In this post I’ll be sharing VOL. 2 of our 2023 Halloween makeup, costumes, and DIY series. The theme this week is: DIY halloween home decor and props!
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Happy #FrightFemmes Friday! This week, we are rolling up our sleeves and pulling out the craft supplies for some Halloween home decor and prop DIY projects.
If you’re just joining us, click here to read the intro post… but, here’s a quick recap in a nutshell:
The #FrightFemmes collab is an ode to our love for all things Halloween… especially, the makeup & costuming. During the month of October, I’m teaming up with Caro from @blonde2brunette and Ruthmarie from @the.vintage.raven to share weekly themed makeup and costume ideas with the hopes of inspiring others to tap into their creative flow all season long. This year, we’re also including lifestyle DIY projects, so there’s a little bit of magic for everyone to enjoy! Be sure to follow the official @FrightFemmes page on Instagram to keep up with our looks and projects… we’ll be posting content daily and can’t wait to see you there!
Missed last week’s VOL. 1 Siren themed makeup and costume looks? Check them out here!
Whether you enjoy customizing your Halloween decor or making props for an upcoming party, you’ll want to stick around to check out the 3 DIY projects we have to share today.
The DIY PROJECTS:
+ Caro (Ember Burning Cauldron)
+ Ruthmarie (Book from Hocus Pocus)
+ Laura (Gothic Skull Wall Decor)
Caro – Ember Burning Cauldron
Caro is a star at setting the scene and creating a fully immersive and themed environment. Her expertise in set design and prop styling extends into the holiday season with her intricately layered rooms, photoshoot backdrops, and home decor vignettes. This week, she shares how she made this incredible bubbling cauldron with a burning ember effect. This makes for an amazing fireplace decor or a “wow-moment” at a Halloween party!
For more behind the scenes and details about Caro’s project, check out her post here!
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Keep up with Caro and her #FrightFemmes looks via her Instagram @caropozo + her lifestyle blog @blonde2brunette / blonde2brunette.com + her shop @thesugarcottage_ / thesugarcottagemiami.com for gifts, event design, and so much more! For video content, check out the Blonde2Brunette YouTube channel for all things party planning, gardening, MUA, and beyond!
Ruthmarie – Book from Hocus Pocus
We know it, we love it, and we watch it every Halloween season… I’m obviously talking about Hocus Pocus! (Hence our homage from last year’s Fright Femmes intro post!) This week, Ruthmarie shares her journey behind creating a super intricate and stunning replica of BOOK, the beloved spell book used throughout the film by the Sanderson sisters. I’m blown away by the amount of detail, paint techniques, and sculpting that went into this project… not to mention the functional eye that even opens and closes! This goes beyond a Halloween costume prop and very much belongs displayed on a beautifully styled mantel or bookshelf. A truly showstopping centerpiece!
For more behind the scenes and details about Ruthmarie’s project, check out her post here!
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Keep up with Ruthmarie and her #FrightFemmes looks via her Instagram @the.vintage.raven + blog thevintageravenblog.com, and her shop @preciselyplanners / RMSewingEmporium for sewing planners and more creative goodies! For video content, check out The Vintage Raven YouTube channel for upcoming creative projects!
Laura – Gothic Skull Wall Decor
It’s no news that I’m a fan of the elevated spooky chic Halloween aesthetic, and for the past few years, I’ve been preferring a more neutral gothic/vintage – almost “realistic” approach to my decor pieces. I gravitate to elements that look like they could almost be permanent decor items, fitting in seamlessly with the rest of my space.
Today’s gothic skull wall decor project is a DIY and thrift flip – are we even surprised!?
A few months back I came across this gothic style Ikea UNG DRILL frame for just $10 at Goodwill (it has since been discontinued and now sells for over $100 on eBay!) and although I had no plans for this project yet, it was one of those had-to-have-it finds.
When brainstorming about this week’s project, I came across this reel by @deardarlenee and was inspired to try something a bit more large scale than my usual DIY projects. Determined to create a wall art piece with 3D elements that had a spooky yet chic and elevated vibe, I took to Pinterest for more inspo and my digital planner to start the brainstorming process…
Side Note: Keep up with me and my #FrightFemmes projects via Instagram @laurajadeprado
Click here for my digital planner
The Materials & Tools:
- frame – I used a thrifted Ikea frame but you can use any frame of choice! Similar mirror version linked here.
- recycled cardboard boxes or foam board
- matte black paint
- spider web
- skull head with open jaw
- craft knife
- hot glue gun
- craft glue
- paint brushes
- black spray paint
- acrylic paints – I used an assortment of black, white, and brown to mix a few custom colors
- craft butterflies – I used these exact ones, but a set in black would save you time!
- Rub ‘n Buff metallic paint
- Liquid Leaf metallic paint
Things to note before getting started:
- When selecting the 2 main components of this project, the frame and the skull, you want to make sure they look proportional to each other. The skull should be large enough to fill in the space nicely while still allowing some room around it for the butterflies.
- Choose a lightweight skull. Remember that this will be hung on a wall, so we don’t want to be adding a TON of glue to fight gravity.
- I highly suggest selecting a skull that has a nice overall shape and detailed features. The one I’m using in this post was thrifted, (similar version linked here) but you can see that it isn’t your basic flat/boring skull and has more depth to the sculpting of it. This is essentially the focal point of the entire piece, so you want it to be visually striking.
