This $20 Halloween DIY Took 10 Minutes — And Is Better Than Anything I Bought

I love the holidays, but especially Halloween. Decorating for Halloween was a special tradition in my house, and most of our decor consisted of crafts made by my sister, mom, and me. Our costumes, too, were often handmade. As much as I loved stringing up the lights and deciding what went where (eldest daughter/future style editor vibes), the best part of decorating for any holiday was always revisiting the memories held by these precious handmade trinkets. 

So when I grew up, I couldn’t wait to start my own holiday decorating traditions. I even decorated my dorm rooms in college. When I got my own place and started hosting my annual Halloween party, that’s where the fun really began. Last year I had more decorations than ever; some were purchased, and some were DIYs. But the most-complimented, standout decor item was actually one of the easiest and cheapest to make. It turns out that all you need to conjure up a little Halloween spirit is about $20 (if you already have some crafty supplies lying around), 20 minutes, and an old stained duvet cover.  

Like I said, I’m a crafter, so I have this curse that makes me hold onto fabric scraps forever in case I might one day make something out of them. When my cat stained my old duvet cover, it went in the wash and then under the bed, never to be seen again. When Halloween came around, I set out the pumpkins, then hung up my witch hats, floating candles, festive lights, and all the creepy cheesecloth. But I realized I was missing the most classic Halloween decoration of all: the ghost! Finally, I realized I could put that old duvet to use. 

It’s the oldest trick in the book, right? A bedsheet ghost! But when I looked up “how to make a ghost out of fabric,” most of the results were lackluster. I didn’t want to just drape the fabric over a lamp and call it a day; I wanted these ghosts to really look like they were floating in midair. I also didn’t want to use glue to harden the fabric into a ghostly silhouette, because then they’d be harder to store away. So I set off for my local Michaels store, where I found the answer in the form of these Styrofoam skulls. 

The Styrofoam skulls were perfect because I wanted these ghosts to be able to hang from my ceiling. They couldn’t be too heavy. Plus, at just $3.99 a pop, they only cost me about $16 total. The fabric was slightly sheer, so the skulls’ black eye sockets were just visible through it, making my ghosts look even creepier. 

To make them extra spooky, I added these LED fairy lights from Amazon, which I already owned. I taped the battery packs underneath each skull, then wrapped the wires around sewing pins in the eye sockets to keep them in place. I hung each ghost from the ceiling using fishing line, Command hooks, and these twist pins, which prevented the Styrofoam from ripping. All in all, each ghost took me only about 10 minutes to conjure up, once I had all of the supplies. And most of the items I used were household items, or leftovers from other crafts.

Some people might say it’s a little “extra” to spend time and money decorating for the holidays as a single woman who lives alone in an apartment. (In fact, many have!) But the joy that my decorations bring to me and my friends makes it all so worth it. Even if I’m the only one who sees them day to day, the bit of whimsy and seasonal spirit my decorations bring to my space is so, so worth the hours spent on the stepladder and the pinholes in the walls.  

And remember, you don’t have to spend a bunch of money on seasonal decor to celebrate the holidays. When I was growing up, my favorite Halloween decorations were these simple little bats my mom and I made out of black cardstock and orange tissue paper and hung in the windows every October 1. One day, maybe I’ll enjoy those same crafts and traditions with my own family. But for now, my cat Phoebe and I love our adorable little ghosts — as do my guests! And I think that’s boo-tiful (I’m sorry … I had to!).