33 Easy Halloween Crafts You Can Make in a Day

Linley Sanders, Halee Miller

Thu, September 27, 2018 at 7:08 AM UTC

13 min read

Get in the trick-or-treating spirit with these spooky-fun DIY Halloween craft ideas.

Not a crafting wizard? No worries. We rounded up these simple DIY Halloween crafts for adults and kids to do together that take your home from drab to Dracula-worthy. See all our favorite Halloween wreaths, pumpkin crafts, and other easy craft ideas, including quick tutorials and free printable downloads.

Skeleton Door Decor

Like a ghostly figure reaching through the wall, this skeleton hand holding out a candle is a spookier way to say "Come in and be our guest" than the typical Halloween front door decor. To get the look, drill two holes into the top of a serving platter and string ribbon through. Add one more hole below the center to secure the skeleton with E6000 adhesive and a screw. Hot-glue a flameless candle onto the hand and drape a linen napkin over the wrist to make it even more realistic.

Monster Tinsel Pumpkins

Skip the carving and painting with a playful wig of tinsel placed atop pumpkins for a shimmery and easy Halloween craft. Cut a hole in the center of a tinsel wig for the stem to go through. Once in place, give your hairy monster a trim by cutting the tinsel to your desired length and style. Ping-pong balls stand in for eyes with cut-in-half cupcake liners as eyelids and round black stickers for pupils. To add a monstrous set of teeth, cut out and stick on white crafts foam.

Colorful Skulls

Found at a dollar store (or on Amazon for $6), these (normally creepy) plastic or foam skulls are made cheery and colorful with something as simple as spray paint. If you want a classic Halloween look, opt for a black and orange color scheme. For a more lighthearted take on the holiday, try bold colors like hot pink or lime green. Style with bats, moths, or dried florals for a seasonal twist.

Vintage Woodland Frame

Reuse a vintage mirror or picture frame by pairing it with an eerie print for easy DIY Halloween decor. Spray-paint the frame black, then forage some branches and leaves. Spray-paint them a shimmery gold to accent the moody image, then attach them to the frame with hot glue.

Cardboard Gothic Candlesticks

Get a glow with no flame and supplies you probably already have with these chilling DIY candlesticks. Use scraps of cardboard and our template to trace and cut the pieces that will form the candle holder. Paint the holders black and cut a paper towel tube to your desired length. Hot-glue drips onto the top of the tube to give the illusion of hot wax dripping down the sides. Paint over the entirety of the candlestick with a color of your choice. A tea light inside the top of the tube completes your faux candle with ghostly ambience.

Download Candlestick Template

Twig Wreath

Create this quick and easy Halloween wreath with natural materials found outdoors. Gather various lengths of sticks and attach them to a DIY cardboard wreath form with glue. This door design comes together when you add spooky faux webbing and inexpensive plastic spiders. Hang the finished product for a haunting display.

No-Carve Unicorn Pumpkin

Forget Halloween ghouls and vampire fangs! This Halloween craft for adults and kids to make together is a magical unicorn pumpkin.

Start this easy Halloween craft with a white crafts pumpkin (or spray paint an orange one white).
Paint the soft pink cheeks and black eyelashes. You could also use a vinyl sticker for the eyes.
Paint a pre-made crafts horn with gold spray paint or make your own horn with gold polymer clay.
Hot glue the horn and several faux flowers to the top of the pumpkin.

Temporary-Tattooed Pumpkins

This faux-ink pumpkin design takes minutes to make. To create your own, pick up a few autumn-themed temporary tattoos or whatever the kids like (we're on board for superhero pumpkins) and apply them to your faux pumpkin with a damp sponge, just like you would skin. Kids love this quick project because the result is a gorgeous customized tattoo pumpkin that will last for years. We like it because it's an easy Halloween craft, but it looks hand-painted.

Easy DIY Halloween Doormat

Add a boo-tiful accent to your Halloween front porch with this simple DIY Halloween doormat. Print the letter B and a jack-o'-lantern shape from your computer. Cut them out to use as stencils. Then, paint the design onto your doormat with a foam brush. Personalize this playful craft by mixing up the colors or adding bright fall leaves along the edges. This cute pumpkin doormat will have you, your guests, the mail carrier, and trick-or-treaters smiling.

DIY Constellation Pumpkin

This out-of-this-world project is a stellar Halloween pumpkin design.

