Thursday, October 24, 2013

DIY Sugar Skull (Day of the Dead) Milk Jug Luminaries


Currently my college friend Kim is visiting us for the week.  It's been really nice having someone else here while hubby is away.  Time just passes by much quicker when you're having fun with a friend.

And just how have we been having fun?  Well, we've been playing with Chuck... and eating... and watching tv... and crafting... a lot... a whole lot...  Halloween and Dia De Los Muertos are right around the corner, so all of our crafts have been centered around those two holidays. 

I'm currently on a sugar skull kick.  I just love the way they look.  So when I was staring at an old milk jug the other day, an idea dawned on me.  Ding!  Why not use them to make some sugar skull luminaries?  So tada, here's what I came up with:



I'd seen tons of posts for ghost milk jug luminaries for awhile, so I figured this was a nice twist on that craft.  It uses skulls and colorful lights instead of ghost faces and white lights.   I just love how this little guy turned out.  He's so cute and smiley... and gosh darn it, I've just got a big ol' soft soft for any craft that involves twinkly, colorful lights.




Materials:
  •  Black Paint pen (or black Sharpie marker- but the color won't come out as dark)
  • 1/2 gallon milk jugs
  • Exacto knife / Scissors
  • Colorful Christmas lights (preferably ones that don't get too hot)

Directions:

 1.  Cut off the bottom portion of your milk jug container.  (I used an exacto knife first to pierce the plastic and then I used the scissors to cut the rest.)  Cut out a hole in the back of your luminary.  Make sure the hole is big enough to fit your plug through.

2.  Doodle your skulls on the front and sides of the luminary.

And that's it!  Now shove your Christmas lights inside, step back, and admire the happy colors and design.




They look quite magical at night, but they also create some lovely ambiance during the day too.


I love how a crappy old milk jug could make such happy room decor.  As always, happy crafting!  (Hrmm.... or should I say, happy crapting?  Tee hee hee.)

(Psst- Looking for more sugar skull crafts?  Check out these Sugar Skull Shoes or Sugar Skull Candle Holders.  They're both fun and easy to make.)