Use Creative Crafting to Turn Your House into a Haunted House
By Vince Nitti

Would your kids enjoy turning your home into a scary haunted house this Halloween? Here are some arts and crafts ideas to effect the transformation. First you need a theme, then some accessories, lighting, and sound effects.

Cemetery Theme

There are many items appropriate for a cemetery theme, including corpses, coffins, bones, and stone hedges. A cardboard box can easily be made into a scary coffin. Cut a large piece of cardboard for the cover, and paint a cross over the top of the coffin.

Stone hedges can be cut out of Styrofoam and painted gray. You can add R.I.P. with a marker or felt-tip pen (you can even add names to make your theme spookier). The sound of crunching bones can be imitated by drying bread in the oven, then placing the crumbs under an area rug. You can make almost any body part you like by stuffing latex gloves with cotton or rags. Be sure to add plenty of blood (red paint).

You can even add a realistic touch to your home décor by filling goblets with blood and leaving them in your dining area or hallways. Purchase clear plastic cups and mix up some blood with red food coloring and water. Thicken the mixture with cornstarch until the consistency is just right.

A Pumpkin Yard Theme

Although there's nothing wrong with using real pumpkins, you don't have to. You can use oranges, tangerines, even green bell peppers; cut the same as a jack-o'-lantern and place candles inside. You can make your pumpkin yard look creepy and deserted by spreading dried leaves around the floor and on tables, hanging sticks in the porch, and placing plastic rats, eyeballs, and spiders within the mess of leaves and sticks.

No pumpkin yard would be complete without a scarecrow, and this is another good arts and crafts idea. Find an old shirt, put it on a clothes hanger, and staple the bottom of the shirt shut. Stuff it with dead grass or hay; dead branches make great scarecrow arms. Instead of a head, find (or make) a witch's hat, cut a hole for the hanger, and place it on top of the shirt. The scarecrow can then be hung over doors, windows, or any handle or molding.

No Halloween theme is complete without cobwebs all over the place. Cotton cobwebs can be spread anywhere, while washable paint can be used on windows and other hard surfaces. Make sure to spread plenty of "blood" everywhere. And to make everything eerier, replace standard light bulbs with colored ones. Orange or red work well, as does black. Lamps can also be covered with netting or cloth to produce some scary shadows.

To finish off the effect, you can easily download spooky sounds online. Choose those most appropriate for your indoor or outdoor theme, such as howling wolves, creaking doors, and screaming.

It's easy to decorate your home with Halloween arts and crafts. Just choose a theme and add some basic props, adjusting the lighting and piping in appropriate sound effects. Try to be creative and enjoy yourself!

About the Author:  
Vince Nitti.  To save money on all your terrific crafting ideas, Vince suggests using an Oriental Trading Coupon and a Joann Coupon from CouponKathy.com.