10 Easy Halloween Crafts For Family Fun In Michigan Cottages
Fall in Michigan brings crisp air, colorful leaves, and the perfect backdrop for Halloween fun at your cozy cottage. Creating spooky crafts together is a wonderful way to bond while decorating your lakeside retreat for the season.
These simple projects use materials you can find right outside your cottage door, making them perfect for a rainy autumn day when the waves are crashing against the shore.
1. Pumpkin Painting With Natural Elements
Forget ordinary pumpkin painting! Gather pinecones, acorns, and colorful leaves from around your Michigan cottage for a truly unique decoration. Kids love pressing these natural items into wet paint to create amazing textures.
The woods surrounding Michigan cottages offer endless inspiration. Try pressing maple leaves onto orange pumpkins for a stunning silhouette effect, or use pinecones to create scale-like patterns that resemble mythical creatures.
When finished, display your nature-inspired pumpkins on the cottage porch where they’ll last longer than carved versions. Perfect for enjoying throughout your entire autumn stay!
2. DIY Spider Web Wall Hangings
Transform your cottage walls with spooky spider webs made from simple white yarn! This craft captivates children while teaching basic weaving concepts. All you need is yarn, scissors, and some small sticks collected from the beach.
Arrange 6-8 sticks in a star pattern and secure the center with yarn. Weave the yarn around each stick, moving outward to create that classic web pattern. Add plastic spiders from the dollar store for extra spook factor!
Hang these webs in windows or on walls throughout your cottage. When the autumn sunlight filters through them, they cast the most delightfully eerie shadows across your Michigan retreat.
3. Mason Jar Lanterns With Ghost Faces
Those extra mason jars in your cottage kitchen? They’re about to become the cutest ghost lanterns ever! This craft brings immediate smiles with minimal supplies, perfect after a day of Michigan apple picking.
Simply paint the jars white, add black eyes and mouths, then pop in battery-operated tea lights. The warm glow creates the perfect ambiance for telling not-too-scary ghost stories about the lakes.
Line these ghostly guides along your cottage walkway or arrange them on the dinner table during your Halloween feast. Kids particularly love naming their ghost creations and giving them personalities based on the expression you paint!
4. Leafy Witch Broomsticks
Michigan’s autumn bounty provides everything needed for these adorable miniature witch brooms! I stumbled upon this idea while raking leaves at our cottage, and now it’s our family tradition.
Collect fallen sticks about 8-10 inches long for the handles. Gather colorful fallen leaves and arrange them around one end of each stick, securing with twine or rubber bands. The varying leaf colors create brooms that look like they’re straight from a fairy tale!
Hang these charming brooms from doorknobs or prop them in corners. They bring a subtle Halloween touch without being too scary for the little ones enjoying cottage life.
5. Bat Silhouettes Made From Black Cardstock
When evening thunderstorms roll across the lake, this indoor craft saves the day! Cut simple bat shapes from black cardstock, no artistic skills required. Even young children can manage this with supervision.
Fold the paper in half before cutting so the wings match perfectly. Once cut, gently bend the wings outward to create dimension. The contrast of black bats against the cottage’s white walls creates dramatic Halloween flair!
If you’re feeling adventurous, try different sizes or add googly eyes for a whimsical touch. We love arranging ours to look like they’re flying up the staircase or swooping across the ceiling of our Michigan getaway.
6. Pinecone Monsters
Michigan forests generously provide the perfect base material for this craft, pinecones! After collecting them during a morning walk, set up a monster-making station on your cottage porch.
Armed with googly eyes, pipe cleaners, and non-toxic paint, everyone can create their own pinecone creature. Green monsters, purple aliens, or fuzzy orange beasts, the possibilities match your imagination!
What makes this craft special is how each monster takes on its own personality. We line ours along the cottage windowsills where they guard against imaginary Halloween ghouls while we roast marshmallows in the fireplace.
7. Handprint Skeletons On Black Paper
Did you know those tiny hands can create the most adorable skeletons? This mess-free craft requires just black construction paper, white paint, and eager participants of all ages.
Press painted hands onto the paper to form the ribcage, then add fingerprint bones for arms and legs. A painted palm creates the skull! The contrast between the white handprints and black background creates striking decorations.
Hang these personalized skeletons throughout your Michigan cottage to showcase everyone’s contribution. Years later, these handprint skeletons become cherished keepsakes, reminding you of Halloween weekends spent together as the family grew and changed.
8. Acorn Fairy Lights
Transform tiny acorns into enchanting fairy lights, perfect for a Michigan cottage’s autumn ambiance. Begin by gathering acorns on a nature walk. Once home, hollow them out carefully, inserting small LED lights inside.
The warm glow these lights emit complements the fall foliage, creating a magical evening atmosphere. String them along stair rails or across mantels for an inviting touch.
This craft not only brightens your space but also serves as a delightful reminder of the beautiful outdoors. Children and adults alike will find joy in creating these radiant decorations.
9. Apple Candle Holders
Create charming apple candle holders, a perfect blend of rustic and elegant decor. Start by picking fresh apples, ensuring they sit flat. Core the tops to fit small tea lights snugly.
When lit, these candles cast a soft, inviting glow, ideal for cozy evenings in a Michigan cottage. Arrange them as a centerpiece, surrounded by colorful leaves for added charm.
This craft is as delightful as it is simple, allowing families to enjoy time together while crafting unique holiday decorations. It’s a tasteful nod to the harvest season.
10. Twig Picture Frames
Capture memories with twig picture frames, a rustic craft that brings the Michigan woods indoors. Gather twigs of varying sizes during a family hike. Use them to construct a frame, binding the corners with twine or hot glue.
These frames provide a natural way to showcase favorite family moments, especially those captured during a cozy cottage getaway. Perfect for photos or autumn-themed artwork.
Each frame is unique, reflecting the beauty of nature and the personality of its creator. This craft is both a creative outlet and a sentimental keepsake.
