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How to DIY Affordably and Memorable Halloween Decorations

These tips and insights will make decorating for Halloween gatherings at the home, workplaces, or other venues more affordable, memorable, and fun through DIY.

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Plan to Keep the Fall Season Affordable

Fall, with all its spectacular colors, will soon be here. The football season and Halloween are just around the corner, followed by Thanksgiving and, before we know it, Christmas and New Year’s. Don’t you love decorating your house and yard for all these seasons?

The cost of seasonal decorations, food, and gifts can add up. But here's a money-saving solution: DIY! It might seem daunting to those new to it, but the joy of seeing your creations around the house and workplace is truly priceless. Plus, if you have kids, they'll love making their decorations and seeing them on display.

The look on their faces when they see their work on display is priceless and worth every minute, and it's a feeling of pride and accomplishment that you all will cherish. Continue reading for tips on making this year’s Halloween decorations more affordable, memorable, and fun for gatherings at the home, office, or other places through DIY.

A purple square with Halloween Items distributed around it

Five Creative Halloween Decoration Ideas

Walking around your neighborhood, you will see similar decorations at every home. Jack-o-lanterns, orange lights, trash bag pumpkins, and witches that have “crashed” into garage doors and nearby trees are incredibly common. However, if you are looking for something different to do this year, read on for creative Halloween Ideas.

Masks

Hang a creepy mask on your front door, decorate your scarecrow and garden gnomes with them, or hang them in the windows to look like someone creepy is peeking out. You can amp up the scary tone by placing a flashlight on the ground, turning it on, and adjusting the light to illuminate the mask. Just ensure that any outdoor masks are waterproof and fastened so they do not become ruined or fly away.

Vases

Glass vases can be an interesting way to decorate the inside of your home. Consider filling them with different objects in fall and Halloween colors—colored leaves, black and orange marbles, Halloween candies, or even plastic bugs. You can reuse the vases by changing the contents for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other holidays. You can often find a variety of “fillers” at your local craft or dollar store.

Webs

Fake spider webs can make your front yard look creepy, but you can also use them inside, with the added benefit of having them last longer. Hang them in doorways and corners throughout your home. You can even consider adding on some creepy inhabitants to perfect the look. Spraying the webbing with an insect repellent to keep the real deal from moving in. You will also want to ensure you do not hang them anywhere that could be a potential fire hazard. Another benefit? You won't have to worry about dust.

Murals

Do you have some budding artists in your family? Consider designing your own Halloween mural. You can then hang this in a bay window, a blank wall, or even outside if the weather permits. Have older children design their own Halloween scene, while younger children can color in the words “Happy Halloween.” This can also be a cute souvenir to pass on when your children get older to help remind them of childhood Halloweens.

Accents

If you are tired of traditional Halloween decorations, imagination can help you create your display. Look for items you like that fit the Halloween theme, and create your own designs. If you want to avoid going all out with your Halloween decorations, a few tasteful accents can help set the Halloween mood without turning your home into a Haunted house. For instance, you can hang orange and black curtains or bring out Halloween-themed throw pillows. Look for a Halloween welcome mat, or move your smaller potted plants into plastic trick-or-treating containers. You can even look for Halloween knickknacks and static window clings.

Ten Pumpkin Decorating Tips

One of the most famous images around Halloween is the colorful orange Jack-o-Lantern face. People love looking at carved pumpkins, often as the centerpiece of outside Halloween decorations. The possibilities when designing them are endless. They can be scary, happy, sad, weird, angry, silly, human, or animal-like.

While carving a pumpkin is relatively simple, there are a few things to remember while hunting for the perfect one for your display. Consider the following ten pumpkin decorating tips when choosing and carving yours for the preferred effect.

