13 DIY Halloween Decoration Ideas That Will Be Done in 30 Minutes (or Less)

You don’t need a lot of money or a lot of time to get in the Halloween spirit this year. We’ve gathered up simple Halloween decoration ideas that you can finish in 30 minutes or less. Take your house from run-of-the-mill to “run for your lives!” with these creepy creations.

1. Witches’ Brew

@bbysierraa A little Halloween decor moment #halloween #halloweendecor #fyp ♬ original sound – Aj Rivas

This video by TikTok user @bbysierraa shows you how to make a witches’ brew two ways! Grab a cauldron of your own, an essential oil diffuser and some cotton, and let the lights and smoke do the rest! If you want to show off your own brew in a jar, all you need to do is dunk some mini skulls, mix in some spooky sprinkles and shake it all up.

Bonus: For the cobwebs, grab some ragged-looking white fabric and string it all up. You can add little mini bats for that extra dose of creepy!

2. Pumpkin Garland

@macy.blackwell How we made our pumpkin garland! 🎃 #halloween #halloweendecor #pumpkingarland #pumpkindecor ♬ Halloween Music – Sound Gallery by Dmitry Taras

This isn’t the kind of garland you wear around your neck, for sure! This giant pumpkin garland can wind all the way around a room, making it the perfect size to go over the entryway of your home.

According to TikTok user @macy.blackwell, it’s not as hard as it looks. You need PVC pipe for the base, carved pumpkins (of course), C9 Christmas lights and zip ties. Run the PVC pipes along where you want to your pumpkins to be, make a hole in the back of the pumpkin, and zip tie ’em around the post and the PVC pipe. Drill some holes in the pumpkins beforehand, so that when you run the Christmas lights along behind them, you can place a bulb into each pumpkin.

For added spookiness, pick up some autumn leaves from the craft store and stick them in to fill any gaps!

3. Supersized Spiders

Taste of Home

Dress up your front porch or your Halloween mantel with monstrous DIY spiders. You’ll need plastic foam balls, black spray paint and black pipe cleaners. Spray paint the plastic foam balls black to create the spider bodies. You can attach a smaller ball for the head, or just use one ball to make it even easier. Once the paint is dry, add eight pipe cleaners to each ball to create the legs.

4. Balloon Ghosts

Make friendly ghosts using white balloons and white fabric. Inflate the balloons to your preferred size, then drape a couple of yards of white gauze or fabric over the balloons. Cut a slit in the fabric and pull the balloon knot through. Hang the fabric covered balloons from the ceiling with string, knot side up. Cut out a couple of black felt circles and attach them to the ghosts to create eyes. When you’re finished, celebrate with this “boo”-rrific recipe.

5. Skull Flower Vase

Taste of Home

Even flower arrangements should be scary during Halloween! Make a skull vase with a plastic foam skull and a glass vase that is slightly smaller than the skull. Trace the bottom of the vase on the top of the skull. Using an X-Acto knife, cut out the circle you traced and hollow out the plastic foam so that the glass vase will fit snuggly inside the skull. Then fill with water and flowers for a creepy centerpiece.

6. Snake Wreath

Create a slithery wreath by attaching rubber snakes to a grapevine wreath. Start by spray painting the grapevine wreath black. After it dries, attach black rubber snakes to the wreath with craft wire. Use different sizes and shapes, and both flat and coiled positions. Then hang the venomous creation on your front door.

Prefer your sinister creation to be more savory? Try this Slithering Snake Roll recipe.

7. Candy Corn Centerpiece

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For elegant yet playful table decor, fill several glass hurricane candleholders halfway with candy corn. Then, place a white candle in the middle of each hurricane, and arrange them on the center of the table. Just be sure to have some Halloween candy on hand so your guests wont be tempted to eat your centerpiece!

8. Blood-Splatter Vases

Transform ho-hum vases into Halloween vessels with red paint. Take a small paint brush or old toothbrush, dip in red paint and splatter the white vases by flicking the bristles with your fingers. When they’re dry, add a bunch of black branches to the vases to complete the look. Spooky!

9. Hanging Witch Hats

Buy a few inexpensive witch hats in different sizes and suspend them from the ceiling with fishing line. The floating hats above your table will have your guests cackling with glee! You can add more spellbound fun with witchy treats.

10. Pumpkin Porch Light

This has to be one of the easiest Halloween decoration ideas out there. Just cut off the back of a plastic pumpkin pail from the dollar store. With the back gone, you can fit the pumpkin onto your porch light to create a friendly welcome for your trick-or-treaters!

11. Monster Door

Taste of Home

Turn your front door into a ferocious monster by attaching eyeballs, a fangy smile and crazy hair. Use paper plates and black craft paper for the eyeballs, paper or cardboard for the teeth, and layers of crepe streamers for the hair. If scaring isn’t your thing, create a goofy monster. Or go all out with red eyes and big sharp teeth. Speaking of monsters—we’ve got a couple of delicious creatures that’ll be perfect for your after-party.

12. Mummy Pillow

Make your sofa extra spooky with a mummy pillow. Take a plain white pillow and attach round black eyes made out of black felt. Then layer on strips of gauze to create the mummy look, attaching them with fabric glue as you go. Partially cover the eyes with the gauze so they’re just peeking through. And when it comes to mummies, we can’t help but mention this Mummy-Wrapped Brie.

13. Vampire Napkin Holders

Time to serve some Halloween cuisine! Spook your dinner guests with these toothy napkin holders. For this Halloween decoration idea, all you’ll need are cloth napkins (preferably red) and white plastic vampire teeth. Simply roll up the napkin and place it in between the top and bottom teeth.

Looking for more DIY ideas for this spooky holiday? Here are our favorite crafts that make spooky totally sweet.