Halloween décor doesn’t need to be gory and grotesque or cartoonish. In my Victorian house I prefer an elegant gothic approach, featuring subtle touches. Read on for classy, unique, and mature (but not boring) DIY Halloween projects.
Skull Chandelier
One of the simplest and, by far, my favorite Halloween project is adding a touch of Halloween to my chandelier. It’s simple and inexpensive, but looks like the chandelier was made that way.

You’ll need:
- A package of plastic skulls like these.
- Spray Paint (optional) any color you want. I used the same oil rubbed bronze that I used to paint the chandelier when I bought the house. I wanted the skulls to match so they would look like they are actually part of the chandelier.
- Scissors, box cutter, awl, nail, or other sharp pointy thing.

Make It:
- The first step is to cut the skulls. Using an awl or large nail poke a hole through the top and the bottom of the skull. I held the skull up next to the part of the chandelier where I wanted it to sit so could judge the angle and then marked a spot on the top and bottom by eyeing it.
- After punching holes in the top and bottom, Use your craft scissors, or a box cutter, to cut a down the back seam between the holes.
- Once you’ve split the back seam, round out the top and bottom holes to the size of the part you want the skull to sit on. Take a little off at a time, and fit it as you go. If you get it to fit snugly enough, it’ll stay in place without any assistance..
- Paint the skulls however you like. (I’d love to see someone do these as sugar skulls!)
- After the skulls have dried, just squeeze them open and place on your chandelier. After you can easily remove them for storage until next year (or leave them up year round if you like).

Want more DIY Halloween Projects? Check out our Halloween Bleeding Candles and our Faux Spell Book!