DIY Silver Leaf Skull Halloween Decor

This DIY silver leaf skull is the perfect glam Halloween decoration for an elegant Halloween party. It’s super easy to make and definitely makes a statement.

It’s that time of year.

Time to start thinking about Halloween decorations.

Every year I see awesome props that I really want for my Halloween party.

But they often cost more money than I want to spend.

Grandinroad Silver skeleton — Silver skeleton by grandinroad.com*

And these silver glam Halloween decorations that I saw at Grandinroad* a few years ago are definitely in that category.

So I decided to see if I could duplicate the look on a smaller scale by decorating skulls with silver leaf.

Supplies

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Materials

Plastic skull or other Halloween decor (I got mine at Home Depot)
Imitation silver leaf* – You could use gold or copper leaf if you prefer.
Metal leaf adhesive size* – This is the glue that holds the silver leaf on the skull.

Tools

Small paintbrush – To brush the adhesive onto the skull
Small container – You’ll use this to put the glue in, so it should be something you don’t mind throwing out afterwards.
Soft fabric or cheesecloth – To smooth out the silver leaf after it has been applied.
Artist Brush

How to silver leaf a skull

1 | Brush the adhesive on the bottom half

Brush with a container, a bottle of leaf adhesive and a plastic skull

Make sure that the skull is clean.

Apply a very thin layer of the adhesive size to the bottom half of the skull using a small brush. Don’t cover the part that the skull sits on.

Then wait for a few minutes for the size to become sticky.

2 | Apply the silver leaf

Plastic skull half covered with silver leaf and a piece of tissue paper

Use the paper sheet that separates each leaf to place the leaf on the sticky part of the skull.

Skull half covered with silver leaf with bits sticking out

Then pat the leaf onto the adhesive.

To prevent my fingers from sticking to the silver leaf, I used the paper sheet that comes with the silver leaf to do this.

The side view of the skull half covered with silver leaf

Keep adding sheets of the leaf until the entire bottom half of the skull is covered.

Overlap the leaf that is already there to prevent obvious lines.

3 | Repeat on the top half

Then apply adhesive to the top of the skull and glue on the silver leaf so that the whole thing is covered.

The top of a skull covered with silver leaf

I didn’t worry too much if there were a few spots that weren’t completely covered (I figure it is a skull).

But if you want to make sure that everything is covered, you can always apply more adhesive and add another coat of silver leaf.

4 | Remove excess leaf

A silver leaf skull with a small artist brush in front of it

Gently buff the leaf with the soft cloth to remove any bits that are sticking out.

Use a small artist brush to get into the grooves and remove excess leaf.

Don't worry if your thumb accidentally rubs some of the leaf off

Don’t worry if you accidentally rub some of it off (like I did with my thumb).

Just fill the spot with another piece of silver leaf and you will not be able to tell where the patch is. (If it won’t stick, add a little more adhesive).