How to Make Easy Outdoor Halloween Decorations

Create easy outdoor halloween decorations.

Halloween is a time of ghoulish and ghastly fun, when adults and children alike enjoy being scared and playing macabre tricks. You can learn how to make easy outdoor Halloween decorations that will make your yard a delightful haunted playground, without spending a lot of money on expensive decorations.

Things You'll Need

• Cardboard Scissors Gray spray paint Markers Glue Plastic bones Fog machine Old clothes Boots or tennis shoes Monster mask Straw or newspapers Needle and thread Fake blood Stretchable cobwebs Fake spiders Black paper Paper bags Sand Votive candles

Instructions

Haunted Cemetery

1. Cut out pieces of cardboard in the shapes of tombstones. Spray paint the cardboard with gray spray paint, preferably outdoors or in a well-ventilated area. With a black marker, write names on the tombstones. Write names of Halloween monsters such as Dracula or the Wolfman. For an extra macabre touch, create a tombstone for every member of the household and write their names.

2. Cut out rectangular pieces of cardboard like picture frame stands and glue them to the back of the cardboard tombstones. Prop the cardboard tombstones up in the yard, preferably in a patch of dirt or soil. Add plastic bones to the soil in front of the cardboard tombstones to make it look like the graves have been disturbed. Bury part of the plastic bones in the soil to make the scene appear more realistic.

3. Place a fog machine in a nearby tree or in a concealed part of the yard close to the haunted cemetery, such as in a flower bed or balcony. Turn on the fog machine during Halloween night to add an extra atmospheric effect.

Creepy Monsters

1. Use some old and unused clothes, some boots or tennis shoes and a monster mask to create a creepy monster. Fill the clothes and the monster mask with straw or newspaper to give the body of the monster added volume.

2. Tuck the clothes into each other (the shirt into the pants, the shoes into the bottom of the pants). Place the monster mask where the head would go. If necessary, use glue or needle and thread to keep the different clothes pieces attached to each other. If desired, tear the clothes up or add fake blood to make the monster appear more disheveled and menacing.

3. Place the monster outside in the yard in a tree branch or propped up against a tree or garage. Place face stretchable cobwebs and fake spiders around the monster.

Paper Bag Luminarias

1. Cut out Halloween designs using black paper, such as pumpkins or scary faces. As an alternative to creating designs from scratch, you can use Halloween stencils. Photoshop or Paint can also be used to create more professional-looking designs. If using software to design, make the designs black, print them out on white printer paper, then cut out.

2. Glue the black designs to the inside of the paper bags. After allowing the designs to dry, fill the paper bags with sand to weigh them down. Place a votive candle inside each paper bag.

3. Place the paper bags outside in a path leading up to the front door of the house. Make sure to place the paper bags away from any combustible objects, such as fake cobwebs, grass or flowers. Light the candles at night.

References

• Better Homes and Gardens: Outdoor Halloween Decorations
• HGTV: Halloween
• Dummies: Creating Paper Bag Luminarias for Holiday Decorating

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish