My boys are completely obsessed with skulls this Halloween, so when my mom suggested this project I jumped right on it!  She’s had this idea since just after last Halloween, and it’s finally time to get it made.  Have you ever looked at those milk bottles that come in kids’ meals and noticed their unique shape?  Well, that’s what our little skull friends are made from — all you need are those empty bottles, a battery-operated tea light, and one other super cheap material you most likely have on hand!

Project Estimate:

  • empty milk bottles, on hand
  • electrical tape, on hand
  • battery-operated tea lights, 2/$1
  • ribbon, optional
  • wax paper:  not vital but helpful, on hand

Total:  About $0.50 each!

STEP ONE: Cut a 2″ piece of electrical tape (I like to call it “poor man’s vinyl!”) and place it on a small rectangle of wax paper.  The wax paper prevents the tape from sticking to your scissors as you cut, making it much easier to handle.  Cut tooth shapes from one side of the tape, as shown.  Next, carefully remove your tape and reposition it on another rectangle of wax paper.  (This makes it so much easier to remove from the wax paper when it comes time!)  Cut teeth away on the opposite side.

STEP TWO: Cut eye and nose shapes from smaller pieces of electrical tape.  This is where you can get creative and make whatever kind of skull face you like — grumpy, happy, jolly, scary, etc.  Position your skull face on your milk bottle, as shown.  You can play with the placement as much as you like; it’s very easy to remove and reposition the electrical tape.

STEP THREE: Remove the cap, place your milk bottle over the top of a battery-operated tea light, and tape the two components together.  I used some white electrical tape I had on hand, but there’s no reason you can’t just use black.

STEP FOUR: If desired, cover the taped seam with a piece of ribbon or fabric.

I originally wanted to add a little bowtie to my jolly skull friend, but decided it looked too weird…  Personal preference, I suppose!

That’s it!  Your little friends are done!
They are a cute decoration that look just as good in the daylight as they do at night with the tea lights turned on.  In fact, you could skip the tea lights completely for a FREE project!

If you’re interested, I’ve got a little bonus project over on my blog.  Come check it out!

Caroline Sanchez (Care) has been sewing since her mom taught her the basics at around six years old.  She has always been driven to CREATE, even from a very young age.  She is mommy to two little boys and one baby girl, and almost every spare moment she has is spent in her sewing room or working on her blog, Obsessively Stitching.

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