Comments on: How to Decorate Outdoors for Halloween

on 2/7/2008 It's a lot more fun when you do your own thing. I think it takes away from the mood, the fun of halloween when people mimic eachother. I suggest making your own decorations. It might be more time consuming but you can have a lot of fun with it.

on 9/21/2006 Items you'll need for this:
Cereal, cracker, cake mix boxes. Flat corrugated cardboard, string cloth, contact paper, white paper, masking tape, gold or silver paint pens, fonts, spray paint (any color will do).

Cut the covers and bindings edges out of the flat corrugated cardboard, bending the binding edge so that it is more curved (like a real book) . Tape the binding to the front and back cover, then cover with white paper and spray paint in color sets-all brown, blue, rust, etc. Making sure the inside edges of the covers that would show were also painted. Wait for paint to dry, use the string cloth, self adhesive contact paper to cover the edges of the box. Place contact paper over the edge to hide everything. When the cover is fully dry, hot glue them to the box. Once the book is assembled hand write the title you want on the cover and side in gold or silver paint pens using printed-out fonts for inspiration.

on 8/8/2006 Buy white sheets (I like to use the sheer type from Goodwill and such stores). Prepare a 5 gallon bucket. Soak the sheets for a day or so in a mixture of water, charcoal (smashed up), dirt and black or brown house paint (the cheap stuff). Use a stick to stir ever so often. When done soaking, wring the sheets out (wear rubber gloves) and hang dry from clothes line. Use the finished sheets on walls, or as tablecloths.

on 8/8/2006 For our outdoor party, we used a large cauldron with our favorite drink of choice and put a submersible light in it. It's pretty cool-looking at night. Dress it up with a skeleton or witch, whatever your theme is.

on 6/30/2006 Have a cheese cloth ghost hanging barley above the ground. Then put a fog machine behind it. Have scary music play, then when trick or treaters come up, spray the fog from behind it and have a blood thirsty scream go through the night.

on 11/22/2005 Take some dark bedsheets (dark blue or black) and hang them from a PVC pipe (1 inch diameter). Cut a slit down the middle so that people can walk through. This way people cannot see what's on your porch. This creates a perfect opportunity to scare someone with something unexpected. Hang multiple curtains to hide more stuff!

on 11/22/2005 Make sure if you line your walkway with candles, be sure that the candles are put far enough away so the kids with sweeping costumes won't catch fire.

on 11/22/2005 Have someone sitting in front of your house pretending to be dead. When the kids pass, have them jump up and scream! The children will usually yell right back!

on 11/22/2005 When The Trick-or-Treaters walk into your courtyard, spray them with fog. Put a table with a cloth over it, then put the candy bowl on top with a sign that says 'Take 1 piece' and when they walk up, have a helper hide under the table and grab their legs and shake them. They will run away fast!

on 11/22/2005 I save old coffee cans, Christmas tins, etc. I drill holes in them, either random or patterns, like you would carve a pumpkin. You can freeze water in the tins or just use the drill press. You can use wire to make handle. Paint them green or orange and hang them from hooks or put them along sidewalks (far enough away from the sidewalk to prevent accidents). Use cheap candles and you have inexpensive lighting. I also use mason jars and tea lights in my graveyard to illuminate the tombstones.

on 11/22/2005 Place a small florescent stick inside a white balloon, fill the balloon with helium. Tape white paper towels around the bottom of the balloon, draw on face with a magic marker, tie a string to the end and tie it off to porch or mailbox.

on 12/22/2005 I do about 20 or so fancy pumpkins every year and decided to carve them out of wood instead. So now I just add to my collection every year. No more messing with pumpkin guts. I use a jigsaw and a dremel tool to do these.

on 11/22/2005 Another festive outdoor decorating tip is to purchase some corn stalks and haybales. Put them near your doorway, perhaps leaning against a tree. Quite frankly, you should tie the stalks to a tree or another rigid surface such as a pole or a stick. Make your own scarecrow out of, for example, old, useless clothing items or materials that you purchased from a resale or thrift shop. Scatter an assorment of gourds, mini pumpkins, and colorful autumn leaves near the decorative arrangement to complete the feeling that "FALL IS REALLY HERE!"

on 11/22/2005 Have hands, legs or heads (fake, of course) sticking out of the ground, windows or trunk of your car.

on 11/22/2005 Take small white kitchen garbage bags and stuff a ball of newspaper into it to form a head; wrap a long twist-tie around the "neck" and use a felt marker to make two big black eyes. Hang in trees, along fences, etc.