Somehow, rhinestones on a skull is one of the funniest things you can put on a Halloween table. It works best when everything around it is completely serious.
This DIY takes one afternoon and a lot of tiny crystals. Then you set it on a moody table of dark candles, dried seed heads and an old cake stand, and the whole display stops taking itself too seriously.
Supplies
- A life-size foam or resin skull
- Flatback rhinestones in mixed sizes (2mm to 6mm), about 3,000 to 5,000 pieces
- E6000 or a similar clear jewelry glue
- A rhinestone picker pen or a wax pencil
- Toothpicks
- A small dish for each size of stone
Clear crystal is classic. Jet black stones look moody. A mix of clear and smoky gray looks especially good.
Step 1: Prepare the skull
Wipe the skull clean. If it's resin, sand it lightly with fine sandpaper so the glue grips. If it's foam, test the glue on the bottom first; some glues melt foam. A coat of gesso seals foam and fixes the problem.
Paint the skull silver or black first. Any small gaps between the stones will then disappear.
Step 2: Work in small sections
Squeeze a little glue onto a scrap of card. Use a toothpick to spread glue over an area about the size of a coin. Pick up stones with the picker pen and press them in.
Start with the eye sockets and nose. Outline them with a row of the larger stones, then fill in the rest of the face working outward.
Step 3: Fill with mixed sizes
Use large stones to cover the curved areas quickly, and small ones to fill the gaps between them. Mixing sizes is what makes it sparkle like real pavé jewelry rather than a flat grid.
It takes three to five hours. Put on a podcast.
Step 4: Let it cure
Let it dry for at least 24 hours before handling it. Jewelry glue gives off fumes while curing, so work near an open window and leave it to cure in a ventilated room.
Styling it
The joke only works if the rest of the display is serious. Build a small moody vignette:
- A glass or silver cake stand to raise the skull.
- Black and deep plum taper candles.
- Dried poppy pods, allium heads or other seed heads.
- A few old books.
- Dark fruit: figs, black grapes.
Set the skull on the cake stand in the middle, and let the candles and seed heads surround it.
Where to put it
A sideboard, a bar cart or the center of a Halloween dinner table. Anywhere candlelight will catch the crystals. It looks best at night.
Other bedazzling ideas
Once you have the stones, you can bedazzle nearly anything: a small pumpkin, a candlestick, a pair of plastic bats, a picture frame. Keep it to one sparkly object per display, though. Two bedazzled things stop being funny.
Keeping it for next year
Wrap the skull in tissue paper and store it in a box, not a bag, so no stones get knocked off. If any fall off, glue them back with a dot of jewelry glue.
Mistakes to avoid
- Hot glue. Stones pop off within weeks.
- Too many bedazzled items. One is the joke.
- Skipping the base paint. Gaps show white foam.
- Working in a closed room. Ventilate while the glue cures.
What it costs
A foam skull runs $10 to $20, resin more like $25 to $40. A bulk pack of flatback rhinestones is $10 to $20 and jewelry glue about $6. Expect to spend $30 to $60.
Bedazzled skull DIY FAQ
How many rhinestones do I need for a skull?
About 3,000 to 5,000 stones in mixed sizes will cover a life-size skull.
What glue is best for rhinestones on a skull?
A clear jewelry glue such as E6000. Hot glue doesn't hold for long.
How long does it take to bedazzle a skull?
Three to five hours of work, plus 24 hours of curing time.
