Last-Minute Halloween Decorations

We all know that feeling – you want to decorate for a holiday and all of a sudden it is around the corner and you haven’t done anything yet. This year I’ve been looking forward to doing something different for Halloween and here it is the middle of October and I have no decorations at all!  Time to get decorating.

If you are a return reader you will know that I don’t like spending a lot of money on my projects. And Halloween decorating is a project where the less I spend the better. So here we go – Quick and Easy Last-Minute Halloween Decorations that won’t break the bank!

Black Paper Cutouts

Love, love, love this idea. Just find a design you like online, print an outline, trace it onto black paper and cut! Super easy and extremely cheap. I created some new designs this year and have a mix of bats, cats, witches and even an owl on a branch.

You can use sticky tape to fix them to the insides of your windows. Looks great during the day, but even better at night when your lights are turned on.  They also work really well on walls or doors.  Click here to read more about how I created this year’s designs.

Plastic Bugs

I found myself in a Dollar General store the other day and couldn’t resist a bag of black plastic cockroaches. I know, very gross (I hate, hate, hate real cockroaches) but couldn’t pass up the $1 price tag.

I used more sticky tape to fix them to my foyer walls, creating nice little groups. Stops me dead in my tracks every time I walk by. Especially the other day when the cat removed one from the wall and left it on the rug. Guess she wants to dial up the scare factor around here…

Old Halloween Costumes

This is an old favorite of mine. Simon was a headless guy for one Halloween and we kept his costume. I take it out every Halloween and use it somewhere in or around the house. This year, I propped it up in the foyer.  I used a flower pot filled with rocks and a broomstick to keep it upright.  Add some old shoes and you have instant creep factor.

Doorway Curtain

Since I’m only decorating my foyer, I wanted to create a more closed off feel from the rest of the house. I created this easy doorway curtain using some string, black streamers and a black curtain. First, thread the string through the curtain’s seam.  Create loops on both sides of the string so you can hang it using small picture nails.  Cut and tear the curtain into strips.  Now add different lengths of the black streamer.  Just fold over the top of the string and staple in place.

My Great Dane Ben has been following me around lately – always interested in what I’m busy with.  Here he is peeking through my doorway curtain:

Flying Bats

I spotted these at Dollar Tree and just had to bring them home with me. They had loops for hanging and I just tied fishing line in different lengths to the loops. These were tied to my railing upstairs and gave me instantly suspended bats. As an added bonus, they move around in the lightest of breezes. Very spooky…

Thrift Store Frames

This frame is part of my decor collection and another great option for last-minute Halloween Decorations.  You can use an old (or new thrift store) frame and remove the glass and pictures.  Print new pictures from the internet and add them to the frame.  Instant Halloween Decoration and so easy and simple to do.  You can even keep your existing artwork and just cover it up with a temporary Halloween themed picture.

Add Small Items

I added some small Halloween items throughout the rest of the foyer. A spider on a string on our key holder, a small skeleton on the bench, black material to the furniture and banister and some black flowers in a glass vase.  The flowers are also from a thrift store and I just spray painted them black.  The plastic rat is from Dollar Tree and fits nicely in the candle holder “rat cage” I picked up at the thrift store.

Here is another view of my little skeleton guy.  He is joined in the corner by three suspended bats and three plastic cockroaches against the wall.  I’ve been having some fun placing the little guy in different poses on the bench.  And I’m happy to report that at least one of the teenagers in the house noticed this.

And there you go! Last-minute Halloween Decorations!

Would you rather order some decorations online and have them delivered to your front door?  Can’t blame you – there are some crazy good items out there.  I created a post that lists the Halloween Must Haves for under $20.  No need to break the budget on decorations, right?