CREATIVITY + INSPIRATION

Creative Ways to Decorate Your Home This Halloween

Making your home look devilishly terror-ific! You're going to be the talk of the town for the rest of the year, guaranteed!

Halloween is just around the corner, and it's time to start hanging the skeletons and carving pumpkins once again. If you want to have the best-looking house on the block in 2021, keep reading to find a few new ways to add a terrifying touch to your home.

Wall Decor

• It is always fun to add a bit of the spookiness to the walls around the house, and I find that pinning up my past-due student loan bills will positively give a scare to any of my guests! Hold on to those maxed-out credit card statements and any collections notices you've gotten this month and tack them tastefully throughout your home. It's a sure-fire way to terrify you every day and a fun discussion piece for your Halloween party!
• Another bonus is to use those Facebook Memories that pop up in your notifications. Just scroll through and find any posts you wrote that are extra cringe-worthy and print those out for an added touch of flair!

*Added points for anything you posted in some vague attempt to be deep and mysterious*

• You can also add old photos of yourself when you were younger, thinner, and happier to create a ghoulish vibe. I recommend adding non-permanent die-cut vinyl skulls to the images to represent the death of your younger years!

Figurines

Get crafty if you love DIY projects and Upcycling!

• Work with clay to build figurines of all your exes! Sounds terribly fun, right? You can use acrylic paint to decorate each one and set them to dry overnight. Be as creative here as you like, which is the fun part. Make sure to put these statuettes in various spaces of your home for an added touch of shock and horror!
• Taking a trip to your local thrift store or estate sale will almost always guarantee you'll find creepy-looking dolls. Try to pick the ones which give off the worst vibes — sometimes those dolls come already haunted! If you're lucky, you'll have an extra unseen party guest at your event and someone to keep you company on those long cold nights alone in bed.
• Check out eBay for any haunted dolls or demonic jewelry boxes. Later, you can use that jewelry box to keep any of your unique pieces safe with the evil spirit that dwells within. DOUBLE SCORE!! You can also use Mod Podge to give that old box a fresh new look!
• If you have the time and materials, try capturing what your crippling anxiety and depression look like on canvas; this works best late at night and after a few too many cocktails. Working with oil paints gives an extra depth, but make sure you account for drying time before hanging it up.

Lighting

• Remember those dolls we discussed earlier? Doll heads make great lanterns inside your home and out. Simply use a knife to cut out the eye portion of the doll and an opening in the back of the head to insert a flameless candle or LED flickering light inside. I love to scatter these around my child's room for a very spooky effect at night. It's a nightmarishly good time!
• Try adding fluorescent lighting to your home for that frightful aged look. It's sure to make you and your guests look as unflattering as possible, which adds an extra oomph to any costume party!
• Alternatively, you can remove all the lighting in your home for a more mysterious and chilling effect. Your guests will be gripped with fear at the thought of accidentally falling down your stairs. Make sure you have home insurance if you plan to use this tactic.

Outdoors

You've made it this far, and the inside of your home looks terror-ific! Now comes the time to get the outside of your home in order!

• If you live in a conservative neighborhood, I suggest scattering hand-painted yard signs that say "Get The Shot and Save A Life!" Be careful with this one as your neighbors' fear might quickly turn into anger and a political debate. Alternatively, if you live in a more progressive area, trying subbing those signs out for something that says "Ivermectin Saved My Life!" Whatever your case may be, you'll definitely get some curious onlookers and probably a few extra trick-or-treaters!
• Everyone loves carving pumpkins! Take your pumpkin carvings to a whole new level this year. Try carving out the National Unemployment percentage in America or the dismal rate of Female BIPOC missing in the U.S. This one might take a little more time and effort — but you'll thank me later when passers-by stop to admire your hard work!
• As for skeletons, look no further than your closet! Mindfully placing those old bones around your stoop and yard will give off an ominous effect, and no one will be the wiser! Luckily for you, hanging out your proverbial "dirty laundry" to dry can be excused as a simple accessory to frighten your neighbors.

I hope that these fun and creative tips help you level up this Halloween and create a terrifyingly fun atmosphere for your home, inside and out! If you'd like to discover more inventive decorative tips for upcoming holidays, make sure to follow me!