Witch’s Cottage Vintage Halloween Decor (Cheap + Easy!)
It’s that time of year again, my friends… Halloween! Halloween is hands down my favorite holiday to decorate for. This year I wanted to really incorporate some affordable vintage Halloween decor ideas… A vintage twist on any holiday is a total win for me and if I can do it without spending a lot of money, even better! In this post, I break down how to get this unique vintage look for Halloween by shopping your own home and yard for nature-inspired decor accents.

“Witch’s Cottage” Halloween Vintage Decor
My inspiration for this decor was a play on the witch’s cottage in Hansel and Gretal and maybe just a dash of the Blair Witch Project… No, I didn’t incorporate copious amounts of candy into the decor but I did try to create a very subtle/creepy vibe inspired by nature.

I pulled a lot of my inspiration from the outdoors. I wanted to create a subtle and spooky vibe without all the bright oranges and gory visuals of classic Halloween. My idea was to use a ton of nature-inspired elements from my yard and tie them together with elements of my vintage hoardings to create a witchy cottagecore look…

A vintage theme works especially well for Halloween where often media/movies portray spooky storylines from the early American or Victorian eras. Nothing is quite as creepy as the old “haunted mansion” or classic storylines of Hansel and Gretal and the witches’ cottage.
If you are looking for some affordable vintage halloween ideas and inspiration, Pinterest is a great place to start! (BTW, do you follow me on Pinterest?!).
Where to Find Vintage Halloween Decorations:

Thankfully, I have spent several years slowly collecting and hoarding vintage items for my home. Vintage decor is something I’m very passionate about. I love the concept of reusing and also love the idea that the items in my home have a story… The older they are, the better!
All the vintage pieces I used to create this look were things I already had in my home. Repurposing these timeless treasures allowed me to create an insanely cute and inexpensive Halloween look.
I hope this post can inspire you to repurpose items you already have in your own home. If you don’t have a vintage Halloween collection yet, that’s ok! This post will show you affordable vintage halloween ideas that work for any budget!
Adding items to your vintage collection is the best way to create easy seasonal looks and the good news is vintage items are often super affordable!
Antiquing takes a great amount of time and energy and you definitely don’t hit the jackpot every time. BUT, if you are consistent and wait for the right piece, you will be rewarded eventually!
Here are my top places I hunt for antique and vintage pieces:
1. Thrift Stores
Thrift stores are hands down the best place to find AFFORDABLE Halloween decor. Antique stores are filled with beautiful relics that antique dealers KNOW are worth a lot. Often, thrift stores may not know what they have and the prices can be much lower!
2. Antique Shops
Antique shops are a great place to look for some unique vintage pieces.
When you shop at an antique shop, you have to understand that the owners likely know the value of the items they are selling. They are specifically branding these as antique pieces. This can make the price tag shoot up! Don’t get jumpy! If you aren’t 100% sold on an item, come back a few weeks later and see if it’s been marked down.
My local antique store knows me by name at this point and the owners will even message me on Facebook if they get an item they know I’ve been looking for! They always have a consistent stream of vintage books, candlesticks, dishes, and more available at decent prices.
3. Flea Markets
Flea markets are another fantastic place to look for antique or vintage items and often they are a bit cheaper than an antique shop. This is because many of the vendors are trying to clean out their inventory and are willing to haggle a bit.
4. Estate Sales
I have lucked out several times at estate sales. I recently hit up a porch sale that had insanely good prices on vintage frames and baskets… It’s always worth a quick browse!
If you are having troub le fidning good estate sales, I’ve found the best place to look for them is on Facebook marketplace! I simply search “estate sales” in my zip code and usually can browse through some pictures of the estate and get an idea if they have the vintage aesthetic I’m searching for.
5. Facebook Marketplace
That brings me to another one of my favorite places to look for vintage pieces: Facebook marketplace!
NOTE: My top tip for finding the best vintage items on Facebook marketplace is to start hitting the save button on any items you like! For instance, if you are searching for something like “vintage dresser” and several dressers pop up that are too far away or overpriced BUT you like the look of them, hit the save button! This tells Facebook the style you are looking for, and it will start showing more of those items in your marketplace feed! This REALLY works!
6. Online Antique Shops
I’ve recently begun to dabble in the online world of antique trading and purchasing! It’s so cool that this is even an option now. Keep in mind, this is likely not the CHEAPEST way to get antiques since you have to pay the shipping on top of the item’s price. BUT, it’s such a great way to find a specific item you have been searching for.
Here are a few of my favorite places to buy antiques online:
Vintage Keepers– An online vintage marketplace with everything from textiles to furniture to kitchenware!
Knosen Antiques– Specializing in antique English pine items! If you have your eye on a vintage pine box bed, you have to buy as quickly as they post!
Etsy– Always a top source for all things vintage!
Other Places To Source Affordable Halloween Decor
Almost everything from this “Witch’s Cottage” Halloween decor look was from my own vintage collection. I did purchase a few SUPER affordable items last year that helped take this look to the next level. It’s definitely not necessary to purchase ANYTHING, but if you really need some decor items, here are some affordable vintage halloween ideas:


The Dollar Store
The Dollar tree, Dollar General or whatever dollar store you have locally often have a lot of inexpensive halloween decorations. They are usually cheaply made, but for this look, that wasn’t a big deal to me.
Our local Dollar Tree always has a ton of plastic skulls, faux flowers, artifical pumpkins and other spooky decor items.
Last year, I purchased a few plastic skulls which I reused this season!
Amazon
I love the giant pack of mummy cloth I purchased from Amazon. I also purchased a package of small faux crows. These have been all over Tiktok and IG and they really are SO cute and versatile.

