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Build a Glowing Wall Sconce to Hold Your Electric Fire!

Halloween Skull Candle Wall Sconce Wreath 9

I wanted something new on the front of the house this year and decided to make new wall sconces (candle wreaths) to hang up on the porch columns. This project took about 4 hours to make 2 of them and cost under $15 total.

Halloween Skull Candle Wall Sconce Wreath 13

Material list: Wooden sticks - for the bones Newspaper - for the ends of the bones Blue paper shop towels - for the bones Plaster of Paris - for the bones Small wood block - for the base Plastic skull PVC pipe of various diameters - for candles Hot glue - for candles Christmas light wires Flicker bulbs Spooky cloth

Step 1: Make the Bones

Step 1: Make the Bones Cut your wooden sticks to length to make the bones - in this case I used 4 per wall sconce. Take your newspaper and wad it into small balls (for the ends of the bones) and tape them to the ends of the thin wooden sticks. The blue paper shop towels (from Home Depot) make some of the strongest paper mache ever. Mix your plaster of paris in an old plastic cup (I used a yogurt cup) and dip strips of the paper towel. Once saturated, wrap your bones up and set aside to dry.

I took 2 old skulls I had from years

I took 2 old skulls I had from years past, and decided they needed a new purpose. I razor-sawed off the jaw and thought they would make good candle holders if turned upside down. A quick paint treatment of wood stain on the skull brought out the detail and then I simply took black spray paint and painted the inside of the skull and around the eye sockets - to give it a smoky/old appearance.

Halloween Skull Candle Wall Sconce Wreath 3

I painted a small wooden block with black paint and used wood screws to secure the back of the skull to the base. I did use a small piece of plywood inside the skull to give the screws something substantial to bite into. This is an important step as the plastic skulls need to be securely attached to the base in order to support the weight of the candles.

Halloween Skull Candle Wall Sconce Wreath 5

Once the skull was affixed to the base, I settled on an interesting arrangement for the bones and screwed those on with wood screws.

Part 3: Candles

Part 3: Candles Take the PVC pipe and cut them to various lengths. I found some old electric candles at the goodwill and took out the wiring harness. You could also use christmas light sockets as well. I took some extra pipe foam and wedged it into the PVC candles and then pushed the electric sockets inside. The whole assemble is hot glued together and glued inside the skull. The fun part is to make the drips out of hot glue. Once the hot glue is dry, use an antique white spray paint to paint

Halloween Skull Candle Wall Sconce Wreath 7

Once the candles are set - the only thing left is to attach a picture frame hanger on the back, draping some scary cloth, and adding the flicker bulbs (purchased on Amazon). These add a great level of customization (and savings) compared to the store bought stuff.

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