Haunt Your Yard with These DIY Halloween Ghost Decorations

There are few things that evoke Halloween more than seeing spectral people lurking in the corners of your house, peering over your yard or floating through the air. DIY Halloween ghost decorations are an easy and imaginative way to add some creepy decor to your event, whether you want to create a fun and spooky mood or an unsettling environment. This tutorial will walk you through simple, inexpensive ghost-crafting ideas that will add a terrifyingly exciting touch to your Halloween décor!

Top 7 DIY Halloween Ghost Decorations

1. Classic Floating Ghosts

With a few simple supplies, floating ghosts are a classic Halloween decoration. For an unsettling hovering appearance, these frightening figures are ideal for hanging in porches, trees, or even inside your house.

• Materials:

  • White fabric (old sheets, cheesecloth, or gauze)
  • Balloons or foam balls (for the ghost’s head)
  • String or fishing line
  • Black felt or paper (for the eyes and mouth)
  • Scissors

• Instructions:

  1. The ghost's head can be made from a foam ball or an inflated balloon.
     To create the ghost's body
  2. Drape white cloth over the head, making sure it flows organically to resemble a floating spectre.
  3. Using black felt or paper, cut out the ghost's lips and eyes, then glue them to the face.
  4. To make your ghost appear to float in midair, hang it from porch beams, ceilings or tree branches using fishing line or twine.

• Pro Tip: Underneath the fabric, add a small battery-operated light or glow stick to give your floating ghost a spooky glow at night.

2. Cheesecloth Ghosts: For a Ghoulish Look

A simple and efficient method for creating translucent, light-weight, eerie spirits is to use cheesecloth ghosts. These easy-to-make decorations come in several sizes and look great hanging or as creepy table centrepieces.

• Materials:

  • Cheesecloth
  • Balloons or foam balls
  • Wire or plastic bottles (to form the body/structure)
  • Fabric stiffener or a mix of water and glue
  • Black felt or paper for the eyes and mouth

• Instructions:

  1. To make the shape of the ghost, blow up a balloon or use a foam ball for the head, then place it over a wire frame or plastic bottle.
  2. Soak the cheesecloth in a solution of water and glue or fabric stiffener.
  3. Lay the firm cheesecloth on top of the frame and let it air dry. After drying, it will maintain its spectral form.
  4. For a more spicier look, leave it blank or add black felt or paper cutouts for the lips and eyes. When finished, you may either hang the ghost without the frame or remove it to allow the ghost to stand freely.

• Pro Tip: Using more cheesecloth and larger balloons or frames, you can change the size of your ghost. These look fantastic hanging from tree branches or strewn over your garden!

3. Glow-in-the-Dark Ghosts

Make your Halloween ghosts glow in the dark to add an additional spooky touch! This easy project is ideal for outdoor displays, where your luminous ghosts can provide an ethereal glow to greet trick-or-treaters.

• Materials:

  • Glow-in-the-dark fabric paint or spray paint
  • White fabric (sheets or cheesecloth)
  • Balloons or foam balls
  • String or fishing line
  • Scissors

• Instructions:

  1. Start by creating the traditional floating ghost (described above) with white fabric and a foam ball or balloon for the head.
  2. Be sure to uniformly coat the entire ghost with spray paint or glow-in-the-dark fabric paint.
  3. After letting the paint dry, hang your glowing ghost outside or in a shadowy spot for a creepy nighttime display.

• Pro Tip: To enhance the effect, expose the glow-in-the-dark paint to a bright light source before dusk so that your ghost will have a greater glow after dark.

4. DIY Ghost Lanterns: Light Up Your Night

An adorable yet spooky approach to infuse your Halloween lights with a little spook factor is with ghost lanterns. These illuminating ghost lanterns will astonish and frighten your guests whether they are arranged inside your house, on a porch, or alongside a walkway.

