Recycled Display Shelf Halloween Miniature Diorama

Today I'm sharing one last project for Fall because from here on in it's about jingle bells and holly. Why? Because the Festive Ideas Tour starts today and I'll be jumping on board the holiday train on Wednesday.



I decided to go out with a Spooktacular Halloween Miniature Diorama from a recycled thrift store display shelf. Because who doesn't love a Halloween miniature, especially one that lights up!



A Spooktacular Halloween Diorama Box made with an upcycled thrift store Figurine Display Shelf and inexpensive dollar store halloween decorations.

Spooktacular Halloween Miniature Display Shelf

The motivation for doing a Halloween diorama craft is because today is our Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge and the theme this month is Halloween. Last year for our Halloween challenge I made this Recycled Halloween Garden Lantern.



A Spooktacular Halloween Diorama Box made with an upcycled thrift store Figurine Display Shelf and inexpensive dollar store halloween decorations.

The inspiration for the Halloween diorama came from a wall mount display shelf found at Goodwill for $3 that had seen its better days. It's been sitting in the workshop collecting dust for several years.



A Spooktacular Halloween Diorama Box made with an upcycled thrift store Figurine Display Shelf and inexpensive dollar store halloween decorations.

What I didn't realize until flipping it over, AFTER I started painting, is that it is a Willow Tree The Roses In My Garden Reliquary Figurine Display Shelf.



The definition of "reliquary" is a container for holy relics. 😱 Am I going to get struck by lightning? 🌩



A Spooktacular Halloween Diorama Box made with an upcycled thrift store Figurine Display Shelf and inexpensive dollar store halloween decorations.

Perhaps I should have done my homework BEFORE I defaced the holy relic holder and turned it into a black closet of skeletons! 🦴 💀



A Spooktacular Halloween Diorama Box made with an upcycled thrift store Figurine Display Shelf and inexpensive dollar store halloween decorations.

If you haven't heard of our Int'l Bloggers Club, we are a group of blogging friends from around the globe who come together on the third Monday of every month to share a themed DIY project. We have members from Spain, South Africa, Australia, the USA, and Canada.



A Spooktacular Halloween Diorama Box made with an upcycled thrift store Figurine Display Shelf and inexpensive dollar store halloween decorations.

Last month our challenge was local love where I narrowed my focus on our provincial flower and made a Wild Rose Wooden Coaster. I've included links to our talented member's Halloween ideas further down in the post.



A Spooktacular Halloween Diorama Box made with an upcycled thrift store Figurine Display Shelf and inexpensive dollar store halloween decorations.




What You'll Need To Make It

This post contains affiliate links so you can see what products I used or recommend for this project. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.



All the spooky miniatures for the diorama were either handmade or purchased at the dollar store so it cost very little money to put together.



Supply List

Wall Display Shelf (thrift store)
Mini Skeletons
Mini Pumpkins (recycled Fall picks)
Straw (recycled straw wreath form)
Orange LED Micro Dot Lights
Halloween Peel and Stick Decals (backdrop)
Halloween Erasers (not shown)
Stacked Pumpkin Glow Stick Necklace
Small Wooden Dowel
3 Small Wood Blocks
Black Craft Wire
Pumpkin With Mask Printable
Toothpicks
Hot Glue Gun



A Spooktacular Halloween Diorama Box made with an upcycled thrift store Figurine Display Shelf and inexpensive dollar store halloween decorations.

How To Make A Halloween Miniature Diorama

We'll begin making the Halloween miniature with the second-hand figurine display shelf.



Upcycled Figurine Display Shelf

You'll notice in the photo below that the display cabinet is missing shelves. Nothing that some balsa wood cut to size with a straight edge and retractable knife can't handle.



But before I set them in place I gave the cabinet a good scrub from the years of dust.



A Spooktacular Halloween Diorama Box made with an upcycled thrift store Figurine Display Shelf and inexpensive dollar store halloween decorations.

Next, I painted both the interior and exterior with three coats of Raven black FAT Paint. To retain the flat sheen protect the paint with a matte clear coat.



A Spooktacular Halloween Diorama Box made with an upcycled thrift store Figurine Display Shelf and inexpensive dollar store halloween decorations.

