DIY Halloween Deadcorating

As an adult, I think I'm more excited about Halloween than I ever was when I was a kid. When you're little, you're mostly in it for the candy. When you're grown, you get to make your house look super creepy and then invite all of your friends over for an awesome party!

Store bought Halloween decorations can get pricey, and most of them have a definite "store bought" quality to them that can ruin the creepy effect you're probably going for. I found some great DIY "deadcorating" ideas to give your place that ghoulish, unsettling vibe this Halloween.


Paint It Black
Paint makes everything better...and black paint makes everything creepy! Those little porcelain jugs and figurines found in every thrift shop and your grandma's basement become decidedly sinister with a coat of black spray paint. Use them as delightfully macabre centerpieces on your snack table, or place them anywhere in your home where your guests might end up. The black really lends itself to Halloween, but these painted jugs or figurines look so sleek that you could use them year round.

Fake Flowers Are Your Friends
Found in any craft or thrift store, fake flowers come in a wide range of colours that can cheer up any room or project. That simply won't do for your Halloween decorations, but it's nothing your trusty black spray paint can't fix.

Besides giving your home that deathly quality, fake flowers also give you the opportunity to put together some truly unsettling arrangements, like eyeball flowers! Inspire nightmares by gluing fake eyeballs into the middles of fake flowers. Might I suggest you then place them inside your painted jugs?


Turn Everyone Arachnophobic
No Halloween is complete without creepy crawlies, and these DIY projects don't disappoint. If you can get your hands on a few pairs of stockings, you can make some really awesome hanging decorations for your yard, or to suspend from the ceiling in your party zone.

One great idea that I came across requires a stocking, a balloon, and a glow stick. Put 'em all together and you get this really great ethereal effect that looks like ghosts, or spider eggs, or maybe even glowing brains.

If you're looking for more of a classic, spidery display, a stocking filled with cotton balls or stuffing and covered in fake spiders will do nicely. If you're worried your guests might leave without developing a lifelong phobia, try hanging a few spiders from the "egg sacks" with thread or dental floss.


Private Eyes Are Watching You

Toilet paper rolls, a box cutter, and glow sticks are all you need to unsettle your guests and neighbourhood trick-or-treaters at your doorstep. Place these glowing eyes in unexpected places around your yard, or even in your home (bathroom, pantry, coat closet, etc.), and see how many people notice they're being quietly watched.

Happy Halloween, from the Reuse Centre!

-Nichole (Volunteer)