- Don’t worry if the coloring of the skull isn’t great, as we’ll be customizing this either way!
Alright, let’s jump into the process!
How to:
1. Remove the frame backing and glass. Set these aside for later because this project can be deconstructed – so you can always reuse this frame for other artwork or projects down the road.
2. Take a piece of cardboard (recycled Amazon boxes would be great for this) or foam board and create the base, tracing the original frame backing as a template.
3. Cover the base in black paint. I highly recommend chalk paint for this because it has great coverage and is super matte/flat. The reason you want matte paint is so that you won’t see any light reflecting off areas that peek through, making the background completely disappear.
4. Carefully cut off the back 1/3 of the skull head using a craft knife or super sharp scissors. Make sure the skull’s jaw is open and check that it sits nicely flush on the backing at a slightly downward facing angle. Set the skull aside for the time being.
5. Take small sections of spider web and stretch it over the backing, placing small dots of hot glue on the edges to hold it in place.
6. Add a light layer of matte black spray paint over the webbing. I chose not to fully saturate the web in black, and instead left some white areas peeking through for a bit more dimension.
7. Once the spray paint is dry, glue the skull head to the center of the backing using hot glue.
8. To further reinforce the skull, add a thin layer of tacky craft glue around the edges.
9. Once the glue is dry, paint the borders of the skull with the same black matte paint as the backing. This will blend the edges of the skull into the background and make it look like it is popping out almost seamlessly. I also painted the inside of the mouth/jaw area, eye sockets, and nose.
10. To add even more dimension, glue extra pieces of spider web to the open jaw and sides of the skull. This will help hide any unsightly glue areas and also give the piece a more layered look overall.
11. Repeat step 6 to add a light coat of matte spray paint over the new layer of web.
12. Now it’s time to paint the skull using acrylic paints. I mixed black, white, and brown to create different shades of greys and neutrals. Then layered the different colors of paint, dabbing them on with damp paper towels and using my fingers for an aged weathered look. There’s no right or wrong way to go about this. I find that the more layers you add the better it looks.
13. When adding paint, remember that dark colors make things recede, while light colors make things pop. Take the time to paint between the teeth and all the little detailed crevices, then step back and add lighter shades on the elevated areas you want to highlight, like the center of the teeth, top of the nose, and edges of the eye sockets.
14. Once the skull is painted, move on to the butterflies. Using the same black chalk paint, coat both sides of the butterflies and set aside to dry. To save yourself a step, you could purchase a set of black ones instead! But, I already had this set of felt butterflies in my craft stash, so I decided to use what I had on hand instead.
15. Reassemble the entire piece by carefully securing the backing with the skull and webbing onto the frame.
16. To make the details on the frame really pop, use Rub n Buff and a dense makeup brush (trust me on this) to gently swirl over the raised areas. You could fully cover the frame if you’d like, but I chose to keep the black peeking through for a slightly gilded look instead.
17. With a small craft brush, use Liquid Leaf to add patterns on the butterfly wings – making them all slightly different. This doesn’t have to be perfect and can have an almost painterly effect for a more whimsical touch.
18. Once all the gold paint has dried, glue the butterflies onto the backing in a slightly asymmetrical formation. Make sure the butterfly wings are folded up. Vary the angles and sizes, group a few together here and there, add some to the skull itself and place a few slightly overlapping the edges of the frame to further enhance the 3D effect.
And that’s it… the only thing left to do is hang it up!
I’m absolutely thrilled with the way this turned out. While I think the oval shape works really well for this particular DIY, it’s still super customizable with any shape or size frame.
The gold detailing really pops and almost glows at night when lit up by candles or a small table lamp. And, as an added bonus, since nothing is actually glued onto the frame itself, it can be repurposed for another project or home decor piece down the road – which is always a huge PLUS for any DIY in my book.
Overall, the end result feels equal parts elegant and spooky, and this piece fits right into my new gothic themed Halloween decor vignette. I styled it alongside a few other DIY and thrift flip projects: like the set of skeleton and snake taxidermy style frames, mini ghost painting, and an enchanted spell book.
I hope this inspired you to create something custom tailored to your own personal Halloween home decor aesthetic! If you recreate this project, I’d love to see… Tag @frightfemmes to join the spooky DIY crafting party all season long!
That wraps up our FrightFemmes DIY decor theme. Stay tuned for fresh new content from myself, Caro, and Ruthmarie… coming up next week!
In the meantime, follow along on Instagram @laurajadeprado for sneak peeks at upcoming Halloween makeup and costume inspo + other lifestyle-related content.
You can also check out my Halloween Pinterest board for tons of costumes, home decor, and party inspo… updated daily! As well as my Amazon Storefront where youโll find my favorite Halloween and seasonal finds!
Xx- Laura
PS โ Want to recreate your own version of a makeup look, costume, or DIY project? Weโd love to see it! Use the hashtag #FrightFemmes and tag us @frightfemmes on Instagramโฆ weโll be picking our favorites to feature throughout the month of October!
UPDATE: CLICK TO SEE ALL CONTENT FOR OUR 2023 SERIES
VOL.1 | VOL.2 | VOL.3 | VOL.4 | VOL.5
PIN THIS FOR LATER
