Day of the Dead DIY Sugar Skull Wreath

Looking for a unique wreath to add to your front door this season? Instead of a Halloween wreath, this year you can decorate with a Day of the Dead DIY wreath. Day of the Dead or (Dia de los Muertos) is a Mexican holiday that falls around November 1st, and is celebrated to honor and remember relatives and ancestors who have gone before. This Day of the Dead DIY wreath is quick and easy to make, and can be customized with your favorite bright colors and flowers.

I chose to go with a red, black, and white color palette to create a bold Dia de los Muertos home decor accent.

Day of the Dead DIY Wreath Supplies:

• Darice Black Colorado Pine Wreath
• Laser Cut Wooden Sugar Skull
• Darice Ribbon Roses
• Darice Red Artificial Mums
• White Acrylic Paint
• Darice Chevron Grosgrain Ribbon
• Darice Foam Paint Brush
• Black Permanent Marker
• Darice Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
• Darice Wire Cutters

Step 1. Paint the laser cut wooden sugar skull plaque with white acrylic paint and set it aside to dry while you assemble the rest of the wreath.

Step 2. Fluff the wreath up before you begin to add additional decorations. Pull out the individual spokes of the wreath to make them look more realistic.

Step 3. Turn the wreath over, and tie the end of the ribbon around the back of the wreath form. Wrap the ribbon around the wreath several times until the entire wreath is wrapped.

Step 4. The ribbon roses come twisted together in bundles of 12 roses. Place the bundles around the wreath evenly, except for the top section of the wreath (where your skull will be placed). When you are happy with the placement of the bundles of roses, secure them into the wreath with hot glue.

Step 5. With the wire cutters, cut the large red flowers from their stems, leaving about 2″ of stem. Tuck the flowers into the top section of the wreath, and secure them with hot glue when you are happy with their placement.

Step 6. When the paint on the wooden sugar skull plaque is dry (you can wait, or you can speed the drying process with a hair dryer), add details to the plaque using the black permanent marker. I traced some parts of the cutout, and I also drew decorative scrolls on other parts.

Glue the wooden skull plaque to the wreath with hot glue.

Step 7. Tie a piece of ribbon or yarn onto the top back of the Day of the Dead DIY wreath for hanging.

For another Dia de los Muertos craft, check out this striking crochet skull pattern that can be displayed in a frame.

About Heather

Heather Mann is the mother of four boys and designs and shares clever crafts with a frugal twist at her site Dollar Store Crafts. She's also fascinated by the unsuccessful (yet humorous) side of crafting, and explores it at her site CraftFail, and in her new book, CraftFail: When Handmade Goes Horribly Wrong.

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