Halloween is almost upon us and even though there won’t be any trick or treaters making their way up your exposed aggregate driveway, it doesn’t mean you still can’t dress your yard up for the spooky season. If you haven’t had time to prepare your yard for Halloween, yet, don’t worry, because we’re going to be giving you five easy last-minute DIY’s you can do for front yard and driveway decorations.
1. Jack o’ lantern
Let’s start with a basic Halloween staple – the jack o’ lantern. Carving it out can take quite a lot of time and patience – one mistake might render it unusable. So, don’t hollow it out. All you have to do is carve a face into it (or whichever design you may choose) and it’ll still look just as good. You can even colour the cut out areas in sharpie to complete the look further. Alternatively, you can also just take a black sharpie to them and draw the faces/designs that way. If you do have a bit of time, though, another option could be to purchase a foam jack o’ lantern and put in the time to shape it now so then you can have it for the following years as well since it won’t rot.
2. Sheet ghosts
Thinking of riddling your yard and exposed aggregate driveway with hauntingly ghost-ish ghouls? It’s a lot easier than you may think. Grab some old sheets and shape the bottoms so they’re pointy/wavy and then cut out some eyeholes at the top for the face. All that’s left now is to prop up some sticks to act as supports (as well as actual sticks you can also use broom/rake handles etc.) and secure the sheets to them with rubber bands. Shape them out how you’d like to and let the bottom of them flow freely. With any luck, there’ll be a bit of wind to pick up the bottoms and make it seem like they’re flying. This haunting flying effect will be especially heightened when the sun goes down and the supports won’t be as visible.
3. Gravestones
Possibly the easiest decoration you can create to give your front yard a haunting aesthetic is to make some gravestones. Purchase thick cardboard or foam and decide whether you want to leave them squared off at the top or shape them into a semi-circle if you have the time. Create names to put on them, put popular fictional characters or simply just write RIP – it’s entirely up to you. If the foam/cardboard isn’t grey, to begin with, then use spray paint to quickly prepare it (remember, the thinner the coat, the quicker it will dry). Glue some wooden pickets or skewers to the back to easily get them into the ground so they won’t fall over.
4. Blood candles
An even quicker option than the gravestone DIY – blood candles will look spooky and ominous if done correctly. Purchase some candles of varying sizes – preferably white ones – and some red food dye. Gently apply the food dye around the top of the candle and then put a flame to it to start melting the wax faster than it usually would. The wax will melt red and make it look like blood is melting against the white candle. Melt the bottoms as well onto plates. The wax will make them stick to the plates so you can place them around your front porch.
5. Fairy light bottles
If you have any old wine bottles or even plastic soft drink bottles, then you could be sitting on some rustic outdoor lighting solutions. If you have outdoor fairy lights already, great, if not, you should be able to purchase them relatively inexpensively from stores such as bunnings. Try to look for lights that have a lot of red, green or orange in them for a spookier vibe. All you have to do is trail them along your fence or pergola/trellis structure if you happen to have one in your yard or over your exposed aggregate driveway. Remove the labels from the bottles and insert some of the lights into each bottle periodically. Try to choose smaller lights so they can fit into the bottles. Then, tie some string to them and the fence/structure to suspend them.
Are you looking for an exposed aggregate driveway in Melbourne?
With years of experience and a solid track record for premium service behind us, A Better Driveway are the experts you’ll want laying out your new exposed aggregate driveway. Choose from thousands of possible exposed aggregate options and enjoy the practical benefits in no time.
If you’d like to know more about our service, then please give us a call on 0412 537 776 or fill out the contact form on our website.