Is it me, or are there skulls everywhere right now?

And I don’t just mean because it’s Halloween month.

Once the mainstay of Goths and metal heads, it seems the human cranium has become quite fashionable. Which means that for once in my life, I’m actually en vogue, de rigueur…

Trendy.

Go me!

Skulls even featured heavily in the last James Bond movie, Spectre.

Now there’s a cracking opening scene. Put Día de los Muertos in Mexico City on my Bucket List!

From Mexico to Steampunk, skulls have made it into mainstream consciousness and that suits me just fine. I’m all for whimsical fancy. You know I how much I love Halloween…

At any time of year.

This week’s offering was inspired by the Great Interior Design Challenge, in which one of the contestants created multi-coloured, steampunk skull light boxes, using a template and fabric.

Sorry for the rubbish image – it’s the only one I could find!

The minute I saw them, I knew I wanted something similar, so I set out to make my own.

• Shadowbox frame
• Skull template (for personal use only)
• Black card or vinyl – you could even cut out the skull in fabric, like the guy did on GIDC
• LED fairy lights or strip lights – make sure they are very low energy, as they will be enclosed.

How to make a simple skull light

Cut out a skull shape. I cut mine in black vinyl, using a fancy design from the Cricut library, but you could use any skull shape. There are loads of garlands and such like around this time of year. Something like this, for instance, would be perfect. You only need to cut off one and you can hang the rest. Double bubble!

If you want something plain, you can download this template. I found it on the Interweb and can’t remember the source so please, if you do use it, you should do so for personal projects only. Thank you!

Frame up your skull. I stuck mine to white card. Make sure your skull is towards the front of the frame and the lights behind it.

Tape LED fairy lights around the inside of the frame behind the skull and re-attach the back board. You might need to snip off a corner from the backboard and any card you use for the lead.

Plug it in and admire your handiwork.

How simple was that?

Originally made for the dining room, I relocated my DIY skull light to the “north” side of the OneandSeventy kitchen, where it adds some much needed, and yet quirky, ambient personality to the recent makeover.

I think he fits in rather well. Don’t you?

A hui hou,