Dancing Skeletons by Candice Windham

 

Dancing Skeletons 

Designed by Candice Windham 

I love adding humor in my work and when I saw this quotation (author unknown), I could visualize this project immediately.

Makin’s® No Bake Polymer Clay, cutters and Texture Sheets gave me the tools I needed to upgrade this project from pretty good to spooktacular.

It can be used as a Halloween centerpiece for your spooky party or as a little Halloween décor throughout the haunting month of October.

Here’s how I did it:

Supplies

Makin’s Clay® - black, yellow, red and white
                         - Clay Cutters, Halloween #37052
                         - Texture Sheets, #38003 and #38005
                         - Clay Cutting Mat
Plastic skeletons, 3, about 6” tall
Black cardstock
Black glitter paper
Smoothfoam™, 3” x 4” x 2”
Photo storage box
Patterned paper, 12” x 12”, 2 matching sheets
1 ½” Glitter ribbon, black (#HO32, Adams & Co.)
Orange Polka Dot Ribbon (Bo Bunny)
Black ink pad
Sponge
Black wire, 18”
Inka Gold, Violet, Green, Copper, Apricot (Viva Décor)
Glitter Pen, Hematite (Viva Décor)
Black Glitter Spider
Printed sentiment
Beacon® 3-in-1 Adhesive
Crop-a-dile punch
Netting, green, orange and purple, about 1 yard by 6”
Needle and thread
White glue
Gold glitter
Small brush
Metal Latch
Brads, 8
Instructions

1. Blend red and yellow clay, but leave striations in the clay. Roll out yellow/red mix, white, black and yellow clay and cut with pumpkin, leaves, cat, bat and moon cutters.

2. Roll out one package of black clay at the #2 setting on the Makin’s Clay®. Use three different Texture Plates to add texture, then cut 11 squares with the 2” square clay cutter.

3. Fold each piece of netting in half to make a 3” x 36” strip. Gather with needle and thread along to fold. Wrap each piece of netting around the skeletons’ waists, tacking the netting to secure the skirt. Trim length if necessary. Wrap a piece of black clay around the feet of the skeletons.

4. Set all clay pieces aside to dry overnight.

5. Print out sentiment in two sections using white type on a black background. Trim the “If you’re going to have skeletons in your closet..” to fit the width of the box. Attach the sentiment to the top of the box lid.

6. Measure to find the vertical center of the lid. Cut across just below the sentiment, down the center and across the bottom of the lid with a craft knife. Sponge all the cut edges with black ink.

7. Cut the patterned paper ½” small than the height of the doors and 1” wider than the width of each door plus the width of the box edge. Adhere the paper ½” to the inside of the door and wrap it around to the side, folding the edge under the lid edge.



8. Apply copper, green and violet Inka Gold to the clay squares.

9. Trim the squares if necessary and set three on each door diagonally. Cut the remaining squares in half and line up down the middle of each door, referring to photo.

10. Apply Inka Gold to the leaves, pumpkins, moon and bat. Add black Glitter Pen to cat and bats.

11. Allow to dry, then add the leaves, cat, bat and ghost to the box lid referring to the photo. Set aside to allow adhesive to dry.

12. Remove the nameplate from box if there is one. Punch three holes in the box top about 2” apart, centering the middle hole.

13. Attach the remaining portion of the sentiment to a strip on sturdy black cardstock, 3” tall and 8 ½” wide. Measure the box width and mark the width from the center. Score top to bottom at these points and fold the strip ends to the back.

14. Trim black glitter paper to fit the inside of the box and adhere with Beacon 3-in-I Adhesive.

15. Paint the Smoothfoam with black craft paint or cover it with lightweight black cardstock. Adhere it in the center bottom of the box against the box back

16. Place the sentiment strip against the Smoothfoam block and adhere the flaps inside the box sides, trimming if necessary.

17. Apply white glue to the clay on the skeleton feet with the small brush and cover with gold glitter. Allow to dry.

18. Attach 6” of wire around the neck of each skeleton and run the end through the hole in the box top. Adjust the wire so that the skeleton hangs with the feet just above the Smoothfoam block. Run a strip of double stick adhesive across the box top just behind the holes and press the wire into it to hold in place. Repeat with remaining skeletons.

19. Adhere black metallic ribbon to box, wrapping it around the center and adhering the ends to the box bottom, covering the wires and holes in the box top. Repeat with orange polka dot ribbon.

20. Make small L-shaped and A-shaped supports for the pumpkins and adhere them to the back of each pumpkin with double-stick tape. Place in the box bottom in front of the sentiment.

21. Adhere the moon to the box inside back.

Finishing

1. Place the latch in place on the box lid front and mark the holes. Punch with the Cropadile, then attach to the box lid with brads. Sponge the brads with black ink. Cut the remaining piece of square clay and cover the back of the brads on the box lid inside.

2. Place Beacon 3-in1 Adhesive all around the inside edge of the box lid, then replace it on the box.

3. Attach the glittery spider to the box top with Beacon 3-in-1 Adhesive.