This DIY tutorial will show you how to make a slightly scary Halloween haunted house for your home using a pre-made cardboard house from the craft store. It’s a fun and easy project!
I’m not into too much of the scary stuff at Halloween around my house. But, slightly scary I can definitely have fun with! Especially when it’s something I can make myself without spending a fortune on craft supplies. When I received a recent Pottery Barn catalog, their cute and spooky Halloween houses jumped right off of the page at me. I loved it and was inspired to create a cardboard Halloween house of my own!
Here’s what I came up with. Y’all, this was SO quick and SO easy to do and I only have about $9 invested in my slightly scary Halloween glitter house.
Here are the supplies that you’ll need to make a scary Halloween house for yourself and to create a simple charming Halloween vignette.
SUPPLIES: First, let’s talk about the supplies for just the house.
(Affiliate links have been used for some products. See my full disclosure HERE).
Paper Mache House If ordering online, they only have a set of three available for under $15 (you could make a whole village!), but in the store I was able to purchase just one for $6 (before my 40% off coupon).
Battery Operated Votive Candles – Do not use real candles with this project due to the fire hazard!
Spray Adhesive – not pictured
Glue Stick – not pictured
Black Spray Paint – not pictured
DIRECTIONS – I didn’t take in process photos as this thing is so ridiculously easy to do:
- Paint the entire exterior of the house with black spray paint. One coat should do it.
- Once the paint has dried, coat one side of the exterior of the house at a time with spray adhesive. Immediately sprinkle a generous amount of black glitter over the entire surface. Continue the same process with each side of the cardboard house, until all of the sides are covered with glitter. This step is fun, but it makes a mess, so you may want to do it outside.
- Cut pieces of the orange tissue paper that are large enough to cover the window and door openings of the house. Attach the tissue paper, over each opening, to the inside of the house using a glue stick around the edges of each opening.
Here’s a look at the inside of my house with the tissue paper in place.
Add the votive candles to the interior, put the house roof in place and you’re done! Once I had the house painted and glittered, I think I spent less than 10 minutes finishing it up.
To put the rest of the vignette together, I used battery operated taper candles, a glittery Halloween tree, a couple of glass candle sticks that I painted with black spray paint (from a dollar store) and a little “street” sign that I wrote Boo Ave. on with a chalk pen. And there you have it – my only slightly scary Halloween accessory!
Debbie Refresh Restyle says
Love it all! So creative and affordable!
Debbie
Suzy says
Thank you, Debbie! Affordable is good. 😀
Angelina says
I honestly thought this was the Halloween house I saw at PB! Good job! I bought the German glitter houses for Christmas last year, now I totally wish I didn’t as I could see how to make them. I’m not so crafty. Seems pretty easy though!
Suzy says
Thank you so much, Angelina! I adore the German glitter houses too and have been shopping around for some small paper mache houses that I can decorate for Christmas. I haven’t found any that I don’t have to buy in bulk though. :/
Barb @ The Everyday Home says
Oh my goodness, I love what you have done. Yours looks just as good and for a fraction of the cost. Who knew that you could buy a little cardboard house like this??? 😀 I love your little vignette, too. Creepy-cute, my kind of Halloween. *pinned and shared. xxoo, Barb
Suzy says
Thank you, my sweet friend!
Jennifer @ Town and Country Living says
I love glitter houses! I never thought to make one for Halloween. Love it!!
Suzy says
Thank you, Jennifer. It was fun having a Halloween “party” with you!
Donnamae says
Wow! That’s really cute! Shhh….don’t tell PB…but, I like yours better! 😉
Suzy says
Haha – that’s too funny, Donnamae. Don’t worry, I won’t tell! 😀
Tara @ Lehman Lane says
What a great project Suzy! I really want to try and make this with my kids before Halloween! So fun, Pinned:). Have a wonderful week, take care, Tara
Suzy says
Hi Tara. I think it would make a great kids craft!
Suzan says
This is just too cute for words – a village would be incredible !!!
Painted white with glitter would be beatutiful for Christmas too !
Thanks for sharing !
Suzy says
Thank you, Suzan. I would love to do a whole village for Christmas, but I can’t find any small paper mache houses unless I buy them in bulk. Hard for me to believe they’re not more readily available.
Carol says
Hi Suzy, I love your Halloween House and vignette but you do know that the book the Haunted House is resting on is a book about the death of Princess Diana?
