Halloween Graveyard Yard Decorating Tips

I love to decorate my house for Halloween, and I tend to go all out. However, I always stick to a budget. My decorating skills improve year after year, and I am always learning more. The main objective is to make your house unique in some way and use it as an opportunity to give kids a memorable experience when they come to the door.


Ways to Create an Experience in Your Yard for Halloween

1.  Simple Creatures



Save old capes and costumes to use for creatures.  Place the costumes on a landscape trellis for support.  Use an old Halloween mask or skeleton head at the top.  Bamboo poles work great to make a place for the head and arms.  Zip ties can be used to hold the poles in place.  On Halloween night, place a battery-powered light or glow stick in the mask for an eerie effect. 

2.  Add Lightening to Highlight Everything



Lighting takes trial and error.  I like to go out and put my lighting up at dusk and into the dark.  That way, I can see what it looks like. Here are some things to remember.
  • Add a white spotlight to shine on your key decorations.
  • Put purple light bulbs in your porch lights.
  • Stick to orange, purple, or blue string lights.
  • On Halloween night, add in extra battery-powered lights to tombstones, skeleton heads, and anywhere that seems too dark.  This means it can't be seen well from the sidewalk.  Tea lights, small flashlights, battery-powered Halloween lights that flash.
  • Get plug-in pumpkins or battery-powered ones.  I know many say indoor use.  I put my pumpkins under my porch and then spread them on in the yard on Halloween night.
  • Anytime you find a cool battery-powered Halloween decor on a timer, snatch it up.  You can put them anywhere without cords, turn them on, and forget about them.  Just change the batteries if they run out.
  • Spread your string lights on the ground around skulls, tombstones, and creatures.  Don't make it too structured.  It should look eerie.
3.  Tombstones



They sell tombstones everywhere, or you could make your own.  The stakes they give you are way too short.  I like to use small tent stakes and skewers in the tombstones.  Just poke them through the bottom at an angle and into the ground. Two or three stakes will support them well.  They are much better supported.  

Look for inspiration.  I recently visited Boston and did the Ghosts and the Graveyard tour.  I took pictures and used them as my guide for how to arrange my tombstones.  It looks so much better.  It gives it depth.  We have made simple tombstones out of wood for an old effect.  We painted them and added furn phrases. 

4.  Fog Machine

Since I shop on a budget, I found one after Halloween for half the price.  It gives your house such an eerie look.  This is a must if you are going for an eerie effect.  The kids and parents really enjoy it.


5.  Dry Ice

If you can get some dry ice, it is wonderful. Our local grocery store sells it.  Just remember there are precautions.  You want to make sure wherever you put it, the kids can not reach their hand in to touch it.  You can place it in containers inside pumpkins and pour warm water over the top.  It will look like fog is coming out of the pumpkin.  Add some soap, and the pumpkin will look like it is foaming.  Here is a great video for dry ice fun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=bTdUocEFqjo




7.  Dress Up



If you are going to create an experience at your house, don't forget to dress up.  It is much better if the person comes to the door in costume.  I like to stand out front on my porch in full costume.

7.  Don't Forget the Music

Music or eerie sounds will seal the deal on the kids trick or trick-or-treating experience.  Decide on the type of theme you want.  I love to play music from the movie Ghost Busters.  It is really good.  I will also have eerie sounds like screams, cats, and motion-activated items that make sounds.

If you are going to go all out and have the budget be sure to pass out full-size candy bars.  It will get the teenagers to your house.  I love it when the teenagers stop by.  They still need to be kids.  (As long as they are in costume!!)

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