DIY Light Up Haunted House – Easy & Fun Halloween Craft

When I was little my great-grandmother had a big dollhouse. I am assuming someone had made it. Inside there was furniture to move and tons of miniatures to create the perfect home. I loved playing with it! In fact, every time I was there that was my go-to thing. A few weeks ago I was thinking about the doll house. And the thought of making one popped into my head. BUT I have a boy. A boy who if I asked him if he wanted a doll house would look at me like I’ve lost my stinking mind. So I thought well, how awesome would it look sitting all decked out as a Haunted House? Fun right?

I was so excited. So I ran to the store and….those babies are a tad expensive! So while making one is still on my crafting bucket list, this year we decided to tone it down a tad. And make a smaller, light up haunted house. And guess what? It was SO fun. Seriously, the possibilities are endless! And it’s so easy! I think this could easily be a yearly tradition with the kiddos and creating your own, Halloween village!

So you need a house right? These paper mache houses are PERFECT! I love that the lid comes off (so you can easily make it a light up house!) and they come in different shapes and sizes. I bought mine at Hobby Lobby and this size was $5.99. It was 40% off too, so that made it only $3.60! If you don’t have a Hobby Lobby close by, you can order them through their website, but they only come in a pack of 3 (multiple sizes).

I had also picked up a few wooden birdhouses to try before I found this!

You can also look at Amazon. They have different shaped houses, but they are a little more expensive.

Paper Mache Christmas House 9 in. by Craft Pedlars

Paper Mache Gingerbread House 9 in. by Craft Pedlars

Paper Mache House 9 1/2 in. by Craft Pedlars

Then you just need craft supplies! Go crazy and use what you have! I used paint, scrapbook paper, small pebbles, Popsicle sticks and even wax paper!

I cut out ghost shapes from the wax paper and hot glued them in the windows.

To get it to light up I simply used an Energizer battery operated candle. I love that it flickers (because what haunted house doesn’t flicker?) and as a bonus, it smells like vanilla.

Since our house was lighting up I went ahead and stuck a piece of scrapbook ‘wallpaper’ inside.

I cut Popsicle sticks and painted them grey and just added the RIP with a fine tip Sharpie to create tombstones. The broom was a dollhouse miniature.

Our boarded up front door was just broken Popsicle sticks.

I added a few other small miniatures like pumpkins and on the roof I added two crows.

Our house is pretty simple, but I like it. You can get as creative as you want!

Here are a few miniatures I found online that would be perfect!

Dollhouse PUMPKIN PLATTER

Miniature Artisan Set of Halloween Pumpkins

Dollhouse HALLOWEEN CANDY BAG

Dollhouse Miniature Black Frightened Cat

Dollhouse HALLOWEEN BAGS 2 PCS

Sweet Handmade Look Miniature Twig and Wire Fence for Displays, Fairy Gardens, and Crafting

Dollhouse Tombstones, Set of 6