How to Decorate a Hay Bale for Halloween

Make your own hay bale Halloween decoration.

Halloween is the time for scares, ghosts, witches and warlocks. Get into the spirit by making some of your own yard decorations. Hay bales are a regular staple of Halloween decor, the dried straw a perfect reminder of the fall season. Instead of spending your hard-earned dollars on overpriced All Hallows Eve decorations, spend a little bit of time on a homemade centerpiece decoration of your own using a hay bale.

Things You'll Need

• Hay bale
• Artificial cobwebs
• Plastic spiders
• Old gloves
• Sand or dirt
• Old flannel shirt
• Scissors
• Dried leaves
• LED Halloween lights
• Outdoor extension cord (optional)
• Corn syrup
• Red food coloring
• Bucket
• Dry ice

Instructions

1. Place the hay bale in the area of your yard where it will be the most visible. Flat areas, like a front porch or lawn, are best. Make sure an outdoor power outlet is nearby.

2. Separate a chunk of artificial cobwebs and drape it all over the hay bale. The thinner the web, the more realistic it will look. Sprinkle a few plastic spiders here and there to give the bale a creepy-crawly look.

3. Fill a pair of old gloves with sand or dirt and set them on top of the bale. Cut the sleeves off an old flannel shirt and tie one end -- the end closest to the shoulder -- into a knot. Stuff the sleeves with old leaves and position them against the gloves so it looks like the "hands" are attached to "arms." This will look like someone -- or something -- hiding behind the hay bale for extra scares.

4. Wind LED Halloween lights around the hay bale, choosing either colorful or black-light bulbs. LED is necessary because the bulbs do not get hot; non-LED bulbs may pose a fire hazard. Plug the lights into an outdoor socket, using an outdoor extension cord if necessary.

5. Mix about 10 drops of red food coloring with 1/2 cup of corn syrup to make homemade fake blood. Dribble the blood over the hay bale and hands, avoiding the LED lights.

6. Fill a bucket with water and drop in a few pieces of dry ice to create smoke. Place the bucket out of sight behind the bale during trick-or-treating to give your decoration a creepy look. Keep adding dry ice when the older pieces stop letting off smoke.

Tips & Warnings

• Substitute the scary hands with a plastic skeleton, unlit jack-o-lanterns or other seasonal decoration.

• Make a scary spider centerpiece by stuffing eight black knee socks with dry leaves. Wrap a large, square black T-shirt remnant around dried leaves or stuffing and tie the bottom in a knot to create a black ball. Sew the "legs" to the "head" of the spider and place it atop your hay bale.

• Do not use non-LED string lights on a hay bale. This is a fire hazard.

• Always wear gloves or use ice tongs when handing dry ice.