The DIY Halloween Garland I Make Every October (Plus a Few I'd Skip)

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Every year around October 1st, I stand in the Halloween aisle holding a $30 felt bat garland and think, “I could make this.” And every year, I’m right. It usually takes one evening, a stack of cardstock, and a show playing in the background.

A DIY Halloween garland is honestly one of the easiest ways to make your home feel festive without buying a whole new closet of decor. It hangs almost anywhere, it packs flat, and if the cat eats a corner of it, nobody’s heartbroken.

Below you’ll find the garlands I actually make and hang up, what each one costs, where they look best, and the little hanging tricks that keep them from drooping by October 3rd.

Why I Stopped Buying Halloween Garlands

Store-bought garlands aren’t bad. They’re just the same five designs everyone else has, and they cost more than they should for something that’s up for six weeks.

When you make your own, you get to pick the colors. You can go black and cream for a moody living room, or orange and purple for a kid-friendly porch. And most of these are cheap DIY Halloween decorations in the truest sense. We’re talking dollar store paper and stuff you already own.

The other perk? Making them is kind of fun. I put on a Halloween movie, pour a cider, and cut bats. It’s the closest thing I have to a fall ritual.

What You’ll Need for Most of These

You don’t need a craft room. Here’s what covers about 90% of the ideas below:

Black, orange, and cream cardstock (65 lb weight holds its shape best)
Sharp scissors, plus a craft knife for small details
Twine, jute, or thin black ribbon
A glue stick and a hot glue gun
A hole punch
Mini clothespins (optional, but they make re-spacing so much easier)

If you have a Cricut, great. If you don’t, a pencil and a printed template work just fine. My first bat garland was traced from a cookie cutter.

The Classic Bat Paper Garland

This is the one I’d start with if you’ve never made a garland before. It’s a Halloween paper garland made by folding a long strip of black paper accordion-style, drawing half a bat on the top panel, and cutting through all the layers at once. Open it up and you’ve got a row of bats holding wings.

Tips that make it work:

Keep the wing tips touching the fold on both sides, or the bats fall apart when you open them.
Use regular printer paper for your first try. Cardstock is sturdier, but it’s hard to cut through more than four layers.
Tape several strips together end to end to get the length you need.

It looks great draped across a doorway or along a bookshelf. And if you want it to feel a little more grown-up, cut bats from one solid black strip and skip the googly eyes.

Halloween Banner Ideas That Actually Look Nice

A letter banner is the easiest way to give a space some personality. “BOO,” “HEY BOO,” “TRICK OR TREAT,” or my personal favorite, “NO CANDY FOR ADULTS” (it’s a joke, I share).

The Coffee-Stained Pennant Banner

Brush strong cooled coffee over plain white cardstock pennants and let them dry flat overnight. They come out looking like old parchment. Add black letters with a paint pen or stencil, punch two holes at the top, and thread onto twine.

This is one of those Halloween banner ideas that looks way more expensive than it is. It fits a farmhouse or vintage look perfectly.

The Black Chalkboard-Style Banner

Cut pennants from black cardstock and write on them with a white chalk marker. Easy to read from across the room, and very clean looking. If you mess up a letter, just wipe it off with a damp paper towel.

Real talk: space your letters closer than you think you need to. Once the twine sags in the middle, wide gaps make the word hard to read.

My Go-To Halloween Mantel Garland

The mantel is where I put in the most effort, because it’s what everyone sees first when they walk in.

Here’s the formula I keep coming back to:

A base of faux eucalyptus or dried-look greenery (one 6-foot strand)
A black paper bat garland tucked in and around it
A few small orange or cream pumpkins at each end
Battery-operated taper candles or a string of warm fairy lights

The greenery gives it fullness, the bats keep it Halloween-specific, and the lights make it glow at night. It works because you’re layering textures instead of just hanging one flat thing.

A real Halloween mantel garland tip: weigh the ends down. I place a small pumpkin on each end so the garland doesn’t slide off every time someone bumps the mantel. And please use LED candles near paper. Ask me how I know.

The Floating Ghost Garland

This one is adorable and a little bit spooky. Cut ghost shapes from white cardstock or felt, draw on simple faces with a black marker, and hang them from clear fishing line at slightly different heights.

When the fishing line disappears against the wall, it looks like the ghosts are floating. It’s perfect in an entryway, over a window, or across the front of a kids’ bunk bed.

If you want something softer, use cheesecloth instead. Drape small squares over cotton balls, tie them off at the “neck” with thread, and string them together. They move a little every time the door opens, which the kids think is hilarious.

Folded Paper Pumpkin Garland

Take orange paper, fold it into a fan (like the ones you made in grade school), then fold that fan in half and glue the edges together. It pops open into a round little pumpkin. Glue a small green paper stem on top and string several of them together.

These look great mixed with the bat garland, or on their own across a kitchen window. And since they’re orange rather than black, they carry you nicely from Halloween into early November.

