Easy DIY Halloween Treat Jars With Sugar Skulls and Pumpkins

How to Make a Sugar Skull or Pumpkin Halloween Treat Jar

Halloween treat jars are a fun crafting project to celebrate this spooky season. The pumpkin jar is an easy project for young children and adults, while the sugar skull jar takes a bit more skill.

The sugar skull jar can be decorated in many ways, and it can also be used to learn about the Day of the Dead celebration.

Fill your jars with treats like candy, toys, pumpkin seeds, or raisins to be given as gifts for this hallowed holiday!

In This Article

• Pumpkin Treat Jar (7 Steps and Instructions)
• Sugar Skull Treat Jar (14 Steps and Instructions)
• Other Ways to Decorate Your Treat Jars

Pumpkin Treat Jar

Pumpkin treat jars make a fun, festive container for Halloween sweets—and they're easier to make than you might think!

Materials

• A clean, clear jar with a screw-on lid or cork (any size)—you can use plastic or glass
• An artificial pumpkin that fits on the top of your lid or cork—you could also use a skull, witch's head, or any Halloween-themed item of your choice. Be sure your item has a flat bottom that will adhere to your lid.
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks
• Washi tape in Halloween colors to decorate your jar—available at most craft stores

Decorative Possibilities

• Glitter glue or paint to decorate the pumpkin
• Twine, ribbon, fabric, paint, or washi tape to cover the jar lid

Step 1: Clean and Remove Labels from the Jar and Lid

Soak your glass jar in warm water for about an hour; then use a dish scrubber to scrape off the labels. Let your jar and lid dry completely.

Step 2: Decorate Your Lid

Use paint, washi tape, fabric, or twine to cover your jar lid. I wrapped my lid with twine, then used some paper packing material to create a little nest for my pumpkin to rest in. (I attached my twine and packing material with hot glue.)

Note: Be sure that your embellishments do not interfere with your lid fitting and screwing on your jar.

Step 3: Draw a Jack-o'-Lantern

I sketched a Jack-o'-lantern face on my pumpkin using a pencil. You can also leave your pumpkin undecorated if you wish.

Note: When drawing or painting small objects, I find it helpful to lay them on a piece of fabric (even an old t-shirt) so they don't roll or move around.

Step 4: Add Glitter for Fun

Then I filled in my Jack-o'-lantern face with black glitter glue. You could also use acrylic paint. I used a sewing pin to move the glitter glue into the corners of the face that can be hard to fill in.

Step 5: Decorate Your Jar

While your pumpkin is drying, begin to decorate your jar. I wrapped my jar in different washi tape designs, but I have listed some other ways to decorate your jar at the bottom of this tutorial.

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I made sure that all my lines of tape began and ended at the same place so the seams wouldn't show. I also left a space between some of my layers of tape so that the jar's contents could be seen.

Step 6: Glue Your Pumpkin to the Lid

When your pumpkin is dry, use a generous amount of hot glue to stick your pumpkin to the top of your jar lid or cork.

Step 7: Fill With Treats

Fill your jar with treats and give it to someone special—or enjoy it yourself!

Sugar Skull Treat Jar

This tutorial uses a foam ball, a piece of cardboard, and some paper mache to make a sugar skull for celebrating Halloween or the Day of the Dead. It also includes instructions for transforming this skull into the topper for a treat jar.

Materials

• A clean jar with a screw-on lid or cork and a long neck—you can use plastic or glass. Your jar can be any size but will need a long neck to accommodate your sugar skull face.
• A foam ball that is roughly the same diameter as your lid or cork to make your skull.
• White tissue paper or newspaper for paper mache to form the head.
• A small piece of bendable cardboard—an empty roll of toilet paper or paper towels would work best.
• Paint and glitter glue to decorate your sugar skull.
• Assorted gems, sequins, beads, or artificial flowers to embellish your skull head.
• White craft glue, masking tape, and a pair of scissors.
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks.
• Washi tape in Halloween colors to decorate your jar.

