How to Decorate With Skulls
Georgia O’Keeffe made great use of skulls in her Southwestern paintings. You don’t need the finesse of such a master, however, to decorate with skulls yourself. Skulls make for a great alternative to some of the more humdrum décor found in other homes or stores. They are also great conversation pieces and very easy to dust and keep clean. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Clean them thoroughly. Whether you pick up a skull at a yard sale or find one in the woods, you need to make sure it’s free of anything lodged or living inside. Hose down the skull thoroughly, and then soak it in a bucket filled with water and bleach. Soak for several hours and rinse again. If the skull is incredibly filthy, you may need to refresh the bleach and water mixture if it turns brown.
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Hang them on the wall. Loop the wire around the back bone openings or eye sockets. Twist the wire into a closure and hang from a picture hook. Skulls look especially dashing as a living room centerpiece, above a front door, or at the foot of the bed, so you can look at it while you fall asleep.
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Make a table centerpiece. A large dining room table doesn’t have to be stuck with a boring bunch of flowers in the middle of it. Place one skull on a decorative tray surrounded by flowers as a striking centerpiece. You can make a variation on the theme by placing a single skull in the middle of a tray and encircling it with several small skulls. You can also prop skulls atop candle holders in place of a candle.
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Place them atop cabinets. If you have a set of cabinets that do not fully reach the ceiling, you probably have room to place a skull or two above them. Just make sure the skulls do not get in the way of the cabinet doors.
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Adorn a bookshelf. Skulls can be distributed creatively around books—even used as book ends. You can also dedicate an entire shelf to skulls only, which will really showcase your fine collection. Put them right on the shelf, or plop them atop small vases or platforms to showcase different sizes.
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Create yard art. No yard is complete without a couple of skulls in it. They can be placed anywhere from the front porch to the base of a big tree. You can use a host of smaller skulls to line a garden area or flower bed.
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Tips & Warnings
You can find skulls by combing through yard sales, calling your local hunting or game supply stores and asking around or buying them online.
If the thought of dead animal heads in your home freaks you out, you can still decorate with skulls made of plastic, crystal or other materials.
Feel free to paint your skulls or decorate with paint markers if you want a funkier look. Spray-paint skulls with a sealer, such as polyurethane, to help preserve your work.
Not everyone who comes over will think your skull décor is cool. They just don’t understand.
If you are using the skulls in your yard, beware of wild animals or neighborhood dogs that may come into your yard and ravage them. Also, be aware that other folks may want to steal your skulls. For best results, wire and stake them to the ground.
Resources
- Photo Credit Photo and skull placement by Ryn Gargulinski
