# Skull Chandelier



## viltemtress (Sep 4, 2016)

I found this while perusing Pinterest and knew I had to have one...but because I'm frugal (aka Cheap) I could not justify the $300 price tag...so why not make one?!?! Mine is obviously not as heavy duty as this one and but if you want an inexpensive alternative, this is a great way to get it!
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This is how mine turned out! 
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Materials needed:

-Plastic skulls (I bought 20 small skulls from Michael's for $2.99 ea. and used a 20% off entire purchase coupon)
-Two embroidery hoops (I used a 10" for the top and a 14" for the bottom)
-Two sets of 10 light c7 flickering flame light set I got mine from Homedepot.com, looks like they are now available in some stores. Here's a link just in case, they are kind of hard to find on the website for this price...of course they want you to buy the $24.99 set of 7 lights.... And apparently because I am new I can't post a link.... I'll add it later on!
-One piece of 3/4" PVC pipe (you could use 1" if you have it on hand, but it may make your lights wiggle around a bit, I found the 3/4" pipe was a snug fit but not too snug for the lights and I didn't have to secure them any other way.
-Toggle bolts, I used 2" (which I'm pretty sure refers to the length of the screw not the length of the toggle)
-Tube straps 1/2" (this size worked the best with the width of the hoops) Don't worry about the color, you can hit them with spray paint, and no one will ever know! I used copper.
-12' of Chain (I found some heavy duty plastic chain at my local garden center on clearance and scored over 300ft for $7!!) the links are just over an inch in length. 
-Hot glue sticks (lots, you'll use these for the candle drippings) 
-White spray paint 
-Black spray paint
-1/2" long screws (16 of them) to attach the tube straps (I would have used smaller if I could have found them since the hoops are only like 1/4" thick, but they worked fine and were hidden behind the skulls so you can't even see them.) 
-Dark brown acrylic paint
-Black acrylic paint
-Metallic gold acrylic paint
-Paper towels
-Paintbrush
-Drill bit (a little bigger than the toggle bolt screws)
-Drill
-Tiny scissors (I use cuticle scissors, they are small and sharp and cut through the plastic skulls super easily and you have great control!)
-Pencil
-You'll also need a way to cut your PVC pipe, I have pvc pipe cutters, you can get them for less than $15 at Home Depot or Lowes and they are worth EVERY PENNY, especially if you do a lot of projects with PVC!  

First you will want to take your embroidery hoops apart, unscrew the clamp and remove the inner rings, the inner rings that are continuous are the hoops you will use. Paint these black with the acrylic paint (you could also spray paint them, I just don't like the feel of flat black spray paint on wood, so I usually use acrylic paint on wood.) When these are completely dry dry brush them with the metallic gold acrylic paint to give them a look of metal. Next you'll want to measure your hoops circumference, all the way around using a cloth tape measure like seamstress' use (if you don't have one, you can use a string, ribbon, etc then measure that with a yard stick or regular tape measure. Decide how many skulls you plan on using. (I used 10 on each hoop because that's how many lights I had per light set and I am not proficient enough in electrical that I felt comfortable altering anything.) Take your circumference and divide by the number of skulls you want on your hoop. This is how far apart your holes will need to be to for your toggle bolts (remember to check the look and fit of your skulls BEFORE drilling, especially if you are using big skulls)! Find a starting place and measure and mark with your pencil, all the way around your hoop, make adjustments as necessary. Carefully drill through the hoop at each mark, go slowly so as not to crack or break the hoop. Now you need to decide where to put your tube straps. Take a piece of paper, I like to use newspaper, and trace the inside of your hoop. Cut out the circle and fold it in half horizontally then fold it in half again vertically (so that you are folding into fourths). Unfold the paper, set it inside the hoop and mark on the inside of the hoop where the fold lines are. This step is super important to get accurate, because if it is not accurate your chandelier will sit unevenly and not look as nice...although, maybe that's what you're going for! Once your marks are made, take a tube strap and center it over the mark, then using your pencil mark the screw holes on the tube strap and then erase the center mark so you don't accidentally use the wrong mark. I decided against pre-drilling these holes with a drill bit because I didn't want the holes drilled all the way through, but because the skulls will be attached when I secure the straps I wanted to make my life as easy as possible. So I took a strap screw and used it to pre-set the holes. GO SLOWLY with this, I actually cracked the 10" hoop doing this, thankfully it didn't effect the overall project. Drill the screw in about halfway and then reverse and back it out, repeat on all the other strap marks. YOU ARE NOT SECURING THE TUBE STRAPS TO THE HOOP AT THIS TIME!








