Turn Any Porch Light Into A Spooky Halloween Display With An Easy DIY

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Older Halloween decorations have a cute, spooky look that can be replicated with the easiest DIY for your porch lights. If you long for the look of nostalgic 90s halloween decor, keep your eye out for those classic plastic jack-o-lantern candy pails to recreate the look you love. With just a plastic jack-o-lantern candy bucket and a pair of scissors, you'll be able to make a homemade cover for your porch light that reminds you of traditional Halloween decorations. While brand new Halloween decor can be expensive, this project is super budget-friendly. Traditional trick-or-treat buckets still have a nostalgic look but can still be found in stores for just a couple of dollars.

Classic orange jack-o-lantern trick-or-treat pails are under $2 each at Walmart, allowing you to cover all of your porch and exterior lights for an adorable, festive display. These porch light covers will glow with the color of the plastic. Alternatively, make your outdoor light covers from jack-o-lantern containers with other colors, like blue or pink, to give the decor a different aesthetic. For an even more cost-effective option, repurpose old Halloween buckets that are cluttering your storage area. 

This trick is also great if you have light posts in your yard. Consider adding miniature pumpkin buckets onto solar lights that line your pathways, too. Make more glowing jack-o-lanterns for your porch by saving old laundry detergent bottles to create more fun seasonal decorations, too. If you love to make DIY projects, there are plenty of ways to bring spooky seasonal lighting to your landscape.

This project is so simple, and it should only take a few minutes to customize your jack-o-lantern candy bucket. Cut the container so that it can fit around the existing porch light cover. The way that you cut the plastic will be determined by the shape and size of your porch light. With a narrower light, you may only need to cut a slit down the back of the bucket to wrap it around the light. Otherwise, cut out a section from the back, allowing you to open the jack-o-lantern a little wider to fit over larger lights. In some cases, you may also need to cut out the bottom of the bucket. Move the handle of the bucket over the porch light. This could help to keep the pail secure, and will make it look like the candy bucket is hanging from the light's mount. Alternatively, trim off the handle or tuck it inside the container.

@cherishlarsen

Jack O Lantern – Light Cover 🎃🎃 I typically don't post this late but I have not had time to get this up today! This week has been a little bit crazy, and it all started with me locking my keys in the jeep at the grocery store with Cole on Monday 🤣🙈 Anyway this is a "cheap" and easy way to add a fun Halloween touch outdoor or indoor! All you need is a box cutter and a pumpkin pail. Im not sure why these pumpkin pails are so hard to find, and impossible to find online unless you want to pay a ton of money.... But check Walmart (this is where I got these), Walgreens, and maybe Target... I will link my outfit and what I can in LTK!!! P.S. for this tutorial you just cut out the bottom of the pail and a strip right down the middle of the back. Cute & easy!!!! LTK link in bio! #halloween #halloweendiy #halloweendecor #falldiydecor #spookyseason

♬ original sound – Cherish Larsen

If you're using a plastic jack-o-lantern decoration instead of a trick-or-treat pail, cut off the top and the bottom, and slice down the back. Pull the plastic open and place it over your exterior light. It should take just a second to install each DIY Halloween light cover, giving you a quick, easy, and cheap way to decorate for the season. For another spooky DIY that will light up your home on Halloween, Dollar Tree skeleton hands and battery-operated candles make terrifyingly festive wall sconces to add glowing decor inside, too.