I ran across some Halloween decorations during my decluttering that were clearly from my childhood. I didn’t even realize I still had these vinyl window decals, but there they were in all their gently spooky glory. We don’t get trick-or-treaters here, but we have a spooky wine club that could use some decorations. Suddenly, I had an idea to repurpose my old vinyl decals to create eerie, glowing vases and candle holders as zero-cost Halloween decorations (my favorite kind!).
Step 1 Clean the Old Halloween Vinyl Window Decals
Whether you are using the decals for windows or repurposing them on candle holders, as I did, you know that as soon as there is dust, dirt, or lint on the decal, it won’t stick to glass properly (or at all). My vinyl Halloween decorations have been in storage for years, so they weren’t even sticking to each other, let alone glass. So, it was time for a cleaning.
The good news is that cleaning the vinyl decals is super easy. Just pop them into the warm, lightly soapy water and let them soak for a minute. When you take them out, dry them off with a towel or paper towel, and take care not to leave any lint or scraps behind.
Step 2 Find Your Extra Vases or Hurricane Candle Holders
We had several hurricane candle holders left from our wedding. They still have sand or pebbles at the bottom. You can either fill them with water for floating candles (which we did at the wedding) or place electric candles (or flame candles) into the sand. Our hurricane candle holders are 8 inches tall and relatively thick, making them the perfect canvas for these Halloween witches, ghosts, and bats. If you don’t have vases or candle holders that are large enough for the project, you can find hurricane candle holders like the ones we used on Amazon here. (Note: If you buy one of these candle holders, we may get a small commission from Amazon).
Step 3 Prep Your Surfaces
Dip a paper towel or regular towel into warm water and lightly clean the outside of your vase or hurricane candle holder. This ensures you have the best surface for your new Halloween decorations.
Step 4 Apply the Decal
Choose your favorite vinyl decal and wrap it around your candle holder or vase. Push out any air bubbles or wrinkles to get an even distribution – it will look better and hold onto the glass for longer.
Step 5 Light Your New Halloween Decorations
Switch on your battery-operated candles and place them into the base of your vase or hurricane candle holder. You should be able to see the glow through the decal. Technically, you can also use a regular, flame candle (the more stable, the better). Still, if there is a chance that your decorations might get bumped during the Halloween party or that the vinyl decals will get impacted by the heat of the candle, you’ll be safer using battery-operated pillar candles.
And voila! Unless you are doing a lot of decorating, this project to repurpose old window decals into new Halloween decorations should take less than five minutes. And because you are repurposing your existing stuff, this DIY project will cost you $0.
Free and fun Halloween decorations are hard to beat!
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