Skeleton Jewelry: A Recycled Halloween Jewelry Project

How to Make a Tin Can Skeleton Brooch

So I’ve been making skeleton jewelry in keeping with the whole Halloween theme. I’m not typically a festive themed jewelry type person but I thought what the heck. I bet I could make something a lot better than pumpkin charm earrings.

I’ve been on a bit of an experimental kick lately. Trying to think up ways to make things out of recycled, inexpensive materials since my fave- silver- has skyrocketed in price.

And this is just an aside, but I’m finding the whole challenge to be really fun. I mean, ANYONE can make precious metal and gemstones look good, right? But how many people can make cool stuff out of old coffee cans? I ask you!

So here’s what i came up with. Some tin can jewelry extraordinaire.

I think this skeleton brooch really does have that elusive je ne sais quoi that only repurposed tin cans can truly give you.

Pretty funky, no? I showed it to a friend and she said,

I like it. You have a certain way with weird.

I showed it to my 3 year old, and he laughed with delight. He said , “I wear it now! You put it on me?” I knew he had an eye for quality workmanship.

Skeleton Brooch Instructions

So here’s how to have your own way with weird or at least delight a 3 year old by making and wearing your own piece of skeleton jewelry.

Materials:

• Tin can of your choice
• Wire (I used 18 gauge annealed steel and 22 gauge tarnished brass)
• eyelet or brad
• Pin-back

Tools:

• Metal punch or other metal hole-making tool
• Needle file and flat file
• Tin snips
• Sharpie or other indelible marker
• Eyelet setter tool
• Round nose pliers
• Chain nose pliers
• Flat nose pliers
• Wire cutters
• Hammer
• Metal glue like E6000 or similar multi-purpose bonding adhesive

Planning out your Skeleton Jewelry:

It’s always a good idea to draw a sketch of your ideas- even a bunch of them.  This is more of a reminder for myself than for you- I tend to be impulsive and just jump right in.  I don’t even want to think about how much time I could have saved by thinking things through!

How to Make it:

Remember, safety first! Always use eye protection and gloves when snipping metal sheet. (My poor mangled hands wish I remembered the gloves more often).

Step 1: Cut up your tin can using your tin snips so you have a usable piece to use. Your canvas so to speak.

Step2: Using your Sharpie, draw out your skeleton pieces on your piece of tin. Let the marker dry for a minute.

Step 3: Cut out your pieces with your tin snips.

Step 4: Use your metal punch to make holes where you will wire the skeleton together and make hole the exact size of your brad or eyelet on the neck and head portions (where they fit together).

Tip: A drill press makes good holes too. If you are using a drill press, use a center punch or a nail and a hammer to make a dent on the metal before you drill the holes. This will help keep the drill bit from skittering around the surface while you drill.

Step 5: Use your files to file down any rough sharp edges. Run the needle file around the inside of the holes to de-burr them. I like to rough up the metal a bit too for a distressed look.

Step 6: Use your wire to attach the skeleton parts together. Use the finished picture as a guide.

Step 7: Insert a brad or eyelet into the remaining neck and head holes. Now secure it using the eyelet setter and a hammer or mallet.

Step 8: Glue a pin back onto the back of your skeleton.

Check it out! You now have the most artastically unique Halloween accessory on your block – maybe even in your whole gosh-darn neighborhood. Wear your skeleton jewelry proudly!

Looking for more Halloween craft and jewelry ideas?

Check out these links (with excerpts):

• Spooky Halloween Jewelry Thrills ?Em – THE GOBLINS WILL GET YOU! There’s plenty of advance time to wear goblin costume jewelry – department stores and specialty stores set out orange and black decorations and all sorts of Halloween goods to herald the coming holiday as early as late August. All of September and October provide weeks and weeks for fans to sport pins, pendants , bracelets, earrings themed to Halloween symbols: witches, ghosts, spiders, pumpkins, skeletons, tombstones. But don’t forget, with all the shivers and shakes of ghosts and goblins, Halloween is still the second biggest holiday of the year, in terms of consumer spending, surpassed only by Christmas. Check out these offerings for some ideas…
• Halloween Jewelry by Lori Anderson – more gorgeous halloween jewelry for you to drool over, this time from artist Lori Anderson.
• Polymer Clay Podcast # 74 – Halloween jewelry with skulls and … – We decided to do something a little different this year for Halloween. There are many tutorials online about how to make things like pumpkin canes and ghost beads..so we thought some skull imagery would be fun. …
• Making Your Own Halloween Party Favors – Halloween parties are fun for everyone. Crafty types can have a field day coming up with unique decorations for their Halloween get-togethers, from realistic-looking spider webs to one-of-a-kind jack-o-lanterns to spooky cloth ghosts. …
• Halloween Jewelry Idea – Spider Pendant Made From Polymer Clay Cane – Costume jewellery fashion for the upcoming trick or treat season:. I know the ghosts and goblins won’t be coming out for another couple of months yet, but as crafters we need to plan well ahead for Halloween. …
• A Spider Web Necklace Project and even more Terrorific crafty Halloween links on the blog of the ever fabulous Margot Potter

• Return from Skeleton Jewelry to how-to-make-jewelry main website

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