Four cheap and easy spook-tacular Halloween craft ideas

BROOKFIELD, Wis — Fall is in the air, and that means Halloween is right around the corner.

• What's New This Year During 'Doors Open Milwaukee'

Decorating can be one of the best parts of the season. If you aren't a fan of decorating, well these four easy crafts you can make with your kids might just change your mind.

TODAY'S TMJ4 teamed up with the mom blog website, Milwaukee With Kids, and went shopping at Marasco's King Craft store in Brookfield to put together this list of these spooky crafts.

Creepy Mason Jars: ~$4.00/jar

Materials: mason jar, doll head, doll arms, food coloring

This is the best way to make any room look like a creepy mad scientist's laboratory. The amount/size of arms, legs and heads is up to you. Here are the steps:

1. Pour water in a mason jar
2. Add your choice of food coloring
3. Place appendages in the jar

Note: Marasco's does not have food coloring or mason jars. However, it has a plethora of options for arms, legs and heads since it doubles as a doll shop.

Homemade Graveyard: ~$5/tombstone

Materials: scissors, Styrofoam/cardboard/wood, paint/sharpie, wood plank, glue/tape

Turn your front or backyard into a haunted graveyard. The best part about this is that you and your kids can write whatever they wish on the tombstone. It can be funny or creepy. Plus, you can make it as big or small as you like. Here are the steps:

1. Cut styrofoam/cardboard/wood into any shape you like
2. Depending on your surface, take some gray paint or a gray sharpie and write on the tombstone
3. Place a wood plank (it can be a solid stick if you can find one) on the back of the tombstone with glu, tape or whatever you have in the house
4. Stick it in the ground

If you are reusing old cardboard, just be wary of the rain.

Scary Trees: ~$5/tree

Materials: googly eyes, Styrofoam/cardboard, glue/tape, scissors

Make your back or front yard to come to life with this easy-to-make animated tree decoration. One of the best parts about this decoration is that it uses many of the same materials as the tombstones.

1. Glue or tape large googly eyes to a tree - bonus points if you use circular Styrofoam as a base and then put the googly eyes on top of them
2. Cut the Styrofoam/cardboard into a sinister smile and place it on the tree. Repeat.

Like the tombstone, be wary if you are using cardboard because rain could ruin it. Also, if you want to get really creative, find a couple of sticks that you could use to pretend to be arms of the tree.

Spooky Silhouettes: ~$1/sticker

Materials: tape, black paper, printer, printer ink

This is the easiest of all the decorations. Literally print, cut, and repeat

1. Print out a silhouette of your favorite Halloween image
2. Cut it
3. Tape it to your window for all your neighbors to see

Marasco's does not sell printers or ink.

Happy Halloween and happy fall!