DIY Wooden Block Halloween Decorations (Made from Inexpensive Landscape Timbers!)
Did you know Halloween spending measures in the billions? Billions! I started making these wooden block Halloween decorations in August, and they were in my booth by September 1.
Each set of five characters went for $39.95, and the pumpkins (no faces) came in trios for $19.95. My shop owner asked me to price them individually too, and that’s when I lost count of exactly how many sold. A good problem to have.
All of these started as plain ol’ landscape timbers. I added just a bit of paint and used a custom stencil I designed and had created by another Etsy seller.
I still have a few stencils left if you’re interested.
Ghostly Trio 👻
The first video in the series was the Ghostly Trio. I thought this one would fly off the shelves. I even made a full kit with little re-poured jars of Debi’s Design Diary’s DIY Paint in Black Velvet, Vintage Linen, and Crystal Clear Chandelier Liquid Patina, plus the faces stencil and pre-cut blocks.
Want to guess how many kits I sold? Exactly zero. Not one. Apparently the ghosts were too shy for the internet.
For something that started as a few scraps of landscape timber, these little ghosts cleaned up surprisingly well. They’ve got just the right amount of charm and imperfection, like they’d float in and say, “Boo,” but politely. A couple coats of paint, a quick patina, and you’ve got instant Halloween personality.
Here’s the YouTube video I created for this project.
Pumpkins & Jack-o-Lanterns 🎃
These pumpkins are the fanciest of the bunch—orange blocks, black faces, and ribbon stems (courtesy of my dangerously large Costco ribbon collection).
I used DIY Paint in Summer Crush, Black Velvet, and Crystal Clear Chandelier to seal them up. The pumpkins without faces sold right alongside the jack-o-lanterns. Without the faces, the decor can can hang out as your table’s centerpiece for an extra month. This appeals to the part of me that has trouble completing projects.
Frankenstein
These guys turned out so cute. It’s interesting to me how just the tiniest of details can make clear who this character is supposed to be. The zig zag hair line is all it took. Looking back, I should have added little bolts to each side of his face.
After painting most of the block in green and letting it dry, I added the hair and face with Black Velvet and Vintage Linen, then sealed them all with Crystal Clear Chandelier. You don’t have to seal them, but if you pack yours away for next year, it helps keep the paint from rubbing off on his friends.
Black Cat & Mummy
These two shared prep with the other characters, so I paired them in one video. The cats are done in Black Velvet, the mummies in Vintage Linen, and both are sealed with Crystal Clear Chandelier. The whiskers didn’t last long by just gluing them on. If I were to do it again, I’d tack them down with a nail.
What I Learned for Next Year
Halloween buyers start hunting in late summer, and by September 1, spooky season is in full swing. I’d probably get them on the shelves by the end of July. The pumpkins sold best, followed by Frankensteins. The Ghostly Trio Craft Kits? Not a single one. Sometimes the experiments flop, so we learn and move on.
Next year I’ll probably price the characters individually sooner and see how that goes. The nice thing about landscape timbers is you can buy a few pieces, cut them down, and turn them into whatever characters you are feeling or whichever your booth inventory requires.
When you’re ready to make your own spooky set tag me on social media. I’d love to see it!
