Easy Halloween Decorating Ideas: 12 Quick Indoor and Outdoor Projects

Spook up your home with 12 simple, family-friendly Halloween decorations.

Halloween home decorating

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About this

A roundup of twelve easy Halloween decoration ideas that can be set up inside and outside the home in very little time, aimed at families with limited time who still want a festive house. Indoor projects include cheesecloth ghosts, swarming plastic spiders, sheet-covered furniture, flying bats and skeletons, while outdoor ideas cover a crashed witch, jack-o-lanterns, yard inflatables, colored light bulbs, ghosts on stakes, a faux graveyard and spider webs. The post mixes cheap homemade projects with store-bought props and links out to related Halloween content.

The plan

Pick decorations that don't take long to set up, since time is limited.

Mix homemade decorations with things you can buy from the store.

For outdoor decorating, be respectful of your neighbors and any local codes.

Gather indoor supplies: cheesecloth, black construction paper, white sheets, twisty sticks, cobwebs.

Gather or shop for outdoor supplies: plastic black spiders, black felt bat cutouts, skeletons, a witch-crash-into-tree prop, Halloween light bulbs, fake tombstones and spider webs.

Decoration ideas

Cheesecloth Ghosts: Use cheesecloth for the body and black construction paper for the eyes and mouth, then place a few around the house for a cheap, simple, fun and creepy-but-cute DIY decoration (search 'cheesecloth ghosts' on Pinterest for tutorials).

Spiders on the Move: Tape a bunch of cheap plastic black spiders onto walls and doors so they look like they are crawling everywhere; if you can only find kid spider rings, cut off the plastic ring part.

Covered Furniture: Drape white sheets over furniture for a spooky indoor look, then add a few twisty sticks painted black and a cobweb or two to complete the effect.

Flying Bats: Buy or make black felt cutouts in bat shapes and tape them to the walls to create the illusion of bats flying around the room.

Bones and More Bones: Prop up or hang a skeleton or two around the house for a Halloween-y look.

Crashed Witch: Set up a witch that appears to have crashed into a tree or the side of the house; a simple, fun, quick decoration if you have a tree in your yard.

Jack-o-lanterns: Carve them as a family for the memories, then set them outside on the front porch, steps or walkway and slip a candle inside each for evening enjoyment.

Yard Inflatables: Use custom inflatables, such as characters from favorite movies or TV shows, or a giant inflatable pumpkin, to add a personal touch and great photo opportunities.

Colored Light Bulbs: Swap in orange and purple light bulbs to set a spooky tone; they are super fast to change out and make a big impact on your home's ambiance.

Ghosts on Stakes: Use cheesecloth, old sheets, shower curtains or any white fabric; drive tomato stakes (or metal fencing rods) into the lawn, mount a Styrofoam ball or wad of newspaper held together with masking tape on top, drape the white fabric over it, draw eyes and a mouth with a black marker, and dress the ghosts with hats and other funny or scary accessories.

Graveyard: Make your lawn into a temporary graveyard with faux tombstones, usually made of a lightweight, water-resistant material like foam designed to look remarkably like stone; they are very affordable and can last several years.

Spider Webs: Purchase ready-to-hang spider webs for outdoor shrubbery, windows and doors, or stretch cotton balls or cheesecloth over bushes and trees; on a porch they give the entryway a really spooky look, and you can add plastic spiders in various spots on the webs.