Easy DIY Halloween decorations

Creating a spooky atmosphere in your house at Halloween doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. Just a few easy-to-find supplies, a couple of hours and parental supervision (if kids are handling the project) and you’ll have your house Halloween-ready before you can say boo.

Bat staircase
Supplies: Black construction paper, pencil, scissors, tape.

Instructions: Make a stencil first — visit firstpalette.com/printable/bats.html for a printable version. Trace the outline of a bat onto the construction paper with the pencil and cut out along the lines. Repeat until you have any many bats as you want. Tape on the walls along a staircase or a hallway. You can add depth by cutting out bats in different sizes.

Hanging ghosts
Supplies: White medium-sized garbage bags, rubber bands, old newspaper, string or yarn, black tape (optional)

Instructions: Ball up the newspaper and stuff it into the end of the bags to make ghost “heads.” Loop the rubber bands around the head to give the body some shape. Use the black tape to make eyes and a mouth if desired. Hang from trees or lampposts with string or yarn.

Floating witch hats
Supplies: Fabric witch hats, clear fishing line, plastic pony beads or bulky wooden beads, strong tape or adhesive to suspend the hats from the ceiling, battery-operated tea lights (optional)

Instructions: Decide where you want your floating hats to hang and how far down, then cut your fishing line accordingly with a bit extra for stringing through the hat. Tie one end of your fishing line around the bead — this will act as an anchor to keep the hat on the fishing line. Thread the other end through a sewing needle and poke through the peak of the hat, then remove the needle and suspend from the ceiling. To use the optional tea lights: Leave an extra fishing line under the anchor and tie securely around the “flame” of the tea light to let it float inside the hat.