Halloween Deck-orating!

Halloween Deck Decorating Ideas

By Laura Leiva, eHow Contributor

Decorate the deck for Halloween.

When trick-or-treaters come up to the door during Halloween, the first thing they see is the deck or front porch. The deck can be transformed into anything you want it to be, from a silly pumpkin patch to a scary graveyard. The decor on the deck can set the mood for the holiday, and going the extra mile in creating a fun experience is sure to be appreciated by kids and adults alike as they arrive at your front door. Does this Spark an idea?

Graveyard

• Turn your deck into a spooky graveyard by placing store-bought headstones randomly around the deck. Prop up the headstones by placing miniature uncarved pumpkins behind and in front of them, making sure that the decorations are not in the path to the door. On Halloween night, set up a strobe light to mimic the look of lightning and add a fog machine, if desired. Increase the spooky factor by playing a CD of Halloween-themed organ music.

Pumpkin Patch

• Display your family's carved pumpkins around the deck to create the look of a pumpkin patch. If you don't have many carved pumpkins, fill up the space with inexpensive miniature pumpkins and gourds to go along with the carved pumpkins. Scatter straw or dry leaves along the surface of the deck, and place pumpkins on top in a random arrangement leading up to the door. Purchase a scarecrow and prop it up against the wall or deck railing. Create a sitting area on the deck by placing a hay bale up against the wall.

Hanging Decor

• Hang bats and ghosts from the deck ceiling to create a scary ambiance for those coming to the front door. Purchase the ghosts and bats from a craft or retail store and hang them on hooks screwed into the ceiling. Make your own ghosts by draping and gluing small squares of cheesecloth over foam balls and shredding the ends. Add two black dots for eyes with a marker and use fabric glue to attach fishing line to the center of the ghost's head in order to hang from the ceiling. Before trick-or-treaters arrive, place a small floor fan inconspicuously on the deck floor and point it up toward the ghosts and bats. The air will gently blow the decor around to give it a lifelike feeling. Play a Halloween music CD to finish off the experience.

Haunted House

• Transform your deck and entryway into the front of a haunted house. Save any flower cuttings the week before Halloween so you can use them in the deck decor, especially if they've become wilted and dead. Place the dead flowers in inexpensive pots leading up to the front door. String spider webbing across deck rails, over the doors and windows and on the ceiling corners and then secure store-bought spiders into the webbing. Change out deck lighting with blacklight bulbs and finish off with spooky organ music.

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