Why pay upwards of $15 for Halloween Décor when you can make it yourself for $6 or less?

I made mine for the cost of the craft wood (only $2 each). I already had the other items in my home. If you are crafty you probably have Mod Podge, Sharpie markers, and craft paint!

Materials:

• Craft or scrap wood
• Horror book (think Stephen King)
• Black Acrylic Paint
• White Marker or White Acrylic Paint
• Black Paint Marker or Sharpie marker (I use Sharpie Oil Based Paint Markers- they are $6 but one marker lasts forever)
• Mod Podge Glue
• Paint Brush
• Coffee grounds (used and still wet)

Step 1:

Paint your craft wood black. Once dried, add some white streaks to distress along the border with your white marker or white paint. Less is best.

Step 2:

Cut up your horror book pages, find passages with creepy words or scene descriptions.  Cut them with a curvy edge.  I cut several about 2 x 2 inches and a few smaller 1 x 1 and 1/4 x 2  inch passages.  (Do not just cut one page, or you will see too much white space on the page.) You want all of the text to run together and cover the  wood piece.

Rub your wet coffee grounds gently on your paper to give it a brown, vintage feel.  Brush off gently and pat dry flat with a paper towel. You can start step 3 even if the paper is still damp…

Step 3:

Start gluing! Cover your wood with craft glue or Mod Podge and start layering your words. Leave the edges exposed. This does not have to be perfect! Just don’t leave any huge gaps.

Cover top with glue to seal.  Allow to dry completely.

Step 4:

Add your spooky words or cute Halloween sayings with a black marker or paint pen! Fonts I really like are Harrington and Algerian.

Add a silhouette of a raven, black cat, or bat.

TIP!  Always sketch out words first in pencil and use a ruler to mark straight lines. The second sign I made I did not do this and you can see that the word DARE cuts off at the bottom. Crafting fail.

Enjoy your signs! Once you have the materials handy you can make these signs for just the cost of the craft wood (or use scrap wood you find laying around your garage or barn).

Happy Haunting!

Place on a mantle or bookshelf: