We are all eagerly waiting for Halloween to arrive. We have prepared everything for the whimsical, yet oh-so spooky, time of the year and are on our toes for the trick or treat! And, there is no doubt that decorating the house with bats, pumpkins, jack-o-lanterns, skeletons, ghouls, ghosts, and other eerie creatures given birth by our vivid imagination is one of the best ways to embrace this holiday and have fun. But, what about our windows? Have you managed to put together some really spooky Halloween decorations or were you over your head with tasks and endless to-do lists at work? For those on a budget or all of you that did not have the time to work on their home’s scary appearance this Halloween, we give you some last minute Halloween window decorating ideas to create an atmosphere that will add to the overall excitement of the holiday!
Sometimes you might wonder how people can have the time or the money to be able to deck out their houses with such impressive decorations. But, if you approach your own decorating projects with some solid online research and creativity, putting up excellent do it yourself decorations on a budget can be much easier than you think.
The first step is to categorize your decorations. Split your house up into sections, with different ideas for each. A good example of this would be dividing it into lawn decorations, door decorations, in house decorations, and window decorations. Today, we are focusing specifically on three types of window decorations: Silhouetted, Over-Window, and Paint decorations. As you read, however, keep in mind that often the best decorations are those that use a combination of all three types to create the best effect.
Silhouetted Decorations
Setting up silhouetted decorations is one of the most cost effective ways of making your home Halloween ready. They do require a bit of artistic ability, though. What you will need is some construction paper, probably black, a pair of scissors, and some tape (black electrical tape is best).
Now all you need to do is cut out the shape that you want to be silhouetted on your window and then tape it to the inside of your window. At night when your inside lights are on, your clever (and inexpensive!) silhouette will be outlined on your window.
Some ideas for what shapes you would like to cut out depend on your level of skill and comfort with artistic skills. For a simple project, write out a message on the construction paper, for instance “Happy Halloween,”. Cut it out and stick it on. If you’re a little more confident in your abilities, you could also attempt some Halloween animals, such as cats, spiders, or bats, or attempt to make monsters, such as zombies, ghosts, or skeletons.
Black cats, in particular, are closely associated with many superstitions, especially during the Halloween season. So, you can play with that notion and create a mystical aura to a black cat that’s been cut out of cardboard or paper and attached to the inside of your window. Don’t forget to hang lights behind the cat silhouette. The orange-ish glow will give a fright for sure!
Another good idea is to cut the eyes out of your silhouettes as well to make them seem more realistic. You can also vary the background light behind it with either orange curtains or orange hanging lights to add to the effect.
Over-Window Decorations
These types of decorations seem to be the most difficult to pull off and appear to be the most expensive.
The simplest of the over-window decorations is likely spider webs, which can be accomplished with a variety of materials. Some of the easiest and most cost effective are yarn, trash bags, and pipe cleaners. All of which can be cut, tied, and put together to create any size web you desire.
If you want to do something more complex than spider webs, though, it begins to get more expensive. But one of the best ideas is to board up your windows, giving your house more of a haunted feel for this Halloween. If you don’t want to actually nail some 2×4’s to your window, then an excellent alternative is to use cardboard, and perhaps use a pencil to draw on it to make parts look like they are rotten or riddled with knots.
Another clever decoration, if you are artsy enough, can be hanging pumpkins, which you can hang with either nails or a curtain rod on the inside of your window. Use green and orange construction paper to cut strips, which can then be stapled together in the shape of a pumpkin and hung with string from the curtain rod or nails. While it may not be as large or attention-grabbing as some of the other Halloween decorations, they can be done quite quickly for a low cost and add some excellent Halloween color to your home.
A much easier, but also a more expensive way to decorate your windows can be accomplished with a quick trip to your local Halloween store. Here you can buy a skeleton or zombie or some other monster to hang on your window as well. Combine this with your boarded windows and some spider web, and you are in business! While most store bought items tend to be more expensive, though, the plus side is they can often be used for multiple years, saving yourself tons of time by storing your decorations throughout the year until they come back out in October.
Painted Decorations
The last type of decoration can be quite messy but is unquestionably the easiest, regardless of your artistic abilities. For this, simply buy some window paint at your local arts and crafts store and get started. Put a red handprint, write a themed message such as “RIP, “Enter if you Dare” or “Trick or Treat”. If you cannot find window paint, another alternative is combining red food coloring and glue in a mixture to make sure your message will stick to the window.
Or, if you or one of your family members or friends can paint well, have them paint a large pair of eyes, an animal, or a Halloween monster on your window to really stand out both at night in the form of a silhouette and in the day when the art can be easily visible in the sunlight.
Now, if you are literally racing to get things done on the 31st of October, there is no easier window decoration that blood spatters, which indicate that something went terribly wrong in the house! So, grab some red paint from the nearest hardware store, dip your hands in it, and add “blood-dripping” handprints that look like someone was trying to escape a horrific crime scene. Slide your hands down and use a brush to add some blood splatters all over the window! How many would be daring enough to come close to a blood-drenched home?
Some of the best decorations people use for Halloween often appear to be much more expensive and much more time-consuming than they actually are. However, if you use some creativity and channel some artistic ability you can have your home looking ready for the Halloween season in no time. The best tip is to use a combination of the above decorations to create a window decoration that will impress your friends and give a scare to trick or treaters.
Most importantly, make sure that you have fun with it! Making Halloween decorations doesn’t need to be a chore, and if you do it with some good friends or family, it can turn into an excellent way to bond while simultaneously immersing yourself in the Halloween spirit.
Happy Halloween!