Also, I can't figure out why it is turning my photos to the side like this...any advice would be appreciated! If you can't tell, I'm new as a member to this forum!


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## viltemtress (Sep 4, 2016)

Next step: Candles. Cut your candles using your pvc cutters into 2 1/2" lengths, cut the bottoms straight, but the tops at a slight angle so they resemble melting candles. If there is any ink writing on the pvc, use acetone to take it off. Using your hot glue gun, line around the top of the "candle" allowing the glue to drip down the side like melting wax. AVOID DRIPPING WAX INTO THE PVC PIPE, this will only make getting your light into the candle more difficult.






Once the glue has dried completely, spray the "candles" with white spray paint. Once they are completely dried use the dark brown acrylic paint to distress them. Fill your paint brush with water and a paint, its more of a wash than actually painting, and you want the paint to get into every crack on the candle. Don't forget the tops. Immediately wipe the wash off with a paper towel so that only a slight amount of wash stays on the candles.













Now to the skulls. Using one of the candles trace along the top of the skull where the candle will be, using the drill bit you can drill a pilot hole or i just used a kitchen knife to bore a hole in the center of the circle, then using the scissors cut out the circle. Make sure that the candle fits in the hole without too much prying, you may need to make the hole a little bigger. Next cut a small holein the center of the back of the skull. This hole only needs to big enough to get the light fixture through.












In fact, it needs to be small enough that your toggle bolts will not slip through. 
Attaching the skulls and lights:
Insert the toggle bolt screws into the hoop and thread the toggle bolt onto the screw as far as you can while still allowing it to fold completely closed.






Feed the first light through the hole in the back of a skull and then through the top of the skull. Insert the toggle bolt into the hole in the back of the skull, be careful not to pin the cord between the toggle bolt and the skull walls. Lay the cord flat against the hoop so it will stay out of sight and tighten the toggle bolt until snug. Cut the hanger (that little hook thing on the light casing) off and insert the light into a candle. It'll take a bit of pushing to get it in there but will slide easily after the cords get into the pvc. Pull it up to where you want it and insert the bottom of the candle into the skull.






Your done with the first skull! Repeat for the remaining skulls. Be aware of where and how tight your cords are, the less slack you can leave in between skulls the better and try to keep the cord flush with the hoops so they are less noticeable.
Once both hoops are done its time to hang it! 
I put 20" between the two hoops, and 16" for above the top hoop. Make sure you count out exact amount of links, or your chandelier will sit unevenly.
Using the tube straps (paint first if you need to, with black spray paint) slide the strap into the bottom link of the chain. Attach it to the hoop using your pre-drilled holes. Be careful not to go through the cords! Repeat for the other three tube straps on the bottom hoop. Count up the amount of links you want and slide the strap through the link and attach to the top hoop. Repeat for the other three straps as well. Make sure the chains and straps line up straight or your chandelier will look funny. I didn't take a picture of this step but I can if this isn't clear. I forgot to add in the materials list that you'll need a ring of some sort to attach the four chains to at the top. I used one of those binder rings that opens and closes, for the time being. 
Now grab some extension cords and check out your chandelier!! 

My biggest issue with the whole thing is that the cords ended shorter than I expected, so I need to come up with a way to make the extension cords "invisible". So many of you are so amazing at this stuff and I'm still kind of a newbie at it! Any suggestions would be appreciated!!