Suzy says
Hi Carol. So glad you like my Halloween house. No, I didn’t realize the book was about the death of Princess Diana. I would have chosen a different one from my bookcase if I had! I’ve never read it and thought it was a fictional story about the death of a princess, which seemed a bit appropriate for Halloween. Oh, well…thanks for letting me know!
Confessions of a Plate Addict says
What a great copy-cat project…and I like yours even better! My little grands would LOVE this! Hugs…Debbie
Suzy says
Thank you, my friend!
Lisa @ Fun Money Mom says
I absolutely love this and want to make my own now! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Share The Wealth Sunday. I’ve chosen this as one of my top 5 and it will be featured at the next party as well as on my FB page!
Have a great weekend!
xoxo
Lisa
Suzy says
Thank you so much, Lisa. And thank you for the feature!
Karren Haller says
Looks like you are all ready for Halloween, I bet this was really fun to put together, those little houses are so cute, Hobby Lobby has sooooo much stuff to be creative, they just opened a new store in my neighborhood.
Thanks for sharing on the #OMHGFF this week. And dont forget to visit on Wednesdays to link even more of your posts.
Hope you have a great weekend!
Karren
lorraine williamson says
love the house so cool will have to look for my own to decorate have great weekend
Sadie Seasongoods says
Very cool- I love how it turned out! Hugs to you for swinging by Snickerdoodle Sunday with your greatness- hope to see you again tomorrow!
Sarah (Sadie Seasongoods)
Jamie says
That is adorable!! I always love making my own and having it look even better! Thank you for sharing with us at the #HomeMattersParty
Emmy says
So cute! And yes the price for yours is much better and so awesome to know you made it yourself
Nettie says
Love, love, love your Halloween “Putz” house! I have had a thing for them for quite a while. A few years ago my daughter and I attended a retreat in Park City, UT and we made a village of Christmas houses….So much fun and they came out really sweet.
Thanks for sharing your ideas with us!
Claudia H. Blanton says
how cute! If I would try that I would probably have more glitter on me than on the house, lol. Very cute!
Janice says
absolutely LOVED this sparkly Haunted House Idea. You inspired me- Made one and gave it as a Hostess gift at my book club, and all the members wanted it. There are now black sparkles all over my house! My kids think I have gone crazy! Just wait until Christmas when I make a village of various colored houses with White-snow -sparkly roofs!
Shirley@Housepitality Designs says
You are so right…it is so stinkin’ cute!
Doreen says
This is so stinkin cute. You inspire me with things I wouldn’t even think I would be inspired by! You have that effect on me. I also want you to know how much I appreciate your complete instructions on all of your projects. Knowing exactly what I need and how to put it together adds to the fun of recreating your ideas. Please carry on with more inspiration!
Phyl says
So cute. I could even do this project. Of course, Pottery Barn is the greatest, too.
Lauren@SimplyLKJ says
What a darling project. It looks like the one from PB!
Kim says
Now that is sweet and very elegant looking…my kind of Halloween decoration…and I love the price! 😉
mary chris says
What a great idea. Kids will love this. Thanks for sharing.
Nancy Comperry says
Go to Dollar tree and get their little houses.
1. Paint them white.
2. Cover with mod podge.
3. Sprinkle clear glider all over.
A fun day with grands.
Laurie Orlando says
Wow – look pretty easy and looks great! Love your orange and black candlesticks too
Morgan @ Morgan Manages Mommyhood says
Super cute! I also love the idea of a little village!
Kari Wagner Hoban says
This is absolutely adorable.
I love Pottery Barn but it is just so expensive.
Pinning this.
Jen D. says
Very cute and clever. It’s nice to know that Hobby Lobby has that house – I can think of a couple of ways to use one (Christmas or a doll house).
Juliana says
I love it! I have been collecting ideas to start doing with grandkids for the holidays. This project is a great one to add to my collection.
christina p says
So cute! I will keep this in mind for next Halloween’s craft. My daughter loves everything covered in glitter!!
Norma Rolader says
Amazing and so adorable … thank you for the list and the info to make one ourselves
Cindy D says
I pinned this for the future. Would be fun to do with the grandchildren. Thank you Suzy.
Carol says
Great & budget friendly project for Halloween!
Laurie says
Such a Great Halloween House now if I could just find the time to make one!
Naomi S says
That is so cute! I have another idea: could you buy or make some tiny pumpkins to put on the porch? That
wouldn’t be scary! I love how easy the whole thing was.
Angela Hendricks says
Very cool! I will definitely be trying this craft out with my kids next Halloween.