Thursday, September 24, 2009

Fun Halloween Decoration Ideas for Your Home - Inside and Out

It will be October soon and that means pulling out pumpkins, spider webs, witches brooms and other utterly eerie Halloween decorations to create a spooky entrance to your home. Whether you're a minimalist or prefer a little bit of everything, here are some Halloween decoration ideas you may want to consider. And best off, most are inexpensive DIY projects.


Illuminating a walkway with jack-o-lanterns is an inviting way to guide visitors to your front door. Martha Stewart suggests carving various shapes onto a pumpkin using cookie cutters - hearts, stars, clovers and diamonds.


Created an eerie invitation into your haunted house. This is a simple DIY project I found at Better Homes and Garden. After coming up with the message for your invitation, select a spooky Halloween font like Chiller or Jokerman to be printed on wood-pattern paper. Then paste the message onto balsa and tack the pieces to the wooden steps. If decorating brick or concrete steps, using removable double-stick poster tape seems to do the trick to keep your message in place.

Love the creepy flock of bats swarming this front door. Bat cutouts are a super easy DIY project - you just need black paper and scissors. For more details and a bat stencil, visit Country Living.


A pumpkin covered with orange and chocolate lollipops enables trick-or-treaters to help themselves if they are not too frightened by the paper bat hovering over and witch's broom propped by the door. The pumpkin is carved from synthetic foam - avoid using a real pumpkin because the moisture from the flesh will turn the lollipops' paper sticks soggy. To find out more visit Martha Stewart.


There is just something about black crows that freak me out. These decorative birds crows are perfect to perch outside your front door to add more spook factor. They are available at Pottery Barn along with all of the other autumn inspired house decorations (above) including my favorites - the Mixed Leaf Garland, Malta Lanterns and Rattan Pumpkins.


These chic Mercury Glass Glass Pumpkins are out-of-stock at Pottery Barn - darn it! But if you are up for a small craft, visit The DIY Show Off for a fantastic version you can easily do at home.


Here is another great way to decorate a pumpkin without needing a carving set. I spotted this adorable collection of festive painted pumpkins at Tiny Talk. I am going to be pulling out my gold spray paint and pens for sure!


If throwing a Halloween party decorate the 'green' way with fun prints perfect for any age group or gender. Green Planet Parties offers an adorable and sustainable Halloween Decorations Party Kit. The kit includes: two trick-or-treat bags, ten flag banner and tablecloth with a dozen bat appliques that are sustainable tabletop confetti.


These folk art inspired Pirate Pumpkin and Halloween Cat figurines at Gumps would be perfect to dress up an entryway. The cat's glitter-dusted tulle collar is the best. And their heads are set on springs and move!


These aged terra-cotta cubes decorated with vintage lettering spell out an eerie warning to your guests. Perfect to arrange on the buffet, fireplace mantel or dining table. Also available at Gumps