I just love a good fright!
Especially on Halloween night.
We’re all ready to welcome trick or treaters with a stockpile of candy and a spooky porch decorated in a gothic horror novel vibe. Our goal was to be scary, minus the gore, so as not to frighten the youngest Halloween visitors.
Decorating for Halloween is always a family affair, and this year my 9-year-old son was really into helping create a theme and set the scene.
He lined our stars with plastic skull cups
that we turned into lumarias with battery-powered tealight candles
. He also had way too much fun playing with plastic rats
.
They’re hanging out everywhere.
Slimy, creepy, ick!
This motion sensor rat
even makes noise when you walk by.
When it comes to decorating for Halloween, I try not to spend too much. Instead, I use what I have in creative ways.
The skeleton wreath on the front door is one I made a few years ago, and it seems to work with our Halloween decor every year. We repurposed some glow-in-the-dark bats
from Jackson’s Playhouse or Horror to hang above the front door and we used more of the skull cups (hung with dental floss) on our spooky trees.
I salvaged the pumpkins from our fall porch decor and just spooked things up a bit by adding rats and skulls and bats.
And creepy crows.
My husband said this bird really creeps him out at night!
Since this summer, when I painted this black buffet for the porch, I have been looking forward to decorating it for Halloween.
I love how it turned out.
So much madness!
While it’s true that I have a plastic storage bin or two (OK three) full of Halloween decorations in the attic, I really don’t spend much on my spooky decor every year.
I just try to buy things that I know I’ll use over and over again — though they may find a different spot every year.
I’ve used this witch’s hat (a favorite purchase from the Country Living Fair several years ago) inside as well as out.
No hocus pocus, just clever repurposing.
For Halloween, I just love the dollar store.
That’s where I buy all my bats and skulls…
and eyeballs and spiders.
I hope this Halloween tour didn’t spook you too much.
If you’re brave enough for more, come inside.
Legend of Sleepy Hollow Halloween Decorations
Southern Gothic Halloween Decorations
And you’ll have to compare this year’s porch to last year’s and tell me which one you like better! Or which one gives you nightmares.
Jennifer
I absolutely LOVE your porches and you are now making me wish I had decorated a bit more for Halloween! We don’t get many trick or treaters at all (I can generally count on one hand) and my kids don’t trick or treat anymore, so decorating was shoved to the back burner. Sigh. I know all of your neighbors and the kids are going to love visiting your house this year!
Jen
laura@duke manor farm
no one does halloween like you!
Betsyjoyner
Love the decorations, it’s fabulous!