Your Home
Last year I wrote a post about free or cheap ways to decorate your home for Halloween with items you already have access to! The truth is, you probably have a TON of household items that can work and this will save you a LOT of money.
Your Yard
The last, very easy and FREE element to add to your witch’s cottage theme is all around you! Nature!
I sent my son outside with a bucket and he happily collected rocks, twigs, moss and weeds. I then repurposed the items into this decor scheme. This really takes the look to the next level!

I had several bud vases that I stuffed with twigs and leaves to look like “specimens”. I added some twine to tie sticks into little bundles (Hello- Blair Witch Project!)
All of these sources are cheap and offer great affordable vintage halloween ideas.
How to Create a “Witch’s Cottage” Halloween Theme With Vintage Pieces:

Now that we have covered where you can find your own vintage items, let’s break down how to create a Witch’s Cottage Look!
This part of the process was actually SO fun! Once I got the creative juices flowing, I thought of SO many ways I could use household items to create these stunningly spooky vigenettes. I honestly had the best time dreaming up these easy halloween decorations and I hope you love them.
Here are a few of the ways I used vintage Items to create various vignettes for the “Witches Cottage”:
1. Use Old Books as Spellbooks and Spooky Backdrops
Every time I find stacks of vintage books on sale I try to purchase them for my book collection. They are an easy way to restyle shelves seasonally and they give off such a classic vintage feel. I look for these at Goodwill, thrift stores and my local antique store always has bundles of them on sale for $15 a bundle.
I used my vintage books in a variety of ways when styling this living room spooky decor.

The first place I used a vintage book was creating this “spellbook” vignette. I used a vintage cookbook opened up to a butcher chart and placed the open book on a cake platter.
Any cake platter or upside-down bowl would work for the stand for a “spellbook”. I added a few nature specimens around the spellbook including moss, twigs, string and leaves. I love the outcome!
Another place I used my vintage book collection was creating the backdrop for a witch inspired decor shelf.

This backdrop gives me a little bit of a Harry Potter vibe which really sold my kids and husband. To create this look, simply rip out a few pages from various vintage books and use double-sided tape to secure them to the wall. I also selected a few of the creepiest-looking pictures from the vintage books and displayed them on the shelf. (I have a vintage nursing textbook on nervous/mental disorders… Jackpot.)
2. Incorporate Vintage Candlesticks For Spooky Lighting
Vintage brass candlesticks are another thing that I shamelessly hoard. Anytime I see them for a good price, I try to grab a few. These candlesticks are the perfect element to add to any Halloween tablescape. They really are taken to the next level when you add black, drippy taper candles.

One of my recent DIY projects was THIS simple DIY Halloween candelabra. To create the drippy look, I used these fantastically drippy candles so I already had them in hand. I repurposed the candles all throughout my halloween decorations and I know they’ll come in handy next year too!
3. Disguise Vintage Busts and Cermaics

This might seem odd, but instead of packing up any vintage cermaics or busts, consider adding elements to make them on theme for Halloween! I’ve seen several ideas like this on Pinterest… Simply add a mask, a bag over the head or a simple blindfold like this to create a creepy statue look!
4. Incorporate Animals Bones, Antlers, Furs, etc…
While not strictly vintage, any of these items can easily be repurposed with a creepy look for Halloween! I had a Cow skull we had mounted in my husbands mancave. This worked perfectly to add to my buffet.

I removed the horns and used them on a different shelf in my living room.
The same look could be crafted with deer antlers, fabrics that have a snakeskin look or even dog bones! (Meaning the bones your dog chews…Not your actual dogs bones.).
5. Repurpose Kitchen Jars and Canisters
I really wanted to have bones or a skull of some kind in a glass cloche display. I’ve been seeing this idea all over Tiktok, Pinterest and IG. Since my goal was to spend as little as possible on Halloween decor, I started brainstorming what I could use from my own home instead.

I finally settled on using a few of my glass kitchen storage jars turned upside down. They work perfectly! While not technically vintage, this idea saved me a lot of money by using an item I owned at no additional cost.
TIP: Smaller glass canning jars could be topped with natural fiber materials and used to display nature specimens like moss, sticks and (fake) bugs.
6. Incorporate Vintage Frames + FREE Vintage Art Prints

There is nothing quite as creepy as an old black and white picture. The various smudges in the background that look like ghosts, or the angry expressions on childrens faces really lends itself to a vintage halloween look.
This year, I created a small collection of FREE halloween downloads from these creepy black and white pictures. I used them all throughout my “witch’s cottage” decor and it really took it to the next level!


If you want to print these FREE downloads for use in your home, click over to THIS PAGE for full instructions!
I always try to collect vintage gold and wood frames whenever I see them at Goodwill or the antique shop. This DIY was simple. I printed the downloads on cardstock and swapped out my regualar art for a MUCH spookier look.
Thanks for Touring the Witch’s Cottage!!
I hope you enjoyed this “Witch’s Cottage” look for Halloween. I hope it inspires you to repurpose your household decor to create a fun and spooky feel for the holiday! What other vintage items would work well with this theme? What other affordable vintage halloween ideas do you have for the season? Let me know below!
Shop The Post:
Here you’ll find links to everything you see here, minus the vintage items which are one of a kind. I tried to link similiar so you can still get the look!
- Bud vases
- Brass Candlesticks
- Black drippy candles
- Glass Cloche (cheaper)
- Glass Cloche
- Crows
- Gourds
- Amber Bottles
- Cake Stand
- Vintage Bust
- Wood morter and pestle
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