DIY Spooky Halloween Decorations

As a kid, Halloween was all about dressing up and trick or treating. But as an adult, I look forward to decorating for Halloween. When I decorate, I usually incorporate both hand made and vintage accents into my design. Today, I’m going to share some DIY spooky Halloween decorations and a vintage style Halloween vignette.

How to make a frosted skeleton mirror

Last year, I made a skeleton mirror on a Facebook Live, but I didn’t write a blog post about it. I still have plenty of skeletons left over from Dollar Tree, so this year I’ve decided to share a tutorial. Plus, I’m participating in a Halloween collaboration with some blogger friends. There will be photos and links to their projects at the end of this post!

Note: This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.  If you make a purchase after clicking one of my links, I will receive a small commission (but it won’t cost you a penny extra).

Here’s what you’ll need:

• empty frame with glass intact (mine measures 9″ x 7″) – thrifted or from Dollar Tree
• painter’s tape
• Dark grey or black paint
• paintbrush
• Rustoleum Mirror Effect spray paint
• plastic skeleton (mine is 6″ tall)
• faux black leaves and a dark red or black rose 
• hot glue gun and glue sticks
• faux cobwebs

Step 1.

Cover the frame with painter’s tape.

Step 2.

Go outside and spray the glass on the frame with Mirror Effect spray paint until fully covered. You’ll only need one coat. Let dry for at least 10 minutes.

Step 3.

Remove the painter’s tape and paint the frame. My black paint was dried up so I ended up using a dark metallic grey. You’ll need two coats.

Step 4.

Apply hot glue to the back of the skeleton, center it in the middle of the frame, and glue in place.

Step 5.

Hot glue a rose to the bottom corner of the frame. This is optional…you can use just leaves or just roses, if you prefer.

Step 6.

Hot glue leaves (or flowers) around the frame until covered or to your liking.

Step 7.

Put some cobwebs on the frame to amp up the spook factor!

How to create a vintage Halloween vignette

For my vignette, I started with a stack of old books as a riser and stand for the skeleton frame. Next, I brought out my vintage clock, which was about the same height as the books and the frame. I think the clock has a spooky vibe… it was featured in my Halloween Tea Party Tablescape two years ago.

Then I added a dark wooden candlestick and a tarnished creamer. The finishing touches are some more cobwebs on the clock, a black crow and some more black leaves and a few spiders on the book stack.

Here’s how it looks by candlelight! I love how the frosted skeleton mirror came out. It gives an ordinary piece of glass the look of an aged mirror. I also used this technique on a larger frame last year to create a frosted mirror for everyday decor.

And that’s how to style a vintage Halloween vignette! Just gather up some dark colored old things, put them against a lighter background, and move them around until you find a pleasing arrangement.

I hope you found some inspiration from my DIY spooky Halloween decorations. Now, let’s keep the fun going and check out what my talented blogger friends have created for Halloween!

More Halloween Ideas

Kippi from Kippi at Home has a DIY Tray, Pom Pom and Bat Garland, Fabric Pumpkins and DIY Pillows to name a few…

Halloween Spell Book DIY from Agnes of Just That Perfect Piece

DIY Halloween No-Sew Halloween Trick or Treat Bags from Lia of Southern Yankee DIY

Halloween Pumpkin Outdoor Decorations from Chas of Chas’ Crazy Creations

DIY Easy Spider Pom Pom Garland from Jessica of Jessica Welling Interiors

Unicorn Pumpkin from Olivia of Olivia O’Hern

DIY Halloween Pillow Covers from Kirsten from Tribe of Burton