Spooky String Lights – Your New Fave Toilet Paper Roll Halloween Craft

Toilet paper roll crafts never get old.  Sure, they are probably meant for kindergartners but this lady happens to love them for a lot of crafty reasons.  I’m adding making my own DIY spooky string lights to the top of that list.  Brace yourself because this toilet paper roll Halloween craft might be your new favorite project too!

string lights made with toilet paper rolls and napkins.

Toilet Paper Roll Halloween Craft Ideas – String Lights!

First of all toilet paper rolls (and paper towel rolls) are cheap and if your house is like mine they are already hanging around waiting for a new lease on life.  Who am I to deny the cardboard roll that longs for something more like a paint job and decoupage.  Just call me the toilet paper roll Halloween craft whisperer.

Orange Halloween string lights with vintage masks

Not just spooky DIY Halloween string lights, toilet paper crafts have a lot of possibilities.

Even more DIY ideas for using toilet paper roll

DIY Menorah – Sure, wrong holiday but wouldn’t these toilet paper roll candles look spooky in black.

Robot Wrapping Paper – When the gift wrap is almost as fun as the toy inside!

Snake Piñata – Nothing I love more than a single serve piñata and these cuties made from tubies fit the bill.

Really, what can’t you use these things for?  I can barely make myself throw them out with the recycling because the craft supply hoarder in me knows something will come up and I will wish I had a gazillion rolls handy!

OK, but let’s get back to those DIY Halloween string lights I was talking about.

Supplies for making string lights napkins and toilet paper rolls

Supplies for Making DIY Toilet Paper Roll Halloween String Lights

  • Toilet paper rolls (or paper towels)
  • Decorative Halloween napkins
  • Decoupage medium
  • Scissors
  • Pen
  • Paint
  • Paint brush
  • Ready made string lights
  • Hot glue and hot glue gun
  • Pompoms (because everything is better with pompoms including toilet paper Halloween crafts)

If you can’t find Halloween napkins tissue paper or decorative Kleenex will also work.  You just want something thin enough that the light can shine through.

toilet paper tubes painted orange

Step 1 – Paint the Toilet Paper Rolls

Brown toilet paper rolls are too familiar and will remind you of well, the toilet.  Nobody wants that.  Instead using craft paint make them orange or some other fun color that will match your tissue or napkins.  Allow to dry completely.

Toilet paper tubes painted orange and cut in half

Step 2 – Cut the Toilet Paper Rolls in Half

Once the paint is dry cut the toilet paper rolls in half.  If you are using a paper towel tube this might mean into 3 or 4 pieces.  Some of this will depend on the size of your string light.

Halloween witch napkin lined up inside a toilet paper roll

Step 3 – Measure the Parts You Want For the String Lights

Use one of the ends of the cut toilet paper roll to line up the designs on your napkins.  Trace with a pen or pencil.

cut out circles of Halloween witch napkins

Step 4 – Cut out Images

Cut out enough images so that you can cover both sides of the cut toilet paper roll.  In other words each light needs one piece of tube and 2 pieces of napkin.

Not just for Halloween check out these ridiculously cute and easy DIY string lights – yet another spin on this toilet paper craft.

toilet paper rolls with halloween witches decoupaged on them.

Step 5 – Decoupage Napkins to Tubes

Using decoupage medium attach paper to one end of the toilet paper rolls.

Cutting slits in toilet paper roll

Step 6 – Cut a Slit in the Toilet Paper Tube

Using scissors cut a slit in the tube just wide enough to put the string light cording through and into the tube.

Don’t have any toilet paper rolls?  Don’t worry!  Make these DIY marbled paper mache ring dishes using toilet paper and you will have some spent spools when you are done.

string lights inserted into toilet paper roll

Step 7 – Insert the String Light into the Tube 

If the light covers that come with the string lights are too big remove them and just use the actual lights.  Add a small amount of hot glue to hold the light in place.

DIY string lights made from toilet paper rolls and Halloween black cat napkins

Step 8 – Close Up the Other End of Tube

Using another circle of Halloween napkin and more decoupage medium to cover the other end of the toilet paper roll.  Allow to dry completely.

DIY Halloween string lights made with napkins, pompoms and decoupage.

Hooray for Toilet Paper Roll Crafts!

I of course embellished my DIY string lights with pompoms, because well – pompoms.  This also helps cover up the slit on the top.

Remember, Santa will be here before you know it!  Try this Christmas version of the string lights over on DIY Network.

DIY string lights in orange with black Halloween cats

String em up, light em up and bask in the spooky Halloween toilet paper craft glow!

8 Responses to “Spooky String Lights – Your New Fave Toilet Paper Roll Halloween Craft”

  1. Janet White

    I absolutely LOVE this ! Don’t recall seeing this in your previous repertoire? I am so doing this! Halloween being my favorite thing and the fact that I have at least 30 kinds of cool Halloween napkins The best part is you could do this for any occasion. I’m having a Baby shower for my daughter in law Nov 10th, if I get time I’ll make one for her honorary chair In the shower theme of course
    Thanks for the inspiration.
    Signed,
    The President of The Jennifer Perkins Fan Club

    Reply
  2. Marilyn

    Congratulations! Your post was my Most Clicked at #OverTheMoon this week. Visit me on Sunday evening and to see your feature! I invite you to leave more links to be shared and commented upon. https://www.marilynstreats.com. Please be sure to leave your link number or post title so we can be sure to visit!

    Reply
  3. Janet White

    Hi Jen,
    Getting ready to make the Halloween lights, do you recall where you purchased your black and orange Pom poms? Thanks!
    Janet

    Reply

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