Cool & Creepy Halloween Decorations

Recycle and reuse old newspaper and milk cartons by turning them into a spooky ghost town.

What you'll need: empty cardboard milk cartons, newspaper, cardstock or watercolor paper, pens and paint of your choice, glue stick, craft glue, candy, tape

Make it: Thoroughly rinse and dry milk cartons, and then cover cartons with newspaper. Once the newspaper is glued on, paint windows and doors onto cardstock and attach them to the front of the milk cartons -- you can add as much detail as you like. For an extra surprise, fill the cartons with candy and let your kids break into them after Halloween. Make a whole village, and display on your dining table as a great Halloween centerpiece!

Line your front steps or driveway with these long-lasting glow-in-the-dark lanterns.

What you'll need: canning jars, acrylic craft paint, paintbrushes, a dish of water, black permanent marker, Krylon clear glaze spray, tea lights

Make it: Paint your canning jars with one layer of acrylic paint -- too many layers of paint will make the jars too dark. Once dry, draw some jack-o-lantern styled faces on the fronts of the jars with your black marker. Finally, paint the jar rims black, let them dry, and spray with the Krylon clear glaze to set. Pick your favorites to display on your front steps or windowsill and insert a tea light to illuminate.

This wreath is less trick and more treat -- add it to your front door to sweeten up your Halloween d?cor.

What you'll need: Styrofoam wreath, Krylon Preserve, black duct tape, glue gun, candy corn, ribbon

Make it: Wrap your Styrofoam wreath in black duct tape until it's covered. Spray your candy corn with Krylon Preserve to make it last, and then use your glue gun to attach the candy corn row by row. Once the wreath is totally covered, hang it from your door with a festive ribbon.

You can carve, paint, and decorate your Halloween pumpkins -- but take your crafting to the next level with some easy-to-do decoupage!

What you'll need: pumpkin, white spray paint, thin book pages or newspaper, Mod Podge or other decoupage medium, foam brush, die cut letters or letter stickers, ribbon and lace

Make it: Spray your pumpkin white and let it dry. Then, cut banana-shaped pieces from your book pages or newspaper. Apply a thin coat of Mod Podge to the back of the pages, and attach them to the pumpkin until it's completely covered. Use Mod Podge to adhere your letters to the pumpkin -- spell "eek," or "boo," or whatever message you want. (If you don't have die cut letters, you can use stickers or cut your own out of cardstock.) Add a ribbon and some lace around the stem to finish off.

Hide treats, cover jars in your kitchen, or just line your counters with these pop-up ghosts and ghouls.

What you'll need: ghost template, paper, white felt, black felt, craft glue, sewing machine, water soluble pen (or a pencil works just as well)

Make it: Download, print, and cut out the ghost template. Then, trace it onto white felt (use two layers at the same time, one for each side of the ghost). Next, sew along the outline of the ghost, leaving the bottom open. Cut around your sewing line and turn your ghost right side out. Finally, cut some eyes, a nose, and a mouth from the black felt and glue them in place. Make as many ghosts as you want and then prop them up all over the house.

Turn an old paperback novel into an adorable pumpkin.

What you'll need: paperback book, glue, black construction paper, scissors

Make it: Fold all the pages in an old paperback novel in half -- you might want to do this while watching TV or in stages because it takes a while. Remove the front and back cover, and glue the first and last pages together so the pages fan out into a circle. Finally, cut out jack-o-lantern eyes, nose, and a mouth from black construction paper, and glue on the front of your "pumpkin" face.

This silly mustached lollypop is both a decoration and a treat for your kids.

What you'll need: Tootsie pops, fabric, ribbon or twine, marker

Make it: Cut your fabric into circles and lay on top your Tootsie pop. Wrap your twine around the base of the Tootsie pop and tie. Draw on a fancy, French mustache and stick them in a cup or basket to give our as treats.

After your kids gulp down their afternoon juice box, recycle it to make these creepy creatures.

What you'll need: juice boxes, rice, zipper sandwich bags, tape, felt, scissors, hot glue or felt glue

Make it: Wash and rinse your juice box, and then cut open the top. Put some rice into a sandwich baggie, squeeze out the air and seal it. Put the rice bag inside the juice box to keep the box weighted and steady and reseal the top with tape. Cover and glue the felt around the sides of the box (don't cover the bottoms or it won't stand properly), and then add details like teeth, fangs, spots and stripes.

