If You Have Doilies & Embroidery Hoops, You Can Make The Cutest Vintage Ghost Decor

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Ghosts are an indelible part of fall and Halloween. And while you wouldn't want strange shadowy figures keeping track of (or hijacking) your life, using them as a part of your decorations is another matter entirely. However, you might not want to spend money on one-time-use figurines. Or, maybe, you're just excited by the prospect of decking your house in handmade embellishments. If you're in a similar boat, stretch a doily in an embroidery hoop to craft the cutest vintage ghost decor, and hang them in your windows, on empty walls, or mount them on your front door.

This is a genius idea to repurpose your thrifted vintage doilies and welcome the spooky season in all its creeptastic (or sickeningly sweet) glory. Plus, this DIY is 100% customizable and won't take up a lot of your time. Moreover, you don't need a lot of items for this craft. A few embroidery hoops, some lace doilies, a little black felt, your trusty glue gun, a ribbon, scissors, and a pencil will be enough. Since you'll find most of these supplies at home or the thrift store, this DIY won't burn a hole in your pockets, either. 

Better yet, you have the freedom to substitute the supplies — except the embroidery hoops — with things you already have if you want to keep this project economical. For instance, if you don't have doilies (or at least enough to make a few ghosts), decorate with lace curtains, tablecloths, pillowcases, or scrap fabric instead. Similarly, you can replace black felt with old buttons you have rattling around in your junk drawer. Or, draw large eyes on a piece of paper using a marker. A ribbon isn't necessary, either. Some fishing line or embroidery floss will work, too.

The craft itself is incredibly simple: You just take a doily, place it inside an embroidery hoop, and stretch it out before tightening the screws. Try pairing different kinds and lengths of doilies with different sizes of hoops for an eye-catching DIY. When your base is ready, thread a sturdy ribbon through a gap towards the top of your ghost and knot it in place so you can mount your decoration without issues.

Now, for the fun part: embellishing your "ghosts." Draw medium-sized ovals on the back of your felt, cut them out, and glue them in place to give them eyes. In case you aren't too sure about using hot glue on lace doilies, use fabric glue instead. Alternatively, get some sticky back felt tape (think Pllieay's Self Adhesive roll) like the one you use on your furniture's legs to protect your flooring. This is the bare minimum, though, and you'll have to up your game to turn your vintage doilies into the sweetest ghosts. A low-effort idea is to draw some lashes on the same felt and glue them above the eye to make your ghosts look coy. You can even attach cute little bows on top to up their adorable quotient.

Play around with colors, like assign pink bows to girly-looking ghosts (just ensure their lashes are dramatic) and black to sinister or gothic ones, to keep them unique to your home. And if you don't mind putting in a little extra effort, use antique brooches, mini crowns, and other vintage jewelry for a fancy finish. However, if you're itching to DIY at least one spooky ghost, bypass the cute decorations. Tear your lace doilies a little and mend these "holes" with old rags.