DIY / Reuse & Repurpose / Seasonal

14 DIY Halloween Decor Using Upcycled Items

Halloween can be expensive and not so environmentally friendly considering all the candy, costumes and decorations. These DIY Halloween decorations using repurposed items will help you achieve a more eek-o-friendly Halloween.

Reusing and upcycling items is a great way to extend their lifespan by giving them a new purpose.

By making your own repurposed Halloween decorations, you can simply pack them away at the end of Halloween and take them out again next year.

It’s better for the environment if you find ways to reuse items that you already own, and of course, it’s a lot better for your wallet.

You’ll also always appreciate a home decoration that you made yourself, compared to if you were to buy it from a store.

Have a more sustainable Halloween this year by repurposing some household items and turning them into some of these amazing Halloween decorations.

14 repurposed Halloween DIY home decor

Here are some Halloween decorations you can make using repurposed items.

1. Repurposed Pumpkin Cutting Board

repurposed pumpkin cutting board

Do you have an old and unused cutting board lying around? With a little paint, you can repurpose your cutting board into the perfect Halloween decoration for your wall, inside or out.

This DIY repurposed cutting board by Organized Clutter is super budget-friendly and a great way to upcycle cutting boards that may have outlived their chop-worthy days.

2. Repurposed Toilet Paper Roll Candles

DIY halloween candles using recycled toilet paper rolls

Hang on to your toilet paper rolls and repurpose them into these DIY Halloween candles. For the longer candles, you can use paper towel rolls.

Make “wax” with a hot glue gun and add some paint for a creepy vibe.

Check out the full tutorial for these Halloween toilet paper roll candles over at Make Life Lovely.

3. Plastic Bag Skeleton

skeleton made out of plastic grocery bags

Hopefully, you’ve transitioned to reusable grocery bags, but if not, reuse those plastic grocery bags and create this skeleton to hang on your front door or in a tree!

This is also a great way to upcycle plastic bags that you’ve accumulated prior to making the switch to reusable bags.

This DIY Halloween decoration will cost you very little and is a great way to repurpose disposable plastic bags that you still have kicking around your home.

Learn how to make this repurposed plastic bag skeleton over at Instructables.

4. Compostable Orange Pumpkin Lanterns

oranges carved into pumpkins

How cute are these pumpkin lanterns made from oranges over at Rebeccas DIY? If you enjoy the smell of oranges, adding a tea candle inside will definitely spread the fragrance around your home.

The best part about this Halloween decoration – just compost them when the time’s right!

5. DIY Tin Can Ghosts

tin can ghosts hanging from pole

Upcycle tin cans into these adorable ghost decorations for Halloween. Big coffee cans would be perfect for this Halloween craft.

Hang this DIY on a pole or in your trees so they sway in the wind! Read the tutorial for these DIY tin can ghosts over at Chicken Scratch NY.

6. Wine Glass Halloween Candles

wine glass halloween candles

If you’ve got too many wine glasses at home, repurpose them into these cute Halloween-themed candle holders.

This DIY craft is super easy and budget-friendly. Read the tutorial for these Halloween wine glass candles by the Decorated Cookie.

7. Repurposed Laundry Basket Cage

laundry basket halloween cages

Repurpose plastic laundry baskets into hanging cages, a perfect decoration for your yard this Halloween. See the tutorial for this hanging cage Halloween prop by The Navage Patch.

8. DIY Halloween Poison Bottles

DIY poison bottles

Transform old glass bottles into creepy but cute poison bottles using paint and Halloween stickers. See the tutorial for these DIY Halloween poison bottles over at the 36th Avenue.

Related post: 17 amazing ways to reuse old glass bottles.

9. Hula Hoop Spider Web

hula hoop spider web

Do you have an old hula hoop that doesn’t get used anymore? Repurpose a hula hoop into a spider web for Halloween.

With a little twine and some black paint, this DIY hula hoop spider web decoration via Over the Big Moon is easy and super cheap to make.

10. Spooky Repurposed Mason Jar

spooky mason jar with spider web

Upcycle a mason jar and make this spooky DIY Halloween craft.

You can use any jar really, like old jars you can get from purchasing spaghetti sauces. Check out the tutorial for this mason jar Halloween craft by Mom Dot.

11. Canning Ring Jar Pumpkin

DIY mason jar canning ring pumpkin

Speaking of mason jars, if you have extra unused canning jar lids, this canning jar lid pumpkin by Yellow Bliss Road is so cute – it might be my favorite on this list!

The best part? It took her about 3 minutes to make.

Use older rings for this repurposed Halloween decoration for a more rustic feel. You can also apply some paint if you prefer.

12. Upcycled Fence Board Decorations

upcycled fence board halloween decorations

These cute DIY Halloween decorations are easy to make and super cheap.

With a little paint and some cloth for that mummy, you can make these little guys with recycled fence boards that you may have lying around.

Don’t have leftover fence boards? You can make this easy DIY Halloween decoration using any type of leftover wood, like deck boards or even wood from pallets.

Read the tutorial for these inexpensive Halloween porch decorations by Making Manzanita.

13. Galvanized Jack-o-Lantern

galvanized funnel jack-o-lantern

Probably not the most common item in everyone’s home, but it really makes you want to track down some galvanized metal ASAP.

This repurposed jack-o-lantern for Halloween by House of Hawthorne repurposes an old galvanized funnel to make this adorable and simple farmhouse jack-o-lantern.

14. Boho Terracotta Pumpkin

terracotta pot pumpkins

Do you have some old terracotta planters lying around? Why not repurpose them into these cute boho Halloween jack-o-lanterns?

This tutorial by Sadie Seasongoods uses adhesive felt making the application super easy, but if you’re handy with a paintbrush, you can definitely paint the faces on!

Final thoughts on these repurposed halloween DIY ideas

I hope you enjoyed these DIY Halloween crafts using repurposed items. Holidays are a great time to upcycle items you have around your home to make seasonal decorations, instead of buying cheap plastic decor.

If you want more DIY ideas using repurposed materials, check out my roundup of some of the best and easiest ways to upcycle old clothing!

Check out my post 11 ways to have a more eco-friendly Halloween if you want to learn more about going green this Halloween.

Which repurposed Halloween decoration is your favorite? Don’t forget to save it!

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