Architecture Blog

Ten fun Halloween decor ideas UNDER $10!

Simple and cute Halloween decor ideas for your next Halloween party or just for fun!

Since our Halloween decor doesn’t stay out long inside, (we keep our outdoor stuff out longer), I don’t like to spend a lot of money or time on the Halloween touches. 

Over the years I’ve figured out some fun ways to add some spooky that only take a few minutes. And ALL of these will cost you less than ten bucks to buy or DIY!

1. DOLLAR STORE CROWS

Smaller decor always makes a bigger impact in numbers. These little crows I found at the dollar store are perfect perched on ledges or shelves:

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You can also find a set of six of these crows online if your dollar store doesn’t carry them. 

2. CONTACT PAPER AND FELT

Any contact paper will work for this ghost project. Even the “clear” versions have a bit of a haze to them. 

I just free-handed a ghost design using a corner of the contact paper and then cut it out with scissors (while still attached to the backing):

You can put them on mirrors or windows…this is such a cute and easy Halloween project! 

And yes, you can reuse them year to year! I just peel mine off and roll it up to store. 

I used inexpensive black felt to cut out these fun Halloween shapes: 

We just used a bit of tape to hang them, but a dot of hot glue would work as well. 

3. WOOD/MDF CUT OUTS

I made these letters years ago – they’re just MDF craft letters and I covered
them in Halloween scrapbook paper:

So easy, so simple, so cheap!:

1. Spray the front of your wood cut out and the back of the decorative paper lightly with spray adhesive. 
2. Place face down on the back of your paper.
3. Smooth out paper and make sure it’s attached well.
4. Use an X-acto knife to trim the paper off. (Do this on a cutting board or mat!)

Sometimes I use a sanding block to lightly clean up any rough edges. 

You’ll have cute Halloween decor for a few bucks!:

4. CHEESECLOTH HALLOWEEN CRAFTS

This one uses both cardstock paper and cheesecloth. These little
spooky eyeball votives
are still one of my favorite Halloween projects:

You can make these on a bigger scale as well. 

Just plop a battery-operated LED candle inside for an adorable display. Again, less than $10 for all of them, easy!

And these DIY cheesecloth ghosts are a really fun craft to do with the kids: 

5. USE THAT SPRAY PAINT

You can transform the most basic dollar store Halloween decor with spray paint! 

I found some sparkly spray paint and knew I had to use it somehow:

My skull head friend was an ugly plastic guy from the Dollar Tree before he got a couple
coats of the Titanium:

A little silver paint and he was ready to go!

I grabbed a bunch of secondhand frames and painted them black for a spooky Halloween mantel: 

I used my computer and free prints for all of the art. More ideas on that below!

6. Using paper Halloween cut outs

I especially love
paper Halloween decor
at this time of year. It’s inexpensive and hardly takes up any storage space –
bonus! I picked up these creepy paper hands on clearance last year:

They look smashing on
our black interior doors. 😉

We use paper bats everywhere and I usually like to put them in one spot for
more impact:

There’s a few of them on the stairway, along with the
infamous black stair mice:

You can also make your own at home with black cardstock and a craft cutting machine. 

We found some super cute downloads from the Silhouette site and used them
to dress up the lamp shade a bit:

I adore these little guys and their spider webs!

I just gave them a very light coat of spray adhesive and stuck them on the
inside of the lampshade:

I love them so much! And how about snowmen for Christmas? Or snowflakes?

You can also attach these to lanterns or tall glass candleholders and the webs and spiders will cast a fun shadow!

7. ADD GOOGLY EYES

Googly eyes are a fun way to add some light-hearted Halloween touches around the house. Especially helpful if you have young ones that don’t like scary decor. 

 These big dollar store googly eyes watch us from the toilet:

We giggle like little kids when I put those up every year. 

You can also use smaller googly eyes and stick them on family photos around the house — they pop off easily after Halloween. (Although it is fun to leave them up and see who notices.) 

8. DIY MUMMY DOOR

This is such an easy way to add some DIY Halloween decor to your front porch!

When this paper is exposed to any humidity outside, it will droop a bit. Turns out it looks even better then! You can see both versions at that link above. 

9. PRINTABLES AND STICKERS

Over the years I’ve learned you can turn just about anything into a sign! 

I found these glittery “spooky” letters at HomeGoods: 

And placed them on a scrap piece of wood painted black to make a Halloween sign:

If they don’t stick well, use your trusty spray adhesive to glue them on. 

If your sign will be outside, it’s a good idea to protect it with a coat or two of polyurethane. 

Spray the back with spray adhesive and then just place them on the glass jars.

Goodwill is a GREAT place to find glass containers for this! Drop some red or green food coloring in and you’re done!:

These are great additions for a Halloween party display. 

10. CANDY CORN CRAFTS

By far the least spooky of the group, but certainly just as cute! I share three candy corn craft and decor ideas that are easy to complete with the candy, a hot glue gun and yarn:

These are more great crafts you can tackle with the kids!

Do you decorate your home for Halloween? 

You can see all of my easy and inexpensive
Halloween and fall decor through the years here. And check out my tips for throwing a fun and stress free pumpkin carving party: