How to Make a Skeleton From Milk Jugs

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Throwing Halloween parties can be a blast, especially since it gives you an excuse to decorate the house with lots of creatures that go "bump in the night." A skeleton made from old milk jugs is one decoration that is both easy on the wallet and frightfully festive.

Image Credit: Matthew Ashman

Things You'll Need

  • Empty plastic milk jugs, 8

  • Marker

  • Scissors

  • Hole punch

  • String or fishing line

  • Hot glue gun

  • Glow-in-the-dark paint

  • Paintbrush

Tip

Before starting, make sure to thoroughly clean your milk jugs and let them dry completely. Remove the cap from each jug as well.

Step 1: Draw Bones on the Milk Jugs

Use a marker to draw each part of the bones on the milk jugs:

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  • Head
  • Torso/ribcage
  • 2 shoulders
  • 2 separate bones for each arm (4 total)
  • 2 hands
  • Hip/pelvis
  • 2 separate bones for each leg (4 total)
  • 2 feet

For the head and torso, you will use one whole jug for each of these body parts. Draw two eyes, a nose and teeth/mouth on the head. You will also need to draw a ribcage on the torso (three ribs per side).

Image Credit: Matthew Ashman

Tip

For the shoulders and feet, draw them around the handle portion of the milk jug to give them more of a 3-D effect. Use the bottom portion of a milk jug to form the hip/pelvis.

Step 2: Cut Out the Bones

Use scissors to puncture a hole into the milk jugs and then cut out the bones. When they are all cut out, lay them out on a table to make sure you have all of your pieces.

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Image Credit: Matthew Ashman

Step 3: Hole Punch Each Bone

Since you already have the bones laid out on a table, use the hole punch to punch holes into the points of the bones where you will connect them together with string or fishing line.

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Image Credit: Matthew Ashman

Step 4: String the Bones Together

Take your string or fishing line and start connecting the bones together to create the skeleton's body, tying a knot at the ends of each string. Use hot glue to connect the head to the torso. You will also need to hot glue the torso to the hip/pelvis.

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Image Credit: Mathew Ashman

Step 5: Paint the Skeleton

Now that your skeleton is all put together, paint it with a few coats of glow-in-the-dark paint. Allow each coat to dry before painting the next coat. Be sure to paint in a well-ventilated area.

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Image Credit: Matthew Ashman

Once the paint is completely dry, your spooky skeleton is ready to hang outside or in a dark corner to garner some scary reactions from guests or trick-or-treaters.

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Image Credit: Matthew Ashman

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