Halloween is right around the corner yet again, which means that homeowners and children alike have their sights set on decorations! But what if, instead of spending money on items that will collect dust in the basement or attic for 11 months of the year, you spent some time making your own decorations instead?
The idea can be a bit intimidating if you don’t consider yourself to be the artsy type, but it is actually easier than it seems. In fact, we’re willing to bet that you could make some great decorations using items that you already have sitting around the house. In this list, we are going to focus exclusively on crafts that can be made using a discarded toilet paper roll—an item that surely everyone will have around the home.
Here’s a sampling of the other kinds of materials that it helps to have around when you are making a Halloween craft:
- Tape (masking, scotch, duct, electrical, etc)
- A glue stick, white glue, and a hot glue gun
- Construction paper
- Scissors (including child safety scissors, if you are doing the craft with children)
- Glitter
- String
- Anything else that you think could make a great craft!
So without further ado, let’s take a look at the best Halloween crafts that can be made out of toilet paper!
Cheap and Easy Toilet Paper Halloween Crafts
Frankenstein
Dr. Frankenstein’s monster is one of the most popular Halloween villains, and fortunately, toilet paper rolls are the perfect shape to involve in a Frankenstein transformation. Just make sure that you have loads of green paint on hand! This tutorial uses a golf tee for Frankenstein’s screws, but you can make your own version however you’d like.
Mummies
Whether it’s because of captivating stories from ancient Egypt or scenes from classic movies, there is something about mummies that we just find fun and fascinating as a society. They make the perfect craft idea for Halloween. Here is how you can make a mummy from toilet paper rolls.
Candles
Every good Halloween party needs ambiance! And while lighting is definitely important, it’s not even just about how the light shines. It’s also about how the hardware that is holding the light looks. You aren’t going to want to just use any old candle holder because it will throw off the mood entirely. Luckily, you can make your own spooky candles out of toilet paper rolls by following the tutorial that is set out here. Heads up: because toilet paper rolls are made from paper and paper and flames don’t match, you’re going to want to only use battery-operated candles for this craft. It’s alright, they will still do the trick!
Creepy Crawler
The point of Halloween is to be spooked, and some people are really spooked by creepy crawlers like spiders and bugs. Okay, so these crafty creepy crawlers that are made from toilet paper rolls are more cute than scary, but that doesn’t mean that they are still not appropriately Halloween-themed! We especially love the touch of giving them three googly eyes.
Bat
Why is it that bats just seem to go hand and hand with Halloween? Maybe it’s because they’re nocturnal and live in caves, or maybe it’s because they were most likely the inspiration for vampires. Whatever the reason, a bat is a great subject for a Halloween craft. And, because of their body’s shape, they are also easy to make from a toilet paper roll. Get the lowdown here.
Spider
If you carry a fear of things with eight legs, now might be a good time to look away. The next toilet paper roll craft involves a spider! You will definitely want to use pipe cleaners for this one so you can mimic the furry texture of a real spider’s legs. Again, not a good choice for an arachnophobic but a wonderful choice for any kid going through a bug phase. Check it out over here.
Cat
Now for something a little bit cuter! If you (or your child or your student) is a cat person then you are definitely going to want to check out this toilet paper roll craft. It is so unique and cute how they folded the toilet paper rolls in to give the appearance of little cat ears. Then, you can use a pipe cleaner for the tail, and googly eyes for the eyes. Finish the look off with a metallic gold permanent marker.
Candy Corn
General views on candy corn tend to be mixed, with the majority of the population either loving it or hating it. No matter how you feel about candy corn as a snack, you will definitely want to follow these instructions for how to make a candy corn toilet papercraft. You can fold a toilet paper roll into the shape of candy corn and then paint it with those distinctive yellow, orange, and white colors.
Ghost
Boo! Scared you, didn’t we? Not as much as this toilet paper ghost will scare you. Okay, so maybe it isn’t the scariest thing in the world, but it’s still pretty scary as far as toilet paper crafts go. This is a very simple ghost that has been made using only white paint, googly eyes, and a black marker. You can snazz things up a bit by adding some white streamers.
Monsters
If you want to make a toilet paper roll into a (non-Frankenstein) style monster, then we have some great ideas for you, too. Kids love monsters, so make sure that you’re paying attention to this one. Don’t feel as if you need to follow this example completely. The best part about making a monster is that it can look like anything that you want it to! That means you can go ahead and add dots, string, stickers, googly eyes, glitter — anything that you happen to have around the house.
Goofy Ghouls
A ghoul is not quite a ghost, not quite a monster. It’s a special kind of folklore that only comes out around Halloween! We’re assuming that these particular ghouls are called “goofy ghouls” because of their funny expressions and colorful bodies. You can have a lot of fun with making these ghouls, which all feature a base of a toilet paper roll.
Witch
Witches are associated with Halloween the same way that Santa is associated with Christmas and eggs with Easter. You can make a very cute witch out of a toilet paper roll! This cute tutorial even gives the witch little curls in her hair.
Pumpkin
We can’t make a list of Halloween crafts without featuring a pumpkin! You can definitely make a toilet paper roll look like a pumpkin simply by painting it orange, but you won’t get that perfect pumpkin shape. This tutorial will show you how you can use construction paper and a toilet paper roll to look just like a pumpkin!
Pumpkin Stamp
Another pumpkin idea? Well, this one is a little different. This tutorial will show you not how to make a pumpkin out of a toilet paper roll but how to use a toilet paper roll to make a stamp that looks like a pumpkin. Something a bit different!
Scarecrow
A scarecrow is not just for protecting the crops — they’re also for celebrating Halloween fun. A scarecrow is a perfect shape for a toilet paper roll. Find out how to make one here.
Decorating for the next upcoming holiday can be a lot of fun, but it can also be stressful if it is a big commitment of time or money. If Halloween is your favorite time of the year, it can be tempting to go all out, but we urge you to resist the temptation! As you can see above, there are many magical decorations that can be made out of the most ordinary of materials. Which one are you going to create first?