Decorating Your Home for Halloween
Decorating the outside of your home is very important and can be very enjoyable. Trick-or-treaters often only go as far as your front porch, and visitors usually only see the outside of your home. Since Halloween is a spooky holiday, making your yard into a makeshift cemetery is a really great idea.
The first thing to do is make the headstones. Sturdy foam core or corrugated cardboard works well for this kind of project since it stands up best to the elements. Use a waterproof marker or paints to decorate each headstone and add the deceased’s name. If you really want to jazz it up, go to your nearest cemetery and make rubbings from various headstones. The images you lift will make a great addition to your home cemetery. Your next step would be to purchase low plastic fencing at your local hardware store and, in some cases, even at your nearest dollar store. Use this to fence in the area to give the cemetery an authentic look.
Next, you might want to make some skeletons that can be hung from nearby trees or even propped up against a headstone or two. Skeletons can easily, and cheaply, be made by using PVC pipes for the bones and an empty, well-cleaned bleach jug for the head. Additional jugs are also needed, from which you can cut out hands and feet.
Don’t forget about creepy music that will make it sound as if the inhabitants of your cemetery are alive. Scary sound CDs can be found in just about any music or Halloween store. If you have outdoor speakers, make sure you hide them so it sounds as if all the eerie rattling chains and unearthly moans are coming from the ground. If you don’t have outdoor speakers, you can use your indoor sound system. Positioning your indoor speakers near a few open windows will do the trick.
Don’t forget the cobwebs, which can also be purchased at any Halloween store. Drape the webbing around the headstones, through the trees, and around the porch to give the illusion that hundreds of spiders call your yard home.
Last but not least, lighting can really do a lot to give your cemetery a spooky look. Strategically placed spotlights will give just the right amount of light and shadow to make your yard look very scary. Lights are usually available in a variety of colors including orange, green and black.
If the cemetery idea does not interest you, you can always incorporate a scarecrow decoration instead. Use old clothes stuffed with newspapers, sheets, or hay to construct the scarecrow’s body. For his head, either use a stuffed pillowcase with a face drawn on, or use a scary Halloween mask to make him even spookier. Once your scarecrow is complete, position him on a few bales of hay and surround him with cornhusks, pumpkins, and gourds. You can also use spotlights to highlight your handiwork.
These are two possible outdoor Halloween decorations that you can use on your home without spending a large amount of money. If you do not feel like taking the time to create these looks, you can always just add a few jack o lanterns outside or a couple of door and window hangings. Whatever type of decorating you choose, just remember to make sure your house looks both fun and scary!
