Spooky Halloween Window Decor

This spooky halloween window decor is SO simple to make, it can be super modern, playful and fun and you don’t need to store a thing from year to year!

Last year around this time, my kids told me they were disappointed we didn’t have more halloween decorations. Now, don’t get me wrong… we did have some decorations. You can see all our DIY halloween decorations here. But they’re modern and dare I say tasteful? So it was time to do something a bit more kiddish. These ghosts definitely did the trick. So as much as I hadn’t planned on blogging them, they’ve been requested again this year and I thought I would share because they are SO easy, super fun to make and they’re a big impact.

All we’re doing here is painting on the windows. Which, I know! It’s not groundbreaking, but you know what it is? Super fun. And you can get the kids involved AND did I mention it’s not bright orange and glittery? I KNOW. Bonus. Let’s talk about my favourite way to do it plus some alternatives and tips!

Painting on windows is a classic holiday decorating idea. Stores do it, and plenty of homes do too. You can keep it super simple and mix some acrylic craft paint with a little water and get painting with a paint brush or if you’d like to keep the mess to a minimum, you can do what I did and just use a paint marker. I love this because I could let my kids help without worrying about paint spilling. You can see my youngest did the ghost on the bottom right here.

The downside to a paint marker is that you see all the little paint marker lines. If you do a huge design, you’ll probably kill a paint pen. But a $5 paint pen that you don’t need to find a bin for and space on your storage room shelf? I mean… I’ll take that over a fake pumpkin any day.

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You can use any paint marker out there, but my very favourites are these Posca ones. They are WAY less streaky compared to the others.

This year I might use the acrylic paint method just to see the difference.

I did ghosts on the back patio doors and I did a giant BOO to you on the front window. I like to paint on the inside of the windows so you don’t need to worry about weather. This just means that you need to letter backwards if you are doing words and want them to be readable from outside.

You can draft the script from the outside of the window if you want guidelines to work with. You can also draw or print your design on paper and tape it to the outside of the window and just trace. This is helpful with lettering backwards- you won’t have to second guess which letter comes next! I did this on my office door here. Nothing like a little Lizzo for the office ;)

Removing the paint off the windows is easy with a paint scraper. These things are so handy. It comes right off perfectly clean.

If you’re not comfortable painting your windows- I totally understand. You can also get window writers like these ones and they just wash off with water.

I actually love to write on my windows and mirrors all the time. I write little reminders and encouragements and affirmations depending on the season I’m in. This one I lettered on my window last summer after our house flooded in the middle of the big C lockdown. But maybe window affirmations should be another blog post ;)

Well… what do you think?! I’d love to see if you try out these halloween window decor ideas in your own home!