Dressing up your accommodation is the perfect way to prepare for the seasons ahead and make your room in Edinburgh feel more homely. But this can be difficult to do in a pretty and sustainable way. Although it is tempting to look online at Amazon, why not wander around Edinburgh and get supplies to hand-craft your own decorations and make your room feel more personal? Plus, it is better for the environment.
A personal favourite decoration of mine is fairy-light themed jars. Save a jar from the jam that you use, and grab your white paint. Add dashes of paint to the inside of the jar, let it dry, and add black dots on the outside for the eyes of ghosts. Fill the jar with fairy lights, and there you have a personal and spectacular decoration to illuminate your room.
You could also craft your own ghost to decorate your flat! Simply, cover a (biodegradable) balloon with a white cloth, and add eyes by cutting holes in the cloth or drawing on it. Now you have your own ghost that is as petrifying or cute as you want. If you would prefer a smaller ceramic version, keep an eye out for Cockburn Street’s Spooktarium ghosts.
Pumpkins are the central decorative item for Halloween. Perhaps you could take a trip to a pumpkin patch and find a pumpkin to personalise. You could carve it into a creative design or channel your inner artist by painting it. You could even use the insides to create pumpkin soup!
If you need to decorate your plants, you could always create a miniature tombstone using cardboard. This way, you can write the information yourself, such as “Here lies the plant that once thrived…”
Finally, if you are struggling to find banners, you could cut out Halloween shapes (such as bats, pumpkins and skeleton heads) using card or create an elongated orange line with labels across that read “warning” and “Halloween”, although you may need a cutout of the shapes on paper to trace!
For the artistic readers, take inspiration from the Halloween JellyCats. There’s plenty to pick from, ranging from pumpkins to bears dressed up as spiders. Once you have chosen your aim, get your locally sourced fabrics and stuffing, then attempt sewing your own! It may be time-consuming, but it is an entertaining and rewarding activity.
Photo by Beth Teutschmann on Unsplash
