You'd Never Suspect These Spooky Trees Were Made Out Of Pool Noodles

You don't need a massive seasonal décor budget to execute your perfect Halloween vision. For an easy DIY project, turn to the classic and reliable pool noodle. These foam toys are incredibly versatile for DIY projects, and for this spooky creation, all you need is a few noodles, a sharp knife, a of couple drinking glasses, and a heat gun. Your end result will be a spooky, twisty tree that you can use for exterior or interior Halloween displays. As demonstrated by YouTube DIYers Kathy Naccarato and Steph Dincau, this pool noodle trick is relatively simple and produces some truly unique decorative pieces (via YouTube). 

For your materials, just about any pool noodle will work, but for the proper Halloween vibe, the best colors are black, purple, or orange. The drinking glasses are a tool for shaping your branches, but if you'd like to use something else, using other slightly heavy items that would hold the pool noodles in place would also work. However, avoid anything plastic that melts easily, since heat will be involved in this project. Finally, you'll need a soldering heat gun, such as the Seekone Heat Gun from Amazon. If you don't have one, you can try using a blow dryer on its highest heat setting. 

First, lay cardboard down on your table to avoid damaging your furniture. Then, cut the pool noodles in half, longways. Take some of the half pieces and cut them in half again — these pieces will form your trunk and branches, so having varying thicknesses will ensure a more dynamic set of trees. Then, cut vertical and diagonal slices into various areas of the noodle. These pieces will form the small branches growing out of the big branch. Use drinking glasses to keep the pool noodle sections separated. With the heat gun, apply heat to the bottom of the noodle tree, allowing it to melt and flatten. Apply heat along each of the branches, causing each branch to narrow and develop a curved shape. After a few minutes, the noodle branches will have cooled down and set into a curved shape, evoking a twisting, spooky tree branch.

Continue this process with every pool noodle until you have the amount of trees desired. Once you're done, you can incorporate them into your Halloween decor, using hooks or thumbtacks to prop up and arrange your spooky pool noodle trees around door frames or walls. For outside displays, try doubling up on your pool noodle crafts and setting up your trees alongside some Halloween luminaries. However you want to show off your pool noodle trees, they're sure to be a major hit with all your Halloween-loving friends and family.