Skeletons

I found the miniature skeletons in a bag of three at Walmart. I wanted one of them to be sitting on a shelf but those gals were stiff as bones (sorry, couldn't resist). Poor thing, in order to make her sit I had to break her bones.



A Spooktacular Halloween Diorama Box made with an upcycled thrift store Figurine Display Shelf and inexpensive dollar store halloween decorations.

And then reassemble her again in a sitting position with hot glue.



A Spooktacular Halloween Diorama Box made with an upcycled thrift store Figurine Display Shelf and inexpensive dollar store halloween decorations.

Miniature Hay Bales

For the hay bales, I recycled an old straw wreath form and cut a 1 x 2 furring strip with a hand saw. Then I simply wrapped the straw around the woodblocks with a dab of hot glue here and there.



A Spooktacular Halloween Diorama Box made with an upcycled thrift store Figurine Display Shelf and inexpensive dollar store halloween decorations.

For baling wire, I used black craft wire wrapped around the mini hay bales a couple of times (pictured below).



Witches Broom

For the witches' broom, I painted a small wooden dowel orange. Then I gathered a clump of hay from the wreath form and stuck the dowel in the center.



To hold it together I wrapped a piece of hay and secured it with hot glue. Next, I trimmed the straw and the wooden dowel. Easy peasy!



A Spooktacular Halloween Diorama Box made with an upcycled thrift store Figurine Display Shelf and inexpensive dollar store halloween decorations.

Masked Pumpkin Wall Art

I went to PicMonkey in search of a cute photo to use for wall art. After printing it to size I used toothpicks to make a haunted-looking frame. I couldn't resist the covid reference with the masked pumpkin.



A Spooktacular Halloween Diorama Box made with an upcycled thrift store Figurine Display Shelf and inexpensive dollar store halloween decorations.

Dollar Store Diorama Embellishments

The miniature faux pumpkins are recycled from dollar store fall picks that I had in my stash. Some of them I painted with chalk-style or acrylic craft paint and others I left orange.



The flower planter filled with gourds and pumpkins is a recycled coffee K-cup that I spray painted black.



The skeleton's witch hat, pumpkin she's holding, skull on the top shelf, crossbones on the door, and the bat sitting on the hay bale is dollar store erasers.



The lighted stacked pumpkins on the top shelf is a dollar store glow stick necklace along with the creepy black flies (I couldn't find spiders).



I recycled the black netting that the skeletons came in to drape over one door to add to the spook factor.



Halloween Backdrop

I found the peel and stick Halloween decals at Walmart - a perfect backdrop for my spooky diorama. I used a sheet of white foam core as a backdrop and stuck them on either side of the haunted display shelf.



Here is a photo of the Halloween diorama by day...



A Spooktacular Halloween Diorama Box made with an upcycled thrift store Figurine Display Shelf and inexpensive dollar store halloween decorations.

...and again at night lit with orange LED micro dot lights from the dollar store.



A Spooktacular Halloween Diorama Box made with an upcycled thrift store Figurine Display Shelf and inexpensive dollar store halloween decorations.

Update: after Halloween, I dismantled the skeleton diorama, a.k.a. figurine display shelf, and turned it into a black dollhouse refrigerator. Now it'll be enjoyed by my granddaughter on a daily basis.



Thanks for stopping by the Interior Frugalista today! I hope you were inspired by this Halloween miniature idea.



Almost all of our DIY ideas have step-by-step tutorials so why not get your budget DIY on and subscribe. You can also find us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.



If you have any questions about this Spooktacular Halloween Diorama, please leave them in the comment section below or the Contact Me tab at the top. I love hearing from you!



Spooky Halloween Miniature

If you enjoyed this Spooktacular Halloween Miniature Diorama, I'd be so thankful if you shared it with a friend and pinned it to your Halloween Ideas board on Pinterest.




A Spooktacular Halloween Diorama Box by Interior Frugalista made an upcycled thrifted wall mount figurine display shelf and inexpensive dollar store finds. A fun lighted Halloween decoration idea! #halloweenboxes #halloweendioramabox

Now let's see what my talented friend's made for our Halloween challenge by clicking the links below.


