I usually turn and run when the barrage of orange and black decorations hit the craft stores for Halloween (it’s just not my color palette, ok? I mean, where are the mint colored pumpkins?). However, this year I’ve made quite the Halloween decor turnaround for one reason alone- skulls! I’ve been snapping up skull ribbon, skull paper straws, and all the other cranial paraphernalia I can get my hands on so I can spread my love of skulls long after October is over.
The halloween aisle at Michael’s is where I found this little plaster skull gem. The moment I saw it I knew it was destined to reside in my house as a DIY project. Anyone wanna make some sweet bookends? Good.
I made a pencil mark down the center of my skull and used a simple handsaw to slowly saw the skull in half. It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be; the plaster cut really well and the skull was thick enough that I wasn’t worried about it breaking. Once the skull was separated into two halves, I used a clear gloss sealer to seal the outside of the plaster and followed up with a white gloss spray paint to give it some shine. I bought a 3 1/2 inch wide poplar board (any wood will do) and cut the board into two pieces that were 9 1/2 inches long. I painted those boards white with an acrylic gloss paint and glued each skull half onto a board with E6000 glue. That particular glue takes a little longer to dry than most glues (but it’s really strong when dry), so I used painter’s tape and heavy items on either side of the bookends to hold them upright while drying.
I wasn’t exactly sure how these would turn out when I first thought of the idea, but I knew if they turned out well it would be so worth it. And you know what? I LOVE them (especially paired with my painted books)! If I saw these in a store, I would audibly squeal with delight and snatch them up immediately.
You can make yourself a pair for Halloween, but mine are going to be rocking out my bookshelf all through the year.
xo. Laura
This is such a cute idea, and very simple to do, love it! –Hanna Lei
AH! I love it! I did this last year – bought up all the skull decorations during halloween despite my dislike for halloween. First pump! Get ’em girl.
GREAT idea. I like what you’ve done to the books too!
Ahh they look so cool! I will be looking out for a plaster skull somewhere in my hometown
Rosie x | Every Word Handwritten
I saw this at Michaels yesterday! I’m going to buy one next time I stop in 🙂 i love this idea, although the sawing through the skull picture makes me cringe a little.
From where do you have the books? They are so cool!
There’s actually a link to a post the shows how I made the books near the end of this post. Glad you like them!
This is a great idea! And so easy! I suppose maybe the hardest part would be finding a skull that would work.
awesome idea, so cute!
What is that moon print in the corner of the top picture? Did you make it/print it yourself or buy it from somewhere?
It’s from Urban Outfitters 🙂
so cool! they turned out really well. I am digging skulls more this year too 🙂
I love this!
Pretty sure I’d have this in my home all year round!
Wish we had hobby stores like “Michaels here in Australia 🙁
Becky Ann
http://www.pixiwishesforeheadkisses.com
WHAT. This is amazing. I have a particular weakness for the skulls around this time of year too, and this is a perfect way to keep them out all year long.
Did you see you were featured on Apartment Therapy? Pretty neat.
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/halloween-diy-skull-bookends-196083
I did Marci, yay!!
Those are sooo cool! And they’re 40% off at my Michaels right now! I would LOVE to link to your directions if you didn’t mind!
Of course Rachel, go ahead and link it 🙂
I know this is an older post but I am so tired of the super expensive yet cute bookends. I have a Mexican themed living room, so I am going to paint the skull as a colorful Day of the Dead Mexican sugar skull then cut. Bonus it’s September so I should be able to find what I need. Thanks for the idea…. super excited!