• Materials:

  • Mason jars or white paper lanterns
  • White tissue paper or cheesecloth
  • Battery-powered candles or string lights
  • Black marker, felt, or paper for ghost faces
  • Mod Podge or glue

• Instructions:

  1. Using Mod Podge or glue, cover a Mason jar or paper lantern with white tissue paper or cheesecloth.
  2. Once dry, use a black pen, felt, or paper cutouts to design or attach a terrifying ghost face.
  3. To create a delicate, ethereal illumination, place string lights or a battery-operated candle inside the jar or lantern.
  4. To direct your trick-or-treaters, place these ghost lamps in windows, along your front porch, or along walkways.

• Pro Tip:  You can add further artistic flair by crafting ghosts with varying sizes and facial expressions, endowing each lantern with a sinister individuality.

5. Hanging Ghost Garlands

An enjoyable and simple way to bring a little bit of spookiness into your indoor or outdoor environments is using ghost garlands. You can make a whimsical yet spooky Halloween display by hanging these garlands from mantels, hanging them along walls, or even stringing them between trees.

• Materials:

  • White felt or fabric
  • Black felt for the eyes and mouth
  • Cotton stuffing or small foam balls
  • String or twine
  • Scissors and glue

• Instructions:

  1. Using white felt or fabric, cut out ghost shapes, being careful to provide space for the rope at the top.
  2. Adhere or stitch black felt mouths and eyes onto every ghost.
  3. To give each ghost a three-dimensional appearance, stuff them with cotton or foam.
  4. To make a garland, evenly space out the ghosts and attach them to a piece of twine or string.
  5. For a playful, festive decoration, hang your ghost garland across your porch, around a fence, or along a mantel.

• Pro Tip: Your garland may be made even more festive by adding additional Halloween-themed shapes, such as bats or pumpkins!

6. Sheet Ghosts: Quick and Classic

The traditional sheet ghost is an ideal option if you're searching for an easy decoration idea at the last minute. This retro Halloween decoration is a terrific way to add creepy characters to your porch or yard. It's quite basic, but it works incredibly well.

• Materials:

  • White bed sheets
  • Foam balls or balloons (for the head)
  • Black felt or marker (for eyes and mouth)
  • Stakes or string (for hanging)

• Instructions:

  1. To construct the ghost's head, place an inflated balloon or foam ball beneath the sheet.
  2. Using black felt or a pen, cut or create eyes and a mouth, then attach them to the face.
  3. Attach the ghost to a ground stake or use twine to suspend it from a porch ceiling or tree.
  4. Let the ghost's body billow and flutter in the wind for an even more eerie impact.

• Pro Tip: Place a fan close to the ghost to create the illusion that it is floating through the air for even more spooky movement!

7. Ghost Balloons: Fun for All Ages

A fun and kid-friendly method to incorporate spectral elements into your Halloween event are using ghost balloons. These easy decorations just take a few minutes to make and work well both indoors and outdoors.

• Materials:

  • White balloons
  • Black marker or felt for eyes and mouth
  • White tissue paper or tulle

• Instructions:

  1. The white balloons should be inflated and tied tightly.
  2. Using felt cutouts or a black marker, draw or adhere eerie faces.
  3. Cover the balloon with white tissue paper or tulle, letting it fall to form the ghost's body.
  4. Hang your balloon ghosts to make a whimsical, floating display from trees, walls, or your porch.

• Pro Tip: Add glow sticks inside the balloons before inflating for an eerie glowing effect at night.

Final Thoughts

Making your own homemade DIY Halloween ghost decorations is an imaginative and enjoyable way to embrace the eerie atmosphere of the occasion. You may turn your house and garden into a haunting refuge full with spectral characters with just a few basic supplies. These easy-to-make ghost ideas can help you create the ideal haunting for your Halloween decorations, whether your goal is to frighten trick-or-treaters or just add a little spooky charm look.

Happy haunting, and have a spooky Halloween! Halloween Decoration Items for Sale