Halloween decorating hacks

1 NEW USES FOR OLD THINGS

1 SWEET-AND-SPOOKY FAVOR

This party treat doubles as decor. Place a fake bug in one half of a plastic ornament, then fill with colored candy. Fill the other half, close, and secure with clear tape. Add a sprig of black ribbon anddisplay in a bowl so goblins can grab and go.

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2 WITCH’S WEB TABLECLOTH

Spin up a sinister surface with a Wite-Out pen and a round vinyl tablecloth. (The fleecebacked variety works best.) Start by drawing a large X at the center of the cloth, taking the lines all the way to the edges. Add 4 to 6 rays from the center point. Then, starting at the center, connect each line with an inverted arc, until you reach the table’s edge.

Written by

Brandi Broxson

Photographs by

Danny Kim

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FOR EVEN MORE Halloween new uses for old things, go to realsimple.com/ halloweendecor.

3 HAND OF HORROR

Drop a flameless votive in a short jam jar and fit a latex glove over the opening. Then lift the edge of the glove and blow air inside to inflate the hand. Splatter red acrylic paint onto the fingers and brush around the wrist for a severed effect. Let stand on a saucer to dry before displaying.

4 BATS FORTHE BELFRY

Soak 2 cups bow-tie pasta in a freezer bag with 1 cup rubbing alcohol, then add about 20 drops of black food coloring. Close the bag and shake gently. Wear gloves to remove the “bats” and dry for a few hours. Cut a length of yarn and hot-glue two bats together with the string in between; repeat.