1. Upcycle autumn leaves
Whether you rake up your fall leaves or mulch them to return nutrients to your lawn’s soil, set a few dozen to the side.
- Grab a handful of mason jars, a paintbrush, and Mod Podge
- Paint the jars with a thin layer of Mod Podge
- Once it’s dried enough to be sticky, start adding leaves on
- Continue to paint thin layers and add more leaves to create a leaf collage all around the jar.
As a finishing touch, put a small electric or wax tea candle inside the jars. Place them along your front walkway to give your front yard a simple and spooky harvest glow.
2. Construct bloodthirsty bats with egg cartons.
After you throw the last of your eggshells into the compost, hang onto the cartons the eggs came in. With a pair of scissors and a little paint, you can transform the foam or cardboard into the perfect spooky accent for any trees or bushes in your front yard.
- Get a pair of scissors, glue, ribbons, craft paint, a paintbrush and googly eyes
- Cut the cartons so each bat has three cups
- Cut two triangles out of each side carton to create bat “wings”
- Paint the cartons with the color of your choice
- When it’s dried, glue googly eyes onto the front
- Poke a hole into the top of the bat and string the ribbon through
- Tie the ribbon on the inside of the carton to keep it from slipping through
When your bats are ready to fly, hang them from the foliage or fencing in your front yard.
3. Craft ghostly gravestones
Transforming your front yard into a spine-chilling cemetery is as easy as gathering up some cardboard boxes, paint, a permanent marker, scissors, popsicle sticks, and strong tape or hot glue.
- Outline your gravestone shapes on the cardboard with permanent marker
- Use this to guide your scissors as you cut the gravestone out -- note that a utility knife might work best for thick cardboard
- Once you’ve cut out your gravestone, lay down the excess cardboard to serve as a drop cloth for paint
- Paint the gravestones the colors you’d like and let dry
- While you’re waiting, brainstorm some truly terrifying names!
- When dry, tape or hot glue a popsicle stick to the back
Add any ghoulish names or other final touches. Then, stick them in your yard or garden to delight passersby. And, be sure to bring them inside if any dark and stormy nights roll through, as rain can damage the cardboard.
4. Create a wheelbarrow burial ground
Before you compost youryard waste or kick it to the curb—whether it be leaves, dead plants, grass clippings, or extra mulch—give it a sordid second life as an above-ground resting place.
- Fill your wheelbarrow about halfway with yard waste
- Dismantle a store-bought skeleton so you can rearrange “pieces”
- Reconstruct the skeleton’s shape within the yard waste
- Leave 3 to 4-inch gaps between bones to make them look half-buried
When you're ready to put it on display, move your wheelbarrow to where trick-or-treaters are sure to get a good scare.
5. Cultivate a creepy scarecrow
Whether you’ve just started a vegetable garden or you’re a seasoned green thumb, there’s a simple way to keep the scares coming and keep birds away from all of your hard work: a scarecrow. It’s a simple prop that doubles as an easy piece of your outdoor Halloween décor, and it’s an easy and fun way to get your kids in the garden with you.
- You’ll need old or unwanted clothing like frayed jeans and a long-sleeve shirt
- Attach the shirt to the pants with safety pins
- Get a burlap sack or pillowcase to be the scarecrow’s “face”
- Gather grass clippings, excess leaves or hay to stuff the scarecrow
- Stuff the burlap sack or pillowcase and tie it off to become a “head”
- Draw on facial features with a marker or glued-on felt
When you're finished, set up your scarecrow in a chair at the edge of your vegetable garden and let it get to work.
