Cute Halloween Decorations for Free

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Make these cute Halloween decorations for free with recycled bottles and about 10 minutes. It’s a great project to make with children or for any beginning level crafter.

When I grew up, Halloween wasn’t a big deal. It was just a holiday for kids. Then I got married. My husband always loved celebrating Halloween even as an adult. Now I find Halloween such a fun holiday to celebrate. But I’ve always focused on fun and cute Halloween decorations, not ghoulish ones.

Since you know how much I live for repurposing items, I was inspired by a bunch of empty pill bottles that were headed to the recycling bin to make these cute Halloween decorations for free. 

With all the events of the past year (remember my appendectomy drama and the basal cell carcinoma on my eyelid?), we’d amassed quiet the collection of plastic pill bottles. As I was decluttering and getting ready to throw these bottles in the recycling can, it struck me that they were all orange – Halloweenie orange. So-ooo, you know I had to do it. 

How can I decorate for Halloween for cheap?

Decorating on a budget is definitely possible when it comes to Halloween decorations.

• Use recycled items that would otherwise go in the recycle bin
  • Pill bottles used in this tutorial for jack o’lanterns
  • Empty milk jugs and other plastic jars to make Halloween Luminaries
  • Light Bulbs to make potion bottles
  • Upcycled bottles and printable images you can download
  • Cardboard boxes to make tombstone decorations and a creepy mummy coffin game
  • Upcycled cans for easy Halloween decorations kids can make
  • Plastic soda or water bottles to make pumpkins
• Use construction paper and decorative paper to make decorations
  • Use up paper scraps to make mummy treats
  • Use this ghost candy wrapper as inspiration for door decorations
• Use thrifted items and a bit of craft paint to create Halloween decorations
  • Wood Shutters to create a Halloween sign with a bit of craft paint
  • Recycled Books to make spell books
  • Repurposed clothing or fabric scraps to make easy fabric pumpkins
• Use items from the dollar store
  • Like these decorated pencil boxes

Cute Halloween Decorations for Free

These are perfect for a college student or anyone who is about to move and still wants to decorate. After Halloween, go ahead and recycle the bottles. Win-win.

Supplies for this Cute Halloween Decoration

• Orange Pill Bottles
• Permanent Markers
• Green Paper
• Glue or Double Stick Tape
• Scissors

I drew jack o’lantern faces on scratch paper until I found some I liked. I simply drew the face on the bottle with a permanent marker.

I had these green paint chips from a project, so I used those to make the leaves and stems. But you can use any green paper you have or even a green photo from a magazine.

I free-hand cut out the leaves. I cut thin strips and rolled them around a pencil to make the vine stems. 

A little glue to stick the leaves and vines to the jack o’lantern and voila! Seriously, these couldn’t be easier or cuter.

A simple battery votive candle and you have an adorable lantern.

More Free Halloween Decorations

• Find all my simple Halloween ideas, decorations, crafts and recipes
• This potion bottle from an upcycled light bulb is one of my top favorite easy projects that wow.
• I originally made these recycled book Halloween decorations with my son when he was in elementary school. We had a grand time creating them.

If these little jack o’lanterns weren’t such very cute Halloween decorations I’d be embarrassed at how easy they are to make. But you know how I love free and repurposed projects! I smile every time I look at these little guys. 

Why not take a few minutes to declutter your medicine cabinet now. You can use these purging tips for medicine and vitamins. Now you have the pill bottles you need to make your own simple and cute Halloween decorations. Have fun crafting. This would be a great kids’ craft, too.

For all my favorite Halloween crafts, games, printables and recipes see the table below. You can scroll though the table and look for ideas or search for specific ideas with the magnifying glass in the upper right-hand corner (on desktop). Click on the topic and then click through the specific article.