DIY de los Muertos: A Skull Centerpiece for the New Halloween

Sarah Essex

If you’re looking to decorate your home for Halloween, but a big orange pumpkin leaves you feeling a little uninspired, we’ve got just the centerpiece for you! Turn a plaster skull into a decorative vase for a seasonal arrangement, and you’ll be ready to welcome ghouls and goblins to your very own haunted house, in style.

On your next trip to the craft supply store, pick up a plaster skull that’s hollow on the inside (they’re widely available, so don’t worry) — then all you need is some floral foam and the flowers of your choice.

Go on, go beyond the pumpkin — we dare ya! And don’t forget: Nov. 1 is Día de los Muertos, which many think of as the “new Halloween.” Whichever day you celebrate, make it joyfully macabre with a striking skull-turned-flower vase.

Materials:

  • Flowers

  • Plaster skull — hollow inside

  • Black plastic liner

  • Oasis floral foam

  • Gold paint

  • Air-dry clay

Tools:

  • Fine paintbrush

  • Flower scissors

  • Water

Instructions:

1. Paint one or two teeth gold on your plaster skull and let them dry.

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2. Trim black plastic liner to size for the inside of your skull.

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3. Trim Oasis floral foam to fit inside the skull.

4. Line the skull with the black plastic.

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5. Soak Oasis in water and push snuggly into the lined skull.

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6. Make a ball, about 3 inches, of clay and then smash it down to a thick pancake, fanning out the edges with heel of your palm to create a thin finish.

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7. Push the skull, upside down and a bit cockeyed, into the clay to shape a “stand” for the skull. The clay will dry to the shape of the skull for holding.

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8. Add flowers, pushing them into the wet Oasis floral foam to create a bouquet.

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