Looking for some budget-friendly Halloween decorating ideas? Put away your wallet and start hunting around the house for everyday items, suggests Krista Fabregas, founder of the family-friendly home decorating website, KidSmartLiving.com.

"With a few bits of colored paper, a little spray paint and some creativity, it's easy to transform everyday things like drinking glasses, dead branches and colorful placemats into eye-catching Halloween decorations," says Krista.

Here are several ideas for scaring up Halloween style on mantles and tabletops and in shadowy nooks and crannies using everyday things. Plus Krista adds a few hints to help make Halloween decorations safer for the littlest ghouls and booys.

1. Turn Everyday Drinking Glasses into Halloween Votives:

Cut Halloween shapes like Jack o'Lantern faces, witches, cats and bats out of black construction paper, attach to colorful plastic glasses with double-sticky tape, and presto! Instant Halloween votive-sized candle holders. If you don't have colored glasses, simply cut Halloween shapes out of a strip of construction paper, roll it into a sleeve, and slip over a clear glass. Make votive candles kid-safe by using battery-operated tea lights or candles instead of regular candles.

2. This Spideriffic Centerpiece Starts in the Backyard:

What could be spookier (or cheaper) than a cluster or spindly branches hung with paper or pipe cleaner spiders? For this easy project use some branches, an empty large soup or coffee can, and a few rocks with floral foam or dried beans to weight the arrangement and hold branches in place. Simply arrange branches in the can, glue on a few spiders or hang them with dental floss, and slip a colored paper sleeve over the can. Make it even creepier by spray painting the branches and can black and stretching a 99-cent package of spider web through the branches.

3. Put Colorful Placemats to Work as Halloween Décor

Have any black or orange placemats on hand? Perfect! But don't stop there. Green, purple, red and even gray and silver placemats can add witch, zombie or vampire-inspired color to Halloween decor. Top placemats with candles and other Halloween accents on tabletops, overlap several in alternating colors to create table runners, or place a few under centerpieces on party tables. An added plus – unlike tablecloths and runners, placemats don't hang off tables so they're safely out of the reach of little hands.

4. Get Ghostly Glows from Everyday Candles:

Don't spend money on fancy Halloween candles that just go into storage after the holiday. Grab simple white, black or orange pillar candles and attach bits of paper or fun foam to make Jack-o-Lantern, cat and ghost faces. Arrange several candles together with votive holders across the mantle for a Halloween spookscape, or place a few on Halloween colored placemats for a flickering centerpiece. Battery-operated candles are always a safer choice, but if you use real candles be sure to keep an eye on them while burning.

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Krista Fabregas founded KidSmartLiving.com in 1999 to help parents combine safety, livability and style in a home that's welcoming to family members of all ages. Find more KidSmart home decorating tips, family-friendly products and how-to videos at KidSmartLiving.com and on the KidSmartLiving @ Home Blog.