Plot out the stars of your favorite constellation on a crafts pumpkin or a real cleaned-out pumpkin.
Drill a hole in each spot where a star should be, and then paint the pumpkin black. Once it's dry, use white paint to connect the stars in your constellation.
Add a battery-operated votive to the pumpkin to see it glow.

Adapt this design for kiddos to include make-believe constellations like a bat, ghost, or witch's hat.

Three-Step Spooky Wreath

Don't be afraid—there are only three simple steps in this Halloween craft for adults and kids to create together. Coat a grapevine wreath with black spray paint, then weave tiny battery-operated LED string lights through the twigs.

To finish this easy Halloween craft, add a wood bead spider. String wooden beads onto floral wire to create and shape the legs. Glue three large wooden beads together, then hot glue the legs to the body. Spray-paint the spider black and attach it to the wreath.

Easy No-Carve Hedgehog Pumpkins

These adorable candy pumpkins are loved by kids (especially if you let them sneak a few bites of candy corn). Craft these no-carve hedgehogs in under an hour.

Crepe Paper Pumpkins

Get ready for a low-key Halloween craft that everyone will enjoy! Decorate strips of inexpensive crepe paper with markers, watercolor paints, or even diluted food coloring to create a mottled pattern. Then, hot-glue the strips of crepe paper to a craft pumpkin. These paper pumpkin Halloween decorations are so easy you'll want to create a whole patch!

Slime Treats

There's no better season for playful slime than Halloween. Make a big batch of your favorite slime recipe, and mix in some spooky accessories ($4 for a bag, Etsy). Store the Halloween slime in small Mason jars or plastic containers to hand out to trick-or-treaters.

Tip

Make sure to include these care instructions when giving out the slime: This Halloween slime recipe should be kept in a closed, refrigerated container for up to two weeks.

Halloween Flower Pot

Get ready for your eyes to "bug" out on Halloween! Upgrade your terra-cotta pots from ordinary to ogle-worthy Halloween decorations when you use plaster of Paris to cover plastic spiders and centipedes. If you can't find the perfect plant (like the jade plant pictured here), consider using this pot for treats.

Autumn Flower-Filled Pumpkin

Looking for a more subtle DIY Halloween decoration? Create a blooming Halloween centerpiece when you tuck orange ranunculus and white hydrangea inside a faux pumpkin with a waterproof lining. Fill it with soaked florist foam. Press the fall flower stems into the foam and fill in with sprigs of decorative foliage.

Velvet Pumpkins for Fall

Velvet fall decor makes us feel warm and cozy, even on a chilly fall day. Transform classic Halloween pumpkins into this DIY craft with warmly-hued velvets (imagine purple pumpkin decadence!). The trick to this no-sew project is to buy foam pumpkin, then wrap velvet around the model with pleats. Secure the velvet around the fabric pumpkins with hot glue, then top with a twine-wrapped stem. Craft a variety of these no-sew velvet pumpkins for an easy Halloween craft you can use year after year.

Succulent Pumpkin Planter

<p>Better Homes & Gardens</p> — Better Homes & Gardens

If you love succulents, this Halloween craft idea will last all season. Cut the top off a craft pumpkin and place a waterproof container inside. Fill the container with a colorful mix of succulents. Water occasionally, and you have a perfect centerpiece for autumn. It's a win-win in our book.

Halloween DIY Bat Garland

We're batty for this Halloween garland! To create your DIY Halloween decoration, cut foam pieces into bat shapes and string a strand of them along your mantel. For another quick Halloween craft, thread colorful trimmed straws on another piece of string. It's that simple. Once you hang it, spread out the straws and twist to add the different angles.

Painted Halloween Pumpkin Message

Halloween is the holiday for spooky celebrations, but it's also ideal for spending time with neighbors and friends on chilly nights. Paint (or use permanent markers to write) welcoming messages like "gather" on white pumpkins, then display them on your front porch to set the scene for a cozy fall get-together. You could add a few "Boo!" pumpkins to be festive.

Haunted Halloween Birdhouses

This spooky Halloween town has gone to the birds. Round up an array of wooden birdhouses and coat them with glossy black and matte gray spray paint to re-create this Halloween craft for adults and kids to create as a team. We positioned our haunted town on a vibrant orange bench and completed the scene with mini pumpkins and plastic spiders.

