiday season.

It’s simply a beautiful time of the year.

Or not…if you are one of those haunted by the specter of Halloween. If you are, maybe this post isn’t for you.

Otherwise, let’s talk haunted house.

Halloween Décor Guidelines for your Home

Halloween was once deemed a holiday for kids. Lately, though, adults have gotten in on the mischief too. Which is a good thing when you think about it, considering how serious the world has become these days.

It is a staple of the fall, and we are here to help you add a touch of chic spooky to your home without necessarily having to be the scariest house on the block.

Without much ado…

• Have a purpose

When you are looking to decorate your new house, one of the integral aspects of it is to have a purpose in mind.

What look specifically are you looking to achieve? Are you drawing a line between fall and Halloween decorations? Determining the direction you want to head from the get-go will make the whole affair less overwhelming.

Plus, when you do get down to it, the pre-determined confines will make everything feel put together.

• Theme

As you too well know, there are many different themes for Halloween. Autumn Harvest, Murder Mystery, Mad Scientist, Willy Wonka you name them.

Narrowing down on any one can help you stay within the boundaries of a particular concept without resulting in a mishmash of designs. Alternatively, you can always choose a different concept for each room if you feel one is too restrictive for you.

Another reason for choosing a theme to go with is that fall and Halloween tend to be intertwined in terms of decorations, and you can choose to go with either.

Not everyone likes it eerie, and having little ones in the house calls for moderation. In such cases, you can choose to decorate with fall items such as pumpkins, foliage or fall colors.

You also have the option to decorate with Halloween items like skeletons, witches, ghosts or vampires, especially if the family doesn’t mind a touch of spookiness.

The beauty of Halloween is that it gives you the leeway to be totally eclectic.

• Style

The decorations you decide to use will determine the style of your new home.

Bales of hay, pumpkins and scarecrow(s), for example, could breathe a rustic feel into your home.

Personalized chalkboard displays itemizing, let’s say, the punishment for taking two pieces of candy instead of one, coupled with painted pumpkins can help pull off a classy black and white look.

Or maybe you are THAT household that has no issue going all out and transforming your home into a house of terror.

Whichever way you decide to go, approach the decorating process with style in mind.

Halloween Ideas for your Home

And now comes the fun part.

There are many ways to throw up chic Halloween decorations without coming across as super-cheesy.

Here are a few ideas to get you started.

• Halloween lanterns

Halloween lanterns are an easy DIY project which you can create using just a few easy-to-get craft supplies. All you need are mason jars, card stock, tissue paper, Mod Podge and a foam brush.

You can use a jack-o’-lantern design which can be as cute or scary as you like. Put an LED tea light inside and place them on your windowsill so anyone passing by can get a glimpse of them through the window.

They also make for adorable accents for the patio, porch or balcony at night.

• Macabre mantel

Assemble all your black decorative accessories like vases, books and candlesticks with a few festive yet ghoulish items such as skulls and what you get is that classic look from an old haunted mansion from centuries gone by.

This look can be accentuated by bleeding candles which you can get for cheap or create on your own. Cap off the look by turning your holiday garland into a spooktacular scene by adding a few coats of matte-black spray paint.

Speaking of candles…

• Creepy crawly candles

Crawly candles are a nice way to add a dash of creepy to the dinner table.

You can create these using clear glass tumblers which you can then cover with vellum (or translucent paper) such that it fits all around.

Next, take a spider stamp and imprint the vellum with a spooky pattern that resembles crawling spiders.

Then it’s fire-in-the-hole time: light up your candles and revel in the festive ambience.

• No-carve pumpkins

Pumpkins, the staple of Halloween, can be repurposed in so many ways to add a scary touch to your home.

One popular way to do this is to carve your pumpkins, but if you deem this a bit too messy, you could use decorative tape instead and add a pair of googly-eyes, resulting in an eye-catching look.

• Trail of ants (and positioned crows)

One way to make guests jump in shock is to stick a trail of ants on places such as the dining room hutch or kitchen cabinet. They may be barely noticeable, but sometimes it’s the subtle details that do the trick.

For added effect, you can stick a few of them onto a spider web to give the impression that the little ants walked into right into the gallows.

And for even more added effect, try sticking a couple of old crows in and around the cabinets, and a few more around the house.

Speaking of web…

• Spider web wreath

Who said wreaths are just for the festive season?

A wreath can be a priceless Halloween decoration, although this one needs to be…a little different.

Take a plain twig wreath and spray it all black. Add some fake moss that you got from the craft shop, then take one big spider and glue it on the wreath (think black widow size).

You can then scatter much smaller spiders on and around the wreath, with the finished piece placed anywhere from the front door, to the dinner table, or a more surprising spot.

• Tape ghosts

Ghosts are forever. They just never get old.

There are many ways you can incorporate them into your Halloween home, and one of our favorites is to tape them in strategic spots using clear packaging tape.

You can make little tape babies like these, or a glowing tape person, or even tape legs on the ceiling giving the impression of a ghost bottom.

Alternatively, another creative way to work with ghosts is to conjure them from cheesecloth, complete with googly eyes.

Here is a good how-to.

There are so many ideas for Halloween decorations to suit different preferences. But we hope these have inspired you to get crafty this season!