Halloween is a time to be creative – regardless whether you are young or old. And what’s better than young and old working together to create a fantastic decoration display? We’ve put together a list of five great do-it-yourself Halloween decorations that are fun to create with children – and they look great, too. And, to turn it up a notch, we’ve paired each project with an AtmosFX Digital Decoration so you can really wow your friends and neighbors.
1. A Battery of Bats. What makes the “Wall of Bats” display so effective is the ability reproduce these simple paper bats in large quantities. As you can see at the Marvelous Mommy blog, setting up tens – even hundreds – of bats in formation can really set the scene. Crafty kids can easily take part in cutting out the bat templates and sticking them on the wall. We suggest arranging the bats in a manner that directs a visitor’s attention to a certain area, like a television or window where you’re displaying the individual vampire digital decorations from Tricks and Treats. The not-too-scary digital decorations feature the silhouette of a vampire turning into a bat – a perfect compliment to your Wall of Bats.
2. A Wreath of Eyeballs. This playful decoration is a perfect project for parents who have younger kids with little, nimble fingers. After all, what kid doesn’t love googly eyes, ping-pong balls and glue?! We found this project at Number 2 Pencil blog – and we loved how well it pairs with AtmosFX’s newest digital decoration, Eerie Eyes. The author suggests using a hot glue gun to adhere the ping-pong balls to straw wreath form, and we think that makes sense. Obviously, if you’re in a time pinch, hot-gluing the eyes to ping-pong balls works too. But we love giving the kids a project and letting them adhere the eyes with some school glue. When done, adds some ribbon and hang the wreath on your front door, and display Eerie Eyes in a nearby window. It’s an eye-opening combination!
3. Floating, Glowing Witch Hats. This enchanting project was found at Polkadot Chair, and is a beautiful way to lure trick ’r’ treaters to your porch this Halloween. The inexpensive store-bought witches hats are simple to string-up with fishing line, and you can illuminate them with either LED light sticks or LED tea lights. Like the Wall of Bats above, the more floating hats you can create, the more alluring it becomes. For those who have an AtmosGEAR 3DFX Form, you can set up a captivating prop display nearby with the sorceress of Witching Hour. It is a magical combination – floating hats and a talking, singing witch who welcomes guests to your mysterious home.
4. Balloon Ghosts. From Studio DIY we discovered another playful display that is perfect inside and out – unless it is a windy Halloween night! There is not much needed to create this joyful ghosts – just white helium balloons, thin white tissue paper and a back magic marker. Essentially, you glue or tape a “skirt” around the bottom-third of your balloon to create the whispy bottom of your ghosts. Trim the bottom for the tissue, and then give your ghost a face with your magic marker. The images from Studio DIY use white ribbon to secure the balloon - but fishing line works great, too. This easy decoration also plays well with AtmosFX’s Boo Crew Digital Decoration – the good-natured ghosts fit right in with their helium-filled brethren!
5. Say it with Pumpkins. Pumpkin carving is the highlight of nearly every Halloween for both parents and children. That said, much of the essential detail for Jack-O’-Lantern carving falls to the adults. We like the ideas presented by Better Homes and Gardens. Using an apple corer, you can bore out messages written in pumpkin – one letter per pumpkin. And corers are a bit safer than knives, so younger kids can participate. (Still, be careful!) As you figure out how to craft your message, make sure to save three uncarved pumpkins for a Jack-O’-Lantern Jamboree display. You can project directly onto uncarved pumpkins to create the effect that these groovy gourds have come alive, singing songs and telling Halloween-themed jokes.
