DIY Adorable & Affordable Halloween Decor With A Dollar Tree Cutting Board Hack

Decorating your home for Halloween is part of the fun of the holiday, but it's hard to spend money on ornaments when you know they're going to be up for only a few weeks. Thankfully, there are plenty of cheap and easy Halloween decorations you can DIY to turn your house from handsome to haunted. Reserve a little time in your day for some spooky arts and crafts, but only after you've run to your nearest Dollar Tree for supplies. 

This DIY requires a wooden cutting board. You can upcycle an old one that's too damaged to use in the kitchen, or get the Dollar Tree Cooking Concepts Bamboo Cutting Board for just $1.25. Next, you're going to need a Crafter's Square Wood Pallet, also $1.25, and an assortment of Halloween-themed decorations. Dollar Tree has packs of pumpkin, witch, and ghost cut-outs, as well as pumpkin, eyeball, and spider picks. Other elements, like raffia and moss, can be added for texture. 

For a subtler way to start decorating your home for Halloween, make this project more autumn-y than ghoulish by swapping the thematic decor for fake greenery, like orange and yellow leaves, flowers in fall colors, and branches or vines. The pallet will function as a planter for these items, but you can also use burlap fabric to create a little pouch. Alternatively, skip the planter idea altogether and use a decorative napkin and Modge Podge for a gorgeous decoupage moment. Finally, you'll need a brush or sponge and paint, wax, or wood stain to give the cutting board and pallet a more weathered look, as well as hot glue and a glue gun to bring everything together.

Take your brush or sponge, and coat the cutting board with paint, wax, or stain. Mixing the wax or stain with paint and using rough brushstrokes or a textured sponge technique can help give it a shabbier, more antique appearance. You can also apply a first coat of darker paint and top it with imperfect patches of lighter paint to make it look like the latter is wearing off. Repeat the process for the pallet. Once both are dry, use hot glue to attach the pallet to the board. If you've opted for the burlap pouch, cut a piece of fabric that's slightly wider than your board, and then fold a few inches of the sides and bottom edges inward, gluing those to your base. 

To decorate the front pallet, glue one of the thematic cut-outs, painting it in a color that works for you. Orange for a jack-o'-lantern is a classic, but if you're looking for creepy-cute Halloween decor ideas that aren't just black and orange, try a rich purple instead. Fill the pallet or pouch with the various items you've collected. For a more cohesive look, think in layers. Place broader, taller pieces in the background, and stack thinner and increasingly shorter bits and bobs as you work your way through to the foreground. Add some finishing touches, like a mini floating ghost made out of tissue paper, or if your board has a handle, decorate it with a bow made out of leftover raffia or fabric scraps from previous DIYs.