26 Halloween Decorations that Last All Season Long

Magic Chalkboard Message Board

Hang a large framed chalkboard in your home to display notes of fall welcome and Halloween cheer. Switch up the frame and chalk colors to match your decorating style. If you get a board with a wood frame, you'll easily be able to paint the frame different colors throughout the year to match the season.

Spooky Skull Decor

A skull adorned with artificial moths adds spooky style to any space. Decorate a faux resin skull, then try using it as Halloween mantel decor or perching it on a bookshelf. Stack it on old books and embellish with candlesticks to complete the Halloween scene.

• More Ways to Decorate with Skeletons

Yarn Pumpkins

Plain crafts store pumpkins get a makeover with yarn and burlap. Simply wrap the strands around each gourd, then secure with hot glue for the easiest Halloween decoration ever. If you use faux pumpkins, these yarn pumpkins will last for years.

Pretty Porch Luminaries

Lanterns in spooky hues of gray and black add eerie light to a porch decked out for Halloween. The porch overhang protects the lanterns from the elements so they last years. The display is easy to put together, too. Grab a package of Large Paper Lanterns ($9, Oriental Trading Co.) and use a few hooks to hang them from the porch ceiling.

Cool Copper Table Display

Welcome the new season with this dazzling fall table display. Copper and natural accents dress up your table for autumn. Be sure to use faux foliage and pumpkins for a display that will last all season.

Stunning Outdoor Fall Display

Greet guests with a simple and sophisticated outdoor display of fall decorations. Stack white pumpkins on a black wire patio chair and pair with artificial crows.

Editor's Tip: Buy white plastic pumpkins or spray-paint available fake pumpkins to ensure they last throughout the season.

Trick-or-Treat Throw Pillow

Updating upholstery for Halloween is simple with a stenciled accent pillow. Adhere Iron-On Stencil Letters ($6, Michaels) to a white decorative pillow to spell a seasonal greeting with the letters.

Paper Straw Garland

Adorn your mantel or staircase with a festive DIY bat garland. String foam bats and black foam balls on a length of ribbon or twine and pair the decoration with a garland of paper Halloween straws. To make the straw garland, cut all the straws into halves or thirds, then use a thick needle to poke a hole through the middle of each one. As long as you store them in a sturdy container that won't get squished, these paper decorations will last for years to come.

Bright Fall Wreath

Short on time or crafting skills? Homemade Halloween decorations don't get any simpler than this wreath made from canning jar rings and washi tape. Thread the jazzed-up rings on wire, twist the ends to retain a circular shape, and hang. If you don't have extras, you can buy packages of just Mason jar lids to help you get started.

Eerie Paper Snakes

Whether you're decorating for a Halloween party or want to spookily surprise your family, hanging paper snakes are a sure thing. To make the easy Halloween decoration, cut out a spiral from two-sided metallic poster board, use our template to create the head, then glue on a ribbon tongue. Hang or wrap as desired.

Scary Witch Shoes

Spook trick-or-treaters with a pair of witch's shoes. Adorn an old pair of black boots with ribbon or other accents, then fill with mini pumpkins, flowers, garden tools, and more. Plant a pair by your front door or in random corners of your house for a surprising Halloween decoration.

Perched Birds

Although this spooky tree is painted on the wall, you can get a similar (and nonpermanent) look by sketching a tree onto rolled paper, cutting it out, and taping it to the wall. Prop two ladders against the image and wire a swarm of artificial ravens to the rungs. Guests will duck for cover.

Framed Family Silhouettes and Lollipop Flowers

Create mantel magic by tracing family members' shadows onto black construction paper and adding scarecrow-like features. For extra Halloween spunk, pair the wall art with printable orange-and-black paper flowers in a white vase.

To make this DIY Halloween decoration, enlarge photos of family members posed in a profile angle to fill a frame. Cut out each photograph to create a silhouette. Place it facedown on a piece of black cardstock and trace with a white pencil. Carefully cut out the silhouettes. Trim yellow cardstock so it is slightly smaller than the inside of each frame. Use a glue stick to adhere a silhouette, right side up and centered, to the cardstock. Embellish the frames with decorative washi tape. Frame each silhouette.

Fall Mantel with Paper Butterflies

Metallic butterflies and vintage book pages transform your mantel into a magical display of fall flair. To make this craft, adhere book pages to a mirror using double-stick tape. Next, create a creeping vine and leaves using black art paper and florists wire. Finally, spray-paint feather butterflies in desired shades and tape to your creative fall mantel decor.

