31 Days of Halloween: Day 3: Halloween DIY Decor

With many of us in search of elegant-looking fall decorations, an economical way to save might be to do it yourself. We found this stunning wreath at HGTV's site. Below are the materials needed to create this look for yourself. Click on the image to visit their site for the slideshow tutorial.
What you will need:

• Styrofoam wreath frame
• Orange tow rope (75 to 100 feet depending on size of wreath frame)
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks
• Artificial leaves
• Mini artificial pumpkins
• White spray paint
• Vinyl adhesive letters

We found these dripping candles from Women's Day's site. These would be a great addition to your fall and Halloween decor painted white or painted black. 

To make these giant dripping candles: have 1½-inch, 2-inch, and 3-inch PVC pipes cut to your desired height. Then, on a covered surface, spray paint the PVC pipes white. Using a hot-glue gun and white glue sticks, apply glue from the top down the sides to make drips, as shown. Trace the base of a battery-powered tea light onto a sponge and cut out. Hot-glue the sponge into the top of the pipe and cover with white hot glue. Let cool completely, then push the tea light into the pipe to rest on top of the sponge. Finally, set the pipe on a circle of wax paper and drip white hot glue around the bottom edge.

Incorporate spooky classics right onto your Halloween decor with a horror novel book door. This one could be found on Country Living's website. 

Make the Book Door: Cut long, thin rectangular pieces of differing colored kraft paper (we used red, gray, and black). Draw titles of books on the paper. Outline letters with gold paint pens. Fill in outline with paint pen or gold acrylic paint. Attach to door with double-sided tape. Add large bushel basket and buffalo-check doormat.

This one could be a fun one to do yourself or to get the youngsters involved in creating a Pumpkin Diorama. We found this on the Good Housekeeping website and think has the potential to become hauntingly scary or uniquely fall. 

​To make: If you love nothing more than an over-the-top look, fill a carved pumpkin with everything from reindeer moss and twigs to mini headstones. Don't forget the full moon (a Ping-Pong ball that you can easily hang from a thin string).

Speaking of pumpkins, why not create a Mini Pumpkin Centerpiece? These could make a fresh fall statement to your dining table this Halloween.

​To make the centerpiece: Put mini pumpkins to work as votive holders for a flickering fall table. Snap off each pumpkin's stem, and position a candle in its depression. Cover with a clear glass hurricane shade and insert floral U-pins to hold the shade in place.