Transform a $3 thrift store plastic dollhouse into a spooky DIY Haunted House for Halloween with dollar store supplies and spray paint!
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DIY Haunted House From A Dollhouse
If you follow me on Facebook you know how much I enjoy thrift store makeovers. I’ve been on a creative kick lately with all things fall and Halloween.
The ‘ber months are my absolute favorite-can you tell? 😁
When I stopped by my favorite thrift store I spotted a kids dollhouse that was just $3!
I knew this could be turned into a Haunted House with black spray paint. I scooped that baby up and got to work.
Supplies for DIY Haunted Dollhouse
Here are the supplies that I used. Just about everything is from Dollar Tree.
- Black Spray Paint – I used Colorshot Matte in Blackout
- Deco-Art Metallic Lustre
- Halloween Figurines – I found this set of 6 at Dollar Tree in the plus section
- Package of Bones
- Black Bottle Brush Trees
- Skeletons
- Black Spider Webs
- Foam Brush
- Battery Operated Lights – I found purple fairy lights and the black Halloween pillars at Dollar Tree
Spray Paint the Dollhouse
The easiest way to update a dollhouse is to use spray paint. It is immediately transformed to a haunted house as soon as it is painted black.
I didn’t even sand it. Look at the difference after just one coat.
It’s worth paying a little extra for paint and primer in one can. This is my first time using Colorshot and I was very happy with the coverage.
Add Gold Details
This Deco-Art Metallic Lustre is amazing! It has been my go-to for adding a bit of glam to any DIY project or craft.
Use a foam brush or sponge to accent the details of the house. I used this on the roof and other raised elements of the house.
Look at that shine!
This is an optional step, but it definitely adds tons of dimension. This is the same gold wax used on the busted canvas art recently shared.
Create Broken Wood Pieces
Every Haunted House needs broken pieces of wood on the front door to keep out unwanted guests, right?
Cut craft sticks to fit to size and age them with a bit of wood stain and paint. Add them to the door or windows with hot glue.
You can even write “keep out” on the sticks if you like.
Secure Skeletons
Now is the fun part; adding all the spooky touches like skeletons, ghosts and other Halloween figurines.
If you have a Dollar Tree Plus near you, be sure to check out their Halloween section.
I found this cool set of Halloween Figurines that are the perfect size for a Haunted House.
A dab of hot glue is all you need to attach the skeletons to the Haunted House.
All of the other accessories were just placed around the house.
Create a Spooky Front Yard
This Haunted House was just screaming (pun intended) for a spooky front yard.
I love to create vignettes around the home for holidays and couldn’t wait to set up this house on a small side table.
All you need are a couple of black spider webs to place under the haunted house. Then have a little fun with accessories.
A collection of bones makes the perfect walkway to your creepy house, plus an area for a graveyard.
The spiderweb strands that you see were made using a hot glue gun. Normally, I take a blow dryer to get rid of these, now they become instant spiderwebs.
A pair of black bottle brush trees are just what this house needs, along with black mushrooms.
You can go as detailed or as simple as you like. I decorated this on a budget so didn’t go too crazy.
I love how the skeletons can be seen peeking through the windows.
Originally, I added sticks to each window but didn’t like how they looked. Definitely experiment with your accessories.
Don’t Forget the Lights
What really brings this haunted house to the next spooky level is to add fairy lights and the small pillar lights on the house.
The purple lights look great at night. They were secured with a bit of scotch tape to the back-super easy!
It is still a bit too early to pull out all of the Halloween decor, so I’ll update photos once the rest of the decorations are out.
Decorate and Enjoy!
Making this haunted house brought me back to my childhood when I played with my dollhouse for hours.
It also reminded me of my daughter playing with her Barbie dollhouse. So many great memories!
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Thanks so much for stopping by. Happy crafting!
You may also enjoy these creative Halloween crafts, recipes and home decorating ideas:
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- Air Fryer Halloween Donuts
- Black and White Halloween Mantel Decor
- Ghost Mugs Tutorial
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