Keep Out Sign 👻 HCC 2025

If you’re ready to make a statement with your Halloween crafting this year, this Keep Out sign might be just what your front door — or your workspace 😂 — needs.

Designed with a strong Halloween theme and oversized style, this project is a fun way to let visitors or co-workers know that you’re fully in the Halloween spirit.

With bold, layered lettering and spooky detailing, it’s sure to get noticed wherever you hang it.

This is a “larger than mat” Cricut project, so the finished Halloween sign measures around 22 inches wide. This makes it perfect for door displays, porch decor, or even as a wall accent inside your home.

It’s cut in sections using a Cricut, then assembled to create a large-scale piece. If you’re familiar with off the mat Cricut projects, this one follows a similar format — giving you that dramatic, oversized look without needing a huge cutting mat.

If you’re tight on space or cardstock, there’s also a smaller version of the Keep Out sign for Halloween included. All the pieces are already joined together in this file, so you can make a compact version that still looks great. This option works well for indoor spaces like a home office or as part of your Halloween porch decorations if you’re fitting it in with other existing decorations.

No matter which version you choose, this Halloween porch sign project is a great way to stretch your design skills and get creative with layering, sizing, and Halloween color combinations.

It’s a simple build, but the finished result is bold and full of personality. If you enjoy Halloween crafts that really stand out, this is a great one to add to your project list. 👻

Keep Out Sign Supply List

Here is a list of the materials that are needed to make this project.

Please note that some of the links included in this article are affiliate links, which means that if you click through and make a purchase I may receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). You can read my full disclosure at the bottom of the page.

• Cricut machine
• Light blue Cricut cutting mat
• Coloured Card
• Glue (I like Bearly Art Glue and Collall)
• 3D foam pads
• Twine, string or ribbon

This project is suitable for the following types of Cricut machines: Explore series, Maker series, Joy Xtra and Joy. You will need to make the project smaller to cut it on the Joy.

Foundation learning

If you're new to making papercrafts with your cutting machine, check out these links to get you started.

They include videos on topics such as: which file to use with your type of cutting machine, how to load the files into your cutting machine's software, how to cut cardstock with your type of cutting machine, how to recolor and modify/customize the cut files and tips for displaying your projects.

• Help guides for Cricut machines
• Help guides for Silhouette machines
• Help guides for ScanNCut machines

The following tutorials are Cricut-specific, but many of the ideas will work similarly with a Silhouette or ScanNCut machine and any cut files that are shared in them are compatible with all types of cutting machine.

• How to score with a Cricut (even without scoring tools)
• Print then cut tutorial
• Design Space tools (Combine, Attach, Slice, Weld, Flatten, etc.)
• Pattern fill tutorial (for making backgrounds & cutting images to a specific shape/size)
• Free envelope SVGs that can be sized to fit any card
• Presentation boxes for handmade cards
• How to write inside cards with Cricut pens
• How to cut layered designs at a small size
• Design Space tips & tricks
• Cricut pens tutorial
• How to mount multiple designs in the same frame with magic guides

Video Tutorial for Halloween Porch Sign

Watch the video below to see how to make this project. Keep scrolling for a written tutorial.

How to Make a “Keep Out” Off-the-Mat Cricut Project for Halloween

Here’s how to make this spooky Keep Out sign for Halloween using a Cricut machine.

Step 1) Download the cutting files & upload to Design Space

Get the files using the box below.

Before you upload the SVGs to Design Space, you need to unzip the download folder that they come in.

• How to unzip a folder on Windows computer
• How to unzip a folder on a Mac
• How to unzip a folder on an iPad/iPhone
• How to unzip a folder on an Android device

After unzipping, upload the SVG file(s) into your cutting machine software.

Not sure how to use cut files with your type of machine? The following links lead to videos on how to open cut files in:

• Cricut Design Space
• Silhouette Studio
• CanvasWorkspace (for ScanNCut machines)

The download folder also contains printable PDF versions of the templates for hand cutting.

If you are using Cricut Design Space, start a new project and then click the “Upload” button on the left of the screen.

You can then either click “Browse” to find the files on your computer, or drag-and-drop them in.

Navigate to the “01 Cricut Version” subfolder and then choose if you want to make the giant off the mat version of the sign, or the smaller version.

The larger than mat project file is called svg-01-keep-out-large-craftwithsarah.svg

The smaller design is svg-01-keep-out-small-craftwithsarah.svg

Both cards are cut in the same way. The pictures below show the Halloween tree card, but it works the same for the Halloween house card too.

I’m showing the steps for the small sign, but it works the same for the larger one.

Don’t worry if the image preview appears blurry – it will show in full quality once it’s inserted onto your project.

Press “Upload” on the next screen.

After uploading, the design should be automatically inserted onto your Canvas.

Cricut have recently (as of June 2025) introduced a feature where you get a “pop out” bar of similar images when you Upload a design. To hide this bar (to give you more space for designing!), click the arrow that’s about half way down the page.

If the design doesn’t get inserted onto your Canvas, it will show under “Uploads” in your “Recently Uploaded Images”. Click on it and then press “Add to Canvas” to put it onto your Project.

