Halloween Welcome Sign for a Front Porch 2012 Ideas from HGTV

This project is easy and inexpensive and certainly one in which the kids can help. We took a thrift-store frame, wrapped the inside with yarn and cotton to make it look like a spider web. Then spiders and a "Welcome" message were hung within the webbing.

Tools and Materials

scissors
hammer
black paint and a paintbrush
large wood frame
small wire nails
4 to 8 felt furniture pads
small toy spiders
white cotton spider webbing
yellow or orange yarn
black letters
picture hanging kit if not already attached to frame

Paint the Frame

Paint the frame black and let it dry.

Nail and Pad the Back

On the back of the frame, along the edge, hammer in the small wire nails. Insert the nails so only about a 1/4" is sticking out of the frame.

Place the felt pads on the back of the frame along the corners so the nails will not scratch the house or door.

String the Yarn

Wrap the yarn on the wires going back and forth across the frame in a random pattern. Tie off the yarn periodically.

Add Webbing

Behind the yarn, stretch out some of the white cotton material along the same nails.

Place Your Message

Place the letters in a random pattern onto the yarn, close enough together so you can read the word "Welcome". We used self-adhesive, store-bought letters, but you can print out your own message on sticky paper.

Add Spiders

Place the spiders along the front and tuck into the yarn and webbing.

Favorite Fall Decorating 2012 Ideas By H. Camille Smith

Welcome the arrival of fall and Thanksgiving guests with gorgeous decorations both indoors and out.

 By H. Camille Smith

Freshen Up Your Front Door

Variegated croton in saturated shades of green, gold and red surrounded by vibrant mums and pumpkins give HGTV fan gdiveris' front entry a colorful fall pick-me-up. Both plants are perennials and can either be brought indoors to weather the winter or, if you live in a warm climate, 

Decorate With Fall Foliage

Give bookshelves, a mantel or any flat surface a auick fall fix with a sprinkling of autumn leaves. Gather pretty specimens from your own backyard or pick up a pack of the silk variety at your local craft store. Design by Layla Palmer

Company's Coming

Thanksgiving means gathering with your nearest and dearest to enjoy time together lingering over a well-set table. Ready your dining room for fall festivities by polishing the silver and breaking out the good china and crystal. Design by Sarah Richardson

Accessorize With Autumn's Hues

A tall vase filled with scarlet maple branches creates a show-stopping fall arrangement in this Manhattan living room. Hints of burnished gold in the leather occasional chair, lamp and pillow warm up this cozy corner. Design by Rate My User Patrick

No Centerpiece Necessary

A few of our easy-to-create fall leaf streamers are all you need to decorate your Thanksgiving table. Best of all, skipping the centerpiece means there's nothing at eye level to block your view of the other guests.

Take the Celebration Outside

Weather permitting, move Thanksgiving dinner outdoors. A backdrop of fall-colored leaves and crisp air will provide the perfect setting for the feast.

Luxe Meets Lodge

The rustic lodge look is a perfect fit fot fall. Blending rustic textures with sophisticated finishes, it's the best of both worlds and can be as formal or informal as you like. This cottage at celebrity hideaway Blackberry Farm perfectly exemplifies the style with a custom-painted wall treatment that resembles sun-bleached pine and luxurious fabrics throughout. 

Create a Wall Grouping With Fall Flair

Shop thrift stores and garage sales for assorted small frames then fill them with fall sentiments, black-and-white photos and pressed leaves. Design by Layla Palmer

Bring the Outdoors In

For most of us, fall is the last hoorah before winter's blustery weather truly sets in; enjoy a walk in the crisp air to gather clippings of flowering plants and colorful foliage. Fill small vases with your finds and place them throughout the house. If you're expecting overnight visitors, don't forget the guest room.

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Warmly Welcome Guests

Welcome guests to holiday gatherings with a beautifully decorated entry table. HGTV fan Patrick created this autumnal display by placing golden gingko and bittersweet branches in a large sculptural vase. Pears piled in a rustic stoneware bowl, a ready bottle of wine and low dish of nuts are all reminders of the harvest. Design by Rate My Space user Patrick.

