Make Spooky Fortune Teller Decor For Halloween With A Dollar Tree DIY
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
If getting into the Halloween spirit is in your future, then it may be time to make some cheap and easy DIY Halloween decorations. While the typical Halloween decor items, such as skeletons or Jack-o'-lanterns, are popular for a reason, there are more unique ways to add a creepy touch to your home. One decor item you can create that emits an eerie Halloween vibe is a fortune teller's glowing orb with disembodied hands. Perfect for sitting on a table or shelf, this piece consists of two hands framing a ball filled with lights to mimic the look of a fortune teller and a crystal ball. Since it can be made using mostly Dollar Tree items, it is ideal for anyone trying to stick to a budget.
To make this fortune teller decor, you need to either make a trip to Dollar Tree or use some items already in your home that make great Halloween decor. First, find some plastic hands, a candle holder, and a translucent ball. Dollar Tree offers Plastic Human Skeleton Hands, and non-skeletal plastic human hands are available at other Halloween stores and craft stores. Dollar Tree also sells a Black Metal Pedestal Candle Holder and an Iridescent Halloween Ball that are perfect for this project. A light source, a wooden plaque, hot glue, a pool noodle, and black fabric are also necessary for the basic version of this project. Black ribbon, decorative bows, nail extensions, black paint, and assorted hand jewelry can help take your DIY decor to the next level and can be purchased at Dollar Tree or other affordable craft stores.
How to assemble your fortune teller and crystal ball
The total cost of this project will vary based on where you buy your materials, which decorative elements you choose, and which DIY items you already have on hand. If you shop at Dollar Tree and already own a hot glue gun, you can likely complete the project for under $15 total. Save on costs by repurposing materials from around your home, such as fabric for the fortune teller's sleeves or a small wooden board for the base, and by temporarily dedicating some items to the project — like jewelry — that can be removed when you are ready to disassemble your decor.
Once you have your supplies, begin assembling your project. If your candle holder and wooden plaque are not already black, start by painting them. You might also want to add some distressing details to your plastic hands using the black paint. Next, hot-glue your orb to the top of your candle holder, and glue the bottom of the candle holder to your painted wooden plaque to give the holder a wider base. Also, glue the nail extensions onto your plastic hands and add any fun, spooky rings at this point.
Once the glue dries, determine the height you want the hands to be when sitting atop the pool noodle next to the orb on the base. Cut two pieces of your pool noodle to size, and if needed, slice each through the center longways to better accommodate the wrist bones. Glue each pool noodle piece to each hand to look like wrists, and then wrap the pool noodles in black fabric. Black felt would work well for this, and adding black paint to any visible pool noodle will complete the look.
How to customize your DIY fortune teller decor
Next, you will want to add lights to the orb. One easy and affordable option is to stuff fairy lights or string lights inside. Adding some tulle can help diffuse the light nicely, especially if you are using a fully transparent plastic orb, rather than Dollar Tree's iridescent one. Using colorful lights instead of plain yellow or white ones will also help you get a more fun Halloween vibe.
Another way to really upgrade this DIY and make it interactive is to use a small color-changing LED puck light with a remote. This will let you change the color of the globe, which can be a fun way to pretend to tell the fortunes of any guests or simply alter the mood of the decor piece. Walmart sells a pack of five color-changing puck lights with a remote for $14.88. If the puck light is too large for your plastic orb (which it will be for the Dollar Tree iridescent orb), simply replace the base of the orb with the puck light.
Once you are happy with your orb's lighting, glue the bottom of the wrists to the wooden base so that the hands wrap very loosely around the orb. Wrap the wrists and candlestick in a gauzy black fabric to obscure them a bit if you wish. Finally, set the scene with more fun Halloween decor to complete the look. For additional budget-friendly decor that will pair well with the crystal ball, you can transform a Dollar Tree book into a spooky spell book.