Super spooky last-minute DIYs to get your front porch Halloween-ready
CBC Life | Posted: October 31, 2017 6:26 PM | Last Updated: October 31, 2017
Add a little fright to your entryway tonight.
Halloween is upon us, and if your front porch is not quite creepy enough, fear not. These super simple, super spooky DIYs will get your house ready for trick-or-treaters ASAP. Plenty of pumpkins, some supplies from your local craft store, and a few fake snakes will have your porch Halloweenified in no time. Here's how to deck out your entryway for tonight:
DIY Halloween doormat
What you'll need:
- Doormat
- Stencil
- Contact paper or vellum
- Black paint
- Paint brush
- Rubber snakes
- Hot glue
Directions:
1. Start with a plain natural doormat. You can get these at big box hardware or furniture stores.
If you have time, you can have stencils printed at a local print shop with the lettering cut out. You can also use an at-home vinyl cutting machine. If you don't have either of these available, use contact paper or vellum from your local craft store. Just print out your image on your printer and then trace it onto your contact paper or vellum. Make sure you use a very sharp knife to cut it out so you don't rip the paper.
2. Place the vellum onto your doormat. Once you've found a position that you like, simply sponge on your acrylic paint. Be sure to use a brush to really get the paint in there.
3. Once the paint has dried, flip the mat over and begin to add your snakes to the mat using hot glue. Because you're hot gluing them, you can pull the snakes off and continue using your doormat year-round.
Unique pumpkins
Skeleton head in the pumpkin
This creepy design is a pumpkin within a pumpkin and it's a totally different take on the usual carving style.
What you'll need:
- Large pumpkin
- Smaller pumpkin
- Carving tools
Directions:
1. Carve the smaller pumpkin first. Try carving a face so it will look like it's getting eaten by its larger counterpart.
2. Cut a hole in the larger pumpkin so the smaller one fits inside.
3. Finish carving your design into the larger pumpkin.
4. Pop the smaller one inside and voila! A unique take on traditional carving.
Carved spider
This is a hot new trend with pumpkin carving. You'll love the glow effect that this technique creates.
What you'll need:
- A pumpkin
- Carving tools
Directions:
1. Dig out the skin of the pumpkin, leaving a thin skin that the light can shine through. Do this rather than cutting all the way through so that you can get a lot more detail within your design.
2. Light a candle inside and watch it glow like a lantern!
Painted pumpkin
Painting is perfect for when you don't want to have to carve out a pumpkin. Super fast, and a lot less messy, this spider web design is simple to make.
What you'll need:
- A pumpkin
- White and orange paint
- Tape
Directions:
1. Paint the entire pumpkin white and let dry.
2. Apply thin lines of tape in the shape you want to remain white, a spider web pattern is perfectly creepy.
3. Paint over the tape with different shades of orange paint. Let dry.
4. Remove tape to reveal your design.
Zombie hand candy bowl
If you're leaving candy out on your porch, this is a fun last-minute bowl you can create using prop arms found at the dollar store.
What you'll need:
- Plastic bowl
- Prop arms
- Glue gun and glue
Directions:
1. Prearrange your arms on the lip of the bowl to make sure they all fit.
2. Apply glue for one arm to the bottom of the bowl
3. Attach the arm at the bottom of the bowl. Repeat for as many arms as you have on hand.
4. Curve the arms upwards towards the lip of the bowl. Apply glue as needed to get them to stick on the bowl.
Snake-covered wreath
This super spooky, super slithery wreath uses a twig wreath from your local craft store and some dollar store snakes.
What you'll need:
- Twig wreath
- Rubber snakes
- Black spray paint
- Glue gun
Directions:
1. Glue rubber snakes on the wreath, crossing them over each other and surrounding the entirety of the wreath.
2. Spray paint the entire wreath including the snakes black. Let dry.
3. Hang on your doorway for a Halloween spin on a seasonal classic.