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Blog written by professional eDesigner, Teri Moore, featuring DIY home remodeling tutorials, budget interior design, and affordable home furnishings.

Halloween Decorations: You Can DIY Your Own Life-Sized Skeleton Bartender

October 23, 2018 Teri Moore
DIY Halloween decorations - skeleton bartender

I love Halloween. Have I made that point clear yet? It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Sao every year when a new batch of fun Halloween decorations premieres, I am super excited to see what I might be able to snatch up (if I wait until November 1st for the clearance). This year, my particular obsession was a mirror and skeleton set from Grandin Road. The snag? It’s $500! No clearance sale will ever make that affordable. So I decided to make my own. He’s not as sinister as the original, but I think he’s great nonetheless.

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halloween decorations - I DIYed my own version of this skeleton bartender

SUPPLIES
bag of bones
hot glue gun / glue
child’s clothing: suit jacket, dress shirt, bow tie
chicken wire
small dowel
masking tape
wire hanger

Create a small hole in the bottom of the skull, like so.

DIY skeleton life sized

Insert a small piece of dowel into that hole.

DIY skeleton decor for Halloween

Make a hole in the end of the spine and join to the skull’s dowel. Use hot glue to secure. Repeat these steps with two arms and hands.

DIY skeleton for Halloween - only $10 for a skeleton bartender

Lay out the attire you intend to clothe your skeleton in. I found this jacket for $1 at the local thrift store and used an old dress shirt my daughter no longer fits. The bow tie was mine. It’s a long story. Whatever you use, make sure you have no intentions of ever wearing it again because there will likely be custom alterations required. Don’t worry. I just mean that you’re going to cut it to shreds.

Next, lay our your skeleton pieces and trim the remaining dowel into three sections, one should be slightly longer than the other two. You’re doing to lay these out to mark where your joints need to be. During this stage, trim any excessive dowel, if necessary, so that the entire stick fits within the clothing.

DIY skeleton bartender - tutorial for your own inexpensive halloween decor

Next, make two small holes in the bottom of the spine bone to run the dowel through. Then secure with hot glue then wrap in masking tape.

DIY halloween decor

Next, trim two pieces of thick metal wire (or a metal hanger) to about 8” long. Bend at a 45 degree angle and insert inside the arm bone, leaving half exposed. Secure with hot glue and masking tape. Repeat with the second arm.

DIY skeleton decor for halloween

Add a bead of hot glue to one of the remaining dowels, then while still hot, begin wrapping the exposed wire around the dowel to secure at a 45 degree angle. Add more glue. Secure with more masking tape. Repeat with second arm.

DIY life sized skeleton from a bag of bones
DIY skeleton in a suit coat

Lay the jacket out and insert a strip of chicken wire (I actually used a scrap piece of a cabbie system we had laying around - either will work). Trim to fit, if necessary. Then begin attaching the neck by tying with string. Insert the arms through the jacket and repeat attachment steps.

DIY halloween - skeleton in a suit coat - he's very dapper - and easy to make!

Finish dressing him.

Last-minute Halloween on the cheap - DIY $15 Skeleton Bartender

Hang with command hooks. I recommend using two at the very top of the wire.

DIY Halloween decor on the cheap

Have you met Demetri “Dem” Bones? He’s a real bag of laughs.

DIY Halloween Decor - Cheap and Fun

xoxo
Teri

I like a black and red Halloween decor look because it so easily incorporates into my existing home decor. I especially love how I can use vintage silver pieces and Dollar store finds in the same space to look super realistic. And it's all super cheap to DIY!
Easy Halloween Party Table Setting - I like to keep it buffet style. Let people walk around. Adding black and red accents makes this neutral but spooky.
Hollywood Regency Halloween Decorations - I've DIYed a ton of my own decor for halloween and all of it has been very cheap. This life-sized skeleton bartender was only $15! Here's how.
DIY Halloween Bar Spread - and I DIYed this Halloween costume with a $10 cape and clothes I already had in my closet. The trick is to layer black on black. Then you look sinister. Remember that lace looks creepy for Halloween. And RED LIPSTICK always. The earrings are pieces of a garland that I removed and pushed around a pair of simple studs.
DIY Halloween Party Decor that doesn't cost much and looks great with your existing decor. I go for black and red. I also DIYed this skeleton bartender for $15. Here's how.
← ORC™: Week Four: Replacing Carpeted Stairs with Hardwood - No Easy TaskORC™: Week Three - DIY Home Improvement Fails →
Hey guys! I’m Teri Moore.  I’ve DIYed multiple renovations which have each resulted in   $100k+ profits at resale.    Now I’m teaching you how to do the exact same thing + land  YOUR DREAM HOME ON ANY BUDGET!     Click here to read my story.

Hey guys! I’m Teri Moore.
I’ve DIYed multiple renovations which have each resulted in $100k+ profits at resale.
Now I’m teaching you how to do the exact same thing + land YOUR DREAM HOME ON ANY BUDGET!
Click here to read my story.


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