No need for a smoke machine or even sound effects to create a memorable greeting for trick-or-treaters. These ideas for front door Halloween decor come from Better Homes and Gardens magazine; most can be completed quickly using simple supplies. For more front-door decorating ideas along with detailed instructions for these looks, visit .
This display is crafted from half of a foam pumpkin that’s been painted with a jack-o’-lantern. An artificial crow serves as the spooky final touch.
Dress up a bare glass door with a spooky silhouette. Tape together multiple sheets of black card stock or sheets of black crafts foam, and you can create a spooky scene big enough to fill the door.
If the stoop includes a sidelight window, make a spirited first impression with an embellished black-and-white paper sign. This one has an eerie message and piercing cat eyes.
Set a dark mood by disguising the view inside the front door with a black paper cut-out taped to the door windows and covered with yellow tissue paper. The design will glow when you turn on the interior lights.
Soft “sugar skull” sculpture
Day of the Dead serves as major inspiration for Kathy Cano-Murillo, the Arizona “craftrepreneur” who’s made a name for herself as “The Crafty Chica” (). She whipped up this project and now teaches it to small groups around the country. You can use a sewing machine or sew it together by hand. Here’s how:
DIRECTIONS
1. Draw a profile of a skull to your desired size, and trace it with chalk around white fabric. Cut out two pieces.
2. Cut out a rectangular piece of fabric that is long enough to go all the way around the shape of the profile skull. For a 7-inch-tall skull, for instance, make the strip about 3 inches wide. Then, pin one end edge-to-edge all the way around one side of one of the skull pieces. Now pin the other side, edge-to-edge.
3. Sew all the way around both sides, leaving one hole at the mouth area. Turn it inside out and stuff it with batting.
Important tip: When it comes to “stuffing” your skull, insert a quote from a person you love who has passed on. It will be a little special bond between you and that person every time you look at your fabric skull.
4. Stitch up the mouth area and use a pencil to sketch patterns and designs on your skull.
5. Decorate your skull using permanent fabric markers, fabric paint and fabric glitter. You can also stitch on medallions, milagros and buttons.
6. To give your skull more shape, tuft it by adding a button through each end using embroidery thread.
Crunchy creepy crawly candy
Give trick-or-treaters and Halloween party guests something to squeal about with a display of candy centipedes. This project is from “Candy Construction — How to Build Edible Race Cars, Castles, and Other Cool Stuff Out of Store- Bought Candy,” by Sharon Bowers ($14.95, Storey).
SUPPLIES
Licorice string (such as Twizzler’s Pull-N-Peel)
Life Savers or other round candy with hole
1 egg white
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1½ cups confectioners’ sugar
Mini Dots
DIRECTIONS
1. To make Royal Icing Glue, which you’ll need to assemble your creepy crawlies, use a hand mixer to beat the egg white and lemon juice until frothy. Then, with the mixer at medium speed, gradually beat in the confectioners sugar until the mixture is thick. Finally, turn the mixer to high, and beat the icing until it’s thick and glossy, about 3 minutes. Note: This will set to a firm, glossy finish when dry. Extra icing can be stored, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. (Consider cutting the recipe in half for the minimal amount of icing used in this project.)
2. Cut a length of licorice string, and gently tie a knot in one end that’s just big enough to keep the candy from falling off. Use another string (of a different color if desired) to cut several 3-inch long strands to serve as legs.
3. Start sliding candies loosely onto the main string, varying the color to make a pattern, or stringing them on in a motley array. After every 2-3 Life Savers, tie one of the leg strings around the central strand, leaving the ends hanging down. Then push the Life Savers up against it and continue until your critter is as long as you like.
4. When you reach the end, knot the string gently again, being careful not to pull so hard that you break it.
5. Select one end for the front, and use a dab of royal icing to glue on two Mini Dot eyes. Tie additional string just behind the head to serve as antennae, but turn this knot so that the strands point upward.
6. Trim the legs so that they’re even to give a better impression of waving centipede legs.
