Día de Muertos Luminaries | Halloween Craft Hop

These past few weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of co-hosting an autumnal Instagram game called #HomeForTheFallidays, along with fifteen other lovely bloggers. I’ve really been enjoying seeing their creativity and ingenuity shine during each week’s fall-themed challenge. (And I admit that it makes me want to up my decor game!)

The great thing about #HomeForTheFallidays is that you don’t have to be a hostess to participate. Anyone with an Instagram account can get in on the fun!

Our theme for this week is Halloween crafts, so we thought we’d go one step further and make it a blog hop!

I was actually walking through the dollar store when I began thinking about what craft I’d make for the hop. Standing there, surrounded by bright, plastic pumpkin paraphernalia, I was struck by just how wasteful Halloween can be. So I decided to make my craft « green »: I bought nothing for it and I re-cycled materials I already had on hand!

The result is stylishly spooky, if I do say so myself!

Perhaps I should have begun this post by saying « ¡Feliz Día de Muertos! » Granted, I’m still a few weeks ahead, but in Blogland I’m already several weeks late getting started on my Halloween decorating! But then again, Blogland is not like other places. Christmas arrives in August in Blogland. Halloween arrived sometime around Canada Day. 😉

Today I’m going to walk you through how to create your own eery Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) luminaries. They’re sure to lend a spooky touch to your front entrance! Día de Muertos is a traditional Mexican holiday which takes place on November 1st. Families gather together to pray for the spiritual journey of of their loved ones who have died. One of the traditional sweet treats for Día de Muertos is « calaveritas de azúcar » or sugar skulls. My luminaries were inspired by the designs of these skulls.

Materials

A large or medium tin can (labels and glue removed)
A copy of my handy-dandy Día de Muertos skull printable! (I can’t take credit for the designs: my talented husband drew them!)
A sharp, round nail
A hammer
Black spray paint (or a colour of your choice)
Painter’s tape

Step One: Tape your chosen skull template onto the clean, dry can. Using the nail and hammer to make holes, trace the template. I recommend having someone hold the can firmly while you do this. Safety first!

Step Two: Once you have punched all the holes in your design, remove the template. It will look a little squashed-in, but that’s ok! Holding the can on a firm, flat work surface, lightly hammer the can from the inside to bend it back into shape.

Step Three: Tape around the inside top of the can and over the inside of the punched-out design (so that you don’t get any over-spray). Spray paint the outside of the can to your desired colour. Let it dry completely and apply a second layer.

And that’s it! These luminaries are a simple, « green », and FREE alternative to the plastic Halloween decor you see in stores. If you were to purchase a can of spray paint for this project, the total cost would be around $10. A can will do way more than two luminaries, though, so you’ll have plenty left over for other projects!