By Felicia Czochanski
Spooky season is upon us! It seems like the day the seasons officially shifted into autumn was when the weather changed as if on cue. The time has come to welcome all things fall into our homes, and that includes kicking off decorations for Halloween. There’s nothing that gets me in the mood for fall more than a great candlescape – and the same goes for Halloween!
Last year, I stopped by a Goodwill on the Upper East Side in Manhattan in search of DIY Halloween décor inspiration. I stumbled upon a brand new bag of spiderwebs (score!) and picked up a few white taper candles by the register, thinking there was something fun I could brainstorm for them. These candles turned into a quick and easy way of transforming my living room and kitchen table into a quirky, spooky atmosphere – just a few white candles, a black marker, glass candlesticks and an assortment of other on-theme décor and I was set!
This year, I kept it local and went over to the Goodwill in Downtown Brooklyn to see what I could find to ramp up my DIY Halloween game. You can imagine my delight when I found a large bright orange candle in the home section – the wheels immediately started turning! It was a great store to go to for holiday décor, because not only did I find that candle, but also an unopened package of spooky window clings (aka ‘spooky peepers’), an adorable wooden box painted with pumpkins and black cats that’s perfect for holding DIY materials, and other assorted fall décor including cute and ghoulish buckets perfect for holding trick-or-treater candy. I wasn’t ambitious enough to start shopping for Christmas decorations – but the Goodwill shelves were already stocked with unopened packages of bows, wrapping paper and other holiday-themed home goods. ‘Tis the season… almost!
Upon my return home, I decided to combine the inspiration of seeing the window decals, with the popularity of the DIY ghost candles from last year to create a DIY pumpkin candle. Here’s how it came out!
I love the versatility of drawing on candles because you can always let it burn down and then you have a blank slate to draw something different! Thanks to their shape, you can also decorate each side with a different face, which you can then turn to the front based on your mood. Think happy pumpkin, scary pumpkin, silly pumpkin, and hungry pumpkin! I love finding quick and easy ways to elevate your at-home Halloween atmosphere without breaking the bank or contributing to landfill waste. Once a candle like this burns down, there is no waste left but what remains (if anything!) of the wick. As a result, this is a great easy décor hack that adds a bit of quirkiness to your room mood, while letting you great creative with your décor as well!
Have a DIY Halloween décor hack you swear by? Tag us on Instagram @goodwillintl for a chance to be featured in a future blog!
Head over to Goodwill Halloween for more DIY inspiration and ideas.