Easy Pumpkin Crafts for Halloween 2012 By Kayla Kitts from HGTV

By : Kayla Kitts

Kayla Kitts is an assistant editor for HGTV.com. When she’s not scouring the internet for delicious design inspiration, she’s shopping for home decor to spruce up her apartment, spending quality time with D'Artagnan, her adopted cat, and finding any reason to be outside. Her favorite design style: eclectic with a vintage, retro vibe.

Don’t judge me when I say this: I didn’t carve my first Halloween pumpkin until I was in college. GASP! I know. Growing up, we were less into the pumpkin carving and decorating that goes into Halloween and more into the treats and dressing up. Now, pumpkin carving/decorating is a tradition for me, especially now that you can do more than just carve a silly grin across its face. (Chevrons and silhouettes, anyone?) Here are some cute, quirky and even sophisticated pumpkin-carving ideas to get your porch ready for Halloween.

Parsnip and Carrot Pumpkin Family

Use vegetables, craft foam and accessories to create a loving, or scary, pumpkin family. (Go ahead and grab the kids for this one!)

Monogrammed Pumpkin

Add a sophisticated and personalized touch to your indoor or outdoor decor with this simple monogrammed pumpkin project.

Cute Owl Pumpkin:

Keep the owl trend going strong with this easy-to-make pumpkin project. Bonus: It requires no patterns or carving skills.

Favorite Fall Decorating 2012 Ideas by H. Camille Smith

Shorter days and a crisp chill in the air certify that summer truly has come to an end. Now’s a great time to break out the cozy throws and warm up your home’s decor with a few fall touches.

Take a cue from designer Sarah Richardson and fill vintage vases with autumn-hued flowers.

For many of us, fall also signals the beginning of the holiday entertaining season  Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations are coming up fast. Get ready for the impending arrival of holiday guests by sprucing up areas of your home where guests gather, like the foyer: 

For a quick-and-easy fall fix up, take a stroll outdoors to gather colorful leaves. Suspended on fishing line over your dining room table, they create a magical falling-leaf effect.

Give faux pumpkins and gourds a fashion-forward makeover that will glam up both your Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations

Or download one of printable templates to put the finishing touch on your seasonal decor

by : H. Camille Smith

Halloween 2012 Ideas Spook Up Your Yard By H. Camille Smith

H. Camille Smith is a writer, fine artist and antique furniture devotee. As a former interior designer and Nickelodeon animator, she has a real passion for balanced, beautiful interiors with a touch of whimsy and punch of color. Camille shares a mid-century cottage with two exceptionally pampered pooches and rooms filled with carefully selected finds.


Alright, it’s countdown time people. Just 3 weeks until Halloween; it’s time to get a jump on making outdoor decorations. You’re in luck because I’ve gathered 4 killer projects, with accompanying printable templates, so you can haunt your home in style.

You could let your yard go to the birds 

Or give trick or treaters a fright 

Get your little ghouls to help

Or display a denizen of the dark

Halloween 2012 Traditional Pumpkin Carving Ideas from HGTV

A simple, smiling jack-o'-lantern is a traditional element of Halloween decor. Check out these classic pumpkin carving ideas with a humorous twist.

Classic Jack

With a happy four-tooth smile and a triangle nose, this traditional jack-o-'lantern pattern has been around for decades. The simple, minimal carvings are easy to create for beginners, and the classic expression will never get old

Pumpkin Family

Dress up your porch by letting everyone in the family carve their own pumpkin. This set of jack-o'-lanterns evokes spooky elements of Halloween, except for the smiling, stalk-nosed pumpkin in front.

Scream-Worthy Carvings

Carving a face is fun, but words can deliver even more expression and drama. This startled jack-o'-lantern lets his mate do all the screaming. Eek!

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Scary Sights

Halloween is the scariest holiday of the year, and these terrified pumpkins can certainly attest to this from their frightful expressions

Creepy Crawlers

Don't worry; this eight-legged creature is going nowhere. Spook your trick-or-treaters, neighbors and guests with a creepy spider carving sure to send shivers down their spines.

Troubled Teeth

If you want to bring an extra scary element to your simple jack-o'-lantern, use an array of scattered toothpicks as sharp and scraggly teeth.

Fright Night

Are you easily frightened during Halloween festivities? You're not alone. This terrified jack-o'-lantern has been scared stiff.

Spooked Illumination

Light up your late night porch with illuminated jack-o'-lanterns. After carving scary patterns, add candles inside your pumpkins to shine a yellow-orange hue through the carvings. 

