Halloween DIY–Creepin’ It Real: Precious Moments Get a Spooky Makeover

Who says Halloween décor has to be frightfully expensive? At Goodwill, you can dig up some boo-tiful bargains just waiting for a second life. This season, I unearthed a shelf of sweet-faced “Precious Moments” figurines—normally angelic and innocent, but oh, the ghoul-portunities! 

With a little paint and a lot of playfulness, these cherubs of cheer became creatures of fear. It’s the perfect creepy upcycle—part thrift, part thrill, and all treat!

Here’s how you can scare up some fun, too:

1. Shop at Goodwill to scare up spooky-good prices


Hunt the shelves for figurines or collectibles with great detail and expression. The sweeter they look, the scarier the transformation will be!  To be honest, these little statues are so not my style, but I could see them as great decorative accents with a little creepy creating.

2. Spray on your base paint


Each little figure gets a fresh identity with a bold, moody base. Try black, dark green, bright green, gray, beige, or blue—each shade sets the stage for a haunting new personality. A rainbow of the eerie and the eerie-sistible! 

Take advantage of the nice, warm days by placing a drop cloth outdoors and adding the collectibles on top.  Add one light layer to one side, flip it over, and add another. 

Expert Tip:

Honestly, I couldn’t decide what color to select as the base coat, so I tried them all!  A precious Halloween-related DIY featured figures painted black and I wanted to expand my horizons, so to speak.  And several times the paint from one figurine blew onto the one next to it.  This added a lovely layer to add more visual delight…sometimes a mistake is the best part!

3. Add ghoulish accents with paint pens


Paint pens are your trick and your treat. Draw stitches, dripping fangs, hollow eyes, or cobwebs with spiders to give each figure its own haunted story.

Ghost and tombstones were drawn in as well for extra spooky fun.

4. Touch up with craft paints, too


This is where the magic really comes alive. With very fine craft paint brushes, add blood-red details, ghostly highlights, or shadowy accents until your once-precious pal is shrieking with style.  A couple of touches of yellow made the eyes on one pop out.  Another layer of red, on top of the paint pen’s tones, made it look thick and flowing. Yikes!

5. Add hair-raising accessories

Place these creepy creatures among your Halloween décor.  They will welcome black cats and greet witches with charm and wicked whimsy.  Add them in unexpected spots like a windowsill or accent table for instant dreadful delight. Create more precious moments when you transform these with loved ones who love a good DIY project with a haunted twist.

So don’t ghost the Goodwill aisles this Halloween—embrace the fright, enjoy the thrift, and turn those innocent accents into terrifying treasures! It’s spooky savings and scary-good fun all in one. After all, nothing’s more fang-tastic than finding your ghoul at Goodwill.  (Okay, I think my puns are getting a little scary!)


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Tim Kime

Artist, Motivational Speaker, Life Coach

Tim Kime is an artist, life coach, and connector. He is the President of Kime Leadership Associates, offering executive coaching, meeting facilitating, and motivational speaking. He is also the Chief Creative Force of Transformation Junkies which upcycles furniture and other household items into functional works of art. He combined his two passions—unleashing the potential in people and transforming items with the launch of the Art of Possibilities Workshops. These workshops are part upcycling, part dreaming, and part goal setting.