This weekend we spent a few hours sorting through things we already owned and making a quick run to Target and Michael’s for a few inexpensive Halloween accents. Our goal was simple: decorate three areas of the living room—console table, coffee table, and dining table—without going overboard. We don’t usually go all out, but buying a silver candy bowl, a faux crow, a couple of votive holders, a plate, one red candle, two faux pumpkins and some black feathers gave us everything we needed to create a seasonal look.
We put together a short video showing how we repurposed everyday items—from an Old Navy scarf to dog treats—to get into the Halloween spirit affordably. For anyone who can’t watch the clip right away, here’s a written summary of what we did and why it worked.
We aimed for an atmosphere that felt part-Edgar Allan Poe, part-Twilight and True Blood: moody, high-contrast, and a little gothic. That meant skipping the traditional orange-and-leaves palette in favor of black, white and a few striking accents—an ominous black crow, dripping red wax, and DIY “bleeding” candles.
For the console table we used an old scrap of burlap as a raw, textured runner. Around the new silver candy bowl we grouped various candlesticks and votives we already owned. We added a few books with dark spines and appropriately spooky titles to build height and visual interest.
One small playful detail: some flea-market printing blocks that originally spelled LOVE were rearranged to read EVOL. By flipping the O block and marking an I on the blank wood back, we created a cheeky near-anagram—EVIL—adding a subtle, tongue-in-cheek warning to the display.
We also swapped out a framed photo for a seasonal twist: John used Photoshop to convert our wedding picture into skull versions of ourselves, which we framed and hung above the console table. Switching art for holidays is an easy, low-cost way to change a room’s mood—silhouettes, spiderweb sketches, or other DIY prints can be framed and reused year after year.
On the coffee table we gathered every candlestick and votive holder we had—mercury glass, crystal, and clear glass—and clustered them together to form a dramatic centerpiece. We used existing white taper candles and bought one inexpensive red candle to create a dripping-wax effect. Melted red wax was allowed to drip over the white candles to mimic the look of bleeding candles—a simple trick with big impact.
For the dining table we repurposed an Old Navy scarf as a runner; its black-and-gray pattern suggested spiderwebs without being literal. A glass greenhouse dome that previously held a fern became a display case for a silhouette of Burger (our pet), which John had made. Encased in glass, the silhouette reads like a specimen or an eerie artifact, especially when paired with an old-fashioned stopwatch we added for a mad-scientist vibe.
Raising the dome on a cake stand created height and focus. We finished the vignette with two white faux pumpkins, hurricane candle holders, and two white ceramic pears from the kitchen. Small ceramic-looking bones made convincing props—these are actually Burger’s oyster-bone treats, odorless and realistic, and inexpensive at Target. Using six of them in the arrangement left plenty more for the dog.
Altogether, we scavenged closets, cabinets and even Burger’s treat jar to create three cohesive displays that feel spooky but sophisticated. For anyone curious about cost, here’s the itemized breakdown:
- Silver candy bowl – $14 (Target)
- Faux crow – $4 (Michael’s)
- Smoky glass votives – $7 for two (Target)
- Skull plate – $2 (Target)
- Red candle – $0.69 (Michael’s)
- Two faux pumpkins – $5 for both (Michael’s)
- Black feathers – $2 (Michael’s)
- Grand Total: $34.69 (approximately $11 per arrangement)
Not bad, especially since several pieces—the silver bowl and smoky votive holders—will work year-round. We now have a compact collection of Halloween accents we can repurpose or expand next season. For now, we’re ready to hand out candy to the neighborhood’s little ghosts and ghouls—about 30 kids are expected at our door this year.
We love sharing seasonal projects and hearing about other people’s traditions. Do you have favorite Halloween plans or DIY decorating ideas? Whether you’ll hand out candy, throw a small gathering, or go all out with porch decor, we’d love to hear what you’re doing for the 31st. Stay tuned for more Halloween projects we’ll be posting soon, from pumpkin carving to porch styling tips.