Celebrate the Day of the Dead (el Día de los Muertos) festival by making decorations, altars and traditional sugar skulls. There are many other crafty ways to celebrate the day. Day of the Dead crafts use bright and vibrant themes and can be a fun alternative to spooky Halloween crafts. For more information about the celebration take a look at this in depth feature from About.com Go Mexico Guide, Suzanne Barbezat - Day of the Dead Celebration.
Here is a round up of some of the Day of the Dead crafts for you to enjoy:
Day of the Dead Skulls and Sugar Skulls Projects
No Day of the Dead celebration can be complete without a sugar skull or brightly decorated skull or skeleton. Brightly colored sugar skulls are an integral part of Day of the Dead celebrations. If you want to find out more about sugar skulls or are looking for some design inspiration then take a look at this gallery of sugar skulls.
Here are some Day of the Dead skull themed projects:- Sugar Skull digital stamp - free sugar skull digital image
- How to make sugar skulls - step by step guide to making authentic sugar skulls
- Day of the Dead paper skull - make a paper skull for decorations
- Carve a Day of the Dead stamp - carve stamps to use in a variety of projects
- Day of the Dead cross stitch patterns - a variety of Day of the Dead skull cross stitch patterns
- Decorative wristlet with a skull - makes a pretty accessory
- Skull and bead earrings - Day of the Dead earrings
- Make a fabric skull garland (this garland has been designed for the Pagan festival of Samhain, however it adapts well to a Day of the Dead celebration.
- Sugar Skull Necklace and Sugar Skull Earrings
Day of the Dead Altars and Shrines
Make an altar or shrine for your Day of the Dead decorations and to display special keepsakes of a loved one:
- Printable miniature papel picado banners and photo frames for small shrines
- Miniature sugar skulls or marshmallow skulls for Offrenda shrines
- How to make a Day of the Dead altar
- How to make pan de muerto (a special bread that is used to decorate altars)
Paper Flowers and Flower Decorations
Paper flowers and flower decorations can be used in many ways during Day of the Dead celebrations. Make some as garlands or create some small flowers to decorate altars. Make the flowers from brightly colored tissue paper to add some vibrant color to your decorations. Rubber stamps can be used to stamp the paper before making the flowers to add further interest. Drawn or painted flowers can also make pretty additions to an altar or could be used to make a small garland. If you don't fancy drawing a flower free-hand then check out the flower stencils below.
- Small paper flowers - step by step guide to making tissue paper flowers
- Miniature cockscomb and marigold (cempazuchitl) flowers - flowers for Day of the Dead shrines
- Tissue paper flowers - easy paper flower project
- Paper flower bouquet - how to make paper flower (video)
- Make miniature paper roses - tiny paper roses that could be used in many ways
- Origami paper flowers - an interesting paper flower variation (video)
- Flower containers - tiny vases and buckets to display miniature flowers
- Flower cross stitch patterns - range of flower cross stitch patterns
- Crochet flowers - crochet patterns for different types of flowers
- Flower symbols - flower symbols
- Free flower stencils - free flower templates, these could be used to carve stamps or to make stencils
- Flower reference photos - photos for inspiration
Templates and Drawing Resources
- Waving skeleton template - friendly skeleton that could be used in many ways
- Skull template - use this template to make sugar skull themed decorations
- Death symbols - ideas for other symbols of death and dying
- Musculature of the head - information about the formation of heads
- How to draw a head - essential information for people wanting to learn more about drawing heads and skulls
Tips for Day of the Dead Crafts
Here are some tips to help you with your Day of the Dead crafting:
- Use glitter glue or glitter pens to add a touch of sparkle to your projects
- If you don't have the supplies on hand to make brightly colored paper flowers or paper sugar skulls, try cutting shapes from pieces of colored or patterned paper
- Look for Halloween cast-offs that you can transform with paints and embellishments
Show Off Your Day of the Dead Crafts
Have you finished any Day of the Dead crafting projects? Why not share a picture or two of your work with others. Simply fill out this form to submit photos of your Day of the Dead craft projects - Day of the Dead Show and Tell.Further Reading About Day of the Dead Crafts
The following books have more ideas and projects for Day of the Dead arts and crafts:- Paper Crafts for Day of the Dead by Randel McGee- Compare Prices
- Day of the Dead Paper Dolls by Kwei-lin Lum - Compare Prices
- Day of the Dead Crafts by Kerry Arquette - Compare Prices
