88 Easy DIY Halloween Decorations You Can Pull Together Last Minute

Give the mantel a little seasonal decor with a garland made from vintage book pages.

To make: Start by tearing three pages from a vintage book. Use a glue stick to attach the pages to three sheets of black construction paper. Trim construction paper, using a craft knife and graph ruler, so that it is about 1/2-inch larger on all sides than the book paper. Trace a letter, using a set of letter stencils, in the center of each book page using a black fine tip pen. Fill in the outline with a black permanent marker, being careful to stay within the lines. Use a small hole punch to make two holes in the top of each page. Thread a long length of black rickrack through the holes, spacing letter evenly. Hang using tape or small nails.

Grasses come in all colors, shapes, and textures, creating infinite opportunities for embellishment.

To make: Craft a wreath from dried millet and hare’s-tail grass to circle the stem of a larger pumpkin, such as a blue Jarrahdale (middle), or use a wispy grass such as stipa to crown a small white pumpkin (bottom center). Glue stems of puffy hare’s-tail grass (far left) at differing heights around a white pumpkin.

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Set a festive, seasonal table by turning an orange linen or cotton napkin into a perfectly formed pumpkin.

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Leaves and vines made from twine add a layered natural element to pumpkins. Opt for monochromatic colors for a sophisticated look.

To make: Start by drawing your desired shape on the pumpkin. Use hot glue to attach lengths of twine, following the outline of your drawing.

Toto and Dorothy will thank you for stealing the Wicked Witch of the West's boots! Proudly display her demise by hanging them on your front door.

To make: Hammer a nail into your door. Hang vintage or new Victorian-style boots from their laces. Hang a bow (ours is made from jute upholstery tape) just above the nail with heavy duty double-sided tape.

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Artfully arrange cleaned and dried pumpkin seeds with an acorn top center on a classic orange pumpkin.

To make: Start by cutting small circles of craft paper (about a 1/2-inch diameter). Hot-glue the pointy ends of the seeds around each circle to create the petals, then cover the exposed center with a small acorn top. Use craft or hot-glue to attach the flowers to the pumpkin in a haphazard fashion.

Create a textural wreath by incorporating different types of moss, such as Spanish moss, preserved forest moss, and dried tree lichen.

To make: Cover a 12- to 16-inch foam wreath form with clumps of moss and lichen, attaching with hot-glue. Glue tiny bits of moss and lichen around the stems of mini white pumpkins, then secure to the wreath with floral pins and wire.

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Flowers and soft feathers transform pumpkins into ideal table centerpieces.

To make: Hollow out a tall gourd such as a Hubbard squash, and slice a sliver off the bottom to help it stand. Place a piece of damp floral foam inside and fill with feathers, foliage, and flowers (here, roses and ranunculus). For the festooned pumpkins, use hot-glue to cover with long turkey (large) or pheasant (small) feathers. For the larger pumpkin, finish with wispy green chicken feathers around the crown.

Spooky but sweet, these ghosts are made from easy-to-access craft materials.

To make: Place 6-inch craft foam or styrofoam balls on long wooden dowels. Cover balls with metallic mesh ribbon, layering if necessary to cover completely. Secure mesh with thin ribbon or string. Tie black-and-white striped ribbon into a bow around the ghost "neck," covering thin ribbon.

Or ghost houses..either, way this easy DIY can be used year after year on the mantel or Halloween treat buffet.

To make: Paint wooden bird houses with black acrylic paint. Once dry fill with paper ghosts or fake birds. Set on the mantel and stretch fake spider webs over the houses. Hang paper bats above the houses, if desired.

Keep the blood suckers away with a wreath fashioned from fresh garlic cloves (you can use artificial garlic if you want to keep the wreath from year to year).

To make: Start by hot gluing moss to a wooden wreath form. Next glue garlic cloves, root side out, on top of the moss. Hang using a piece of natural jute ribbon.

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Skip the carving (and dealing with the gunky insides of the pumpkin) by simply etching a shape in the front. We opted for leaf patterns like ginkgo, maples, and oak.

To make: Start by tracing leaves on a pumpkin with a pen. Use a thin linoleum cutting tool to etch each leaf outline and stem, then a wider linoleum tool to remove the skin inside the etched outlines, exposing the flesh. To prevent the pumpkin’s exposed flesh from browning, spread a thin layer of petroleum jelly on the area.

The puuurfect front door decor for the season. And the silly bow tie makes him extra sweet so trick-or-treaters won't get scared away!

To make: Wrap 14-inch foam wreath form with wide black ribbon, securing with floral pins as you go, until completely covered. Cut two 10-inch lengths of 18-gauge craft wire. Poke holes in top of wreath for ears. Bend wire to make ear shapes, and insert into wreath form. Wrap wire ears with ribbon, using hot glue to secure. Add orange burlap bow.

Create monotone pumpkins with an array of different dried flowers.

To make: Remove the petals from dried blue hydrangea blooms and use them to fully cover a blue (such as a Jarrahdale) pumpkin. For a pink-ish pumpkins preserved star flowers have the perfect pink blush. Attach the both types of flowers with hot glue.

Celebrate the season with a perfectly set table. A black napkin transformed into a bat helps take you Halloween table to the next, spooky, level.

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Display this towering beauty on a sideboard during your Halloween soirée! It's also makes perfect decor for a fall wedding!

To make: Start with three white pumpkins that stack nicely. Remove the stems from the bottom and middle pumpkins. Insert three wooden skewers into the bottom of the middle pumpkin, then pierce the skewers into the top of the bottom pumpkin to help hold them together. Repeat with the top and middle pumpkins. Using long floral greening pins, attach small pieces of floral foam where the pumpkins meet. Dampen the foam, and insert flowers (here, dahlias, ranunculus, and roses), foliage, and privet berries.

Grab the Mod Podge. A simple trip to the color copier is all it takes to “transfer” your transferware collection to a pumpkin. Simply make a color copy of a your favorite plates and trays, then cut the paper into strips and adhere to a pumpkin or gourd with the Mod Podge; let dry. Finally, tuck your DIY Halloween decorations among your real transferware pieces—visitors will do a double take.

An eerie flicker is a must at any Halloween gathering. Paint wine bottles with matte-black spray paint. Once dry, insert an orange taper candle in each opening.