Life’s not fun without a good scare, and with Halloween right around the corner, you might be eager to see something strange—or even make it yourself.
Selling or donating old books is the best way to give them a second life. However, if, after visiting these spots, you’re still left with a pile of discarded books set for a one-way trip to the recycling center, Halloween offers a spooky solution: play Frankenstein and use their parts to create something terrible.
But rest assured, there’s nothing to fear about DIY projects, no matter how scary they might look. The following ideas vary on complexity levels—from the simple to the elaborate. However, they all have something in common: they’re delightfully frightful!
1. Halloween Banner
Quick, simple, and efficient—this Halloween banner idea might be the perfect homemade craft for those barely dipping their toes in the DIY world, including children.
The only supplies required for success are an old book, black letter stickers, a ribbon, glue, and tape. With some patience and a little bit of precision, you can create a banner with the perfect spooky ambiance to decorate your Halloween party.
You can also enhance this otherwise simple decoration with a few splatters of red paint or even a couple of construction paper bats.
2. Edgar Allan Poe Wreath
The king of Gothic fiction and the macabre deserves a seat of honor at the feast for all things spooky, which is Halloween. But since crafting seats might be a bit too advanced for regular DIY enthusiasts, this gorgeous wreath certainly isn’t.
It only needs a Styrofoam wreath as a base layer and many pages from an old book—the more stained by time, the better. Each page is rolled and tied with a rustic string, creating the imagery of branches. Then, with dried moss and miscellaneous decoration, you can amp up the Gothic imagery—the crow in the center does wonders, but you can add whatever you’d prefer.
3. Skeleton Flower Vase
If your idea of a perfect Halloween is more elegant, then bright and colorful pumpkins might not be up your alley. For those of you with more classic sensibilities, this beautiful yet creepy flower vase DIY is the perfect project to add eerie beauty to your home.
It only takes an old hardcover book and some cutting and folding inwards. The pages would form teardrop shapes that are perfect for holding any flower you’d like to decorate with. You can decorate it with any spooky item you’d like, and for an extra Morticia Addams flavor, you can even add some roses—after cutting off the blossoms.
4. Creepy Potions Book
If you are a master crafter looking forward to a complex yet engaging project, consider this haunted potion book.
As you can see, it has many elements and requires a few days of work, but the results will be worth it. With the help of some polymer clay, silicone molds, or resin, you can craft the creepy eye, skeleton hand, or coiled snake as decorative elements, but you can also add a bat or a frog if you think you can do it.
The rest is up to you—but painting the book black and adding a few golden decorations can enhance the spooky vibrance!
5. Paperback Book Witch
No Halloween is complete without witches, and these paperback spellcasters happen to be equal parts spooky and adorable.
The main supply is an old paperback book you no longer need. After removing the book cover and a good chunk of the pages, leave the spine intact, as it will be the balance center of the witch. Then, with lots of patience, fold the pages into triangular shapes until you create the base of the witch. From then on, decoration is up to you!
If you’re still unsure, check the step-by-step tutorial—it’s relatively easy once you get the hang of it!
6. Spooky Spellbook
For something a little bit less cutesy and a lot more frightening, consider this terrifying haunted book that is bound to give a jumpscare or two to anyone fearless enough to open it.
To bring this book to life, your main job will be carving—a lot of carving. You’ll have to carve many pages and go deep enough to ensure the appropriate depth effect for the eyeballs, which you can make on your own or purchase in any spooky store.
For extra fright points, the older the book you use, the better. However, you can also fake an aged effect with the help of instant coffee and some strategically placed paint.
7. Friendly Monster
While Halloween is the time of the year for anything spooky or scary, not all monsters have to be terrifying—particularly if you have children.
This charming little monster is a bit too friendly to scare anyone, but he makes a lovely homemade project for this Halloween season. All you need is an old book you don’t need and a set of regular craft supplies—construction paper, acrylic paint, glue, and a funny set of large googly eyes.
Best part? You can customize the monster as you see fit. Make him blue, add a set of frowning eyebrows, and even more.
8. Hocus Pocus Book of Spells
Whether you grew up with the film or are a fan of cult classic Halloween films, odds are that you know—and maybe even love—Hocus Pocus, which is by now a quintessential part of each October 31st.
This tutorial encourages and guides you in making the film’s emblematic spellbook, a way to celebrate the movie and create a piece of décor that guests might instantly recognize with nostalgic joy.
Granted, this is not the best craft for beginners—it requires a lot of time and patience. On the upside, it is incredibly affordable, and the results will be stunning. Why don’t you give it a go?
9. Fluffy Spider Monster Book
The best part of this Halloween book décor is how versatile it is. If you want this fluffy monster to be cute and somewhat silly, you can use one set of googly eyes and vampire teeth—it’ll look like a childish monster, perfect for a more friendly Halloween.
However, you can bring it to the body horror area if you’d like to ramp up the scare factor. Extra eyes, multiple teeth, and even a few splashes of blood.
The supplies? Things you can find in any craft store!
Any Last Words?
With Halloween just around the corner, these ideas offer budget-friendly and fun projects that can chill you to the bone—or at least ensure you spend quality time alone or with children.
A book can have many uses, and it just so happens that being spellbindingly good décor items is one of them.
Thanks for the creative holiday ideas!