DIY Glitter Skull (west elm inspired)

Who else has seen these awesome glitter skulls from west elm?

They are perfect for Halloween decorations that are going for more classy than creepy. I recently did a similar DIY project for my younger sister, Frankie, although it wasn't intended to be a holiday decoration... Frankie is infinitely more stylish than me and also has an edgy side to her that I could only hope to emulate. After first seeing a skull like this in a home decor store, I thought it would make an excellent addition to Frankie's new college apartment. Since the west elm version is no longer available (and probably had a pretty hefty price tag!), we decided to go with this 5 dollar DIY version with an actual Halloween decoration purchased from trusty old Target.

Frankie liked that this one had a moveable jaw, and I knew with some crafty additions, it would turn out great! I decided to try out Martha Stewart Glitter paint in Silver for this project. I never used this product before, but I figured the glitter paint would be a bit translucent, so I started out priming the plastic of the skull with Apple Barrel Acrylic Craft Paint in Dove Gray.

Primer done! We debated painting the hollows of the eyes and the nose and glittering them like the original west elm version, but then decided to keep the black for effect.

I was right about the glitter, it was pretty translucent! After about three coats, we were satisfied with the amount of sparkle, and Frankie's glitter skull was complete!

I'm thinking about making some miniatures using actual glitter and mod podge for a party we're hosting later on this month. I'll let you all know which method seems best!

Happy Halloween!