Dia de los Muertos Sugar Skull Pumpkins

Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) originated in Mexico and Central America and is celebrated on November 2nd (All Saints Day). Many who live in the Southwest celebrate this holiday to remember those who have passed, and I just love the bright colors associated with it. I decided to decorate a couple pumpkins like the traditional sugar skull, a common icon in the celebration. The CutCardStock choices allow me to be really creative with colors!

Sombrero and Crown: I started with 2 small, white pumpkins. This hat is a 6″ circle of Stardream Metallic Onyx and I cut a 1″ circle in the middle to slip over the stem. Using the same paper, I cut a 2.5″ by 8.5″ strip of paper for the top, stapling it into a tube shape. Some pom-pom ribbon gave it a festive edge! With a die, I also cut a spider web in Onyx and then glued it to a sheet of Solar White Classic Linen.

Flowers: An assortment of flowers and gems are used in the headwear and also are secured on the face. I decided to cut a variety of shapes to use, as you see above, and if I didn’t have a color – I made it! I took Distress Ink in Peacock Blue and sponged it in the center. Here are the sizes and colors:

• 1″ circle in Stardream Metallic Onyx and Curious Metallic Violette (4)
• 1″ heart in Stardream Metallic Onyx (2)
• 1″ flower in Curious Metallic Violette and Astrobright Pulsar Pink (4)
• 2″ scallop circle in Astrobright Solar Yellow and Astrobright Pulsar Pink (4)
• 3″ scallop circle in Solar White Classic Linen and Astrobright Solar Yellow
• 3.5″ circle in Astrobright Pulsar Pink (2)

Assembly: There are a couple styles of flowers in this project. These are easier than they look! First, cut the plain circle into a spiral with a scissors. Starting from the outer edge, curl the spiral and glue as you go. Adhere the inner section to the bottom as your base. It helps to use a mini clothespin to hold it together until it dries.

The yellow flower is made from a curled flower and a scallop circle. Using a scoring board, make fold lines starting from the center out at every other notch on the scallop. Fold and glue the ends together. I inserted the spiral flower and a Curious Metallic Violette flower inside to give it dimension, along with a purple gem, and glued it to his sombrero.

Faces and Banner: This is completely up to you – I encourage your creativity! I glued pieces to the face and drew other details on with a simple black Sharpie marker. I secured gems in places where I felt there needed to be some bling. And – a fun fact…I printed the banner flags from a Cricut pattern, strung on some colored twine. They are 3×5 papers in Bonzai Green, Astrobright Solar Yellow and Habanero Red. Isn’t that fun, and soooo easy?

It’s time to set the “Ofrenda!” This is the table set aside as an altar for the celebration and usually includes pictures of past relatives in your memories, as well as candles and incense. It’s a lovely way to remember those who have gone before us. I hope you enjoyed this unique project – let me know if you give this a try. Feel free to comment below if you do!