32 Eco-Friendly Halloween Crafts

sugar skull candle holder

Halloween is the BEST holiday, but don’t get tricked into thinking that you’ve got to throw down the bucks in order to celebrate it in style. The truth is that too many store-bought Halloween decorations and accessories are made with unsustainable materials and practices, shipped long distances, and include too much packaging–and I’m not even going to get started on what they’ll do when they inevitably end up clogging the waste stream.

These eco-friendly Halloween crafts, however, have NONE of that nonsense. You’ll love how awesome and unique your Halloween decorations are, and the environment will thank you for not adding one more sweatshopped plastic piece of junk to the landfill in November.

Check out this list of my own favorite eco-friendly Halloween crafts, and get inspired!

1. Upcycled sugar skull candle holderI used empty Crystal Head vodka bottles (hiccup!) for this project, but your thrift store or local Freecycle might have other options for skull-shaped glass bottles.

2.Bleeding candlesThis is a great way to liven up and get some more use out of partially-burned white candles. For an even easier method, use red crayons to make the blood drips.

3. DIY candy holdersParty favors are easy to pass out when they’re popped safely into these DIY candy holders, decorated to look like funny monsters.

Upcycled Halloween Crafts
4. Jack-o-Lantern string artDon’t let string art be a forgotten hobby–it’s super fun!

5. Monster headbandMaybe you’re more into a low-key Halloween costume, and I get that. In such cases, might I recommend the simple, upcycled monster headband?

DIY Monster Headband

6. Flashlight projectorMake trick-or-treating even spookier with these DIY filters to make Halloween-themed flashlight projections.

7. Ghost tasselsThis is a terrific way to use up stash yarn, and bonus–you’ll learn how to make tassels!

8. Milk jug skullsThese skulls are a LOT of work, but they look amazing, AND they’re made from plastic milk jugs!

9. Recycled jar mummyLooking for some Halloween decorations that are a tad spooky but won’t scare the snot out of your kids? It’s the recycled jar mummy to the rescue! For even more fun, turn it into a candle holder!

10. Halloween cootie catchersNeed a quick craft for a children’s Halloween party? Try making Halloween cootie catchers!

11. Mason jar luminaryYou can also use spaghetti or jelly jars for this craft.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo4pWTrBKWN/?taken-by=momdotofficial

12. Magazine collage Jack-o-LanternThis is a great way to use up those catalogs that you’re somehow still getting in the mail, grr.

13. DIY chalkboard maskNot sure what you want to be for Halloween? Be something different every time with this handmade chalkboard mask!

DIY Halloween Decorations: Chalkboard Mask

14. Halloween-themed pallets. There are SO many ways to decorate pallets for Halloween.

15. Scrap yarn pumpkinsOrange scrap yarn can be hard to find a use for… unless it’s Halloween!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo7lGRrDVcF/?tagged=yarnpumpkins

16. Upcycled thrift store Halloween figuresHit up your local thrift store for tacky figurines, and transform them into the stuff of nightmares.

17. FrankenbottleIt’s a chilly, rainy, miserable day outside today. Wouldn’t it be nice to stay snuggled up inside, raid the recycling bin, and make some fun Halloween decorations?

Halloween Crafts from Recycled Materials: DIY Halloween Decorations: Frankenstein Bottle

18. Faux taxidermyMy kids have grown out of playing with their billions of plastic toy animals, but they still don’t want them gone. I wonder if they’d mind if I turned them into taxidermy?

19. Spaghetti wormsRemember that old game where you’re blindfolded and have to reach into a bowl of worms? Yeah, there’s a whole new generation that needs to be freaked out by that one…

https://www.instagram.com/p/BoUI9zjgETE/?taken-by=kidfriendlythingstodo

20. Pillowcase ghost dressWhite pillowcases are a dime a dozen (literally!) at many thrift shops, and they’re perfect for making pillowcase dresses embellished to look like ghosties.

21. Upcycled tin lanternsJust as fun to carve as pumpkins, and yet way less messy, these tin can lanterns are a great way to light the path for trick-or-treaters.

DIY Halloween Decorations: Boo Lanterns

22. Cereal box tombstoneUpcycle a cereal box into a creepy tombstone.

23. Head in a jarThis is my favorite kind of Halloween craft because when you’re done, all you have to do is pour out the water, toss the photo (or save it until next year), and put your big jar back into service!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo-S2YshDUm/?tagged=headinajar

24. Book page and bat Halloween buntingI LOVE to craft with old book pages, and their black-and-white beauty is especially suited to Halloween crafting.

25. Porch scarecrowKick your Halloween decorations old-school with your very own porch scarecrow. For bonus points, stuff it with fallen leaves from your yard!

Halloween Crafts from Recycled Materials: DIY Halloween Decorations: Drunken Farmer

26.Dryer lint funeral mossThis is so weird and gross, but dryer lint DOES make great moss for decorating fake tombstones, so there you go…

27. Scrapbook paper pumpkin garlandHave too much stash scrapbook paper? Give it a new life in this fun and festive pumpkin garland.

28. Upcycled Halloween village luminariesPut all of your old spaghetti jars into service to make this spookily beautiful Halloween village.

29. Paper luminary coversYou can turn any tealight into a Halloween luminary just be adding a perforated paper cover.

30. Decoupaged Halloween blocksRemember how much I love to decoupage blocks? Here’s a great method for adding some Halloween theming to them.

31. Spinning cardboard ghosts.  Use cardstock to make this easy and fun Halloween spinning ghost, then hang it up in a drafty corner.

32. Witch’s broomAren’t you happy that you haven’t cut your grass all summer?

Do YOU have a favorite eco-friendly Halloween craft? Share it with me in the Comments below!

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