Subtle and Chic Halloween Ideas

I’m all about the Halloween season. What I’m not about is displaying lame Halloween decorations that you could see in a 3rd grade classroom. None of that cutesy stuff works for me and as the years have passed I’ve become more set in creating subtle spooky moments around my home.

I’ve always committed 100% to Halloween. Back in my 20’s I had a black canopy over my bed somewhat nodding to the Rosemary’s Baby crib with crosses hanging down the middle and a gravestone displayed smack dab in the middle of my throw pillows. I could go on and on at the other over the top, creepy decor I pulled out every year but I’ll spare you. I’ll say this, my annual Halloween party really let my guests know they were friends with a closet weirdo.

This year, I’m going even more subtle than usual but none the less unique and creepy. I have rounded up quite a few photos around Google and Pinterest to inspire you to get creative this year. I’ve also listed my favorite items to decorate with that are typically easy to find as well as affordable.

Truth be told, I am gathering inspiration for my decor plans this year. I like to mix it up every year and will share my decor once it’s up!

Related Post: The Craft Costume Ideas

Unique Halloween Decor Items:

Vintage Dolls: Dolls are easy to find at craft stores and even better if they are dismembered, dirty and damaged from a second-hand store!
Snakes: Snakes seem to be on trend this year-especially brass snakes. Check out the great ones I found in my post This Year’s Chic and Subtle Decor. However, I like to also utilize rubber snakes to place in random places that people tend to not notice easily.
Skeleton Heads: Skeletons are a simple way to add a little spook. You can opt for fancy heads or I even like to go for actual medical skulls for authenticity. I also like skeleton hands (see pic below). I bought a 2 pack last year and painted them gold. They were easy to place in inconspicuous places or around pumpkins.
Vintage Skeleton Keys: These keys can be found on Etsy and look great as part of a vignette.
Bugs and Other Oddities: I collect snail shells, wasp nest, beetles, scorpions, frogs etc. to place in a glass box. You can buy real exotic bugs on Etsy as well as butterflies. As shown below, painting rubber bugs for display is also a great (and less creepy) way to display them.
Floating Candles: Harry Potter made this a fun trend for Halloween. It’s relatively easy with remote controlled candles but the key is to use Command Strips.
Dead Flowers: Funny story-I was at Target last year and noticed that all the flowers were dead. The flower guy happened to be there to replace them and he let me take all the dead roses home. They added a nice touch to my creepy decor.
Feather Butterflies: I buy feather butterflies and spray paint them black. They look more realistic than buying black paper butterflies. I keep the wires on the this way the butterflies appear to be flying. I was able to stick the wires in-between the stone of our fireplace and also wound them around a succulent garden. If you are going to stick them to a flat wall, buying the paper ones is the way to go since they have the adhesive on them already.
Masks: You can find a pack of black lace masks on Amazon. I have taped them to large art and photographs or simply hung them in various places.
Rosaries and Crosses: I am not Catholic so I do not use rosaries in my religion or spirituality. However, I love them and think they are beautiful. I mean no disrespect by including them in my decor and actually believe they balance some of the darkness that can come with the season. I will admit, they are used prominently in many vampire movies but I prefer how they have been portrayed in the Conjuring movies as being powerful symbols against evil.

To see how I put the above items in action, check out my Halloween section of my other blog.