DIY Skeleton Flower Planter for Halloween

Even during Halloween, skeletons don't always have to be scary.

When decorated with flowers, skeletons have a whimsical beauty about them, and they convey joy and reminiscence in Day of the Dead celebrations. Creating a DIY skeleton flower planter, in which artificial flowers burst forth from a skeleton's bones, is a unique way to decorate for the Halloween spooky season. Sitting on a cauldron filled with fall foliage, it appears as if the flowers are growing out of the cauldron and up through the skeleton's body, like a trellis made of bones.

Perfect for indoor or outside Halloween decor, you may want to display it well beyond October.

For the planter, we're using a plastic cauldron, but you can use an actual clay pot if you wish. The cauldron does add a fun touch to the display. However, because it's plastic, it needs to be weighed down so it is more stable. Place some heavy rocks on the bottom so the cauldron does not tip over.

Fill up the rest of the cauldron with empty boxes or styrofoam — whatever you have handy in the house. We want a solid base for the skeleton to sit on.

Cover the top of the boxes with scrunched-up newspaper or butcher paper to fill in any gaps.

Top the cauldron with a rolled-up fall leaf garland.

Using metal snips or wire cutters, cut off the blooms from artificial flowers.

What really makes the skeleton is the floral crown. Using a hot glue gun, arrange the artificial flower blooms on top of the skeleton's head. Extend the flowers to the ears so that the flowers almost look like a hairstyle. Try using flowers of different sizes, as well as including some leaves for visual interest.

For eyes, use flower blooms that have a center disk, as they look like eyeballs. Hot glue the flowers to the eye sockets.

Hot glue flowers inside the rib cage. For this project, we want to place most of the flowers inside the rib cage, rather than outside, so we can see the bones. It's a shame to cover them up.

Add a ring of flowers around the base of the neck like a choker.

The only part of the outside ribs we'll decorate is the upper section. This frames the skeleton in flowers while keeping most of the ribs exposed. Place larger flowers on the left and right sides to accentuate the shoulders.

Hot glue flowers down the spine. This helps to make the spine more prominent. These flowers on the spine are also a visual bridge to the foliage sitting in the cauldron, as it looks like they are growing out of it.

Instead of covering the skeleton's arms and legs in flowers, just hot glue some at the joints such as the elbows, wrists and knees. By limiting the flower placement, we can define the appendages while still keeping them exposed.

Glue a flower or two to the feet. The flowers look like fun slippers (because even the dead want nice footwear).

Sit the skeleton on the cauldron. If you're having trouble with the skeleton staying put, position a heavy pumpkin on the legs to keep it anchored. You could also place a heavy candy bowl for trick-or-treaters in the skeleton's lap.

One thing's for sure — everyone will want to take a selfie with your skeleton.

And this skeleton is definitely ready for its close-up.

Consider keeping the skeleton figurine busy at work beyond the Halloween festivities. Get creative and change it up each season, or for annual holidays. Consider creating a cactus planter or arrangements featuring air plants and Spanish moss.

Set a plastic skull next to the skeleton planter to create a skull succulent planter for home decor during dry, sunny days. This would also serve nicely as a seasonal living room centerpiece.