Wood n’ Tassel: Halloween
10 Simple Halloween Decoration Must-Haves!
October is here, and it’s that time of year when you start to get shivers down your spine! But is your chill from the cold wind or is a spooky spectre staring you down? Halloween is definitely one of the most fun and frightening holidays, and soon everyone in the neighbourhood will have their homes decorated for the trick-or-treaters. But even if you’re stumped for ideas, you’ve nothing to fear! Here at Wood n’ Tassel, we’ve got some simple tips for how you can make your home terrifically terrifying. Here is our list of 10 simple Halloween decoration must-haves!
- Jack-o-Lanterns
Pumpkins are the most recognisable symbols of Halloween, so your home just wouldn’t be complete without a Jack-o-lantern’s gruesome grin! Carving a pumpkin is definitely the most fun and iconic Halloween bonding experience you could have with your family. But if you don’t want the mess that comes with homemade pumpkin carving, you can always find artificial ones that will last for years. There are plenty of pumpkins available in any size, and you can choose between cutest or the creepiest of smiles!
- Cobwebs
Nothing says creepy quite like cobwebs. One of the staple aesthetics of Halloween, they will give more than just arachnophobes the heebie-jeebies. If you want to give your house a frightening flair, stick some cobwebs in any corner: put them next to your knick knacks, between your living room furniture, or hang them outside your front door. Your house might make its own cobwebs eventually, but if you don’t plan ahead a few months and the store is fresh out of pet spiders you can buy artificial cobwebs at any store selling Halloween goods.
- Caution Tape
It would be a crime not to use some caution tape in your Halloween decorating. Caution tape is simple and straightforward, but it makes a huge difference when you’re getting your house set for Halloween. Put some caution tape around a staircase bannister, wrap it around a table, or use it to block an unused doorway. You can also wrap it around posts in your yard to make it look like a scene right out of CSI! Any Halloween shop or discount item store sells caution tape, so you don’t have to worry about asking the local police to lend you some.
- Ghosts
No haunted house would be complete without a few ghosts floating around. The spooky spectators are yet another Halloween staple that will liven up your home for the trick-or-treaters! And getting fake ghosts for your home is pretty simple: you can make them yourself out of old sheets, tissues, and even repurposed plastic bags. All you need from there is a marker and some string, and you’ve got your own personal poltergeist! You can hang these friendly ghosts all over your home, like on the ceiling or from doorknobs. But the best place for these ghostly figures is hanging from tree branches: when the wind blows, it will look like they’re really floating!
- Spiders, Bats, and Cats (Oh my!)
Ghosts and pumpkins are great, but where would Halloween be without crawling spiders, screeching bats, and hissing cats? Sprinkling a few of these creepy creatures around your home will make you feel like Halloween is in full swing. Try adding some spiders to your fake cobwebs, attaching bats to the walls or ceilings, or tucking a black cat in an unexpected corner. Thankfully, many Halloween stores stock plastic spiders and bats so you don’t have to go out on your own to catch them. But you can also make your own by cutting out bat shapes on black paper or making spindly spiders out of pipe cleaners. As for black cats, you can find all kinds of cat-inspired decorations, like our own panther sculpture. But we won’t discourage you from adopting a kitty from your local shelter!
- Cauldrons, Potions, and Poisons
If you need to fill some gaps in your Halloween decorations, then add some potion bottles or black cauldrons to your tables and shelves! Certainly, your local witch would be happy to lend you a few, but if you have trouble getting ahold of her you can always pick some up from a Halloween store or even make your own. To make your own potions, find clear containers like jars or bottles and fill them with water mixed with food colouring. Add a creepy label that says “witch’s brew” or “deadly poison” and presto, you’re an amazing apothecary! And if you do find a cauldron, try putting the candy for trick-or-treaters inside: the kids will feel like they’re getting candy from a real witch!
- Gravestones
All the dedicated Halloween enthusiasts agree that there’s nothing creepier than a crypt. So why not get into the Halloween spirit with some decorative graves of your very own? Plenty of Halloween stores sell foam tombstones, sometimes with funny names like “Emma Goner” or “Barry M.” But you can also make your own gravesites with planks of wood or even thick cardboard. Just cut the material into a gravestone shape and paint is black or grey. Then write on it with your own funny fake names or just the classic “R.I.P.” You can prop up these graves in plots in your yard, or even around your home.
- Skulls and Crossbones
If you have any skeletons in your closet, Halloween is the perfect time of year to let them loose! Fake skulls and bones are perfect Halloween decorations, as they give your house a grizzly appearance. Whether you set some skulls on the mantle or tuck a few bones in the garden, the trick-or-treaters will love it and you’ll be the scariest house around. And if you have a decorative gravestone then it’s a great idea to sprinkle some bones around it. You can dig up fake bones or decorative skulls at just about any Halloween goods store, and they range in styles from classic and kitschy to gothic and lavish. Go full Hamlet and start your very own collection of scary skulls!
- Witchy Wardrobes
Witches are some of the most spellbinding fashion icons of Halloween. Witches are one of the most popular Halloween characters to dress up as this time of year. It’s always a big hit to deck yourself out in a witch’s hat or a crooked nose for the trick-or-treaters. But even if you’ve already got costume plans there are still lots of decoration uses for witches’ garb. Witch hats make just as good tabletop displays as they do accessories, and if you have a coat rack or somewhere else to hang hats it makes a hilarious addition. And if you find a straw broom that looks like a witch could fly on it, don’t hesitate to put it out on display. But if you have a full witch costume on hand than there’s a classic, hilarious Halloween decoration you can make: a flattened witch! Put out a hat, black dress, striped stockings, and broom and attach it to a wall or tree outside your home. To people passing by, it will look like a witch fell flat into the side of your home.
- Terrifying Treats
The most important thing to have on hand Halloween night is candy for trick-or-treaters or snacks for your party guests. But you can make the snacks decorations too! One classically creepy Halloween treats are the famous chocolate eyeball. There are also liquorice spiders, gummy worms, and candy frogs. Other less frightening but still classic treats include candy corn, pumpkin gummies, and black liquorice. Adding any of these creepy treats will be the perfect finishing touch to getting your home Halloween ready!
Halloween is a frightfully good time for both the trick-or-treaters and the homeowners they visit. Whether folks go full throttle and make their house into a scary haunted mansion or they keep it their decorations cute and classic, in the end, it’s all in good fun. But with these 10 simple Halloween decoration must-haves, your house will be at its best for the trick-or-treaters. We want only the best for your home and for you to have all kinds of fun this spooktacular season! From all of us at Wood n’ Tassel, Happy Halloween!