How to Make a Decorative Halloween Candy Tray for Trick-or-Treaters

Author:: L M Reid

L.M. Reid is an Irish writer who has published many articles. She makes prize-winning Halloween decorations and shows you how here.

This is my completed DIY Halloween candy tray.
L.M.Reid

In this article, you'll find step-by-step instructions for making a Halloween candy tray so that trick-or-treaters can pick up their own bags of sweets on the big night. I have included photos of my process so you too can follow along and make a similar tray out of repurposed objects and purchased supplies.

These are some of the supplies I used to create my display stand.
L.M.Reid

Materials I Used

Discarded platic M&M character figure
12 large novelty skulls
15 small novelty sculls
18 small novelty eyeballs
Glue
Black spray paint
Orange spray paint
Red paint
White paint
Black paint pen
Clear varnish spray paint
Old plastic sheet
Large amount of thick strong garden wire
Trick-or-treat sign
2 packets of battery-operated string lights
Battery-operated candle
Novelty spiders and scorpions (optional)

Note: These are the items I happened to use—be creative and see what materials you might be able to use to your advantage. You may not be able to find an M&M figure, for example, but if you visit thrift stores and flea markets, you can probably find something interesting to use.

This is the M&M stand I used for my project.
L.M.Reid

My Process

I was very lucky to find this broken M&M display from a skip outside a store that was being refurbished. It is ideal for what I had in mind. You can make a stand for your tray using wooden pallets, a wooden box, or anything else you are able to find.

This is what the stand looked like after the first round of painting.
L.M.Reid

How to Paint the Stand

Cover the arms with tin foil to protect them from the orange paint.
Spray paint the hands orange on both sides.
Give it a second coat when dry.
Allow to dry fully before you proceed further.
Cover the hands with tin foil.
Paint the whole body with black spray paint (this will also need two coats).
Allow to dry completely.

This is an in-progress shot of the stand as I began to paint on the details.

I added smaller details using a black Sharpie marker.

This is an in-progress shot of the stand as I began to paint on the details.

How to Paint the Eyes

Paint the eyes white and make the body look like it is a skeleton by painting bones around it.
Allow to dry fully. It took three coats to get the effect I wanted.
Use a black pen to fill in the eyeballs.
Use white paint around the bottom of the legs and feet so that it can be seen in the dark when it is displayed outside on Halloween night.

This is what my fake blood (made from paint and glue) looks like once painted on.
L.M.Reid

How to Make Fake Blood

Take some red paint and mix it with the same amount of liquid glue. I find this is ideal for making the blood because it does not run when it rains.
Paint the blood onto the mouth, allowing it to drip.
The back of the stand needs drips of red blood too. This makes it more visible in the dark.

I used garden wire to string the skulls into a solid arch that reached from hand to hand.
L.M.Reid

How to Make the Arch of Skulls Between the Hands

Drill holes in both hands.
Take the three pieces of wire and wrap them around each other to form a sturdy piece that will stay upright.
Thread the polystyrene skulls onto the wire until it is full.
Attach to the hands by threading the ends of the wire through the holes you drilled.
Add some red paint to the sculls to make them look bloody.
Thread the two sets of lights around the sculls and attach the batteries to the back of the tray.

This is the tray I built to fit my stand.
L.M.Reid

How to Create the Tray

The tray for this display had to be hand made so it would fit perfectly in between the M&M's arms. You could use an old tray picked up cheaply to fit whatever stand you are making.

This is what the completed project looks like.
L.M.Reid

My Outdoor Halloween Display

Every year, I add to my front-yard Halloween display by making a few things from scratch. The kids love it, and so do the adults. I am always on the lookout during the year for bits and pieces that can be used to make another Halloween prop. I was very lucky to find this M&M display in a skip.

Because of the situation this year with the pandemic, I decided to turn it into a sweets tray. The kids can safely pick up their Halloween candy and look at my display while they're at it. I bought everything else I needed cheaply in pound, euro, or dollar stores. Other stuff came from charity, thrift, and goodwill shops.