Evil Eyes

Give your pumpkin a menacing expression to add a spooky feel to your porch or garden. Small, demonic horns and an extra-wide smile make this jack-o'-lantern even creepier.

Attention-Grabber

Perfect for children or those with minimal pumpkin-carving experience, this shouting pumpkin looks like he's ready to make a blaring statement.

Ghastly Expression

If you're hoping to really scare off Halloween intruders, this jack-o'-lantern can do the trick. The frightful ghost pumpkin uses his menacing eyes and angry grin to safeguard the garden during ghostly times

Shrinking Scarcity

This small pumpkin was originally carved to show an angry face, but the mouth has dried and shrunken to create a grimaced expression. 

How to Make an Illuminated Pumpkin Topiary : Halloween 2012 Ideas

We turned three plain pumpkins into a glowing centerpiece to light up a front porch, Halloween party or Thanksgiving table.

By : Joanne Palmisano

To make this festive centerpiece, we drilled holes in the pumpkins, painted them silver then added some holiday lights and a few crystals.

Tools and Materials

serrated knife
drill with large bit (optional)
scissors
extension cord
3 carving pumpkins (we used faux pumpkins by Funkin)
holiday lights with 25 to 50 clear bulbs
brilliant metal spray paint
3 strands of wire with crystal beads
dry-erase marker
painter's tarp

Carve and Cut

Carve a hole in the bottom and the top of the three pumpkins and remove the innards. On the bottom pumpkin, make the hole a little to the side so the light strand's plug can get through. Do not cut hole near the stem in the top pumpkin. The hole has to be big enough to be able to put your hand in and pull the light strands through the holes.

Mark for Light Holes

Use a dry-erase marker to make small circles where you want the bulbs to come out of the pumpkins.

Cut Light Holes

Use a serrated knife or a drill to cut out the circles. Double check the size by inserting one of the bulb sockets (take the bulb out to test it). Make the hole bigger until the socket can fit through, but not too big — you don't want the bulb to slide out.

Paint

Place the pumpkins on a tarp and spray-paint them with the brilliant metal paint. Let them dry.

Prep the Lights

Check that the lights are working and then remove all the bulbs from their sockets. This will make it easier to thread the strand through the pumpkins.

Thread the Lights

Starting with the bottom pumpkin, pull the sockets through the holes and then screw on the bulb to keep it in place. Make sure you leave enough of the strand to come out of the bottom of the pumpkin and plug into an extension cord or outlet. Work your way up the pumpkin and then come out the top and move into the next pumpkin. Leave some wiggle room in between.

Add Extra Sparkle

Wrap the pumpkins with crystal strands (cut to size if necessary) around the bottom, middle and top to give the topiary a little extra glamour.

How to Make a Chevron Pumpkin Topiary : Halloween 2012 Ideas

This Halloween, light up your porch with a zigzag-patterned jack-o'-lantern.

By : Joanne Palmisano,

We painted and carved chevrons patterns onto three pumpkins, inserted tea-lights then stacked the pumpkins together to create a retro-style topiary. Moss-covered stones were laid around the base of the topiary to give it a little earthy yet eerie feel.

Tools and Materials

serrated knife
jigsaw (optional)
3 carving pumpkins (we used faux pumpkins by Funkin)
painter's tarp
6 to 9 battery-operated tea lights
4 colors of craft paint (we used green, blue, black, white)
small artist paintbrush
dry-erase marker

Clean Out the Pumpkins

Cut a hole in the bottom of each pumpkin and clean out the innards.

Dry-Fit the Stack and Create Pattern

Place the pumpkins on top of each other. Use a dry-erase marker (washable marker) to draw a chevron pattern across the middle of each pumpkin a little more than halfway around the pumpkin. Do not draw your pattern all the way around whole thing. Disassemble the stack and mark which is the top, middle and bottom.

Carve Part of the Pattern

Use a serrated knife or jigsaw to cut the patterns. If using a jigsaw, drill a hole first, then insert the jigsaw blade before turning it on. On each pattern, leave two stabilizers to help handle the weight of the other pumpkins (so it doesn't fold down on itself).

Paint the Rest of the Pattern

Paint two zigzag patterns above and two below the cut-out pattern, using four different paint colors. Repeat on the other two pumpkins. We put each color in the same exact location on each pumpkin. Let the paint dry completely.