5 DIY Halloween decorations for every crafting ability level

DIY Halloween decorations are a safe way to have some campy, creepy fun. It will bring the family together, and save you some money on expensive store-bought décor.

The internet is awash with DIY crafting listicles and examples, but many of these are structured to show off a nice photo of the craft while providing very few instructions and tips on avoiding common pitfalls. Instead, I've found and tried seven different crafts, from easy to challenging, that will make you say, “Oh man I can’t wait to make that myself!”

For sure, this is no experts guide. I had varying degrees of success, and I can show you what to do—and not to do. Here are our favorite DIY Halloween decorations.

1. Vampire mini pumpkins

What You Need:

• Carving or paring knife

• Mini pumpkins (kabocha squash will also work)

• Vampire teeth

• Round-head push pins

Time Needed: 15 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Step by step

1. Take your mini pumpkin (or kabocha squash) and carve a small rectangular hole where you want the mouth to be. You can gauge the size by holding the vampire fangs up to the pumpkin, but it’s better to err on the side of too small than too large, especially when it comes to the width. If you want the jaws to be more closed, keep the height of the cut small; if you want the fangs to be more aggressively bared, make the hole slightly taller.

2. Once you have the hole cut, it's time to insert those chompers. They're easier to position if you hold them closed, then release them once they're in place. If they're too wobbly, you can push the teeth open so the plastic edges get slightly embedded in the pumpkin.

3. To create its beady red eyes, insert two (or more) pushpins. Other eyes can also work (cough—googly—cough). It really just depends on kind of vampire pumpkin vibe you’re going for.

2. Cheap chains

What You Need:

• Hacksaw

• PVC pipe

• Metallic spray paint

• C-clamp

Time Needed: 15-30 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Step by step

1. Using a hacksaw, saw off each individual “chain link” from your larger tube of PVC pipe, which takes time and arm strength to get through. Start with a few, because you want to make sure the segments are thin enough to actually chain together. Keep the segments thinner than the inner radius.

2. Then, cut through the perimeter of each and every PVC link to make a “C” shape. This can be difficult, because these pipe segments are going to be pretty small and difficult to keep steady. We recommend using a clamp to help keep your fingers well away from the path of your hacksaw.

3. Now it's time to connect your links. Simply press the PVC segments together at the openings you cut. Once everything is chained together, it's time to glue the segments together to form closed loops again. This part is largely aesthetic, because the PVC will likely stay together even with the opening remaining. If you do decide to glue them back together, allow enough time for the glue to set before moving on.

4. Once you're done, use metallic spray paint to paint the links. Allow the paint to dry overnight in a well-ventilated area.

3. Packing tape poltergeists

What You Need:

• Clear packing tape

• Scissors

Time Needed: 15 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Step by step

This craft is straightforward but it comes with a caveat: Make sure you aren’t allergic to anything in packing tape before encasing yourself in it.

1. You want to wrap your nondominant hand, unless you like a challenge. While you want the first layer to be sticky side up, I found that it was far easier to start by sticking the first half-inch of the tape to my arm sticky side down. That small anchor point helps keep things steady; otherwise the tape will slide as you're wrapping it around your arm.

2. While wrapping, make sure to keep your binding loose. It's surprisingly easy to accidentally make it too tight, while will make it harder to remove later.

3. Once you’ve wrapped up your arm, you will need to carefully cut the packing tape cast off with the scissors. Gently run the scissors along your skin, making sure you only snip the tape.

4. Once the translucent cast of your arm is fully removed, you'll want to cover up that slit you made with the scissors. A few extra strips of packing tape should do the trick. This should result in a cohesive, ghastly appendage.

5. From here it’s just a matter of decoration. Pair it with a hidden light source, which gives the translucent structure an otherworldly glow. You could also make a few different hands and put them behind a cloth to create ghastly grasping silhouettes.

4. Freaky feel boxes

What You Need:

• Cardboard box

• Construction paper

• Scissors

• Glue sticks

• Grapes

• Cooked spaghetti

Time Needed: 15-30 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Step by step

1. Have a plan before you start cutting up the cardboard. Plan where you want the top and bottom of the box, and how you'll place your bowl of grapes or spaghetti inside. Once you've figured your top and bottom, it's time to start cutting. The bottom can be removed completely. For the top, I traced out a hole that was approximately 150% larger than my fist, then cut it out. Don't worry about leaving stray lines, because you'll be covering it up with construction paper.

2. Start decorating! This part of the project is pretty open-ended, and you can design as you like, though a great go-to material for this is colored construction paper. I made a mummified box with cheese cloth strips, a Frankenstein’s monster box, and a Jack-o’-lantern box. A zombie box is another great idea, especially if it contains “brains.”

3. After your box is fully decorated, place a bowl inside filled with peeled grapes or wet spaghetti that will have your spine-tingling.

5. Eyes that follow you wherever you go

What You Need:

• Plastic bowls

• Construction paper

• Hot glue gun

• Black foam core board

• White spray paint

• Box cutter

• Optional: Red marker

Time Needed: 30 minutes, over two days

Difficulty: Medium

Step by step

1. Lightly spray white paint on the exterior of your plastic bowls. You want the thinnest possible covering, because you’ll be installing this decoration somewhere between the viewer and a light source and you need the light source to be able to shine through. Allow the spray paint to dry overnight.

2. With a boxcutter or scissors, cut out black construction paper circles that fit into the bottom of each bowl. These are your eyes’ pupils.

3. Cut a piece of black construction paper in a circle and glue onto the bowl to create a pupil.

4. Draw in some optional veins on the inside of the bowl's white surface with a red marker. Use a dry erase marker if you’re unsure if you want veiny eyes or not.

5. Mount your eyes to the foam core board. Placing a bowl facedown on the board, trace around its perimeter, and then then use your boxcutter to cut out the round hole. Then, carefully position the bowl over it and hot glue it into place. You don’t want any gaps between the bowl and the foam core board, so err on the side of a smaller hole where necessary.

6. This illusion works best when you install the eyes in a door or window with a light source behind it, then cover up any remaining gaps where the light might shine through.

7. Time to test it out. Stand in front of the eyes and look into them as you move around. Since the pupils are at the bottom of a concave surface, you’ll be able to see them from various angles, creating the illusion of movement. It’s a neat trick and definitely one you'll see at my house this Halloween.