11 Halloween Decorations You Can Make With Things Already at Home

Halloween is more fun when your home looks spooky, but you do not need to spend a lot of money to get there. Tissues, paper, jars, and old sheets can turn into creepy treats in minutes.

Grab whatever is lying around and get ready to build a haunted house of your own. Here are eleven easy ideas that anyone can try.

1. Floating Tissue Ghosts

Picture a whole crowd of little ghosts drifting through your hallway, swaying every time someone walks by.

That is the magic of tissue ghosts, and they cost almost nothing to make.

Start by placing a cotton ball in the middle of a tissue.

Gather the tissue around the ball, then tie a piece of string under it to form a neck.

The soft edges hang down like a ghostly gown.

Next, grab a black marker and draw two round eyes and a surprised mouth.

Every ghost can have its own mood, from silly to scary.

Hang them from doorways, light fixtures, or tree branches.

Make them in different sizes for a fun, floating group that looks great in any room.

2. Paper Bats

Bats swooping across a wall can make a plain room feel like a creepy cave.

All you need is black paper, scissors, and tape.

Sketch a simple bat shape with two pointed wings and little ears.

Cut it out, then use it as a pattern to trace more.

Making a few sizes gives your flock a more natural look.

Here is the trick that makes them pop: fold each wing slightly forward along the middle.

That tiny bend lets the bat lift off the wall and cast a shadow.

Tape them in a swirling group that climbs from a corner up to the ceiling, or scatter a few across your windows for a nighttime flyby.

3. Glowing Ghost Jars

Did you know that candle lanterns have been part of fall celebrations for hundreds of years?

This version swaps the flame for a safe battery light, so it works indoors and out.

Wrap a clean, empty jar in white paper and tape it in place.

Use a black marker to draw a spooky face, such as hollow eyes and a wavy mouth.

Try a different expression on each jar.

Drop a small battery-operated LED light inside and switch it on.

The paper softens the glow, so your ghost seems to shine from within.

Line the jars along stairs, shelves, or a porch railing for a welcoming but eerie path.

4. Yarn Spiderwebs

Real spiders spin webs overnight, but you can make one in about ten minutes.

It is a great project when you want a big spooky effect with almost no supplies.

Tape one end of white yarn or string to a corner of a wall or doorway.

Stretch it to several spots around the edges, making long straight lines that cross in the middle.

These are the spokes of your web.

Now wind more string in a spiral from the center outward, taping it at each spoke.

Keep it a little uneven so it looks natural.

Finish with a toy spider or a paper one hanging from a thread for an extra scare.

5. Glowing Monster Eyes

Something is watching you from the shadows, and it has glowing eyes.

Luckily, it is only a cardboard tube.

Take an empty toilet paper roll and cut two shapes into one side.

Angry slanted slits look fierce, while big round holes look goofy.

Paint or color the outside black if you want it to blend into the dark.

Place a small LED light inside each roll, with the glow shining through the holes.

Set a few in bushes, on bookshelves, or inside a dark closet doorway.

Because the rolls are small and light, you can build a whole family of monsters from a pile of recycling.

6. Paper Ghost Garland

Garlands are the easiest way to decorate a lot of space at once.

This one is made of tiny ghosts, and it takes only paper, a marker, and string.

Draw a ghost shape on white paper with a rounded top and a wavy bottom.

Cut it out and trace it onto more sheets, so you have a handful that look alike.

Fold the paper first and you can cut several at a time.

Add faces with your marker, giving each a unique look.

Then tape or glue the ghosts onto a long piece of string, leaving a little space between them.

Drape the garland across a mantel, window, or wall for a playful haunt.

7. Spooky Window Silhouettes

Walk past a house on Halloween night and you will often spot dark shapes in the windows.

They look like tiny scenes from a spooky movie.

Cut witches on broomsticks, arched cats, or lumpy monsters out of dark paper.

Black works best, but dark purple or navy looks neat too.

Keep the outlines bold and simple so they are easy to recognize from far away.

Tape each one to a window, facing outward if you want neighbors to see them.

At night, a lamp behind the glass makes them stand out sharply.

Try a full scene, like a witch flying past a full moon cut from yellow paper.

8. Toilet Paper Mummies

Mummies have been wrapped in cloth for thousands of years, and now your recycling bin can join the tradition.

Old jars and bottles make perfect bodies.

Begin at the bottom of a clean container and wrap toilet paper around and around, overlapping as you go.

Crisscross the strips so there are small gaps, just like real bandages.

A dab of glue or tape holds the ends in place.

Leave a narrow gap near the top for the face.

Add big, spooky eyes with a marker, or glue on paper ones.

Set several mummies of different heights on a mantel or table.

Pop a tea light inside for a soft, creepy glow.

9. Cardboard Tombstones

Few things say Halloween like a creaky old graveyard, and you can build one from a stack of boxes.

Best of all, you are keeping cardboard out of the trash.

Cut a tombstone shape from a flat piece of cardboard.

Rounded tops, crosses, and crooked slabs all look great.

Cover it with gray paint or glue on gray paper, then dab on a few darker spots to look like old stone.

Use a marker to write RIP or silly names, such as Ima Ghost.

Fold a small flap at the bottom so each stone can stand, or tape it to a box.

Arrange them in rows on your porch or lawn for a spooky yard.

10. Mini Pumpkin Faces

No time for messy pumpkin carving?

Grab a bowl of oranges from the kitchen and you are halfway done.

Use a black marker to draw a jack-o’-lantern face on each fruit.

Triangle eyes, a crooked grin, and a few jagged teeth do the trick.

Mandarins make the cutest tiny pumpkins, and you can give each a different expression.

Display them in a bowl, line them up on a windowsill, or set one at each place at the dinner table.

Since there is no carving, even younger kids can join in safely.

When the party is over, peel them and enjoy a snack.

11. Old Bedsheet Ghost

Here is the classic ghost, the kind from cartoons, and it is made from a sheet that is ready to retire.

Pick one that is white or light in color.

Crumple some paper into a ball or use a small pillow for the head.

Drape the sheet over it so the cloth falls evenly on all sides.

Tie a string snugly just below the head to shape the neck.

Cut or draw two dark eyes and a mouth if you like.

Next, hang the ghost from a porch ceiling, tree branch, or hook, and check that the knot is secure.

Wind will make it float and sway, which looks wonderfully haunting.