Jailbird Skeleton Halloween Decoration

Halloween is my favorite holiday, especially when it comes to decorating. So today I am bringing you a fun tutorial, as well as a list of over 100 other DIY Halloween ideas just in time for Friday the 13th! Make sure you scroll all the way though the post to check them all out!

My favorite Halloween decorating scheme is anything that includes skills and skeletons! On a recent trip to Michaels I found a little wire bird cage in one of their many bins-o-fun, and with Halloween right around the corner I thought it would be fun to make a little jailbird skeleton decoration. I don’t know what this guy did to get locked up but it certainly looks like he’s been there a very long time!

To make your own, you will need:

• Mini wire birdcage
• Plastic skeleton
• Craft knife or utility knife
• Glue
• Spray paint

The skeleton used came from a garland I got at Dollar Tree. It was articulated at the hips but not at the rest of the joints, so in order to pose him I cut him apart every place I wanted a bend: shoulders, elbows, and knees.

Figure out how you want the finished skeleton to be posed and carefully glue it back together. I used little dabs of Amazing Goop to reattach the joints.

My bird cage was originally bright red and I wanted a darker, grittier look for it. So first I gave the whole thing a good coat of black spray paint.

Once that was dry, I alternated between a gunmetal color of spray paint and the black, applying them in short bursts from a distance so that the surface was just misted with the colors. I kept adding a mist of paint until I was happy with the resulting finish.

Insert the posed skeleton into the bird cage and it’s ready to display! I also added a couple of dabs of glue to my skeleton at the butt and the heels to keep him sitting upright in the cage. Whaddaya think?

I got together with some friends and put together an incredible list of over 100 DIY Halloween ideas! Food, costumes, decor, treat bags, pumpkins… and more!