Spook up your dorm room

By: Mitali Chaudhary

As Halloween approaches, your room might be feeling a little left out from the DIY costume-making, candy-gorging festivities. Here are a few cheap and fun ways to boost it up from a weepy “boo” to a BOO!

1. Cheesecloth Cobwebs

A step above the usual dollar store cottony mess, cheesecloth webs are much more substantial and can be reused for several years. They can be hung in doorways, windows, or simply against bare walls, and give a creepy feel when they’re cut up, ripped, and frayed to perfection.

2. Spooky Garlands

Although they take some scissor work, garlands are versatile and can instantly liven up a room. Virtually any shape (for example skulls, pumpkins, or black cats) can be printed off, traced onto coloured paper, then cut and hung on a piece of yarn. A simple paper garland can be made even more interesting by adding beads, felt cut-outs, or pressed leaves.

3. Provocative Pumpkins

Plain old pumpkins, though they essentially represent Halloween, are so last year. To make them more fun (and to bring out their colour even more) bats and ghosts can be stencilled on using spray paint, or they can even be completely covered with glitter. The possibilities with this plain orange canvas are endless.

4. Textiled Ghouls

These cute little guys decorate windowsills especially well. All that’s needed is a handy square of cheesecloth draped over a styrofoam ball. A bent paperclip can be used to hang them up. Wide eyes drawn by a Sharpie complete the look, and beg for more cheesecloth ghost friends to hang around with.

5. Window Watchers

Similar to the garlands, shapes can be printed off, traced onto and cut from coloured paper, then stuck on windows. In the daytime, you’ll be able to see bats fluttering across the glass and at night, when they’re backlit, others outside can appreciate your Halloween cheer too.