Easy Halloween Ghost Lights Using Pendant Light Shades + 21 Ideas

This year I’m sharing a super simple but oh so cute Halloween Ghost Lights Using Pendant Light Shades in under 5 minutes.

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Halloween is just around the corner, and if you’re anything like me, you’re already dreaming up fun, festive ways to transform your home into a spooky haven.

I made this cutie for Halloween in 2022 and had to really dig through my phone to find all the fun steps to share with you… but here we are!

With just a few materials and a bit of creativity, you can turn your thrifted glass pendant lights into ghostly apparitions that will have your guests oohing and aahing.

This blog post contains affiliate links. The opinions are wholly my own from my own experience. I may earn a small commission from clicks through to the websites that end in a purchase.

Gather Your Supplies

Before you get started, you’ll need to gather a few essential supplies. Don’t worry; this project is as easy as pie, and you likely have most of these items already or they are just a quick thrift store trip away!

• Frosted Glass Pendant Light Shades: These are the stars of the show. Opt for white frosted shades for the best effect. They come in so many varities, but I like the tulip shades best that look like little skirts at the bottom. You can find these at places like Home Depot or Lowe’s or you can have fun hunting for them at a thrift shop like I did!
• Black Sharpie Marker or Acrylic Paint: You’ll use this to draw or paint on the ghostly eyes and ghost face.
• Optional Ribbon for a bow: I love to add bows to almost all of my projects and this one was no exception!
• Hot Glue: This is to attach your optional Halloween bow.
• Battery-Operated Fairy Lights: To give your ghosts a glowing, ethereal look.

Halloween Ghost Lights Tutorial

In case you’d rather watch a video, I’m sharing a short version below.

COMING SOON

Clean Your Glass Pendant Light Covers

If you thrifted your glass globes, you may need to clean the dirt and dust off of them first. If you purchased them, you may need to remove all of those pesky sticker price tags.

Create the Ghost Faces

Now—let’s get those ghost faces on! Using your black Sharpie marker or craft paint, draw simple ghost eyes and a ghost mouth onto the pendant light shade.

Think minimalistic: two dot eyes and a dot mouth or a little wavy line for the mouth. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can even create a variety of faces to give your ghosts different expressions.

Don’t worry about perfection here; a little imperfection adds to the charm of these spooky spirits. If you’re using paint, make sure to let it dry completely before moving on to the next step.

Decorate Your Ghost Light

This is optional, but it is what makes this project so fun and cute in my opinion! I opted to add a simple black and white buffalo check ribbon bow from Dollar Tree to the top rim of my pendant light shade using hot glue.

Light Up the Night

Now for the best part—adding the glowing effect! Carefully tuck a battery-operated fairy light strand or a battery operated tea light underneath each ghost pendant shade.

Arrange the lights so they provide a soft, even glow through the shade. If the fairy lights have a remote control, you can use it to adjust the brightness or even add a flickering effect for a more eerie vibe.

Display Your Ghost Lights

Once everything is finished (less than 5 minutes later) and looking ghostly, it’s time to display your spooky creations.

I placed mine on a tray on the kitchen counter to serve as a night light for late night Halloween candy snacking!!!

It’s the perfect touch for a Halloween party or a fun, festive decoration for the season.

With just a few simple materials and a bit of creativity, you’ve transformed ordinary pendant lights into delightful Halloween ghost lights.

I hope you enjoy this project as much as I do—there’s something so magical about turning everyday items into something festive and fun.

This year I added a few eyelashes to my ghost light to doll her up a bit more ~ what do you think?

19 More Halloween Ghost Light Ideas

Here are some of my favorite Halloween ghost light ideas I found to inspire you with this project from around the web! Let me know in the comments which one is your favorite ~

I love this one with the wording “boo” added to it!

And this one with a witch hat is adorable.

And these with neon lights are super creative.

So many witch hats on ghosts, oh my!

These look like a farmer ghost and his wife.

Adding bows makes them extra precious don’t you think?

Style them on a book stack like this little trio!

Or on little platters…

Wrap jute twine around the neck of the ceiling fan light and add a “boo” tag!

Create a group of three style glass globes all different shapes.

Or group five of the same shape together using different witch hats!

How about six shapes and six different faces?

Speaking of different, how about a scarecrow instead of a ghost?

Add raffia bows to the bottoms of the ghosts.

My friend Summer made these over at Hammons Nest!

Another cute ghost light with a harlequin Halloween bow!

Look at this one with a top hat and a bow tie ~ best dressed ghost lamp shade!

Look at these all lit up at night!

And this one was the first one that ever inpsired me to make one of these!

Happy Halloween crafting!

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