Halloween Decor From Video Tape and Trash Bags

Here is my Halloween porch, chock full of fun and CHEAP decor ideas.

 I have a few pieces I keep from year to year, like the pumpkin lights 

and the painted signs, but most of my 

Halloween look is made out of old VCR tapes and trash bags.

Dollar Store, here I come!

The big fat orange pumpkins are Halloween trash bags filled with crumpled newspaper. So easy to do  and so easy to store. But they aren't the real surprise here.

These spooky flyaway torn "curtains" are the most fun part of this decor,

 and I made them from black trash bags cut to open all the seams

 then cut in strips for creepy flyaway curtains.

The Welding Man set up a simple archway with scrap lumber 

and I stapled lots of black plastic strips all over. 

My grandkids made the sign out of twigs and an old board.

I LOVE how they look when the wind blows!

Then we took a couple of old VCR tapes and stripped them loose from their cases so we could do THIS!

You'll need at least one more person to make this giant web 

and the results are so worth it!

We did the horizontal stringers first then wrapped 

the vertical stringers last. 

We wrapped each joint with black electrical tape and

 stood back for the finishing touch.

Every giant spider web needs a giant spider.

We filled two black trash bags with more crumpled newspaper then wired them

 in place on our garden arch. We attached long pieces of strong wire

 and bent them into leg shapes then wrapped them with strips

 of black plastic and electrical tape.

The eyes and fangs are red felt.

So cool!

On the left side of the photo you can see the start of another huge spider web.

We had fun doing this and it was so easy and 

CHEAP!

On another post I'll show how I made the easy and cheap but 

still creepy and floaty black bats. 

I'll link it up right here.....

Halloween Windows from Poster Board

On our last trip to the Dollar Store, Insanely Creative Christy and I got to brainstorming about cheap Halloween decor for my front windows. We thought of the silhouettes Martha Stewart showed on her website so we grabbed 6 sheets of black poster board at 2/$1 and came up with these decorations.

We did this in one afternoon and we got the giggles doing it. It was alot of fun.

Christy came up with the idea of the monster eyes and claws coming out of the louvres. They look awesome.

She added some crow cut outs and then she cut out the window shapes from my drawings on the poster boards. We used double stick tape and we impatiently waited for twilight to see how it all looked.

Hey, that looks pretty good with just the flash on my camera. But wait, there's more...

Here's how they look after dark. Pretty cool, huh? And we still had poster board left. So Christy cut these out and stuck them up in my kitchen windows. Forgive the fuzzy pics, I was laughing at the time....


So cool and so cheap. They will look great on Halloween night if we don't scare the neighborhood kids away!

Now we are thinking how we can use poster board for Christmas decor and other holidays. Hmmmm, when we come up with something I'll be sure to post it here.

I'll be posting this to the fun linky parties listed on my sidebar, come check them out for some great, creative projects.

Black and White Halloween Decor

I love seeing all the creative ways bloggers decorate their fireplace mantels for each season. One smart lady even built a fireplace facade and mantel so she would have a focal point for decorating. Since I don't have a mantel, I utilize what I do have and that's a neat baker's rack The Welding Man made for our anniversary one year.

This year for Halloween I've shopped the house and the Dollar Store and loaded it up with all black and white decor. Though usually I am all about bright color, I really like this crisp combination.

I added some of my wired foam bats which I anchored in a bottle I spray painted gloss black. I made a wreath of the vines off our fence and once it dried painted it also. It looks great but it sheds ragged pieces of dried leaves EVERYWHERE, so it's not moving until after October 31st. A Dollar Store candelabra cutout and my silver decor ball are also on the top shelf, plus a couple of cloth pumpkins.

Fake cobwebs drape the bottom half over a bit of black fabric and lace scraps. The black netting fabric is from the Dollar Store. The jute wrapped apothecary jar is full of balls stamped with all the family's names. Insanely Creative Christy made it for my birthday and it looks great with this display.

Here's a shot showing the ruffled garland I made out of a Dollar Store plastic table cloth. So easy, and I'll be posting a how to on that soon. The square wrought iron piece usually hangs on the wall in my bedroom.

The bottom shelf has two Dollar Store cutouts which are really well done for the price. Fabric pumpkins sit on more glassware that I've spray painted gloss black. They look great! The little glass bell cloche sits over a plastic spider, you just can't see it in this pic.

Here's another look at the top shelf and my silver button decor ball draped with cobwebs next to my patchwork fabric pumpkin. The Dollar Store candelabra cut out will soon be on a door wreath, and I'll post pics when it is finished. Here also is another look at that dried vine wreath. I LOVE the spooky twisted vine look of it but Lord this thing sheds!

I've seen a few other black and white vignettes for Halloween and loved them, tho I have a tendency to LOAD THINGS UP. I understand the concept of less is more, but then I start putting things together and soon you have an eclectic mix with lots of visual appeal and interest. But hey, I like it.

I'll be posting on the linky parties on my sidebar. Take a moment to check them out, there are always some wonderfully creative projects to be found.

Pretty Lace Pumpkins

Since we've moved I have not yet found all my holiday stuff, and I've been itching to get some things changed up. What to do? Why, make some decor with what I can find, of course.

So I shopped my stash and found scraps of black lace yardage, and fabric in white and rusty orange and some crochet thread.....and ta da! Lacy pumpkins to get me kick started.



Cut your lace and backing fabric the same size. Make the length twice as much as the width. This gives you pleasing pumpkin proportions.



Sew both pieces together on the long edge with your longest stitch. Or you can do this by hand with needle and thread. Pull your thread up tight and gather it and tie it off. I put a dab of hot glue on the thread ends to keep them taut. Then sew your short side seam.

Turn it inside out.

Stuff your pumpkin full with fiberfill or whatever you have at hand. I've even used plastic shopping bags in a pinch. Lord knows we have plenty of them!

After stuffing, pull thread on the top edge tightly to gather and tie your threads, then secure with a little bit of hot glue.


Thread a sturdy, long needle with black crochet thread or string. Tie a knot in one end and run it through your pumpkin, straight through the middle. Draw it tight. The tighter it is, the fatter your pumpkin will look. Do this about six times.

Look! Plump pumpkiny goodness!

Glue a stick and some fake leaves at the top for a bit of color. So cute! By this point you will be smiling and quite pleased with yourself. Or is that just me?



And here is the combination of black lace over orange fabric. Gorgeous! I'm thinking now I need to make some black ones with white lace, just to complete the lacy look. And the best part? These didn't cost me a dime since I made them with scraps from my stash. Win win!

Ooh aah. I love the look of the black lace over the solid colors. At the top left is a plain white pumpkin with no lace. I like the pure simplicity of it. Now to the fun part, putting this all together for a colorful display.

I'll be linking up to the fun parties in my sidebar plus The Fall Festival below.  Stop by and take a look, there are always tons of creative ideas out there.