Int'l Bloggers Club October Halloween Challenge - Interior Frugalista

Easy Realistic Eyeballs | A Crafty Mix
Halloween Flower Arrangement | Unique Creations By Anita
DIY Pumpkin Pin Cushion | Birdz Of A Feather
Halloween Diorama Box | Interior Frugalista (that's me)



I share my projects at these inspiring link parties.



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Comments

  1. No words Marie. This is so flippin adorable and creative and cute and just awwwwwwwww. LOL it seems I found my words again. Love what you did and all the things you repurposed to make the creepiest, coolest little Halloween diorama EVER!!!

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    1. Girl, that means a heck of a lot coming from you, the Master Of All Things Miniature! xo

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  2. Hmmm, defacing a holy relic holder for unholy skeletons may put you on the naughty list this Christmas - lol! But I'd sure take that risk! Love how this turned out!

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  3. Spooky fun my friend! Isn’t is amazing g what you can do with dollar store finds! 😮 and I love that you may be Repurposing after Halloween! 💜

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    1. Dollarama is my second home, Denise! So much project potential down those aisles! LOL Painting the black cabinet is the perfect base color for what I plan to do with it for my granddaughter's dollhouse so it's a win-win!

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  4. Aren't mini's fun to work with! I just finished a pumpkin garden center, freshening the doll bakery with skulls and pumpkin cakes, enhanced the Hotel to make it look like Fall, and turned Vickie's Vintage into a Halloween Store. So much fun, I bet the Grand may like the box just the way it is for the season...Great JOB!

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    1. I have to admit Sandi, miniatures is not my forte. I'm all thumbs with the tiny objects but it was fun creating this little diorama. Heading over to see your fall miniatures right now.

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  5. This is super spooky cute! I want one too!
    Hugs,
    Kippi

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    1. Thanks Kippi, it was fun to make, despite the defacing thing. LOL

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  6. Everything about this is just perfect, you did a brilliant job. I think it is time to put a diorama on my list of projects to do.

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  7. Love your project Marie! But it's kind of funny that it was meant for angels... oops! haha! I have a Halloween diorama that I just finished too and need to post but I fear it's going to have to be in the middle of the Christmas festivities because I'm participating in the festive Christmas ideas hop too!

    Tania

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    1. Cool, I can't wait to see yours, Tania! Post it on Friday, that gives enough time between the holiday posts.

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  8. This is such a fun and spooky project Marie, happy Halloween my friend.

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    1. Thanks Mary, it was a fun project, despite my oops. Happy Halloween to you as well! xo

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  9. This turned out so fun. I love that you were able to upcycle to make it. I use to make Halloween decorations, but it seems if I get any now, I just buy them. Maybe it is because I am too busy cooking Halloween goodies! Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Hi Amy, I'm glad you like the upcycle! I'd like to be at your house eating those Halloween goodies. I'm afraid the least amount of time I spend in the kitchen, the happier I am. I'd much rather have a paintbrush in my hand in the workshop. LOL

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  10. This is amazing! I would have this in my window every night!

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    1. Thank you Jo, I'm glad you like it! Set in a window is the perfect spot for this diorama on Halloween night.

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  11. What an amazing creation ! I love dioramas too.
    Thank you so much for joining us at Meraki Link Party.
    Much love
    Naush

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  12. This is such a great project! Thank you for sharing at Charming Homes and Gardens.

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  13. I don't know how I missed this when you first posted it! It's fabulous! All the little details are just perfect.

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    1. Thank you so much, Beverly! I'm typically not one to decorate in a scary Halloween theme and stepped out of my comfort zone with this one. But I must admit, it was a lot of fun creating this scary diorama!

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  14. Awesome project--and the container is perfect. To me, it was reminiscent of a coffin! Doll house minis are my favorite of all time projects--and I do a LOT of crafts. I have a yard sale dollhouse that will someday (key word here!) be a H. party in progress with a family that LOVES Halloween. Got some great ideas from you to add to mine;thanx!

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    Replies
    1. Oh how fun displaying a Halloween party in a second-hand dollhouse! I'm happy to hear you found some inspiration from my diorama.

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