8 Easy Halloween decorations you can throw together at the last minute

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year…” OK, that’s for another beloved holiday, but for makers, nothing beats the creative potential of Halloween. It’s fun to dream up and make costumes, decorate your house and yard, and throw costume parties.

But as fun as doing decorations is, it can all quickly get out of hand. Here are eight of our favorite projects that we’ve published on Make: that can easily be done within the next few weeks before The Great Pumpkin arises from his pumpkin patch.

1.MAKE A SPIDER WEB BALLOON

The “web” effect is created by applying the HI-FLOAT and letting it dry at one pressure, and then deflating the balloon, stressing it, and then re-inflating to a higher pressure, causing the film to detach from the walls (which, of course, means it’s not working as a sealant anymore, but whatever)

2.DECORATE WITH HAUNTED HOUSE SILHOUETTES

One such challenge came my way a few years ago, when I had an opportunity to decorate an entire house for Halloween. The homeowner had a strict $100 budget and insisted that nothing be attached to the house in a manner that would damage the exterior shingles. The place was newly purchased, and the homeowner had yet to install any window treatments beyond inexpensive paper “contractor blinds” on all of the windows.

3.MAKE PACKING TAPE GHOST SCULPTURES

There is something about Halloween decorating that brings out the creative energy in people. It’s not quite the same as Thanksgiving and Christmas. At Halloween you get to really let your imagination run wild with all the fantastic and spooky things you can do to creep out the neighborhood kids.

I am loving these packing tape ghost sculptures, especially when lit up! These suckers are even able to withstand the damp October weather– perfect for an outdoor installation.

4.WRAP UP SOME MASKING TAPE MUMMY HANDS

The retailer Wholesale Halloween Costumes has some simple and fun-looking DIY costume and prop projects on their site. Here’s one that couldn’t be easier and you end up with effectively creepy, glowing mummy hands reaching from the ground. Pile up a little dirt around the wrist for extra rising-from-the-dead authenticity.

5.PRINT EVIL LAIR KNIFE SWITCHES

When you need to illuminate the lab (to see what’s on the slab), you need some of these 3D printed knife throws. They replace the regular wall plate and adapt over a conventional wall light switch.

6.BODGE UP A HOT GLUE WEB GUN

The traditional web spinner uses a small fan blade, a little tin of goop, and a powerful hand drill to blow filaments of glue onto your scenery. This creates a detailed web, but the device is prone to clogging, and the resulting web is delicate, unlikely to withstand the rigors of weather or the attention of your guests. For a bright, durable, and visible web, we turn instead to the venerable hot glue gun, a staple in every home craft drawer. Using compressed air, you can blow thin filaments of hot glue into delicate tapestries of webbing.

7.BUILD A FRIGHTFUL GIANT SPIDER WEBS

Halloween is just around the corner, and if you’re going to be decorating your house, you’ll definitely want a creepy crawly spider web to adorn your walkway. I’m going to make these giant spider webs to decorate the trees around my house, but they could also be used to decorate porches, fences, or they could be erected as freestanding decorations if you have some spare poles. They’re super easy to make, and all you need is a roll of regular plastic shrink wrap.

8.MAKE A MEAT HEAD

Craving some cranium? You’ve come to the right place. I’ve served a Meat Head at my Halloween parties for at least the last five years. It never fails to impress (and distress!) my guests.