Since we move to the US we have also adopted some new traditions. Through these old, new and blended traditions we stay connected to that country and that culture that always is a part of us. We also strengthen our bonds not only with each other but also with our extended family who is far away and also with the family who is no longer with us.
Easy to Make Day of the Dead Skull Pumpkin Candle Holders
These Day of the Dead sugar skull pumpkin candle holders are an easy Dia de los Muertos craft project. These DIY Day of the Dead pumpkins will make a fun centerpiece and are also ideal for a Day of the Dead altar. At home we celebrate El Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. This holiday is all about celebrating life and on that day we remember our loved ones that have passed away.
I really like that this holiday is a great opportunity to teach my children about appreciating life and the time spent with family and it’s a great way to follow on all of the spooky monster and zombie overload that comes with Halloween.
My kids love decorating pumpkins so we decided to create a set of Day of the Dead inspired pumpkin candle holders which we decorated with flowers and candles as the focal point for our Day of the Dead Altar.
When we moved to the US from Guatemala we left all of our family and friends behind, we left our country and our traditions and embraced a new life in a new country with new traditions.
In Guatemala we celebrate the Day of Dead by getting together with family and eating traditional dishes like Fiambre, visiting the cemetery and remembering our loved ones who have passed away.
Since we move to the US we have also adopted some new traditions. Through these old, new and blended traditions we stay connected to that country and that culture that always is a part of us. We also strengthen our bonds not only with each other but also with our extended family who is far away and also with the family who is no longer with us.
Materials for Day of the Dead Skull Pumpkins
- Knife
- Pumpkins (to make these last you can use artificial craft pumpkins, these are easy to carve and there is no mess!)
- Candles
- Pencil
- Black Sharpie or Black Paint Marker
- Spoon
- White Spray Paint
- Hot-glue gun (I use the Adhesive Technologies Two-Temp Cordless Glue Gun which lets me work with it unplugged for up to 5min)
- Artificial flowers in fall colors, if you can find them it would be ideal to use marigolds
Directions
- Cut the stem off each pumpkin.
- Center candle base on top of pumpkin and trace around it with the pencil.
- Carve out the circle remove the pumpkins seeds and pulp if you are using a real pumpkin.
- Spray paint the pumpkins white and let dry.
- Paint the sugar skull Day of the Dead inspired designs on the pumpkin with the Black Paint Marker.
- Insert the candle in the hole making sure that the candle extends 1.5″ to 2″ above pumpkin. Apply hot glue where candle and pumpkin meet to hold in place.
- Arrange the silk marigolds and flowers around the candle and glue in place using the Two Temperature Glue Gun’s low temperature setting.
We placed these on a table along with the picture of my grandmother and grandfather both of whom my kids did not get to meet. This is a great way to remember them and to talk about them with my kids. Dia de los Muertos presents a great opportunity to explain to them about death in a positive light and teach them the importance of celebrating life.
How do you celebrate your loved ones that have passed away and teach your children about death? I would love to know.
Easy to Make Day of the Dead Skull Pumpkin Candle Holders
- Pumpkins (to make these last you can use artificial craft pumpkins, these are easy to carve and there is no mess!)
- Candles
- Pencil
- Black Sharpie or Black Paint Marker
- Spoon
- White Spray Paint
- Artificial flowers in fall colors, if you can find them it would be ideal to use marigolds
- Knife for carving your pumpkin
- Hot-glue gun (I use the Adhesive Technologies Two-Temp Cordless Glue Gun which lets me work with it unplugged for up to 5min)
Instructions
- Cut the stem off each pumpkin.
- Center candle base on top of pumpkin and trace around it with the pencil.
- Carve out the circle remove the pumpkins seeds and pulp if you are using a real pumpkin.
- Spray paint the pumpkins white and let dry.
- Paint the sugar skull Day of the Dead inspired designs on the pumpkin with the Black Paint Marker.
- Insert the candle in the hole making sure that the candle extends 1.5″ to 2″ above pumpkin. Apply hot glue where candle and pumpkin meet to hold in place.
- Arrange the silk marigolds and flowers around the candle and glue in place using the Two Temperature Glue Gun’s low temperature setting.