Transform a pumpkin lid into a candy bowl with this great papier-m?ch? craft -- and then use it to hand out your treats!

What you'll need: 1 bottle of white glue, water, top of a pumpkin, newspaper, acrylic paint, large plastic bowl

Make it: Cut off the top of a pumpkin -- be sure to cut it at the widest point to form a proper bowl. Dip strips of newspaper into a mixture of equal parts white glue and water. Squeeze off excess liquid, and then lay the strips on top of the pumpkin until the bowl is covered. Let the bowls dry for a day; then, brush them with more glue mixture and add a coating of colored tissue paper (cut into strips) on top. Once dry, you're ready to fill up the bowls! Paint on faces with black acrylic paint.

Use some packing tape to transfer creepy, crawly critters onto your glass candleholders.

What you'll need: clear packing tape, a laser printer, votive candle holders, warm water, Mod Podge or glue

Make it: First, select the image you'd like to apply to your candleholder -- you can find lots of creepy clip art online. With a laser printer, print your images, about 2-inches tall, and cover it with packing tape, making sure to use your thumbnail to burnish your image onto the tape. Cut the excess paper away, and soak the image in a bowl of warm water for ten minutes. Once it's soaked, you should be able to rub the wet paper fibers off the back until you're left with just clear packing tape and toner. Apply the tape directly to a candle holder, or for a more permanent solution, adhere it with Mod Podge or other glue.

Hang a colony of bats, or prop them in a basket, to greet your nighttime trick-or-treaters.

What you'll need: wool felt, cardboard, chalk pencil, scissors, needle or sewing machine, red and white thread, buttons

Make it: Cut yourself a cardboard bat template -- make a wide triangle and cut out a U at the apex to make ears. Trace your template onto felt, adding details before cutting -- use white thread for the wings and fangs, red thread for a mouth, and stitch on some buttons for eyes. Now, fold your felt in half so you have a double layer and stitch around the edge, leaving a gap in the bottom large enough for a stick or a wine bottle. Cut around your stitching and prop the bats onto wine bottles, craft sticks, or even recycled paper towel tubes.

A quick and easy craft the kids can make -- this wreath will let all the trick-or-treaters on your block know you're open for business.

What you'll need: 1.25 yards of black burlap cut into 1"x16" strips, foam wreath ring, black paint, scissors or rotary cutter, foam or wood letters, Mod Podge, Halloween paper

Make it: Paint your wreath black. When the paint dries, tie the burlap strips around the ring with a double knot, overlapping the strips, until it's completely covered. Embellish with some foam or wooden letterss -- add color by coating the letters with Mod Podge and covering them with fun Halloween paper.

Hang out with these crafty creatures to add some haunted spirits to your home.

What you'll need: poster board, scissors, black construction paper, yarn, tape

Make it: Find three clip art Halloween images online, and print them out at full size. Trace the images onto poster board to make a template, and cut them out. Using your templates, draw the images onto black construction paper and cut out. String the three images together, alternating the order, by taping the yarn to the backs of the paper. Hang in your hallway and create a quick, haunted kitchen!

Your guests will get a surprise scare with these haunting bathroom towels.

What you'll need: white hand towels, ghost template, painter's tape, craft knife, freezer paper (found at the grocery store), iron, black fabric paint, foam or stencil brush, scrap cardboard or plastic

Make it: Print out the ghost template, tape it on top of freezer paper (shiny side facing down), and cut out the design with a craft knife. Once you've got your ghost face, press the shiny side of your freezer paper to the towel with a hot iron (no steam). Place scrap cardboard or plastic inside the towel so that your paint doesn't bleed through. Then, paint over the holes in the freezer paper, wait a minute, and carefully peel off the paper. For added flair, you can cut wavy lines out of the bottoms of your towels.

Use some old hangers or wire to spell out your Halloween spirit.

What you'll need: What you'll need: wire or old hangers, 1-inch wide strips of orange and black fabric scraps, hot glue gun

Make it: Bend your wire into the letters B-O-O (or any other Halloweeny message you want!). Then, cut strips of black and orange fabric and using hot glue, wrap them around wire. Tie the letters together to make they stay in the right order. When you're done, place your craft on your front steps, in your window, or hang it from your front door.

Copyright © 2011 Meredith Corporation.