DIY Lights to Decorate for Halloween
According to the National Retail Federation, Americans will spend nearly $8 Billion on Halloween this year. It is a hugely popular holiday that has grown exponentially since I was a kid. However, you don't necessarily have to spend a ton of money to get a festive look for your home. I've got several options for creating a festive glow with items you have just hanging around the house or affordably found at the dollar store. The first lantern is made with empty milk jugs. Use a Sharpie marker to make the face design of your choice, as shown in the photo to the left. Felt triangles can be glued on for the cat's ears and a green marker colors the entire carton for the monster. Fill the bottom of the carton with sand and place a votive candle inside.
Empty soup or vegetable cans can be rinsed and reused for these lanterns. First fill with water and freeze solid. Now use a marker to spell out trick or treat or draw a design. Then use a hammer and nail to make holes along the pattern lines. Finish off the craft by painting the can black, place a candle inside and you've got a beautiful lantern for your entryway or inside your home.
The ever popular mason jar gets put to use for this next lantern. To create the color you desire, brush the inside of the mason jar with diluted white glue and then press torn pieces of tissue paper into the glue. For the ghosts, use white, the pumpkins use orange, and the monsters can be made with either green or purple tissue paper. Cut out eye, mouth, and nose shapes from black construction paper and glue onto the outside of the jar. These jars get lit with string lights since candles would be dangerous with the tissue paper lining.
The final light is made by wrapping white yarn around a clear glass round votive holder (available at the dollar store) to look like a spider web. Using a hot glue gun, put a blob of glue and use a pencil or popsicle stick to push the end of the yarn into the hot glue. This technique prevents you from burning off your fingerprint! Continue wrapping the yarn randomly around the glass, adding extra drops of hot glue intermittently to keep it from unraveling. After it is covered in webbing, glue a couple of plastic spiders on top to finish off the look.
Do you have any other favorite Halloween crafts? Please share your ideas in the comments section below.
Barbara Green is the owner of Sensibly Chic Designs for Life and the host of Ask the Design Diva radio show. She believes you CAN have it all: kids, pets, and a beautiful home. Her showroom is located at 830 Lamar Avenue and is open by appointment only. Mention Charlotte Parent Magazine when you call 704-608-9424 to schedule your appointment and receive the first 30 minutes free!
