Halloween is the best time of year to let your creativity run wild!
Why buy decorations when you can make them yourself?
Handmade crafts give your home a unique, spooky, and personal touch that store-bought items just can’t match.
We’ve gathered 20 amazing DIY ideas that are easy, fun, and perfect for getting ready for the big night.
Whether you want something cute and friendly or truly creepy, you will find your next project right here.
Get your glue gun ready! Let’s dive into some spooky crafting!
1. Halloween Treat Wands
These playful wands are absolutely perfect for a younger crowd or a fun Halloween party favor.
I have seen kids hold onto these all night!
You simply sew or glue soft felt shapes, like ghosts, stars, or pumpkins onto a stick, then add colorful tulle, ribbons, and tiny bows for sparkle.
They are so easy and quick to make, and you can fill them with a small candy or treat, turning them into a fun surprise.
This craft adds a huge dose of handmade cuteness without being scary at all.
This makes it a wonderful addition to any friendly Halloween celebration.
2. Pumpkin Seed Mosaic
This craft is the perfect way to use up the pumpkin seeds after you carve your jack-o’-lanterns!
I love that it takes a simple, natural item and turns it into a piece of textured art.
You just paint the seeds bright orange, green, and brown, then glue them onto a drawing of a pumpkin.
Adding fun googly eyes and a simple smile makes these little guys look so happy and friendly.
It’s a wonderful, sensory activity for kids, and the finished products make great, unique decorations to hang up for the season.
3. Pumpkin Head Doll
This craft is perfect if you want a decoration that is more charming than creepy.
I love how this little cloth doll brings a sweet, folklore feeling to your holiday décor.
You can use scraps of fabric, yarn, and felt to create its clothing, giving it that wonderful, homespun look.
The head, made to look like a stack of pumpkin segments, is especially creative!
Making these dolls is very satisfying, and when you are done, you have a unique piece of art.
It stands out beautifully on a shelf or mantel, bringing cozy autumn vibes into the room.
4. Googly-Eyed Monster Rocks
This is a fantastic project that is simple, cheap, and totally fun for all ages.
I love the way the bright colors and googly eyes make each rock look so lively and silly!
You start with smooth river stones and paint them with goofy faces, bright dots, and funny teeth.
Adding little plastic rhinestones gives the monsters extra sparkle.
Once they are dry, you can use these little guys to decorate a Halloween party table or hide them in a garden for a fun surprise.
They are perfectly playful and are guaranteed to bring a smile, not a scream!
5. Party Pumpkins
I love this twist on traditional pumpkin decorating!
Instead of carving, you simply paint mini pumpkins in bright, unexpected colors like pink and purple, which is so much less messy.
Adding oversized googly eyes gives them huge personalities.
The real fun is giving each one a tiny, homemade party hat, complete with a colorful pom-pom.
This craft is fast, simple, and the finished pumpkins look cheerful and silly, making them perfect decorations for a kids’ party.
6. Paper Plate Halloween
This is one of my favorite classic crafts, perfect for a quick, colorful project.
I’ve used these simple treat holders at parties, and they are always a huge hit.
You take ordinary paper plates and cut, fold, and decorate them to look like cute Halloween characters, such as a friendly black bat or a pink kitten.
A little paint, glue, and construction paper is all you need!
They are simple enough for even young children to make and are perfect for holding a few sweets or small favors.
It’s a fun, fast way to add a playful touch to your party décor.
7. Painted Leaf Characters
I absolutely love this craft because it uses nature’s own materials!
You start by gathering the most colorful autumn leaves you can find, and then you transform them into friendly little characters.
Giving each leaf a different expression makes this project so fun and personal.
They make gorgeous window decals, or you can string them together for a bright, seasonal garland.
This is a wonderfully simple and free way to bring the brilliant colors and happy spirit of the fall season into your home.
8. Paper Bag Crow
This craft takes a simple black paper lunch bag and turns it into a perfectly festive little creature!
I love the bold, sharp contrast of the bright orange beak and the big googly eyes.
It’s so easy to create a fun hand puppet by folding the bottom flap down for the head and adding cut-out paper wings.
This project is fast, requires almost no materials, and the finished puppets are great for putting on a quick Halloween show.
It’s a charming, kid-friendly craft that captures the spooky spirit of black birds without being scary.
9. Pasta Wheel Pumpkin Art
This craft is a brilliant example of turning everyday items into creative holiday décor!
I love that you take simple wagon wheel pasta and paint it a bright orange.
Gluing the pasta in a circle creates a fantastic, bubbly texture that looks just like a fun, cartoon pumpkin.
Using green corkscrew pasta for the stem adds another layer of clever texture.
This project is low-cost and very engaging for kids, and the finished product is a dimensional, sturdy decoration.
It’s a wonderful, silly piece of autumn art that you can proudly display every year.
10. Vintage-Style Pumpkin Doll
This doll is the perfect blend of spooky and charming!
I was immediately struck by the expert level of detail on this figure.
It looks like a collector’s item that costs a fortune in a specialty shop.
