Story by Allison Boggan, Staff writer

October is in full swing and Halloween is just around the corner. If your dorm has been feeling frighteningly dull, it’s not too late to spook it up. Dust off your witch’s hat and follow these five simple DIY tips to make your room a little more ghoul friendly.

Pumpkin Painting

Carving pumpkins isn’t exactly the easiest or cleanest thing to do while living on campus. Instead, pick up a pumpkin and some painting materials and paint away.

This reduces the amount of mess, keeps your pumpkins fresh longer and allows more room for creativity and self-expression. From classic Jack-o’-Lantern faces to trendy sayings like “Boo Felicia” or “Don’t Be a Basic Witch,” with paint, your design options are endless.

Spider Webs

Whether you use prepackaged cotton webs from the store or trace them out with yarn, a classic and easy Halloween decoration staple is fake spider webs. They can be placed in the corners of your room, over desk chairs or on the outside of your door to help make your living space feel a little more spooky.

Pumpkin or Leaf Garlands

  This is a simple and fun craft for you and your roommate that only requires string, tape and construction paper. Cut out various pumpkin or leaf shapes in your preferred color scheme, then attach them to string and hang them around your room. Glitter can be added to the designs to bring something extra to the craft. These garlands can also double as Thanksgiving decor!

Bats

  Similar to the garlands, you can cut bat shapes out of construction paper. Bend the wings slightly to simulate that the bats are flying. Use wall-safe adhesives like sticky tack or masking tape to avoid damages.

Candy

  Candy can double as both a sweet treat and decor. Fill glass jars or Halloween-themed containers with candy to display around your room. Cute, simple and delicious.