The small version loads in at 11 inches wide, which is fine for 12×12 cardstock but won’t cut on smaller sizes of card.

To make it smaller (to fit US Letter or A4), make sure the padlock between width and height is closed, then type in the new width and press Enter on your keyboard. The height will automatically change in proportion. Make it 10.5 inches wide or smaller to cut on A4 or US Letter paper.

For the small version of the sign, all of the bottom pieces come as one. That’s what makes this version easier to assemble.

If you want to go big, upload the large version. At first, it looks the same, but when you insert it onto your canvas, you’ll see that it’s much larger (about 22 inches wide).

Since it’s so big, the bottom pieces are split into sections that you’ll glue together later. This lets you cut it from 12×12 cardstock.

Again, you’ll need to make it a smaller to cut from A4 or US Letter.

Step 2) Cut out the Keep Out Sign

When you’re happy with how the project is looking in Design Space, click “Make” and follow the instructions on-screen to cut out all the pieces.

To change the paper size, go into the dropdowns over on the left side of the screen and choose the paper size that you want to use. You need to change it for every single colour.

If you cannot see the paper size you’re looking for, it means that the current pieces are too big to cut on those sizes. You can “Cancel” the cut and resize the sign smaller if needed.

To save space on your cardstock, you can move things around by clicking and dragging. Make sure when you’re moving things about that nothing overlaps because otherwise, it won’t cut out properly.

TIP: New to using cardstock with your cutting machine? Check out these machine help guides for Cricut, Silhouette and ScanNCut that go through every step of the process, including tips for getting the best quality cuts from your machine.

Step 3) Stick the Halloween porch sign together

If you’re making the small version of the sign, scroll down until you see the assembly guide. As your bottom pieces all cut as single sheets, it’s easier to put together.

If you’re making the larger version, you’ll have a few more steps to do, to join those bottom layers together.

Use 3D foam pads and glue to stick the layers together.

Use this guide to see the order to stick the layers together in.

A printable version of the assembly guide is included in the folder when you download the cut files.

My favourite glues to use on papercraft projects are Bearly Art Glue and Collall All Purpose Glue.

These are great because they don’t “warp” or bend the cardstock like some glues do. You can use as much of it as you want and the card stays perfect – and it dries perfectly clear too!

Bearly Art Glue comes with a tiny nozzle to make it easy to apply glue to small areas of card. The Collall glue doesn’t come with this, so it’s easiest to decant it into needle tip applicator bottles so that you have more control.

The foam pads that I use are from “Dot & Dab”, but any foam squares will work. If yours are big then you may need to cut them smaller with scissors to fit inside the edges of the layers.

With the giant version of the sign, start by glueing the two red pieces together. Line up the “blood” drips.

Turn the red layer upside down. Now take the two bottom brown pieces and place them face down as well.

Use the red piece as a guide and glue the brown pieces together to match its size.

Let the glue dry before flipping it all over again.

Once the bottom brown piece is ready, glue the wood grain detail layers on top.

They’re a little fiddly because of the open shapes, so take your. Don’t worry if it gets messy, your glue should dry clear.

Next, add the red blood layer on top using foam squares.

When adding the foam pads to larger pieces of card, make sure you add some in the middles of the pieces of card so it gives stability to the middles.

If you don’t add any foam pads in the middles then it can “sag” under the weight of the other layers which doesn’t look as good.

This adds depth and really makes the design pop. Because the sign is large and heavy, use plenty of foam squares so it sticks securely.

Then glue the side frame pieces on top.

Add wooden strips that go across the top and bottom of the sign. I used more foam squares here to add extra dimension.

Step 4) Add the wording

Lay all the letters out first without sticking them down.

This helps you make sure they fit and look balanced before committing. They don’t have to be perfectly straight, I think they look more spooky if they’re a little crooked.

I used foam squares on the back of each letter to make them stand out, but you can glue them flat if you prefer.

The little blood splatter piece can go anywhere. I placed mine between the “O” and the “U”, but feel free to use it to cover up any little mistakes.

It’s a great way to hide a bent or creased letter!

Step 5) Hang up your keep out sign for Halloween

To hang it up, use the holes at the top corners.

I threaded twine through from the back so the knots are hidden. Tie the ends in a simple knot (it doesn’t need to be fancy) and adjust the length to how you want it to hang.

You can hang it on a picture hook, a nail, or even a door handle.

And that’s it! Your Halloween “Keep Out” sign is all finished.

I also made the smaller version. It’s the same design, but the bottom pieces are all cut from one sheet, which makes it quicker to assemble.

I accidentally bent the letter “E”, so I placed the blood splatter over it to cover the crease. Worked like a charm!

Handmade Keep Out Sign for Halloween Porch Decorations

I hope you had fun making this Halloween “Keep Out” sign.

It is now ready to display and send a clear Halloween message with style.

Hang it on your door, porch, or even your office wall — it’s a bold and fun addition to your seasonal decor that’s sure to get noticed. 🎃

Happy crafting,
Sarah x