This garland is for anyone who loves Halloween but wants the house to feel warm and whimsical instead of gloomy. The basic idea takes inspiration from classic paper bat and cat garlands: cut a repeatable silhouette, string the pieces together, and let color and spacing do the decorating.
Country Living highlights simple paper garlands as an easy way to dress a mantel, while Martha Stewart’s Halloween template collections show how repeatable paper shapes can become polished seasonal décor. This version uses cute bat silhouettes, a softer color palette, and gently folded wings for extra personality.
What you’ll need
- Pink, orange, plum, cream, and black cardstock
- Baker’s twine, jute, or thin ribbon
- A Cricut or Silhouette machine, or sharp craft scissors
- Glue dots, low-temperature hot glue, or mini clothespins
- A ruler, pencil, and optional single-hole punch
How to make it
- 1
Choose a room-friendly palette
Pick three to five colors that already appear in the room. Dusty pink and pumpkin orange feel cheerful; plum and cream give them enough contrast to stay recognizably Halloween.
- 2
Cut a family of bats
Cut a mix of small, medium, and large shapes. For a six-foot garland, 14 to 18 bats usually looks full without feeling crowded. Mirror a few shapes so the bats do not all face the same direction.
- 3
Give the wings some life
Gently crease each bat where the wings meet the body, then lift the wings forward. This tiny step adds shadow and makes flat cardstock look much more finished.
- 4
Plan before you glue
Lay the twine on your table and arrange the bats first. Alternate sizes and colors, leaving roughly three to five inches between shapes. Photograph the layout with your phone so you can rebuild it easily.
- 5
Attach the bats
Secure each body to the twine with a glue dot or tiny bead of low-temperature glue. For a reusable, no-glue version, clip them on with miniature clothespins.
- 6
Hang, fluff, and enjoy
Tie a loop at each end, hang the garland, and adjust the spacing. Bend the wings a little more after hanging so they cast playful shadows in evening light.
Pretty ways to customize it
Use mustard, faded orange, cream, and black with striped baker’s twine.
Try blush, plum, and metallic gold cardstock with a velvet ribbon.
Add googly eyes, pom-pom noses, and each child’s name to one bat.
Cut from craft foam and use weather-resistant ribbon in a sheltered spot.
Inspiration & further reading
This tutorial is an original Klean Kut Halloween Crafts project informed by the broader tradition of repeatable paper Halloween decorations. For more visual inspiration, browse Country Living’s Halloween craft collection, Martha Stewart’s Halloween templates, and HGTV’s DIY Halloween decorating ideas.