DIY Fall Mantle Ideas

Give a subtle nod to Halloween with this neutral fall decor that highlights the season's natural beauty. Add small pumpkins in orange and white to your holiday mantel, then craft an acorn and wooden bead garland to string above the fireplace. We made this one out of faux leather, but you could also use felt or cardstock. This cohesive display will last all of fall—and honestly, you could leave the beads year-round.

Halloween Paper Strip Pumpkin Craft

This kid-friendly Halloween craft is made of orange and green cardstock and comes together in minutes. Gather Halloween-themed scrapbook paper or cardstock and cut into 1-inch strips. Form the strips into a circle and attach them using a brad at the top and bottom. Glue on a few green leaves to cover your tracks and this project is finished!

No-Carve Pineapple Pumpkin

Dreaming of warmer weather as Halloween approaches? Channel some island inspiration by crafting a no-carve pumpkin shaped like a pineapple. Start by spray painting a pumpkin and wooden teardrops yellow. Hot-glue the wooden cutouts on the pumpkin, starting from the top row and working your way down.

Halloween Pinecone Spiders

The least scary thing about these spiders is how little time and effort it takes to make them.

Pick up some pinecones or sweet gum pods from the backyard.
Use wire to form the legs and hot glue the legs to the pinecone or pod body.
Spray paint legs and body black.
Add a pom for the head and beads for the eyes.

Tuck these creepy crawlies into houseplants or along shelves for a scary touch anywhere.

Sweet Halloween Wreath

Tease trick-or-treaters with this inexpensive Halloween decoration that puts candy back and center. Just turn empty cardboard candy boxes into a wreath by gluing them to an embroidery hoop using hot glue. On Halloween night, kids will know your house is the best stop on their route.

DIY Nail Polish Pumpkins

Use up old shades of nail polish with this painted pumpkin Halloween craft for adults and kids. Replicate our chic marble design by dropping nail polish into a bowl of water and mixing the colors with a toothpick. Decorate the small pumpkins by dipping the gourds into the colorful mixture, then allow to dry. Plus, you can do your nails to match after. Genius!

DIY Bat Wreath

Fly high with this easy Halloween wreath covered with origami critters! To make the Halloween craft, spray-paint a grapevine wreath matte white and let dry. Next, it's time to form your bats. Cut black and gray art paper into squares, then fold the squares into origami bat shapes. Or skip a step and order pre-made bat shapes ($14, Etsy.) Hot-glue the bats to the wreath.

Melted Crayon Pumpkin

Forget about orange and black as the only Halloween color scheme—our easy-to-follow tutorial will help you create a melted crayon pumpkin that showcases the entire rainbow. This quick Halloween craft for adults and kids to do together only takes about 20 minutes to make.

Make a Fun Fall Wreath

Combine faux autumn leaves, billy ball flowers, and succulents for a harvest-hue wreath that will last well beyond Halloween. Touches of orange and yellow carry this gorgeous wreath through the spooky season to Thanksgiving. Start with a grapevine wreath and tuck in your greenery. Secure with hot glue. Place the billy ball flowers and faux succulents along the top for added interest. This is a perfect project for DIYers who prefer subtle decorations during fall.

No-Carve Decoupage Pumpkins

Grab your patterned wrapping or scrapbook paper and decoupage—it's time to get crafty! These DIY pumpkins will have you whipping up autumn decorations all afternoon.

Spray paint the pumpkin with a base color. We used gold for our pumpkins.
Then, cut out the shapes you want to use.
Apply a decoupage medium to the pumpkin, press the paper onto it, and smooth it into all the creases.
Apply another layer of the decoupage medium on the pumpkin and let it dry.

No-Carve Pumpkins Decorated with Yarn

This one is so simple, you can do it while watching your favorite show. Grab a few mini gourds, then wrap them with colorful yarn for the coziest Halloween craft. Use a little hot glue to hold the yarn in place as you wrap it around the pumpkin. Sew some yarn into burlap and wrap a pumpkin in the decorated burlap ribbon. Use any colors and designs that speak to you.

Floating Front Porch Ghosts

Give your front porch a spooky effect by inviting over a few floating ghosts to hang around. If you don't have spirits on speed dial, you can re-create our Halloween ghost craft in three steps. Simply draw black eyes on a white balloon or white globe paper lantern, apply a thin coat of decoupage to the top of the balloon, then cover with cheesecloth. Cut the bottom of the cheesecloth into strips for an uneven edge that will wave in the wind on Halloween night.

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