- Easy Recipes Using Marigolds (Cempasuchil) For the Day of the Dead – October 25, 2023
- How to Make Pan de Muerto Calaverita (Sugar Skull Pan De Muerto) – October 23, 2023
- Best Day of the Dead Cookies: Easy Dia de los Muertos Cookie Recipes – October 22, 2023
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Check out more ideas for Day of the Dead celebrations on my Pinterest board below.
Paula moved from her native Guatemala to SW Florida with her husband and two children and together they are discovering what it means to live life between two languages.
Paula studied architecture and now makes a living as a freelance writer,traveler and amateur photographer.She started her writing & publishing career as the editor of Bebé y Mamá, the first parenting magazine in Guatemala.She is the founder of www.GrowingUpBilingual.com and www.365thingsswfl.com and writes articles in Spanish and English for both magazines and the web on travel,food and bicultural and bilingual parenting .
When she is not on a plane or road trip she likes to create recipes inspired in the flavors of her native Guatemala.
Latest posts by Paula Bendfeldt-Diaz (see all)
Blog
It has been a frightening week here on my blog with a visit to Dr Jekyll’s lab on Tuesday and spooky pumpkins on Monday, then yesterday got really gruesome with oozing blood and everything. Yuck!
For All Hallows’ Eve I thought I would merge a Mexican Day of the Dead tradition with an American Halloween tradition…
…and make a sugar skull-inspired carved pumpkin.
Two things I’ve never done before, curve pumpkins and paint them! It also gave me an excuse to try out pumpkin soup. Win win!
If you still want a spooking then don’t forget to read about my recent visit to Dr Jekyll’s lab .
Kim ‘bubbling cauldrons’ Dellow
Tags: Halloween
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Kim Dellow
Kim Dellow is an artist–designer–film-maker living the creative life in London, UK. She’s a freelance creative for the craft industry and others, and she loves to share her art-ventures on her blog.
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This Post Has 19 Comments
Nic McLean 1 November 2013 Reply
Your skull pumpkin is great what an ingenious way to mix the two traditions together!
Valerie-Jael 1 November 2013 Reply
Wonderful pumpkin! Valerie
maj. 1 November 2013 Reply
Just gorgeous.
SLScheibe 1 November 2013 Reply
Fabulous. What a cool idea! I will have to remember this for next year. Your pumpkin looks amazing
Linda 1 November 2013 Reply
that is one amazing painted pumpkin-happy PPF!
misteejay 1 November 2013 Reply
What a fabulous creation Kim. Have been enjoying your spooky bits this week – have a great weekend. Toni xx
Tammy N 1 November 2013 Reply
Nice to meet you on PPF. Love your painted pumpkin!
Abigail Davidson 1 November 2013 Reply
Very cool pumpkin painting! Happy PPF!
Christine 1 November 2013 Reply
Love your pumpkin, so very creative! I like the idea of pumpkin soup too!
FLO 1 November 2013 Reply
Quelle bonne idée, très créatif!
MeOfCourse 1 November 2013 Reply
I really like what you did with the pumpkin. Awesome job. Thanks.
gloria
sharon 1 November 2013 Reply
Love what you did to the pumpkin and of course pumpkin soup never goes amiss.
Studio Kaufmann 1 November 2013 Reply
ooh super duper I am crazy in love with your pumpkin. We had a few on our front step – a small one was nicked by a darstardly squirrel and another was tossed under a hedge. Still another was nibbled on. Damn critters! Happy PPF
Giggles 2 November 2013 Reply
Beautiful pumpkin…next time make pumpkin seeds in the oven too…so yummy to eat!! Hugs Giggles
Debbie 2 November 2013 Reply
very fun!
bellefrogworks 2 November 2013 Reply
What a fun pumpkin – great job painting the skull
denthe 2 November 2013 Reply
Love this! the paint looks very good on the pumpkin …
Heather Foust 2 November 2013 Reply
Love your painted pumpkin!
kirstin @ LillIBean Designs 4 November 2013 Reply
This is amazing + such a clever idea. I will have to keep it in mind for next year, because I just never get around to carving a pumpkin. So beautiful x
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Please respect my copyright, I work very hard on all my content from the projects that I share to the writing and photography and I am happy that it might inspire you in your creative endeavours. Everything I share is for your personal use only and not for resale, redistribution or submission to competitions etc. If you are interested in using anything I show please get in contact, I would love to hear from you. Copyright © 2008-2023 Kim Dellow. All rights reserved.
