Skull Garland

Here's another Halloween decorating idea for your home! This skull garland is easy to make and can be done for just a few dollars; I've been hanging it on our mantle for years.

I initially made this haunting trimming for our annual Day of the Dead dinner. In many parts of Mexico, on Dia de los Meurtos, families create altars to honor the dead. They adorn these altars with food and objects that belonged to their deceased loved ones when they were alive. They also display small clay statues that resemble them. I've taken inspiration from this holiday and created mini skulls in the same style. Though I made the garland for Day of the Dead, I like to hang it up for the whole month of October, since it works perfectly for Halloween as well.

Here's how to make them:

• What you'll need: two to three packages of white baking clay, black craft paint, copper wire, black, orange, and yellow beads, and a tooth pick.
• Mold your clay into a number of small skull shapes (making enough to fill your desired length of garland). You can look at pictures online for inspiration. These don't have to be perfect- each one will take on a slightly different shape.
• Using a toothpick, horizontally pierce the clay skull through the center part of the head.
• Bake clay according to label directions. Remove from oven and let cool.
• Paint a face on each of the skulls.
• String the copper wire with your multi-colored beads, alternating colors and creating a pattern of black, orange, and yellow. Do ten sets of this combination, string on a skull and repeat. Continue in this manner until all of your skulls are used and you've reached your desired length.