The Best DIY Ghost Garland for Halloween

Making the Ghosts

If you want an easy DIY ghost garland tutorial for your house – you’re in the right spot.

I made an adorable ghost garland for our dining room because I wanted a little something extra for the coffee bar area.

My 4 kids have been telling me for a while that we don’t have enough Halloween decorations so I’m slowly trying to up my Halloween game while not breaking the banks.

The supplies for my ghost garland were super cheap- I got most of it from the Dollar Tree where I’ve been making some cute DIY decor for this season.

I put it together in no time.

It’s now a focal point of the room and it makes me happy.

So let’s jump into how I did it.

Making a ghost garland is a great activity for Halloween time

Halloween decorating with my ghost garland

First thing is to gather all the items you need to put your ghost garland together.

Supplies

Dollar Tree Halloween eyeballs for the ghost heads are what I used (they’re ping-pong balls). I chose this because I already had the eyeballs from another project – a Yoda Diaper Cake I made for a pregnant family member. Also, it’s perfect for reflecting the fairy lights.
- Other options include a foam ball, white yarn, or paper to make the ghosts, or get creative and use balled-up newspaper or fluffy pom balls.
Roll of burlap ribbon – to cover the ghost bodies. If you can find white- great! I already had brown so I spray-painted the ribbon off-white. I’ve seen people use cheesecloth (and even toilet paper as well). I worry about how to store the toilet paper ones without crushing it. Also, I had the ribbon on hand already.
White Spray paint – if you can’t get white burlap
Black marker or black paint- for the ghost face
White fairy lights
Small screwdriver or something to poke a tiny hole
String or ribbon
(optional) beads from Hobby Lobby to decorate the strands of the fairy lights.

cutting my black beads from their original strand

cover the ball with ribbon and secure with loops of yarn or ribbon

putting the bead on the string in between ghosts

Putting the Ghost Garland Together

Cut your painted burlap ribbon into numerous 10-inch-long sections
Poke a small hole in each side of the burlap-wrapped eyeball with a tiny screwdriver
Pull the end of the fairy light through both holes in the burlap-wrapped eyeball.
Wrap your white burlap ribbon around the Dollar Tree eyeball to make your ghost head
(optional) Add beads between the first ghost and the next.
Repeat to make multiple ghosts for your garland until it’s complete.
My light strand was longer than I wanted so I put 3 lights per ghost in the ball (I just scrunched them in together). I then hot glued each hole in the ball to made them stay put on the strand.
By the way, I got my beads from a black garland strand in the Christmas section of Hobby Lobby. I wanted the black beads to have a hint of turquoise so I rolled them in paint.

ghost garlands - cute hanging on a mantel

Fun Ghost Garland Add-ons

Add some googly spooky eyes or a mouth to your ghosts.
Sparkle beads would be a fun touch as well to add to the string in between the ghosts
You can also add some fall leaves or paper medallions for a festive touch.

Showing Off Your Ghost Garland

Hang your garland in a doorway, on a mantel, or on a porch.
Mine is now hanging in the coffee bar in our dining room. I switched out our family portrait for a framed picture of last year’s Addams Family Costume. I also switched out the kid’s portraits for some DIY raven wreaths that I also made and love!
You can also hang on a dresser or it would be cute in a foyer entry table.
You could also incorporate this into your Trunk -or-treat theme especially if you’re doing Addams Family or something like that. The fairy lights are battery powered so you don’t have to worry about where to plug them in!
It would also be cute to put inside a Boo Basket that you gift a neighbor or friend.

Tips and Ideas for your Ghost Garland

As a busy mom, you can make this garland of little ghosts while watching TV or listening to a podcast.
My kids always want to “help” me with my projects and it’s not always that helpful but this project is such a breeze it could be a great idea to keep a child or even a toddler busy for a while.
Customize with different materials and embellishments.
This takes less than 20 minutes to make.

Other DIY Ghost Garland Ideas

DIY book page ghost garland using old book pages or white paper. I’ve got an old hymnal from my hometown church in South Carolina that I’ve used the pages for various craft projects. It would be cute to use sheet music of various Halloween songs like “Thriller” or “The Addams Family theme song” to make your ghosts.
Yarn tassel ghost garland using white yarn and a small piece of cardboard.
Tissue paper fringed paper ghost garland.
You could add it to wrap it around a DIY Dollar Tree Pumpkin Wreath for added flair and to light it up.

I adore Halloween decor that's not too spooky

Finishing Touches for Your Fun Garland

Add some final touches to your garland, spiders, or bats.
I didn’t use hot glue at all for my project but you definitely could use it to add sparkles or fake jewels or anything you want.
Have fun and be creative with your garland.
This is a great way to add some Halloween to your home decor.

Ghost Garland Conclusion

Incorporating a ghost garland into your Halloween decor is a fun and simple way to add a festive touch to your space!

With just a few materials and some creativity, you can seriously up your Halloween game.

So gather your supplies, get crafty, and get your ghostly creation going! I’m excited to see the variations you come up with!

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Erica Fox

Hi I’m Erica! TV news anchor and mom to 4 littles. I’m obsessed with creating those “wow” moments in life through crafting at home, cool travel adventures and special celebrations with loved ones. Thanks for joining me on this adventure!