Is Halloween a big thing for you? I’ve always wanted to go all out and add that major scare factor to our home. Like giant spider webs, eerie lights, and jiggling skeletons hanging from the trees. But here in South Africa, it’s not really the done thing. Plus, we stay close to a primary school, and I would feel really bad if our spooky Halloween decor gave the little ones nightmares. I can just picture a whole bunch of angry Moms and Dads breaking down our door to tell us that we scared the crap snot out of their kids. So when we decorate for Halloween, we usually do it on a small scale and try to go for “cute scary” rather than something straight out of a horror movie. And I think this loving skeleton couple sure fits that not-so-spooky Halloween decor theme..
Aren’t they just adorable? Not so sure about the ghost in the mirror, though. He’s a little bit creepy.
Ahh, well, they say true love never dies, and it sure looks like the skeleton couple will hold on tight no matter what’s looking over their shoulder.
What You Need to Make “Not So Scary Halloween Decor”
Besides two small skeletons and something to stage the scene in, you don’t need any fancy stuff to create this little Halloween tableau. We used an old clock for ours. I have this thing for large old clocks and love using them to create fairy gardens, but a box frame or deep canvas will work too. And don’t worry about messing up the old clock. Once Halloween is over, you can banish that ghost in the mirror right back where it belongs with a scraper and a cloth. But more about that later.
You’ll also need some floral foam (oasis), moss, a craft knife, a black and white printout of a skull, a glue gun, mirror effect spray paint, black spray paint, and mod podge.
How to Make The “Not So Scary Halloween Decor”
Remove the backing and glass from the clock or frame and put it aside for later. Take a piece of floral foam and squash it onto the frame.
Floral foam is super soft, so it leaves an indent that you can use as a template to cut a piece to fit inside. Glue the foam down and trim away any excess.
Grab a handfulof moss and spray them it black. Once it’s dry, glue it all over the floral foam.
Glue the two small skeletons together in a loving embrace. We had to cut the legs off of ours so they would fit nicely inside the clock, but feel free to play around with yours. Experiment with different poses until you’re happy before glueing them together.
Glue the little skeletons onto the moss and floral foam before moving on to create that creepy guy in the mirror.
Adding a Ghost In The Mirror
There are quite a few ways to create a ghost in a mirror, from trick photography to Adobe After Effects. But I don’t have Adobe, and my photography skills need some work, so I just downloaded a creepy skull image from the internet and printed it out. It doesn’t matter whether you use an inkjet or a laser printer; they’ll both work. Give the glass a good wipe to remove any smudges and dust, and cut the image so it’s smaller than the piece of glass.
Apply a thin layer of mod podge onto the glass and the image. Don’t cover the whole image with mod podge; it creates a more dramatic effect.
Place the image face down onto the glass and remove any air bubbles with an old credit card or brayer.
You need to work quite quickly so the mod podge doesn’t dry. While it’s still wet, carefully peel back the image.
You can see in the pics above how the areas where I didn’t apply any mod podge won’t transfer, giving the print a jagged look. You can use your finger to rub away more of the print if you like; just make sure you don’t rub off the skull. Once you are happy with the transfer, let the mod podge dry before finishing it off.
Finishing Off the Ghost in The Mirror
I wanted the ghost to appear in an antiquified mirror. Is that even a word? It’s really easy to do. Just give the glass a light mist of water and vinegar before spraying it with mirror-effect spray paint.
The water/vinegar mix repels the paint and leaves these interesting, random patterns. Wait for the water/vinegar mix to dry (about 5 minutes) before applying two coats of black spray paint. Once the paint dries, carefully slide the glass into the back of the clock or box frame and secure it with hot glue. That’s it. Your not-so-spooky Halloween decor is ready for Spooktober.
Just for fun, we gave the one little skeleton a small top hat made from craft foam. I think it suits him. He looks like a true gentleman who will protect the love of his life from anything, even that creepy ghost in the mirror.
What do you think? Is the “not so spooky” loving skeleton tableau something you would add to your Halloween decor? Or do you prefer to go all out?
If you like the idea, don’t forget to pin it for later.
Will you be upping the scare factor for Halloween? I’d love to hear what you have planned, so stop for a spell and leave a comment. And if you’re looking for more quick and creepy Halloween crafts, then you’ll love these ideas:
- Realistic of eyeballs with free printables,
- Matilda the spider and her wire web,
- 5-minute vampire wings,
- Super easy skull and crossbones place card holders,
- A magical floating tin can filled with ghost breath,
- Working skeleton hands ice tongs for adding an extra creep factor at dinner parties
- Fairy graveyard with spooky gravestones,
- Miniature witch legs in a cauldron,
- A slightly creepy sprouting seed skull,
- Adorable ghost on a swing (one of my favorites),
- The cutest gothic witch made from a plastic bottle,
- Weird and wonderful skull and floating bottle of potion.
Oh, before I forget, if you don’t want to go to the trouble of finding some of the materials we used, we’ve got you covered. Disclosure: Clicking on the links below means we may receive a commission from Amazon. But don’t worry it won’t come out of your pocket, and it helps us come up with more unique DIY and craft ideas to share with you ;-)
Or if you prefer to buy instead of DIY.
And as always, wishing you a wonderful, crafty week filled with lots of love. Thank you for popping in for a visit.
Last update on 2026-04-15 / Source Amazon Affiliates
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