Introduction: Setting the Scene for Halloween

This instructable describes how to decorate an apartment for Halloween using several small homemade Halloween decorations. They are all simple and easy to create using these instructions. While it’s not necessary to do every project, each one adds more and more Halloween spirit to the room. So pick your favorites and get started!

Step 1: Materials

First collect the materials and tools needed for all the pieces of the project to be completed.
Each "mini-project" has the materials listed separately below.

The Walls                                                          Fuzzy Spider
Materials:                                                         Materials:
1 roll of black craft paper                                    5 black pipe cleaners
Silver Sharpie                                                     Craft Eyes (optional)
Black or clear pushpins                                      Tools:
Tools:                                                                 Scissors
Measuring tape                                                   Glue (for the eyes)
Pencil                                                                   
Scissors                                                             Jar of Eyes
Tape                                                                  Materials:
                                                                          Glass jar (I used a 50 oz applesauce jar)
Light-up Ghost                                                 Ping pong balls
Materials:                                                         Craft paints
8 x 11 thin sheet of cardboard                           Tools:
Old white pillowcase                                           Small paint brushes
Keychain light
Fishing line                                                       Wine Bottle Candle Holder
Tools:                                                               Materials:
Scissors                                                            Empty long-necked bottle
Tape                                                                 Taper candle
Black marker                                                     Tools:
Needle                                                               Lighter

Step 2: The Backdrop

These are the steps to cover an entire wall in black paper and create designs on the paper.

1. Move any furniture away from the wall to be covered.
2. Measure the height and width of the wall.
3. Most craft paper rolls are 3 feet wide, so divide the height by 3 feet and round up if it is not an even number. This is the number of sheets needed.
4. Unroll the paper and measure a length to match the width of the wall and cut it off. Repeat this for the number of sheets needed.
5. Starting at the top of the wall, line up the paper and use pushpins to secure the first sheet to the wall. (As shown in the 2nd picture)
6. Place the next sheet below the first with about an inch of overlap and pin this to the wall also. Repeat this until the last sheet is placed.
7. Cut off any extra paper that goes onto the floor.
8. Use pushpins across the bottom of the last sheet so that it stays flat.
9. Cut around any outlets, vents, smoke alarms, or sprinklers that may have been covered by the paper.
(At this point it should look similar to the 3rd picture)
10. Use a pencil to sketch designs on the paper. One idea is to draw a scene, such as a graveyard, otherwise just draw anything Halloween on the walls. Some other suggestions are: spider webs, ghosts, witch, moon, owl, or any other design reminiscent of Halloween.
11. Go over the pencil using a silver Sharpie.
(Final product shown in the 1st picture)

Step 3: Graveyard Fence

These are the steps to create a graveyard style fence inside your home.

1. Choose a wall for the fence and measure its width.
2. Cut off one sheet of the black craft paper at this length.
3. Pin the paper to the wall using black or clear pushpins so that the bottom of the paper is touching the floor.
4. Start at one end and measure 1 ¼”. Mark this at the top and bottom of the paper with a pencil. This will be the width of each of the fence pickets.
5. Measure 4” from the previous mark and mark this at the top and bottom also. This is the width between each of the posts.
6. Continue measuring and marking 1 ¼” and then 4” until the other end of the paper is reached.
7. Connect each top mark with each bottom mark using a straightedge, such as the box the craft paper came in.
8. Mark 4” from the floor between each of the posts and connect these marks parallel to the floor.
9. Draw another line 1 ¼” above the previous line.
10. Draw a horizontal line 6 ½” from the top all the way across the paper.
11. Draw another line 1 ¼” below the line in step 10.
12. To make the pickets have points at the top, mark 4” from the top of the paper on each side of each of the pickets. At the top of each of the pickets, mark the center of the picket. Draw lines from the top center mark to each of the side marks. Do this for every picket. (At this point it should look similar to the 2nd picture)
13. Cut around the fence using scissors or an X-Acto knife. (The beginning of this process is shown in the 3rd picture) To avoid cutting the wall behind the paper slide a thin sheet of cardboard behind the paper while cutting.
14. Add tape or pushpins as necessary to keep the fence flat against the wall.
(Final product shown in the 1st picture)

Step 4: Light-Up Ghost

These are the steps to make a light-up ghost.

