Vintage-Inspired Halloween Décor Made from Thrifted Finds

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Square feature photo of a vintage Halloween vignette with a crow on a vintage typewriter and candleabra with fake wax blood dripping down in the foreground on a black desk. There is a handwritten letter to the side with vintage scissors and a jar with an old quill black feather pen. The tone is spooky and eerie and the photo is sepia.

Looking to decorate for Halloween with a vintage twist? A collection of seven vintage-inspired Halloween decor ideas made from thrift store finds.

1. Oddities Shelf

Pick up a small shelf at a thrift store to upcycle into a Halloween curiosities and oddities shelf. Fill the compartments with a mix of found items, miniatures, and small glass bottles.

Feature photo of an old wood shelf with twelve compartments filled with mini bottles, plastic bones and skulls. On the top of the small shelf is a crow figurine. The tone of the photo is moody and eerie.

2. Spooky Figurines

Most thrift stores have shelves of knick-knacks and figurines. For this DIY, you’ll want to find figurines like these with eyes that seem to peer through to your soul.

Before photo of thrift store figures. One is a vintage little boy with a cap and a basket of apples. The other is a bust of girl with flowing hair on a wood base. Both will be painted to turn into Halloween decorations for Vintage Halloween setting.
Before

To transform the figurines, I used Mod Podge to adhere pieces of crumpled tissue paper to them for a textured look.

Closeup photo of green tissue paper being decoupaged to a thrift store figurine of a woman using matte Mod Podge.
Decoupaging

Then I painted them a dark gray by mixing black, brown, and white acrylic paint. Once they were dry, I used a small paintbrush to paint the eyes red.

Photo of two DIY creepy figurines painted a dark gray with dabs of white acrylic paint for hightlight. The eye are an eerie bright red. There is a bust of a woman in the front on a pedestal base and a boy with a cap in the background.
Spooky Figurines – After

3. Candelabras and Candle Holders

Add the spooky to your Halloween decor by spray painting old candlestick holders or candelabras!

Before photo of two vintage candle holders from the thrift store, one is a metal ceramic with crystals hanging at the top and the other is a mid century modern two taper holder glass candle stick holder.
Before

Side Note: To get the fake dripping blood effect I used a red crayon and let the wax drip down the sides of the candles.

Feature photo focused on an eerie Halloween scene with a vintage 1920s typewriter, an old wood box, scissors, a quill pen and ink bottle. At the center is a black glass candleabra that holds two candlesticks dripping with red wax.
Candelabras and Candle Holder – After

4. Potion Bottles

Turn glass bottles into Halloween potion bottles with a mercury glass finish. Find the full potion bottles tutorials and printable labels here.

Before
Photo of a tray of DIY mercury glass potion bottles. All with corks on the top and aged brown labels that say Snake Venom, Witch's Brew, Raven Feathers and other labels. There is a mercury glass skull in front and the metallic tray is round with cut outs on the sides and an aged patina. The tray is on a black table with black creepy cloth to the right side in front and the backdrop is a gray wall with a black cutout sign that says 'Happy Halloween'. Round decorative sign with spiders and a bat at the top.
Potion Bottle – After

5. Pedestal Skulls & Old Picture Frames

Turn thrifted lamp bases, candle holders, and old picture frames into vintage Halloween décor using spray paint and simple plastic skulls.

Before photo of two small vintage lamp bases about a foot tall and two dollar store plastic sculls to make pedestal sculls to make vintage Halloween decorations.
Before
Feature photo of old black ornate frames, no glass but with a spider web, beside two pedestal skulls on old vintage lamp bases. One skull is on a brown base and the other is on a bronze spray painted lamp base. Both skulls are plastic but were spray painted lightly with metallic bronze spray paint.
Pedestal Skull and Frames – After

6. Cloches and Pedestal Glass Jars

Fill vintage cloches or clear pedestal jars with natural elements and small skulls for an easy Halloween display—or DIY one using 2-part Epoxy to glue a Dollar Tree clear glass vase and candlestick holder together as shown below.

Before photo of a tall cylinder glass jar with a glass base and a tall cylinder clear glass vase and clear glass candle holder from Dollar Tree to make a pedestal jar for a vintage Halloween display.
Before
Photo of two tall glass jars open at the top. Both are on glass pedestal bases. One was a Dollar Tree DIY with a glass vase and glass candle holder. Both are filled with brown floral moss and miniature plastic skulls and bones on a brown desk. Behind them is a small oddities shelf with different bones on it and potion bottles.
Cloches and Pedestal Glass Jars – After

7. Glass Jar Jack-O-Lantern

Transform a round glass jar into a jack-o’-lantern by spray painting it with mirror effect spray paint and using black acrylic enamel paint (made for glass) to paint a face.

Before photo of a clear glass bowl. It is round with a lid to the side. This jar will be transformed into a mercury glass jack-o-lantern to add to a vintage Halloween decor display.
Before
Jack o lantern made from an thrift store round clear glass cookie jar with a lid. The jar was spray painted to look like mercury glass in silver and a smiling Jack-O-Lantern face painted on the front with black enamel paint. The glass jar has a tea light inside and is sitting on a black table in my antique booth to greet customers.
Glass Jar Jack-O-Lantern – After
Vertical photo of a vintage Halloween vignette with a crow on a vintage typewriter and candleabra in the foreground on a black desk. The tone is spooky and eerie and the photo is sepia. Please pin this image to your Pinterest craft boards to come back the this Vintage Halloween DIY Decor ideas using thrift store finds!
Star divider used has two hand drawn lines with a star in the center, used as a content break and signals new or different content below. This doodle style illustration is in a medium charcoal gray.

RELATED IDEAS

Closing an old album found at an antique store in Pennsylvania USA. It contains travel photos and postcards collected abroad. The cover is brown and it holds six postcards/photos per inside plastic sleeve pages.
Memories Kept In A Vintage Album
Ye Olde Broom Shoppe - this is a closeup of a handmade wooden sign for Halloween. The type is old English style with curved wood top and bottom pieces to add to the look!
DIY Wood Sign Ideas
Carved stone scarab paperweight on random cards from an old card catalog.
Vintage Curiosities

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