Spooky or Fun? Choose Your Style for DIY Halloween Decor

Candy Corn-Inspired Door Decorations

This candy corn-inspired porch promises fun for kids of all ages.

For the pumpkins, add a glossy finish to matte or satin paint by spraying clear polyurethane over dry paint.

For the wreaths, wrap thick synthetic-blend yarns around durable foam wreath forms. We used 20-inch tubular forms, but flat forms would work, too.

Clothespin Halloween Wreath

Need a quick and easy Halloween decorating idea? This clothespin wreath in candy corn colors goes together quickly.

Use spray paint to color 15 clothespins orange, 15 yellow and 15 white. (Clip clothespins to a scrap piece of cardboard; spray paint one side, let dry, turn the cardboard over and repeat.) Cut a 12-inch-diameter circle from sturdy cardboard and cut a smaller circle out of the middle so you have a half-inch-wide ring. Clip on painted clothespins, adding a drop of hot glue to secure each one. Spray finished wreath with two coasts of clear polyurethane spray paint, letting dry between coats.

Color Block Pumpkins

Here's an easy way to create a striking pumpkin display that works especially well with smaller varieties. Just put an inch of crafts paint in the bottom of a paper bowl, and mix in a little water until the paint is fluid but not watery. Dip the pumpkin and gently rotate. Set your pumpkins on waxed paper to dry.

Black, White and Orange Front Door Decor

This combination of easy-to-make decorations (such as black-and-white painted pumpkins) and crafts store finds (like the black leaf garland) creates a cheerful entrance that welcomes visitors with the classic colors of the season.

Stenciled Pumpkins

Use leaf-shape stencils create to beautiful pumpkin displays. Wash and dry the pumpkins before painting. If overlapping stencil designs, make sure the first layer of paint is completely dry before you paint the next layer.

Orange-and-Black Pom-Pom Wreath

A pom-pom wreath and pumpkins created with cardstock strips make a clever and stylish display.

For the wreath, make or buy yarn pom-poms in a variety of colors and shapes and attach to a foam wreath with U-shape floral greening pins.

For the pumpkins, cut 12x12 cardstock into strips 1 inch wide and 9 to 12 inches long, depending on the size of the pumpkin. Punch a hole in the top and bottom of strip 1/4 inch from the edge. Place a brad fastener through the top holes and another fastener through the bottom holes. Bend strips so they form a backward C. Knot a piece of string around a brad, pull taut and tie around the other brad. Separate strips into a sphere. You can make tendrils and stems with floral wire, crepe paper and glue.

Yarn-Wrapped Pumpkins

Wrapping pumpkins and gourds in yarn gives them a modern, stylish feel.

For pumpkins with just yarn, hot-glue ends of yarn and wrap pumpkins in shades desired. For pumpkin with Xs, use a yarn needle and accent yarn to make multiple cross-stich Xs and tuck in the tails. For burlap-wrapped pumpkin, cut a burlap band to fit around pumpkin, pull a few threads to fray the long edges, and use yarn and a yarn needle to make stitches along the length of burlap. Wrap finished piece around pumpkin and hot-glue in place.

Geometric Painted Pumpkin

You'll just need crafts paint, a bowl and electrical tape to create this striking mod pumpkin. Trace the circle with a bowl and use electrical tape to block out the stripes (the tape works well around the curves of a pumpkin). Paint in fun colors.

Vintage-Inspired Halloween Mantel

This vintage-inspired mantel will make your home feel haunted! Hang or lean a collection of flea-market vintage silver trays on the wall—the more tarnished the better. Gather pewter and black candlestick holders and fill them with black taper candles. If some of the candles lean a little, even better; it creates a spooky feel. Use old books from second-hand stores to vary the height of the candlesticks.

Candy Corn Wreath

What says "Halloween" more than candy corn? This wreath is made with painted foam cones. We used nine 2-7/8-inch x 5-7/8-inch Styrofoam cones, cut in half from top to bottom to make 18 halves. With craft paint, we first painted each cone white, then painted the bottom third yellow and the middle part orange. Make sure the cones dry in between each paint coat. Glue to a sturdy cardboard circle to form a wreath. (For a smoother finish, cover the front of each cone with lightweight spackling compound, let dry and sand before painting.)

Spooky Painted Pumpkin Display

A touch of black paint transforms pumpkins into an eerie display of trees, a moon, crow and witch. Freehand the shapes, or if you need some artistic inspiration, search online for "pumpkin stencils" or "pumpkin templates."

Pumpkins Painted with Doilies

Doilies used as stencils give a lacy look to orange pumpkins in the entry.

Spooky Mantel

Use books to create different levels for decorating on long surfaces such as mantels. Look for inexpensive books at secondhand stores, and if you like, remove the jackets for a more vintage feel. Add pumpkins, skulls and cobwebs to suit your Halloween decorating goals.

Edgar Allan Poe-Themed Decor

As master of the macabre, Edgar Allan Poe makes a natural Halloween muse. Books feature the celebrated author's tales. A vintage typewriter puts an exclamation point on the literary theme.

Mummy-Look Glowing DIY Spheres

Fashion a spooky tabletop display that starts with easy-to-make plaster-cloth spheres. Wrap plaster-cloth strips (from a crafts store) around a balloon, following the directions on the plaster-cloth package. Leave open spaces as you wrap. When dry, remove the balloon and use a crafts knife to cut an opening for inserting the light. Place sphere over an orange or white battery-operated votive. Set your spheres on clear glass cake stands or similar displays.

Black-and-Orange Striped Pumpkins

Give a tabletop or mantel some Halloween flair with these stylish pumpkins. For the glitter stripes, glue sequin strips on pumpkins. To get the striated effect, spray pumpkins with glossy black paint (protect stems with tape). When dry, scratch vertical or hotizontal lines in the paint with a paring knife or key.

Dried Leaves on Pumpkins

For this easy DIY craft that works both for fall and Halloween, glue dried leaves on pumpkins in a variety of patterns. You can press your own leaves, or buy ones in a crafts store.

Easy Spider Web Wreath

Wrapping a foam wreath in orange yarn then black rickrack makes a web for a spider.