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–+ servings
Make a milk jug skeleton
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Milk Jug Skeleton

Learn how to make a skeleton for your Halloween decor out of old milk jugs! This is a budget friendly holiday activity.
Course Halloween Crafts
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 40 minutes
Servings 1 skeleton
Cost $1

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Gather the supplies for your skeleton. You’re going to need about 6 plastic milk jugs, scissors, a Sharpie, craft knife, hole punch, clear thread/floss, painter’s tape, and a hot glue gun.
    Milk jug, paper, hot glue gun, scissors, Sharpie, craft knife, hole punch, and clear thread
  • Print out the pattern on 8.5 x 11 sheets of paper.
    Printed out skeleton pattern
  • Starting with the face, cut out the portions of the pattern you are going to trace with a craft knife. Cut out the eyes, nose holes, and teeth slots.
  • Pick up a milk jug, turn it upside down and to the back. The opening that is normally at the top should be facing down towards the neck. Tape the pattern to the center back of the jug with the painter’s tape. Trace with a Sharpie.
    Trace the skeleton face on the back of the milk jug
  • Remove the paper, leaving the pattern behind. Begin cutting out those areas of the plastic jug with a craft knife.
    Cutting out the face pieces with a craft knife
  • Use rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover and a paper towel to remove the Sharpie marker lines.
    Milk jug skeleton face with the Sharpie lines rubbed off
  • Repeat the same process above with the rib pattern and another milk jug. Then grab a third milk jug for the hips and turn it upside down. Tape the pattern to the jug as shown.
    Pattern for hips taped to a milk carton
  • Trace the pattern onto the jug with a Sharpie.
    Sharpie line traced on the side of a milk carton
  • Cut the hip piece out from the jug using the craft knife and scissors. Remove the marker with rubbing alcohol.
    Skeleton hips cut out of a milk jug
  • This is the only portion of the project without a pattern. Take two milk jugs and trace shoulders around the handles with the Sharpie. It doesn’t need to be exact.
    Shoulder pattern drawn on the milk cartons and then cut out
  • Cut out the shoulder pieces and remove the marker lines. Save the jugs for the remaining body parts. You can cut those out at this time. You will need two hands, eight bones, two round knees, and two feet. Set the pieces aside.
  • Warm up the hot glue gun. Begin by hot gluing the head to the neck. Apply a line of hot glue around the top of the rib carton and attach it to the neck of the head. Hold until the glue solidifies.
    Attaching the skeleton head to the ribbs
  • Next attach the hips to the base of the ribs. You will apply glue all over the top of the hips, keeping the long bone pieces on the side.
    Attaching the hips to the ribs
  • Attach the two shoulders you cut out with hot glue as shown. They should fit snugly against the top of the rib carton on either side. Hold in place until they cool.
    Hot gluing the shoulders onto the skeleton
  • Punch holes in the shoulders at the bottom, and in the base of the long bones on the sides of the hips.
    Using a hole punch to add holes to the hips
  • The last step is to tie everything together using the clear floss or twine. You’ll use single loops for the shoulders and top of the hips, and then use double (two) loops of twine to make everything else hang flat.
    Tying the pieces together with clear twine
  • Hang your skeleton inside or outside underneath a covered area.
    Milk Jug Skeleton

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