  1. Look for carvable pumpkins with a strong stem firmly attached. The pumpkin's surface should be smooth and free of blemishes and discolorations. To check for ripeness, pick up the pumpkin and thump it a few times. You should hear a hollow sound, suggesting it will be easy to scoop out the pulp and seeds.
  2. Always carry your pumpkins from the bottom. DO NOT carry them by the stems, as they may snap, speeding up rotting.
  3. Store your pumpkins in a cool, dry place: heat and light speed up rotting.
  4. To prevent mold, wash your pumpkins with a teaspoon of chlorine bleach and a gallon of water before carving them.
  5. Draw your pumpkin patterns on paper first to make easy revisions without damaging your prize pumpkins. If you can't develop your design idea, you can always use ready-made stencils or templates (these can be found online or inside a pumpkin carving kit). Cut the pattern out and secure it on the pumpkin surface with masking tape. Use a carving knife (or poking tool) to create pinpricks or marks, to score the design for you to use as a guide.
  6. For best results, use a small serrated saw to cut the pumpkin's design. Carve with a back-and-forth sawing motion. Go slow. NEVER use a straight-edge razor because it can damage the pumpkin and cause possible injuries.
  7. To save time, consider buying a pumpkin carving kit. These kits contain all the tools you'll need to create great-looking Jack-o-Lantern faces.
  8. If carving a real pumpkin sounds messy or too much of a hassle, you can buy an acrylic craft pumpkin. These look pretty real and are easy to carve, too. The best thing about these acrylic pumpkins is that you can reuse them year after year!
  9. Once you've carved your traditional pumpkin face, consider mixing things up with other exciting designs, such as black cats, witches, ghosts, moon and stars, famous movie characters, or drilling holes in your pumpkin that form an unexpected pattern.
  10. While one pumpkin on the porch or front yard is great, imagine how it will look if you use several small to medium-sized pumpkins. Displaying several pumpkins together creates more drama for neighbors and trick-or-treaters.
A Halloween Party Display

Five Tips to Keep Your Halloween Party Budget-Friendly

Halloween parties can be fun for all ages but quickly become expensive without a plan. And while everyone wants to invite all of their friends, the more people, the more money the party costs. After all, you must figure out the decorations, entertainment, food, and costumes. Proper planning allows you to create the perfect Halloween party and keep it within a well-planned budget.

Make it a Potluck.

Potlucks are a great idea for any party. You do not need to have the work and expense of creating multiple dishes yourself. You also get the advantage of trying new and different recipes. It is often easiest to make the main dish yourself and assign dishes to different partygoers (for instance, asking one family to bring a side dish, another dessert, another salad, etc.). You can also make your Halloween party snacks or desserts only.

Plan and Shop Sales.

If you host an annual Halloween party, paper supplies and decorations can often be bought cheaply in November for the following year. However, if this is your first year hosting a Halloween party, start buying as soon as the merchandise starts hitting the shelves, including those at closeout and dollar stores, to take advantage of the lower prices and better selection.

Look for Multi-use Items.

You have saved money if you get additional uses out of one item. Pumpkins that are painted or left natural (no carving) can be used to make baked goods after the guests have gone home. Fall decorations can work just as well in November as in October, provided there is nothing specifically Halloween about them. Also, look for Halloween decorations that can be reused yearly. That way, if you invest a lot of money this year, you won't have to next year.

Consider Small and intimate versus Large and Loud

While a large party involving the entire neighborhood may sound like fun, the cost, let alone the room you will need, can be prohibitive. Consider making the party for adults only or limiting it to close family members.

Shop at Closeout, Dollar, and Warehouse stores.

Buying in bulk is often more affordable, especially when purchasing many items. Candy, paper goods, and treats for the goodie bags can usually be found for less than you would pay at the department stores.

Wrapping up How to Affordably DIY Halloween Decorations

Fall Décor and Celebrations needn’t stress your household budget. Halloween is among the first observances of several for many, and spending more money on the gathering than you intended can limit future seasonal entertainment. Why not start a fiscally responsible habit at the outset that can be built upon throughout the season and beyond? Plan and shop smart to make memorable gatherings more efficient, fun, and less stressful.

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