Step 1: Create a Flat Base on Your Ball

Using a table knife or utility knife, shave off a little bit of your foam ball to have a flat bottom and sit flush with your jar lid or cork (see above).

Step 2: Attach the Ball to the Lid

Use hot glue to stick your foam ball to the top of your jar lid.

Step 3: Cut a Cardboard Jaw for Your Skull

Cut a small piece of bendable cardboard shaped like the letter "U." This cardboard should be as wide as your ball of foam and long enough to form the jaw for your skull. I suggest using an empty toilet paper roll or paper towel roll so your cardboard is rounded like your foam head.

Step 4: "Chisel" the Jaw

Trim the bottom of your cardboard piece to have the angles of a jawline.

Step 5: Screw the Lid on Your Jar

Put your jar lid with the foam ball back on your container. Use masking tape to position the cardboard jaw on your foam ball to create a skull (see above).

Be sure that your cardboard jaw does not interfere with the lid fitting on your jar. If it does, trim your jaw or reposition it on your skull.

Step 6: Prepare Your Paper Mache

Tear or cut your tissue paper or newspaper into thin strips. Stir together an equal mixture of white craft glue and water. Then, dip your paper strips into the mixture for paper mache.

Step 7: Apply Paper Mache Strips to the Skull

Carefully place your paper mache strips on your foam head to adhere the cardboard jaw to your skull and the ball to your jar lid.

Smooth your strips as you go to avoid bumps and ridges. As you work, be sure not to get any paper mache under your lid or your skull's jaw. Be sure that your lid will still screw on your jar.

Keep adding layers of paper mache until your foam ball is completely covered and there is no ridge between your cardboard jaw and skull. Make sure there is a smooth transition between your jar lid and foam head.

Step 8: Allow the Skull to Dry

Let your skull dry completely.

Step 9: Plan Your Decorations

While your head is drying, you can look online for ideas to decorate your sugar skull.

Step 10: Apply a Base Coat of Paint

When your skull is dry, use acrylic paint to put a base coat on your entire head. Your base coat does not need to be white. The background colors of sugar skulls are a variety of pastel colors, like pink, yellow, light blue, or green.

Step 11: Sketch the Skull's Features

When your paint is dry, sketch the features on your skull. There are many ideas for creating the details of your skull. Sugar skulls often have flowers for their eyes, an upside-down heart for a nose, and a wide smile of bare teeth.

Step 12: Decorate With Glitter and Gems

I added some glitter glue for more decoration to my skull, along with some plastic gems for the eyes and some artificial flowers for a crown on the head. Then, I let my skull dry completely.

Step 13: Decorate Your Jar

While your skull is drying, you can begin to decorate your jar. I used washi tape to cover my jar, following the directions in step 5 of the pumpkin tutorial above.

Step 14: Fill With Treats

Then, fill your jar with treats and top it off with your sugar skull lid.

Other Ways to Decorate Your Treat Jars

I used washi tape to decorate my jars, but there are other ways to embellish your empty jar:

• Use Halloween stickers.
• Wrap them with twine.
• Paint designs on them using acrylic paint.
• Leave them bare, and add a simple ribbon around the neck so that your treats can be decorations on their own!

© 2018 Donna Herron

Comments

Donna Herron (author) from USA on October 25, 2018:

Thanks, Heidi! Hope you are enjoying the fall season. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

Donna Herron (author) from USA on October 25, 2018:

Thanks, Linda! I appreciate your support.

Linda F Correa from Spring Hill Florida on October 25, 2018:

Really cute idea ! Great job !

Heidi Thorne from Chicago Area on October 24, 2018:

Hi Donna! Clever and practical as always! Hope you're have a nice autumn crafting season. Heck, the holidays aren't to far away either. Where did this year go? Thanks for sharing your talent and have a great day!

Donna Herron (author) from USA on October 24, 2018:

Great! I hope you have a wonderful time! I hope this project inspires some creative crafting. Thanks for commenting!

Claudia Porter on October 24, 2018:

I love these Donna. My daughter is having some friends over this weekend for Halloween and we are trying to think of some things for them to do. Thanks!