With 36.1 million trick-or-treaters visiting homes in 2006, it comes as no surprise that we all want our homes to look as "Halloweenish" as possible for the big night.
Here are some simple Halloween decorating ideas that will make your home look festive but won't break the bank.
\"Halloween Decorations\"
Orange Lights
Change the light bulbs in your outdoor lanterns or house lights to orange lights. If you can't find orange light bulbs, you can purchase inexpensive Halloween themed string lights (like Christmas lights) and hang them around your front door.
Make Your Own Luminaries
Place homemade Halloween luminaries alongside the sidewalk or walkway up to your front door. You can make easy and inexpensive luminaries with paper lunch sacks. You can either leave them the original brown or spray paint them orange.
On each bag, lightly draw in pencil a rough outline of a pumpkin, ghost or spider. With a sharpened pencil or nail, poke holes about every inch along the outline of the design.
Fill each bag with approximately 1 ½-2 cups of sand. Place a votive candle in a glass votive holder and securely place the votive in the sand (or use glow sticks if you're leaving your home unattended). Light the votives at dusk on Halloween night and your home will have a beautiful Halloween glow.
Make Your Own Scarecrow
Using old slacks, an old flannel shirt, some hay and a straw hat, you can make your home come alive with a friendly scarecrow welcoming your trick-or-treaters.
The other supplies you'll need are twine, permanent marker, an old pillowcase and an outdoor chair.
Stuff the pants and shirt firmly with hay, leaving some of the hay sticking out from the bottom of the legs and bottom of the sleeves. Position the scarecrow's pants in the chair and shift the hay so he "sits" comfortably in the chair.
Tie the arms and legs off with twine. Stuff the old pillowcase with hay. Tie off with twine and position the pillowcase inside the shirt collar to appear as the "head" of the scarecrow. Secure the pillowcase to the shirt by tying off with twine. With the permanent marker, draw a scarecrow face and place the hat on top.
Make Your Own Pumpkin Family
By painting silly and whimsical faces on pumpkins, you can create an entire pumpkin family that can be proudly displayed on bales of hay on and around your front door.
On paper, sketch your ideas of what kind of face you'd like to put on your pumpkin. Transfer that design to a cleaned and dried pumpkin using a non-permanent marker. Paint the design using craft paints. Seal with a spray glaze or sealer.
If each member of your family (even the little ones) paints their own pumpkin design, you'll have a memorable collection of painted pumpkin decorations for your home.
Creative Ideas For Halloween Decorations
If you're looking for unique ideas for a costume this year, why not try a Lindsay Lohan or Michael Vick Halloween costume? You'll find lots more fun & unique costume ideas on the Get In Costume website.
Plus, get a free copy of my special report "The Family Guide To Halloween Safety" at http://www.getincostume.com/freereport