Metallic Ombré Pumpkins

Give craft pumpkins a modern update with a fun ombré paint effect. For pumpkins like those in the foreground, carve out petite diamonds, then spray with black paint. Spray over the top of the black paint with silver and Gold Metallic Spray Paint ($4, Target). covering about one-half to two-thirds of each pumpkin. Let dry after each color application.

Editor's Tips: For a variation, spray pumpkins with silver- and gold-metallic paint; let dry. Spray tops with white paint; let dry.

Botanical Silhouette Art

Showcase your sophisticated style with black-and-white botanical prints. The trendy fall decorating idea features vintage book pages and printable frames, plus black binder clips to hold it all together.

To make this craft, coat a canvas panel with a thin layer of decoupage medium and apply a printed book cover image to the front. Wrap the edges of the paper around the canvas panel and tape in place on the back. Let it dry for 15-20 minutes, then coat the front of the image with a thin layer of decoupage medium. While the panels are drying, print botanical silhouettes onto old book pages. Adhere the binder clips to the front of the book covers using glue dots. Put the book pages inside of the clips. To hang on your wall, use removable, damage-free adhesive strips.

Potion Glassware Arrangement

Add some toil and trouble to your Halloween home decor by grouping antique perfume bottles on a bronze serving platter to look like magic potions. Stick to one color of glassware or mix golds, silvers, and bronzes for magic.

Bug Decal Decorative Dishware

Give thrifted plates and platters a new look for Halloween with chic printed bug decals. Arrange the dishware above your mantel decorated with black candlesticks and fall potpourri.

To make this craft, print bug designs onto decal paper and cut around the design. Place the decal paper in a shallow dish filled with water and let it sit for 2-3 minutes, until the edge starts to lift off of its backing. Slide the decal off the backing and transfer it to the dish you're embellishing. Arrange it as desired, then use a wet paper towel to push out any air bubbles and smooth the decal. Once the decal is in place, blot any excess water. The decal will be fully cured in a couple of hours. Attach plate hangers to the back and hang.

Simple Fall Mantel with Leaf Garland

Arrange faux-leaf garlands and plastic pumpkins around a rustic mounted centerpiece for easy fall mantel decor. Add mercury-glass candlesticks on both ends for symmetry.

White Pumpkin Display with Sparkle

Give plastic pumpkins an elegant makeover with a coat of creamy white paint and sparkling stripes. Place them on sleek black candleholders for an easy fall centerpiece.

Bird Cage Display

Transform a tall wire birdcage into an eerie fall display with fake blackbirds. Set the scene with dried moss, plastic gourds, twigs, and fake spiderwebs.

Earthy Accents

Add long-lasting natural beauty to your mantel, counters, and tabletops with birch logs, faux foliage, and plastic gourds. Finish the fall display with a sparkle by filling mini Mason jars with tea lights.

Natural Wheat Wreath

Add shine to a traditional harvest wreath with a touch of metallic paint. Divide purchased dried wheat into three groups. Lightly brush each group with a different color of paint. (We chose gold, copper, and brass.) Let dry, then tuck the stalks into a purchased wheat wreath, starting from the inside and working outward. Complete your creation by hot-gluing a handwritten welcome to the wreath.

Front Stairs Halloween Decoration

While the phrase is inviting, the Halloween font on these front porch steps gives off an eerie tone. Laminate the printed words before assembling to ensure the project lasts all season.

Aluminum Candleholders

Flickering candlelight sets the mood for sharing spooky Halloween stories. We used sheets of decorative aluminum to cast shadows long into the blustery fall nights.

To make this craft, cut the sheets into strips with tin snips. Use food containers, such as soup cans, to figure out your dimensions. A 10x17-inch strip makes a large lantern; a 4x10-inch strip makes a votive. Roll the strips into cylinders, using the food containers as molds. To secure, twist wire through the mesh at the top, middle, and bottom of the seams. Trim excess along edges. Spray surfaces with two coats of black primer; let dry between applications.

Simple Halloween Door Decor

Ten minutes is all the time you need to make this mesmerizing wreath from a ceiling medallion. Spray-paint the medallion glossy orange, pair with a 4-inch-wide black satin ribbon, and hang.