By Candie Cooper - To see more crafts from Candie check out her blog, Candie Cooper's Journal

Fall is here, the birds have flown south, and the rats and spiders have taken over! Decorate plain birdhouses with different Plaid products to get spooky houses like these. Here's how!

Paint your houses in whatever Halloween Folk Art colors you like. Add coats of Extreme Glitter for a bit of sparkle---I used Peridot over Calypso Sky Folk Art paint. For the green house, tiny sequins were sprinkled over a coat of Mod Podge Outdoor. A piece of black net was cut to lay over the rooftop, dipped in Stiffy and laid over the top to dry as well.  Stiffy makes any fabric surface rigid. Flat back crystals and embellishments were added with Mod Podge too.

Gallery Glass isn't just for glass! Use it to create a shiny slimy look on wood too as seen just above the spider. Ribbon was hot glued to the top in a loopy fashion to add a whimsical touch.

Little rats from the Dollar Store have been painted with Silver Outdoor Folk Art paint. You can glue them to the house with multi-purpose adhesive or let them scatter about. You can paint a spider web on the front or use a permanent marker to draw one.

Check out Plaid Crafts YouTube channel to see more Halloween ideas including the techniques used on these birdhouses. These houses are not completely outdoor proof so I'll be bringing the critters inside to set in my kitchen window. Happy crafting!