My Halloween decor is simple, mostly sticking to black and white with an occasional pop of orange. I like to essentially decorate for Thanksgiving, but then add in a few spooky things for Halloween that can be taken away after October 31.

Aren’t the spiders under the lampshades fun? I did that to surprise the boys. They’re from the dollar store.

My favorite Halloween Dollar Tree finds this year were: crows, bats, rats, spiders, spider web bowls, battery-operated candles. When you stick to black and white the cheap stuff blends in well.

Ok, this trick makes me happier than I’d like to admit. I found a way to cram my oil diffuser (affiliate link) that glows different colors in this lantern to create a spooky glowing, smokey effect? Can you see the vaporized water coming out?! Yesss.

The large lantern was a cheap display with three dollar store birds and a branch from the front yard. See if you can spot a rat in this picture as well.

I saw that Target was selling real pumpkins this size for $1.50, but then I saw these fake ones for $2. I thought I’d buy a bunch of fake ones for a little more that I can reuse in the coming years. The brand is Spritz, and it appears they are only in the store.

Some black spray paint salvaged these faded red lanterns that have been hiding away in the garage.

These pictures I posted look much too serene for our house, so I thought I’d show you what was going on behind me. This:

I’m holding back on all my cheesy Halloween decorations I bought on sale last year just a little longer. But don’t worry, I’ve got a giant spider with purple lights, an even “gianter” spider web and a blowup vampire Mickey that need to make their way onto the scene.

Here’s how I made fall pillows for $5 each in 20 minutes from placemats.