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    Home » Crafts » Skeleton Cages

    Skeleton Cages

    Published by Gail | Published October 4, 2019 | Updated October 4, 2019
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    How to make Halloween Skeleton Cages using dollar store baskets and other one dollar items. Easy and inexpensive alternative to buying Halloween Decor from the big box stores. #MyRepurposedLife #DollarTree #Halloween #dollarstoredesignsquad #diy #easy #projects via @repurposedlife

    Ohhh, for this month’s Dollar Store Design Squad project, I made Skeleton Cages out of plastic baskets and other random items from the Dollar Tree!

    Pin it!

    How to make Skeleton Cages for Halloween

    • Plastic Baskets (2 for each project)
    • Skeletons
    • Link Chain
    • Rats
    • Spider Web Material
    • No Trespassing Tape

    Items you may have on hand:

    • Spray Paint
    • Hot Glue Gun (E6000 or similar is also a good option)
    • Zip Ties (optional)

    dollar store baskets skeletons and rats

    All of the above listed items are available at your local Dollar Tree Store.

    Spray Paint Laundry Baskets

    spray paint baskets

    The first thing to do is to spray paint the bright colored baskets with black paint.

    Speckled Spray Paint to Age Baskets

    speckled silver paint

    After allowing the paint to dry, I used some metallic spray paint on the baskets to match the look of the plastic chain. This was achieved by a light and sporadic spray.

    Add Skeletons to Cage

    enclose skeletons in basket

    I used a hot glue gun to secure the skeletons in their “cage”. You may want to use something a little stronger like E6000.

    Affix Chain to Cage

    glue link chain to top of skeleton cage

    Because every other link on the chain is removeable, I separated the chain to make it easy to glue to the top of the basket. Again, Something stronger than hot glue might work best. I propped the chain link up against a rat to hold it until the glue set up. This closeup picture allows you to see how well the speckled painted basket matches the chain.

     

     

    Reattach chain to glued link

    With the chain being separated on every other link, it easily allows you to add to or take away from the length of the chain.

    Join Top & Bottom Baskets to Make Cage Complete

    set of skeleton cages

    This is where zip ties may come in handy to secure the basket top to bottom. Did you notice I used tall shepherd’s hooks to hang the skeleton cages?

    Embellish Halloween Vignette with Spider Webs & More

    skeleton cages and scary pumpkin head MyRepurposedLife

    I have the skeleton cages in my yard with the Scary Pumpkin Head I made using the Wagner Heat Gun for a contest. There’s still a little time left to vote by liking the pumpkin head on their IG Page. The prize if $500 !!

    The Scary Pumpkin Head was also made with items from the Dollar Store. Winking smile

     

    Dollar Store Design Squad Fall Projects

    Now, let’s take a look at what my friends have been up to for this month’s themed challenge.

     

     

    Skeleton Cages

    Spooky Altered Book

    Fall Stitched Splatter Shield

    DIY Dollar Store Halloween Wreath

    Fall Pumpkin Door Decor

    Have you made a fun Fall or Halloween project using items from the Dollar Store? Please share them below!

    gail



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    1. acraftymix

      October 09, 2019 at 1:49 am

      Love how your cages turned out Gail and it looks like I was just a teeny weeny bit late to vote for your scary pumpkin head. He's awesome too

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        October 09, 2019 at 8:27 am

        Thanks Michelle! I was so far behind in the vote, but I appreciate you trying to vote. 🙂 I have taken down the decor as someone alerted me to the dangers of the fake spider webs to birds.
        gail

    2. Christina Woodcock

      October 05, 2019 at 6:26 pm

      I did! I especially loved the wreath so neat! And who knew a hat would make such a cute door wreath!

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        October 06, 2019 at 9:30 pm

        It's amazing what you can do with those dollar store finds!

        gail

    3. Christina Woodcock

      October 04, 2019 at 12:49 pm

      These are so cool! Never thought of using the baskets!

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        October 05, 2019 at 9:50 am

        Thanks Christina! Did you see the other fabulous dollar store basket idea?

        gail

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    Hi, there! I’m Gail Wilson, the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. I’m obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believe that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again—myself included! I hope you’ll enjoy the journey and pick up a few tools along the way… literally!

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