Decorating for Halloween doesn’t have to be wasteful, and it doesn’t have to break the bank! There are plenty of easy to repurpose everyday items around your home or secondhand items you can find at local thrift stores. To drive this point home, we’ve laid out 6 fun and easy ways to create upcycled Halloween decorations. Check them out below and feel inspired to upcycle this spooky season!
1. Repainted Thrift Store Figurine
Head to your nearest thrift store and pick up a used figurine for less than $5. Even if you have one at the house, we recommend grabbing a used one at the thrift store. That way, if someone steals it, it won’t be a huge loss for you.
Once you have the figurine, spray paint it black and paint over the eyes in a deep red. Place it outside your door on a small side table — and wah lah! — you have a quick, easy, and upcycled Halloween decoration that you can reuse over and over again!
2. Wine Bottle Mummy
Grab a wine glass and wrap masking tape up and down the bottle (making sure to leave a spot for the eyes). If you have some googly eyes nearby, place them around the center of the bottle. If not, cut out two circles from a white piece of paper, draw a black circle in the middle of each white cutout, and tape them to the bottle. Afterwards, you’ll have the cutest (and maybe drunkest) wine bottle mummy ever!
3. Ghost Candy Table
For this upcycled Halloween project, you’ll need an old white sheet. If you don’t have one, you can probably find one at a local thrift store for less than $5.
Once you have a sheet ready, you’ll need to create the eyes and mouth for it. If you have an old black shirt or sheet, cut 2 large ovals and 1 small oval out of it. If you don’t have this material, you can always use black paper.
Next, grab a large bowl. Place the center of the sheet over the bowl and pour candy into the bowl in order to weigh the sheet down. Plot out where you want the eyes and mouth to be, and glue or pin them to the white sheet.
And there you have it! A super cute, super spooky candy table for Halloween!
4. Wavy Outdoor Ghosts
For this project, the idea is to use what you already have (no trip to the thrift store necessary). For the body of the ghost, you can use an old tin or food can. Paint the entire body white and then add black eyes and a mouth.
For the next part, you can use toilet paper, old white cloth, or something similar — as long as you can cut out long, rectangular pieces from it. You’ll likely need between 5 and 15 pieces, depending on how large your body is. Glue or tape them to the inside bottom of your can.
After that, your ghost is complete, and you can find a bunch of creative ways to display it. For example, you can attach a string to the top of the body, and hang the ghost outside on a tree branch.
5. Spooky Milk Jug
For this project, you’ll need a small string of white Christmas lights and empty milk jugs. Three to five milk jugs are perfect for this project.
Once you have a few jugs saved up, grab some black paint or markers. Paint or draw a ghost or pumpkin face onto each milk jug.
Once the faces are finished, use a knife or some scissors to cut out a small section from the back of the milk jug. Use this opening to place the lights inside the bottom of the container.
Keep in mind, you’ll want to make sure the jugs are placed near an extension cord or outlet, so you can turn on the lights and experience the full ultra-spooky effect! (Battery-operated lights are even better!)
6. Doll Head Plant Holders
Have an old baby doll laying around that you don’t mind dismembering? Great! If not, the thrift store or Goodwill will have plenty.
Once you have a doll ready, remove the head from the body — as well as the eyes. You may need to use a knife to carefully cut the eyes out. (Keep in mind, this project and how it works will vary depending on how the doll is made.)
You’ll also need an opening at the top of the head. You can carefully remove this part with a knife.
Once removed, place the head on top of a planter saucer. If you don’t have one of these, find something similar. Re-pot a plant inside the head — making sure the plant slightly protrudes out of the eyes, as well as the top of the head.
After completing this step, go ahead and water the plant. If you were strategic with the soil, then the water should stream out of the empty eye sockets!
Looking for more secondhand Halloween items? Create a post on Do U Have to let everyone know! Do U Have is an ISO (In Search Of) community platform that helps buyers find what they’re looking for!