Try Our Halloween Porch Candy Holder

Really Inexpensive and Fun to Do!

Our Halloween porch candy holder is a fun project to make. Mary and I enjoy creating projects you can make for your porch this time of year.

Our Halloween "picket fence" porch shelf is ideal for decorating your front porch or use it indoors as well.

Inexpensive, ours cost just a little over $6.00 to make. It is a perfect home to our Halloween Black Cat, pumpkins, and Halloween candy.

Sized for any porch, it stands 4 feet all and is only 13 inches deep.

You can use this shelf in a variety of ways throughout the year and it transitions easily for other holidays as well.

Make one based on our design or modify it to fit your needs. It's a fun project to make with your kids or grandkids.


Halloween porch candy holder
Make this Halloween porch candy holder
You only need a few basic tools and I've designed it so you only have to make straight cuts. My grandson and I had fun putting it together in short order. Once you make the cuts, assembly is a snap.

We designed this to show the back of a picket fence with rails exposed. Reason being, we will be adding a black cat walking across a rail (on his way to who knows where)!

You could just as easily, attach the shelves to the "front" of the picket fence if so desired.


Materials List

  • Five (5) 1x3x8 foot pine boards (Cost $1.64 each at Home Depot)
  • Approximately 38 1 1/4 inch screws
  • Measuring tape
  • Pencil
  • Saw (use a hand saw, chop saw, or sliding miter, etc.)
  • Drill and 1/8 inch bit for pilot holes
  • Screwdriver (hand or driver bit for drill)


    • Optional

  • Level
  • Spacers (3 pieces of 1/4 plywood, masonite, etc.) Mine were 1/4 thick by 3 inches wide by 8 inches long.
  • Square
  • Grandson or granddaughter to help


Time to Make Some Sawdust

It's important to make all of your cuts at the same time; assembly will go much faster. Although it seems as if there are a lot of cuts to make, pine is soft and it won't take you long no matter what saw you choose.

Good practice for your kids or grandkids!


cutting lumber for fence rails
Cutting fence rails with compound miter saw
(a hand saw works well also)
As we stated earlier, you can modify your Halloween holder to fit your needs. Perhaps you have a larger bowl for candy, want to add another shelf, or want it taller or shorter.
    Cut:

  • A. Pickets: 4 @ 48 inches
  • B. Rails: 3 @ 10 1/2 inches
  • C. Shelves 9 @ 10 1/2 inches
  • D. Bottom Shelf Support: 2 @ 10 1/2 inches
  • E. Small Shelf Cleats: 2 @ 9 1/4 inches
  • F. Large Shelf Cleats: 2 @ 11 3/4 inches
  • G. Diagonal Support Rail: 1 @ 10 1/2 inches (approximately) with 45 degree ends



Assemble Your Halloween Porch Candy Holder

As with most things, it is far easier to show than to explain. It's a pretty simple project so refer to the pictures and diagram often.


diagram of halloween candy holder for front porch
Halloween Candy Holder Construction Diagram



Halloween porch candy holder


Step 1: Cut materials according to cut list above. I recommend waiting to cut the 10 1/2 with 45 degree angles until you attach the shelf.

Cut the tops of the four 48 inch long pieces (A) as shown to create pickets or create your own design.


Step 2: Lay the four 48 inches on a table or floor leaving a 1/4 inch between them (spacers will help keep everything aligned). Ensure pickets are even across the top.


fence pickets and rails with spacers
Pickets with spacers (alignment and pilot holes previously drilled - see below)



Step 3: Place one rail (B) 4 inches from the top and draw a line across the pickets at that point.


Step 4: Mark your pilot holes. With the rail in place, mark the center equal distance from the sides of both the rail and picket. You should have four center marks on the rail.


Step 5: Drill pilot holes at your marks


drilling pilot holes in rail
Drilling pilot holes



Step 6: Place your drilled rail on the pickets at your line and screw into place.


fence pickets and rails with spacers
Grandson attaching rail to pickets



Step 7: Repeat the process with the next rail (B) at 18 inches from the top.


Step 8: Repeat the process with another rail (B) aligning it with the bottom of your pickets.


attaching bottom rail to pickets
Bottom rail being attached
(Note how the spacers have been moved to the bottom of the pickets to keep everything aligned)



Step 9: Build a shelf. Select four shelf pieces (C) and form a shelf with sides touching. Ensure the best face is placed down. Attach cleats (E) to the four pieces (C) by marking and drilling pilot holes, then securing with screws.


attaching cleats to bottom of shelf
Grandson attaching cleats to underside of shelf



Step 10: Attach the shelf to the pickets. You may need an assistant for this step. Align your shelf just underneath the middle rail. From the back of the pickets, drill pilot holes through the pickets and into the shelf. Secure with screws.


Optional: You may want to let the shelf rest on the rail instead of placing it underneath. We chose to place it underneath as we wanted our black cat to "walk" across the rail.


Step 11: Attach the shelf support piece (G). My shelf support was approximately 10 1/2 inches long with ends cut at 45 degree angles. Position the support in the middle under the shelf. Ensure the support is resting on wood, not on a space between the pickets. Drill pilot holes in each end and attach with screws.


wood ends cut at 45 degrees
10 inch shelf support with ends at 45 degrees



Position the support in the middle under the shelf. Ensure the support is resting on wood, not on a space between the pickets. Drill pilot holes in each end and attach with screws.


shelf with support installed
Shelf support installed



Step 12: Build the bottom shelf. Use the same process as in Step 9 above but use five (5) of C and cleats (F).


marking pilot holes with pencil
Marking pilot holes on cleats



attaching cleats to bottom shelf
Attaching cleats to the bottom shelf



Step 13: Rest the shelf on top of the bottom rail and attach it to the pickets as you did in Step 10 above.


Step 14: Attach one (D) to the underside front of the bottom shelf. Drill pilot holes and attach with two screws.


Step 15: Turn shelf stand on side. Attach one piece (D) under the shelf and between the support and rail with screws. Drill pilot holes first!


view of wood supports on bottom of candy holder
Bottom view of Halloween porch candy holder



Optional Ideas: I added quarter round on the shelves to help prevent anything from falling off. If you don't have quarter-round you could use scrap wood to create your own barrier.


quarter round installed around shelves
Quarter Round on white-washed shelves



You can also paint or stain your new Halloween porch candy holder. We white-washed ours as you can see to give it a more vintage appeal.


Halloween porch candy holder
We're liking our new Halloween candy holder. Perfect near the front door.



Halloween porch candy holder - close up of candy bowl
Close-up of the candy dish - a dollar store find



Halloween porch candy holder - close up of bottom shelf
The lower shelf is perfect for pumpkins or mums



Halloween porch candy holder
Right at home on our front porch



black cat on front porch halloween decorating idea candy holder
Make our black cat for your fence!
See below



Make Our Halloween Black Cat!

This is an easy project and you can make it out of various materials- ours is wood, of course. We used the cat on our fence but you can use it anywhere - indoors or out. I even added lights behind the eyes for even more appeal.


halloween black cat on front porch halloween decorating idea
Make our black cat


Download our free template and follow our easy instructions.




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