This project allows you to combine fabric and paper with small, embellishments like glitter, tiny leaves, and twisted yarn for the arms and legs.
The classic jack-o’-lantern face, topped with a black witch hat, gives it a wonderful, dramatic flair.
Creating this kind of whimsical centerpiece is incredibly satisfying.
It’s a sophisticated decoration that brings a genuine feeling of classic Halloween charm to any display.
11. Cleaner Fuzzy Spiders
What a clever way to blend summer fun with spooky fall décor!
I love that the body of the spider is made from a real seashell, which gives it a fantastic, natural, ridged texture.
You use fuzzy pipe cleaners for the legs and decorate them with colorful small beads or stickers to make them look cheerful instead of creepy.
This craft is super easy to assemble with just a little bit of glue, and the result is a quirky, friendly decoration.
These spiders look great scattered on a table or hanging from a thread, proving that even a spider can be cute if you make it yourself!
12. Jack-O’-Lanterns
I adore the look of these classic ceramic pumpkins, they have such a friendly, timeless appeal!
While you can buy the ready-made ceramic blanks at craft stores, you get to choose the exact shade of bright orange paint and the glossy finish that makes them look like old favorites.
You can use simple black paint to create the wide, classic faces for a perfect, easy-going smile.
They are sturdy, reusable, and they give off a lovely, warm glow when you put a small LED candle inside.
Making a set of these instantly upgrades your Halloween décor with a wonderful, traditional touch.
13. Wooden Spoon Halloween Puppets
These spooky-cute wooden spoon puppets are a complete delight!
I’ve seen how much fun kids have bringing these characters to life, from the sweet Sugar Skull to the charmingly dapper Vampire.
They are simple to make and the perfect project for little hands.
Just look at the variety, each one has its own big personality.
They make a fantastic, inexpensive decoration you can stand up in a jar or use for an evening of thrilling puppet theatre!
14. Recycled Paper Ghost Collage
What a clever way to upcycle household paper and cardboard!
These little ghosts have so much charm.
Each ghost looks unique because they use different parts of the packaging.
I love the way they are grouped together on the wall like a friendly little ghostly gathering.
The tiny eye stickers or painted dots give them a playful, wide-eyed look.
This is an easy project that makes almost no mess and creates a great textured decoration.
15. Polymer Clay Dangle Earrings
These little dangle earrings are so adorably stylish!
I’m completely charmed by the stack of a black cat, a jack-o’-lantern, and a friendly ghost.
They are super professional-looking and have a wonderful, chunky texture.
Making these with polymer clay lets you get that perfect, smooth shape for the pumpkin and the cat’s face.
They’re definitely not just a craft, they’re a must-have piece of Halloween jewelry you can wear all month long.
16. Patterned Paper Halloween
These paper crafts are bursts of colorful fun!
I love how they use bright, playful polka dots and stripes instead of just spooky colors.
The voodoo doll has such a sweet, stitched look and a happy little expression.
And look at that paper rosette!
The layers of folded paper create a fantastic texture that makes the central skull pop right out.
These would be perfect for decorating treat bags, scrapbooks, or even as unique party favors.
They prove that Halloween doesn’t have to be scary, it can be totally joyful.
17. Googly-Eyed Egg Mummies
This simple craft is pure genius and totally charming.
It shows how you can turn everyday eggs into something absolutely festive.
Just look at the little mummy eggs wrapped in rustic twine, they have such a funny, worried expression!
Adding googly eyes instantly gives them a playful personality.
This is a no-paint, no-mess project that you can put together in minutes.
These little egg creatures make a perfect, subtle decoration for your kitchen counter or breakfast table.
18. Dot Pumpkins
These colorful pumpkins are such a vibrant explosion of creativity!
I love how each one is a completely unique piece of abstract art.
The mix of big, swoopy paint strokes and neatly applied paper dots gives them a wonderful texture.
Adding the little black paper bat or a bit of sparkly glitter brings in that perfect Halloween touch.
This is a wonderful, expressive project for children because there’s no wrong way to do it.
They make an awesome, personalized decoration to tape up on a window.
19. Macrame Cord Hanging Ghost
This hanging ghost is absolutely the perfect spooky-but-sweet outdoor decoration!
I love the fantastic texture you get from using thick, chunky macrame cord.
The long, flowing fringe looks like it’s floating and gives the ghost a wonderful, wispy look.
Adding the large googly eyes and that simple black felt mouth gives it a funny, surprised expression.
It’s a simple project that makes a big visual statement when hung on a door or a fence.
20. Handprint Ghost Art
What a beautiful way to capture a moment in time!
I adore how this craft mixes a classic handprint ghost with the gorgeous colors of fall leaves.
Using the handprint as the base for the ghost gives it a charming, wobbly shape.
Adding the rosy pink cheeks and simple smile makes the ghost look incredibly friendly and sweet.
Framing this art makes it look like a treasured keepsake, not just a simple craft.
This is a wonderful activity to do with younger kids that celebrates both Halloween and the season.