Kid-Friendly Halloween Porch Decorations

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It’s getting to be that time of the year! Let’s talk Halloween porch decor, for my favorite fun holiday.

Featured image with potion bottles, witch's legs and witch's hat door decoration.

Halloween Door Decorations

I’m excited to share with you my Halloween porch decorations this year! In years past, I’ve mostly focused on my front door:

Door decorations are a great way to decorate for any holiday, and especially Halloween. But this year, I decided to kick it up a notch. I was inspired by last year’s Halloween decoration, witch’s-themed severed fingers.

Halloween Porch Decorations

I got a few new pieces to amp up my decor from the Halloween section of Oriental Trading and they were perfect! I still have to do a little bit of DIY crafting, but these pieces saved me a ton of time and look great! Best of all, they’re super affordable.

Halloween Witch Door Decoration

I recieved this wood sign as a hand-me-down piece from my sister years ago and have never used it. This $5 witch’s hat was added and easily jazzed up with some lime green tulle and orange spider rings to fun-spooky it up. I cut the plastic ring part off of the spider rings and used a hot glue gun to attach them. For the tulle I used an office stapler to attach it (I’m not good at sewing). Ta-Da! The front door is done!

witch-hat-front-door-eventstocelebrate-net

Witch Pantry

I got a set of 12 apothecary jars from Oriental Trading and just created labels in a Word document and glued them on using Modge Podge. I filled them with various items and water tinted with food coloring. Be sure to get your free labels below!!

Potion & Ingredient Ideas

Here’s a themed list of witchy apothecary jar labels, mixing classic spooky ingredients with a few funny ones that work well for a kid-friendly porch display. I have some liquid-filled and some other non-liquid ideas to share with you:

witch-potion-bottles-eventstocelebrate-net

Classic and creepy

Eye of Newt (Green jelly beans or green beads)
Toe of Frog (Green pom poms or lima beans)
Wing of Bat (Strips of black felt or faux leather black fabric)
Lizard’s Leg (pieces of green and yellow pipe cleaners)
Spider Legs (Black plastic spider ring legs)
Snake Eyes (Red beads)
Dragon Scales (Various colors of sequins)
Witch’s Hair (Raffia)
Ghost Tears (Clear water beads)
Mummy Wrap (Pieces of gauze, muslin or cheesecloth)
Vampire Fangs (Slivered almonds or pointy fake nails
Werewolf Fur (Dog hair from a dog brush)
Black Cat Whiskers (Pieces of black pipe cleaners
Monster Mucus (Green slime)

More Labels…

Swamp Water (Green tinted water)
Spider Cider (Yellow tinted water)
Boo-berry Juice (Purple tinted water)
Witch’s Brew (Red tinted water)
Goblin Snot (Blue tinted water)
Troll Toenails (Dried popcorn kernels)
Grave Dirt (Potting soil)
Cauldron Bubbles (White pom pops or cotton balls or packing peanuts)
Skeleton Bones (Various dried pasta or plastic Halloween bones)
Pumpkin Guts (Shredded orange tissue paper or crinkle paper)

Potion style (great if you’re doing colored liquid jars)

Love Potion
Sleeping Potion
Invisibility Elixir
Shrinking Solution
Truth Serum
Poison Apple Juice
Midnight Moonshine
Enchanted Elixir

Free Witch’s Pantry Labels

If you want to create your own Witch’s Pantry, I made these free labels for you! I added text to one set and left the other set blank so you can get creative and make up your own names.

Halloween Window Decoration

The cardboard witch cut-out is from Oriental Trading as well and actually came as a 3-D stand up, but I only used one of the pieces so I could put it on my window. I originally had it on the inside of my house, but my window lines obstructed too much of is so I moved it outside. I love that the holographic treatment on the cardboard shimmers in the light. Above the witch I hung a strand of lights covered in black netting also from Oriental Trading that I have on an automatic timer.

Other Fun Halloween Porch Decorating Ideas

I LOVE these witch legs. I stuck them in my front porch planter along with some black glittered tree branches I’ve had for ages.

witch-legs-decoration-eventstocelebrate-net

This directional sign is from Oriental Trading, and adds color as well as character.

Halloween Costume Ideas

Halloween Porch Decorating Tips

How Far Ahead To Start Your Halloween Porch

Start planning about four to five weeks before Halloween, in late September
Ordering decorations early means you skip rush shipping costs
Spreading out DIY projects means you’re not gluing spider rings onto a witch hat the night before trick or treaters show up
Foam and cardboard decor pieces sell out of popular designs by mid October, so shopping early means better selection

Halloween Porch Decorations On A Budget

Layer what you already own. Black tree branches, old picture frames, or plain glass jars can become spooky decor with a little creativity
Buy one statement piece and DIY the rest. A large cardboard silhouette or light-up prop does a lot of visual work on its own
Fill in around your statement piece with inexpensive items like fake cobwebs or dollar store pumpkins
Shop end of season sales starting November 1, when Halloween decor typically drops 50 percent or more
Print your own labels and signs instead of buying pre-made versions. Apothecary jar labels, directional signs, and porch banners are easy to design for free at home
Use empty and cleaned spaghetti sauce or pickle jars for your witches pantry. You can also simply buy corks from the dollar store and reuse glass soda bottles, syrup bottles, etc rather than buying them.

Weatherproofing Outdoor Halloween Decorations

Seal paper or cardboard pieces with a few light coats of clear acrylic spray, letting each coat dry fully before adding the next
Anchor fabric elements like tulle or netting in more than one spot with hot glue or fishing line so wind doesn’t work them loose
Check that anything with a battery pack or lights is rated for outdoor use
Keep battery compartments elevated off the ground or tucked under an eave if rain is in the forecast

Keeping A Kid-Friendly Porch Safe

Keep the walkway clear. Items like witch legs in a planter or a cardboard cutout should stay along the edges, not in the center of foot traffic
Light the steps, not just the display, so guests don’t trip while looking at the spookiest element
Battery-operated candles give the same flicker effect without the fire risk

Storing Halloween Decorations For Next Year

Wipe down anything that held liquid or edible fillings before it goes back in the box, and let it dry completely to avoid mold
Store fragile cardboard or foam pieces flat, separating layers with tissue paper or a spare towel so they don’t crease or crush
Label storage bins by scene rather than by item, for example “witch porch” instead of “Halloween decor,” so you can grab everything for one look in a single trip
Take a quick photo of your finished porch before you take it down, so you remember what worked and what you already own when planning next year’s version

Final Thoughts On Your Halloween Porch

A great Halloween porch doesn’t have to mean starting from scratch every year or spending a fortune on new pieces. Mixing a few DIY touches with one or two store bought statement items, giving yourself a few weeks to put it together, and taking care of your decorations along the way will get you a porch that looks just as fun as anything you’ll find on Pinterest, and one that’s ready to bring back out again next October with barely any extra work. Whatever theme you land on, the goal is the same one I had with my witches porch: something that makes trick or treaters smile and gets your own kids excited every time they walk past it.