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## viltemtress (Sep 4, 2016)

*The Rest of the Steps*

Next step: Candles. Cut your candles using your pvc cutters into 2 1/2" lengths, cut the bottoms straight, but the tops at a slight angle so they resemble melting candles. If there is any ink writing on the pvc, use acetone to take it off. Using your hot glue gun, line around the top of the "candle" allowing the glue to drip down the side like melting wax. AVOID DRIPPING WAX INTO THE PVC PIPE, this will only make getting your light into the candle more difficult.
View attachment 306698
Once the glue has dried completely, spray the "candles" with white spray paint. Once they are completely dried use the dark brown acrylic paint to distress them. Fill your paint brush with water and a paint, its more of a wash than actually painting, and you want the paint to get into every crack on the candle. Don't forget the tops. Immediately wipe the wash off with a paper towel so that only a slight amount of wash stays on the candles.
View attachment 306706
View attachment 306690

Now to the skulls. Using one of the candles trace along the top of the skull where the candle will be, using the drill bit you can drill a pilot hole or i just used a kitchen knife to bore a hole in the center of the circle, then using the scissors cut out the circle. Make sure that the candle fits in the hole without too much prying, you may need to make the hole a little bigger. Next cut a small holein the center of the back of the skull. This hole only needs to big enough to get the light fixture through.
View attachment 306714
View attachment 306722
In fact, it needs to be small enough that your toggle bolts will not slip through. 
Attaching the skulls and lights:
Insert the toggle bolt screws into the hoop and thread the toggle bolt onto the screw as far as you can while still allowing it to fold completely closed.
View attachment 306738
Feed the first light through the hole in the back of a skull and then through the top of the skull. Insert the toggle bolt into the hole in the back of the skull, be careful not to pin the cord between the toggle bolt and the skull walls. Lay the cord flat against the hoop so it will stay out of sight and tighten the toggle bolt until snug. Cut the hanger (that little hook thing on the light casing) off and insert the light into a candle. It'll take a bit of pushing to get it in there but will slide easily after the cords get into the pvc. Pull it up to where you want it and insert the bottom of the candle into the skull.
View attachment 306730
Your done with the first skull! Repeat for the remaining skulls. Be aware of where and how tight your cords are, the less slack you can leave in between skulls the better and try to keep the cord flush with the hoops so they are less noticeable.
Once both hoops are done its time to hang it! 
I put 20" between the two hoops, and 16" for above the top hoop. Make sure you count out exact amount of links, or your chandelier will sit unevenly.
Using the tube straps (paint first if you need to, with black spray paint) slide the strap into the bottom link of the chain. Attach it to the hoop using your pre-drilled holes. Be careful not to go through the cords! Repeat for the other three tube straps on the bottom hoop. Count up the amount of links you want and slide the strap through the link and attach to the top hoop. Repeat for the other three straps as well. Make sure the chains and straps line up straight or your chandelier will look funny. I didn't take a picture of this step but I can if this isn't clear. I forgot to add in the materials list that you'll need a ring of some sort to attach the four chains to at the top. I used one of those binder rings that opens and closes, for the time being. 
Now grab some extension cords and check out your chandelier!! 

My biggest issue with the whole thing is that the cords ended shorter than I expected, so I need to come up with a way to make the extension cords "invisible". So many of you are so amazing at this stuff and I'm still kind of a newbie at it! Any suggestions would be appreciated!!


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## viltemtress (Sep 4, 2016)

For some reason, my pictures aren't showing up... Let's try it again...


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## WickedWino (Aug 19, 2012)

Well done! Thanks for showing the toggle bolt process. Your chandelier looks amazing! I bet it's even better at night.


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## viltemtress (Sep 4, 2016)

Thank you! Here's a pic of it in the sort of dark!


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## Skeletoncrew (Oct 10, 2013)

That turned out fantastic, great job! 

As far as the pics being sideways, I have found marginally cropping the original pic and re-saving solves the problem. Not sure why, but it normally does.


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## Kittykat85 (Aug 28, 2016)

This is so creative! I love it


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## HallowFear (Aug 2, 2012)

Very well done and creative!!


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## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

I love the 2 tiers! WOW


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## kab (Oct 13, 2010)

That is awesome!!! I am going to have to do this!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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