With Halloween just around the corner, kids both young and old fantasize about what superhero or Disney princess they will dress up as, parents are plotting how they will make their outdoor decorations come to life with minimal expense. For DIY-minded families, garage doors often become a blank slate, as they decorate it with black bats, Halloween silhouettes, or transform it into a frightening haunted house.
Black Bats
Black craft foam and glue-on googly eyes are all you need to turn your garage door into a spooky little bat colony. Make sure to get the kids, big or small, involved. To start, you will need to print out a bat template, which you will then fold in half and cut out. Trace the bat shape onto the craft foam then cut out. Attach googly eyes to the bat’s head. Stick several bats on your garage door or hang them in nearby trees using fishing line.
Halloween Silhouettes
If you want something that really stands out this Halloween, garage door silhouettes are easy, and affordable to make. You can also purchase store bought silhouettes at party stores but where is the fun in that. All you need to is cut out some cool shapes (i.e. skeletons, pumpkins, trees, witches, jack o’ lanterns, crows, or cats) from black poster board and apply them to your garage door.
Spooky Shadows
Deck out your garage door’s exterior with a festive set of Halloween lights. Place led lights low to the ground, aiming them slightly upward, to create creepy shadows. Conjure mystical creatures with dark blue lights – not black. Use yellow and orange lights to cast striking flames against the house. Couple silhouettes and Halloween string lights together for a haunting good time.
Mausoleum Wall
What is Halloween without tombstones? Make them yourself with Styrofoam insulation, black and grey spray paint, and magnets. After measuring your garage door, cut out enough stones to cover it, and sketch out whatever you want each stone to say (i.e. Here Lies…, RIP…, etc.). In a well-ventilated area dust on the black and grey paint. Glue magnets to the back of each stone and place on your garage door.
Haunted Maze
With your garage door open, create a haunted maze, by dividing your garage into sections. The appeal of a haunted maze is the suspense of not knowing what waits around the next corner. Make sure to place blind corners, hanging bats, giant spiders, and pop-up ghosts that will cause visitors to jump back in terror. Bear in mind the ages of neighboring children: young children tend to be easily frightened.