As the spookiest weekend of the year approaches, it’s time for a little DIY Halloween decor to liven up the neighborhood.
Over the course of the pandemic, parents and kids have found new ways to plan Halloween. In Collin County, some neighborhoods are handing out candy in small amounts, and others aren't. On social media networks like Nextdoor.com, there are Treat Maps where people can mark their houses if they're planning to hand out treats, or decorate their houses for the holiday. One Plano man is even used a length of PVC pipe to create a candy shoot in 2020.
There’s absolutely no reason that the week of Halloween can’t be chock-full of spooky fun. With these simple DIY crafts for Halloween decor, this Halloween can be the good kind of scary.
Halloween Giftbags
A lot of families are putting together individually-wrapped goodie bags and lining them up along the edge of a yard. Trick-or-treaters passing by can grab them at their leisure, while continuing to social distance. (If you are preparing goodie bags, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 second before and after preparing the bags.)
Grab a packet of ghostly or pumpkin plastic party favor bags from a local craft store, and set up an assembly line. Put together baggies with fun-sized candy, candy corn, confetti paper, even marshmallows.
Ghost Balloons
For this cute bit of Halloween decor, all you need is white balloons, a little helium, and white party streamers. Inflate the balloons, and get three party streamers, about two feet long. Tape the streamers to balloons with double-sided tape, and draw eyes and a mouth with permanent marker. They’re ready in no time at all.
Courtesy of designimprovised.com
Mustache and Googly Eyes Door Decor
For cute, simple Halloween decor on your door, you need a pair of big googly eyes,
two black glitter foam sheets, a sheet of white felt, scissors, command strips, hot glue, and a printable mustache pattern. Print and cut out the mustache pattern and trace it on a foam sheet. Then cut two triangles out of the white felt for teeth, and hot glue them onto the mustaches Use the command strips to attach it all to the door, and there you are.
Courtesy of thepapermama.com
Halloween Foam Skulls
Turn plain craft store skulls into a DIY project to perfect your home's Halloween decor this year. Everyone can paint them however they want, in Halloween colors, like zombies--whatever gives them chills. Persialou suggests charcoal chalk paint, before carving a hole in the top and filling it with white silk flowers for a modern, classic look.
Courtesy of persialou.com
Bonus Recipe: Homemade Butterfingers
Gotta have a recipe in here!
It’s mind-boggling, but the secret to making your own homemade Butterfingers is a Halloween standby: candy corn. After studying recipes online, we’ve settled on a recipe of our own that we think offers maximum crisp and crunch.
- 2 cup candy corn
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 package Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips
- ¾ cup crushed Cornflakes
- Melt candy corn in 30-second increments until smooth and can be stirred.
- Mix in peanut butter and microwave more if necessary, again in 30-second increments. Stir in crushed Cornflakes.
- Put parchment paper on a cookie sheet or baking pan and spread the mixture about an inch. Refrigerate for an hour.
- With a sharp knife, cut the candy mixture into bite-sized pieces.
- Melt chocolate, and use a fork to dip each piece in the chocolate until fully covered and sprinkle more corn flakes on top. Refrigerate again.
- Keeps at room temperature for a few days, but will likely be eaten within a few hours.
