Quick & Inexpensive Halloween Decorations

Take a lesson from witches on accessorizing -- black boots are a Halloween must-have. Place a plastic foam ball inside each boot. Stick stalks of wheat and other dried foliage into the foam balls so the foliage sticks out the tops of the boots. Set the boots near the front door to warn everyone that a witch is near.

Spread a little fright on Halloween with creepy candles. Download our free letter templates, print, and wrap around glass hurricanes; tape in place to secure. The flickering candles within add the eek-factor.

Keep a watchful eye on who is sneaking loot from the candy jar. Adhere a sequined mask and piercing "eyes" (flat marbles) to the outside of a candy-filled jar using glue dots (available with scrapbooking supplies).

Even the innocent books can become bewitching props for a Halloween vignette. Cut lengths of paper to wrap around the books, and fold the edges over the insides of the front and back covers. Decorate the spines with Halloween stickers. And of course, every book needs a title -- spell out creepy book names along the spines using a stencil or letter stickers.

For a Gothic look, wrap black scrapbooking paper around glass votive cups. Then add some bling to the cups with adhesive sequins, jewels, and rhinestones.

Prep your house for Halloween in two simple steps. Wrap lengths of Halloween ribbon around candlesticks, tie into bows, and insert matching tapers. Display the decorated candleholders in front of a window and light the tapers on Halloween night to welcome trick-or-treaters.

Ditch the standard candle and brighten up your jack-o'-lantern with an arrangement of bold-hue harvest flowers. Cut the stems, arrange in a small vase, and set inside a carved pumpkin. A white Lumina pumpkin carved with a skeletal face makes this arrangement extra spooky.

Enhance the natural beauty of a perfectly round orange pumpkin with a few add-ons. Tie ribbon around the pumpkin stem and attach decorative florist's picks. Display the pumpkin on top of a black cake stand.

To create your own glaring wreath, glue a black feather boa (or other feathery trim) on a 12-inch, half-round foam wreath, securing with crafts pins if needed. Lay a bath towel over the wreath to gently press the feathers into the glue as it dries. For the eyes, paint black pupils on white crafts-foam balls. Make several pairs of eyes by sticking wire through two balls and twisting it together. Attach the sets of eyes by wrapping the wire around the wreath.

Be ready for trick-or-treaters with this special Halloween bowl. Cut off the top of an artificial pumpkin. Embellish with rickrack and spell out the word "treats" in a fancy script with paint.

Cut and glue a three-dimensional pumpkin garland. For each pumpkin, cut four irregular circles and ovals in gradually decreasing sizes. Layer the shapes and glue them in the center; fan out. Hot-glue a chenille stem to the top and twist it around a length of yarn or ribbon to secure.

With a layer of orange felt beneath, the dotted design on this table runner conjures the image of a field of pumpkins. The chocolate-brown felt top layer will carry you through the harvest season; use black felt for a traditional Halloween look. Trace various-size circles on a length of dark-color felt; cut out. Layer the felt over a length of same-size orange felt. Secure the two layers with glue, if desired, and drape the runner over the table.

For a simple fall centerpiece, arrange miniature jack-o'-lanterns on a bed of crinkle-cut orange paper in a wire bowl. Surround with leaves and candles in votive cups.

Editor's Tip: Never leave lit candles unattended, especially when paired with paper products or dried foliage.

Greet trick-or-treaters with this pumpkin wreath. It's made using only a wire wreath form, miniature pumpkins, moss, and a bow.

Let a trip to a crafts store inspire ideas for a versatile centerpiece to carry you through the season. Use miniature fencing or a shallow basket to frame a "yard" of Spanish moss, small hay bales, and gourds. A black cat and ghoulish signs stake the territory at Halloween; turkeys can gobble up space later.

Fashion an eerie tabletop tableau. Place handmade mummy heads over battery-operated votive candles, and arrange the uncanny craniums on glass cake stands. Easily crafted from balloons and plaster-cloth strips, these disembodied heads are surefire conversation starters.

Are those spiders jumping out of that candy jar? Not quite. A spray of chartreuse spider mums tops a jar of candy corn. Insert a smaller, waterproof container filled with florist's foam and flowers inside a glass vase, then surround with candy.

See your nighttime festivities in a new light by spelling a seasonal message on glass pillar candleholders. Wrap the outside of the glasses with colored tissue paper and secure with tape. Adhere a 2-inch vinyl adhesive letter (available at office supply or crafts stores) to each pillar to form a word.

This no-sew tablecloth couldn't be easier to make. Download our pattern and cut out scaredy-cat shapes from black felt. Then simply attach them to a large piece of gold felt using fusible web.

Change the look of clear glass bowls with these easy construction-paper embellishments.

Pen facial expressions onto miniature pumpkins and skewer the petite jack-o'-lanterns on painted wooden dowels for festive party favors; finish with ribbon bows. Display the skewers in jars decorated with rub-on phrases, available at crafts stores.

Turn plain glass hurricane lanterns into seasonal treats that cast a candlelit glow on your Halloween festivities.

Recycle an old Halloween card into a glittery star ornament that shines brightly hanging from the bough of a tabletop tree or around a doorknob.

Scrapbooking paper turns fireplace-match holders into bewitching party favors or hostess gifts. Use a glue stick to adhere paper to the holders, then decorate them with stickers, ribbons, or strips of coordinating paper.

Great for a centerpiece or last-minute trick-or-treat greeter, this quick pumpkin idea offers something to crow about.

Turn falling leaves into an easy centerpiece. Anchor branches found from the yard or a florist's shop in a decorative pot with florist's foam or rocks, and cover the top with moss. Decoupage color copies of gathered leaves onto small cards, and tie the cards to the branches.

Identify guests' drinks with handmade labels shaped like pumpkins. Cut circles from orange construction paper, cut out the centers, then cut a slit on one side of the center hole so you can slip it on the wine glass. Cut stems out of green paper and glue them onto the orange circles. Snake four pieces of thin, cloth-coated florist's wire around the stem of each glass; at the top, curl the pieces around pencils to make tendrils.