Rather than add to the annual waste of Halloween, DIY decorations can make use of at-home wares for spooky scares. Credit: Pierre Vargas, 42Fifty
One of the greatest staples of Halloween is, undeniably, Halloween decorations.
Very few things bring about the feeling of the spooky season as seeing neighborhoods burst to life with the classic oranges and blacks of Halloween.
A few glaring issues come to mind when it comes to Halloween decorations: they’re expensive, they’re a hassle to put up, and the demands of daily life are often too much for the effort. The main reason someone doesn’t decorate their homes is usually one of these three.
OH Fine Arts Department Chair Michael Skura said, “There’s so much we’re doing. paperwork, following up, collecting data. It’s overwhelming. There’s no time for it,” regarding the putting-up of Halloween decorations.
What’s worse is the contribution to plastic waste. Head of communications for 2030 Builders Licia Genghini, an environmental awareness and education publication, claims that store-bought or not, single use decorations contribute greatly to rising climate change, as the disposable nature causes plastic to waste in our environment for far longer than they are used.
But, with the threat of climate change looming over one of the biggest holidays of the year, what can be done? The answer is a deceptively simple one: homemade Halloween decorations.
OH senior Kaitlyn Russel, a skilled 3D artist, said, “I’d do anything recyclable, so if they were to get lost outside, I don’t have to worry about animals. It’s good for the environment.”
The greatest benefit of homemade Halloween decorations, aside from the pride of making something with your own hands, is the significantly reduced price, effort, and environmental impact. There’s many different household objects that can easily be made into decorations, with just a small amount of inspiration.
Following the steps in the photo essay below, simple steps are offered to create some easy scares with household wares.
Craft one, step one. The materials needed include a piece of paper, a marker, tissues, tape, and scissors. Credit: Pierre Vargas, 42Fifty
Craft one, step two. The piece of paper is cut in half, and faces were drawn onto each half with the marker. Credit: Pierre Vargas, 42Fifty
Craft one, step three. The two pieces of paper are rolled up and secured in the back with tape. Credit: Pierre Vargas, 42Fifty
Craft one, step four. The tissues are ripped up to create a distressed look. Credit: Pierre Vargas, 42Fifty
Craft one, step five: assemble rolled tubes and shreeded paper to make spooky ghosts. Credit: Pierre Vargas, 42Fifty
Craft two, step one. The materials needed are a piece of paper, scissors, tape, and marker colors to preference. Credit: Pierre Vargas, 42Fifty
Craft two, step two. The piece of paper is cut into six strips. Credit: Pierre Vargas, 42Fifty
Craft two, step three. The strips are taped together to form a star. Clear tape is recommended, blue tape used for visuals. Credit: Pierre Vargas, 42Fifty
Craft two, step four. Each end of the star is connected to each other and secured with tape to form a ball. Credit: Pierre Vargas, 42Fifty
Craft two, step five. Eye shapes are cut out, and irises and pupils are drawn on with markers. Credit: Pierre Vargas, 42Fifty
Craft two, step six. The eyes are taped to the base of the ball shape to create an angelic bowl. Credit: Pierre Vargas, 42Fifty
Craft three, step one. The materials needed are a piece of paper, cardboard, a marker, tape, and tissues. Credit: Pierre Vargas, 42Fifty
Craft three, step two. The cardboard is split into six strips. Credit: Pierre Vargas, 42Fifty
Craft three, step three. The cardboard strips are arranged in a hexagon and secured with tape. Clear tape recommended, blue tape used for visuals. Credit: Pierre Vargas, 42Fifty
Craft three, step five. The distressed tissues are wrapped around the hexagon to create spider webs and secured with tape to the hexagon. Credit: Pierre Vargas, 42Fifty
Craft three, step four. The tissues are ripped up to create a distressed look. Credit: Pierre Vargas, 42Fifty
Craft three, step six. Spiders are drawn with the marker on the paper and cut out. Credit: Pierre Vargas, 42Fifty
Craft three, step seven. The spiders are secured to the hexagon with tape to create a spider web wreath. Credit: Pierre Vargas, 42Fifty
My name is Pierre Vargas, I am a senior at OHS and this is my first year as a journalist and go by any pronouns. I am an artist, I particularly enjoy drawing cartoons, and I participate in art club and independently. You can email me through 42fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. Feedback regarding our publications are encouraged!!
