5 Essential Halloween Decorations: DIY Tips For Festive Decor
With Halloween approaching steadily, it is once again that time of the year when one brings out spooky and scary decorations from the cellar to prepare the house for trick or treaters.
Creating Halloween decorations by oneself or with friends like a DIY activity is in fact a way to spend some time with family, friends and intimate groups.
However, crafting these decorations requires just a bit of attention to detail so all the spooky and shadowy elements can be done just right. Carving pumpkins, setting up cobwebs and making ghost lanterns are some of the ways to prepare DIY Halloween decorations at home.
Read on below for some essential tips to get the festive decor just right, come this night in October when all things ghostly take centre stage:
Themed House Of Horrors
One of the cleverest hacks involved in planning a house of horrors is to settle upon a theme. With this, it becomes easier to figure out what decorations will be required and the props that would be needed for the mise en scène. The theme of the haunted house should be frightening but also funny so that everyone can experience the feel of the space without getting too agitated.
Such a theme could mean employing a Frankenstein-like scape or introducing a Dracula effect into the house even as there is an element of cackling laughter or weird faces that end up making guests smile just a little.
Repurpose Old Decorations
Another way to get organised with the DIY preparations for Halloween is to use already existing decorations. With this, one can cut down on the time required to go shopping and sourcing newer materials.
As well, old Halloween decorations do retain a certain scary charm and if they look faded, they also introduce an element of shabbiness which is particularly interesting if one is curating a themed decor like an old haunted house or an old castle which is supposed to be home to many ghosts.
Make A Stationery Checklist
Once the existing decorations have been examined, make a thorough checklist of the other materials required to craft DIY decorations. From good quality craft paper to black and white sketch pens, colours, crayons, scissors and glue, such an inventory requires a trip to the local stationer.
Having a thorough checklist makes for fruitful shopping so that all the decorative materials are at hand when one decides to host a DIY crafts evening for friends and family to prepare these Halloween essentials.
Use Natural Elements
If one has a home garden or has arranged potted plants in the house, these can be turned into decoratives come Halloween. With just a little bit of rearrangement and lighting, indoor plants can be so set up that they cast giant shadows on the walls of the house.
Outdoor plants can be arranged in a way that jack-o-lanterns are placed around them to introduce the feel of a fire in a forest.
As well, other natural elements like dried branches, crisp fall leaves and some brown twigs and sticks can also be incorporated into Halloween decorations to bring in a haunted forest or period vibe into the setting.
Go For Spooky Lighting
While planning Halloween decorations, it is essential to pay close attention to lighting.
Sometimes, the lighting can become too dim so that it just looks dark and at others, it might be so bright that the spookiness ebbs away. Go for lighting which casts dark shadows on the walls or make use of natural moonlight if it is a full moon and a Halloween gathering is being hosted outdoors.
Other ways of curating spooky lighting can be using dim fairy lights, LED glow sticks or candles which bring an eerie and macabre touch to the space.