The Kid-Friendly Paper Chain

Sometimes the best DIY Halloween garland is the one your kids can make without you hovering. Cut strips of orange, black, purple, and lime green paper, and let them loop and glue away.

Want to make it a little more special? Write one Halloween activity on each strip and remove one link a day as a countdown. Carve pumpkins, watch a movie, bake cookies. It becomes decor and a family tradition at the same time.

What These Garlands Actually Cost

Here’s a quick look at what I spend on each garland compared to a similar store-bought version. These are my rough estimates based on dollar store and craft store prices, so your numbers will vary a bit depending on what you already have at home.

Garland Type	DIY Cost (approx.)	Store-Bought Equivalent (approx.)
Bat Paper Garland	$4	$18
Coffee-Stained Banner	$6	$22
Mantel Garland (greenery + bats)	$20	$45
Floating Ghost Garland	$7	$20
Paper Pumpkin Garland	$5	$16
Kid-Friendly Paper Chain	$3	$12

The paper garlands save you the most. The mantel garland costs a bit more upfront, but the greenery base gets reused for fall, Thanksgiving, and even Christmas.

Time and Difficulty at a Glance

Garland Type	Time Needed	Difficulty	Best Spot
Bat Paper Garland	30 min	Easy	Doorways, shelves
Coffee-Stained Banner	1 hr + drying	Easy	Mantel, entry table
Mantel Garland	45 min	Medium	Fireplace
Floating Ghost Garland	1 hr	Easy	Windows, entryway
Paper Pumpkin Garland	1 hr	Medium	Kitchen, windows
Paper Chain	20 min	Very easy	Kids’ rooms, playroom

How to Hang Garland Without It Sagging (or Falling)

This is the part nobody tells you about. You spend an evening making a beautiful garland, and then it droops in the middle like a sad hammock.

What actually helps:

Use more anchor points. Command hooks every 2–3 feet, not just at the ends.
Pull the twine tighter than looks right. Paper adds weight, and it will settle.
Clip instead of glue. Mini clothespins let you slide pieces around after hanging.
Outdoors, go heavier. Wind shreds light paper in about a day. Use felt, laminated cardstock, or bring the paper ones inside.

And if you have a curious toddler or a cat with opinions, hang it higher than you’d planned.

Shop the Look

Room/Category	Item	Why It Works	Shop
Crafting	Black & orange cardstock pack	Sturdy enough for bats and pennants, holds its shape	[BUY ON AMAZON]
Crafting	Mini wooden clothespins	Makes re-spacing and swapping pieces easy	[BUY ON AMAZON]
Mantel	Faux eucalyptus garland (6 ft)	Full base you can reuse all fall	[BUY ON AMAZON]
Mantel	LED flameless taper candles	Real candle look without the fire risk near paper	[BUY ON AMAZON]
Hanging	Clear Command hooks	Holds garland without damaging walls	[BUY ON AMAZON]
Living Room	Warm white fairy lights	Weave through any garland for an evening glow	[BUY ON AMAZON]

How to Choose the Right Garland for Your Space

Not sure where to start? Here’s how I decide:

Consider the spot first. Mantels need fullness; doorways need something light and flat.
Match your everyday decor. Neutral home? Go black and cream. Colorful home? Orange and purple fit right in.
Think about who’s around. Kids and pets mean higher hanging and sturdier materials.
Indoor or outdoor? Paper stays inside. Felt or laminated pieces can handle a covered porch.
Plan for reuse. Pick one piece (like the greenery base) that works past October 31st.

Frequently Asked Questions About DIY Halloween Garlands

What’s the cheapest way to make a Halloween garland?

Paper, honestly. A pack of construction paper and some twine from the dollar store will give you a full bat garland or paper chain for under $5.

What kind of paper is best for a Halloween paper garland?

Cardstock (around 65 lb) holds its shape best and doesn’t curl. For accordion-fold garlands, regular printer paper is easier because you can cut through more layers at once.

How do I hang a garland on a mantel without nails?

Use removable adhesive hooks on the underside of the mantel, or weigh down each end with something heavy like a small pumpkin or a candle holder. Both work well and leave no marks.

Can I use a paper garland outside?

Only on a fully covered porch, and even then humidity makes paper droop. For outdoor spots, use felt, burlap, or laminate your paper pieces first.

How far ahead should I make my Halloween decorations?

Early to mid-September is the sweet spot. You’ll have time to make a few pieces without rushing, and they’ll be up for the whole month of October.

Final Thoughts

A DIY Halloween garland is one of those small projects that makes a big difference. Pick one or two ideas that suit your space, make them on a slow evening, and enjoy that little burst of pride every time you walk past.

Happy haunting, friend.

This post showed you how to make a DIY Halloween garland for every corner of your home.

If you’re looking for more creative ideas and inspiration, be sure to check out my Pinterest page!

With love – Zsana

The DIY Halloween Garland I Make Every October (Plus a Few I’d Skip)

Why I Stopped Buying Halloween Garlands

What You’ll Need for Most of These

The Classic Bat Paper Garland