1. Use an 8 X 11 thin sheet of cardboard, such as the back of a spiral notebook, to form a cone shaped disk for the “head” of the ghost. This does not need to be perfect as it will be on the inside of the ghost where it cannot be seen.
2. From the middle of the cardboard's long edge cut with scissors to the center.
3. Cut a circle from the center about 2 inches in diameter.
4. Pull the cardboard together from each side of the cut to form a cone shape and tape it.
5. Cut off the corners of the cardboard to make it round so it looks like a cone shaped disk. (As shown in the 2nd picture)
(For the following steps the “top” of the pillowcase, refers to the closed end of the pillowcase.)
6. Place the cardboard inside an old white pillowcase with the large end of the cone facing the opening of the pillowcase.
7. String a large needle with 3’ of fishing line.
8. Tuck the top two corners of the pillowcase into the center of the cone.
9. Pull 1’ of the string through both corners of the pillowcase and through the center of the cone to the inside of the pillowcase.
10. Tie a knot on the outside of the pillowcase to stop the string from sliding through.
11. On the inside of the pillowcase tie on a small keychain light.
12. Use the remaining string to wrap around the cardboard to secure it in place and tie the end of the string to the light again. (At this point the inside of the pillowcase should look like the 3rd picture)
13. Arrange the pillowcase to hang as desired. The edges can be cut to make it more jagged. (As shown in the 4th picture)
14. Draw on two eyes and a mouth with a black marker. (As shown in the 5th picture)
15. At the outside end of the fishing line tie another knot and use a pushpin to stick through the knot and into the ceiling.
16. Turn on the light and watch the ghost glow!
(Final product shown in the 1st picture)

Step 5: Fuzzy Spider

These are the steps to make a fuzzy black spider.

1. Take one black pipe cleaner and form it into a ball by folding a ½” of the end in on itself and by wrapping the rest of the pipe cleaner around itself, as if rolling up a ball of yarn. Tuck the end into the ball.
2. Take another pipe cleaner and stick the end into the ball just formed. Wrap this around the ball and tuck the end in again. Repeat with a third pipe cleaner.
3. Using two more pipe cleaners, fold each in half and cut with scissors at the fold. These will form the legs.
4. Push each of the halves through the center of the ball so that the length of the pipe cleaners is equal on both sides.
5. Bend each of the 8 legs into an ‘S’ shape so the spider can stand on its own. (As shown in the 2nd picture)
6. Eyes can be added now, if desired.
7. Use any size of Googly Craft Eyes and glue them to the body of the spider. Glue on 8 eyes for accuracy, or just use two for a less scary spider. (Final product with small eyes shown in the 1st picture. Final product with big eyes shown in the 3rd picture.)

Step 6: Jar of Eyes

These are the steps to create a jar of eyes.

1. Get a glass jar about the size of a 50 oz. applesauce jar and two packages of a dozen ping pong balls. Black craft paint is needed for the pupils and for the following steps blue will be used for the iris color, but any color can be used for the iris.
2. Paint a blue circle on the ping pong ball about an inch in diameter. (As shown in the 2nd picture)
3. Paint a small circle of black inside the blue circle. (As shown in the 3rd picture)
4. To make it more realistic looking, use a darker or lighter shade of blue and paint several thin lines extending from the pupil to the outer edge of the iris. (As shown in the 4th picture)
5. Blend the blues together by painting over the lines with the original blue. (As shown in the 5th picture)
6. Let the eyes dry for 30 minutes.
7. When they are finished drying place the eyes inside the glass jar.
(Final product shown in the 1st picture)

Step 7: Wine Bottle Candle Holder

These are the steps to turn an empty wine bottle into a taper candle holder.

1. Take a long-necked bottle and put about an inch of the bottom of a taper candle inside the neck.
2. Use a lighter or another candle to melt the wax off the taper candle and let it drip down the sides of the candle and the bottle. (As shown in the 1st picture)
(Final product shown in the 2nd picture)

Step 8: Putting It All Together

1. Once the walls are covered and the decorations are made, place the decorations around the room.
2. The spiders can be attached to lamp bases using their legs, taped to the wall on drawn on webs, or just set anywhere.
3. Lighting is a simple way to change the feel of a room instantly. One idea is to replace lamp bulbs with black lights. These also help to illuminate the drawings. Another idea is to use strings of orange lights to hang around the room.
4. And last, but not least... Have a Happy Halloween!!