How to Make Clothespin Skeleton Fingers

Hold on for a gripping Halloween tutorial! We're gonna make bony skeleton fingers out of clothespins!

They're really a snap! 

You'll find so many fun uses for them. 

For example, you might have noticed them grasping my Halloween burlap ornaments to this garland...

You start by giving this bleached bone effect to ordinary clothespins...

...by using these simple supplies: ink, glue and white acrylic paint. And clothespins.

Glowing X-Ray Skull Necklace by iGottaCreate

Get two paintbrushes: one for the glue and one for the paint.

Oh. And some fake fingernails from the dollar store.

I used a black solvent ink pad. Alternatively, you can lightly mist black spray paint over a bunch of clothespins at once.

 Don't worry about coverage... just randomly get a bit of black on there. You'll want both the natural clothespin color and the black to peek through for the perfect bleached bone effect. 

 Now just run a line of glue on top of the inked clothespins...

 Use a paintbrush to quickly spread the glue. Immediately on top of that wet glue spread a layer of white paint using your second paintbrush. 

 Now's the fun part. We're going to watch paint dry!

Very quickly you'll see the crackling effect...

 Truly, it is amazing to watch. Kids will get a kick out of this...

...as they watch the gripping paint drama unfold! Wow! See? It goes quickly.

They look so awesome!

 I recommend you paint these on wax paper. Paint one side of a whole card of clothespins. Allow to dry for at least 30 minutes before turning over to paint the back.

They're super cool as is, but you want to turn them into bony skeleton fingers. So use the ol' trusty hot glue gun to adhere some dollar store fake fingernails.  

Ooooh...Fancy!

How about some French tips? 

Be sure to put your hot glue on the clothespin and pause just a second - that's all it takes - before adding the fingernail. 

If you apply the hot glue directly to the fingernail, it will melt it.

 Now that looks pretty great, but you gotta add one final detail to really make it work: the middle knuckle. 

Just use a sharpie to draw it on.  

 See? That looks more finger-like! 

I got real fancy-dancy and added the very top joint using some beads...

but it's not necessary. Sometimes I get carried away.

Bony Clothespin Fingers pair up with spooky-cute Halloween papers to make these memorable Trick 'r Treat party favor bags, too!

 Hey, they're playing our song!

Tune in here to see how we play with them next!

{I host a weekly linky party. Come find out more here!  I'm sharing How to make Clothespin Skeleton Fingers with...Monday: Craftomaniac, Making The World Cuter, Alderberry Hill, Project Queen, Skip to My Lou, Cherished Bliss, Tip Junkie, Today's Creative Blog; Tuesday:  Not Just a Housewife, Elizabeth & Co., The DIY Dreamer, Savvy Southern Style, Uncommon, What We Wore & Made, Gingersnap Crafts, The NY Melrose Family. ; Wednesday:  The 36th Avenue, Live-Laugh-Rowe, Handy Man Crafty Woman, The Trendy Treehouse,  Snap; Thursday: Scissors & Spatulas, My Repurposed Life, Frugal Girls, Shabby Nest; Friday:  Funky Junk Interiors, Happy Hour, Anything Goes, Finding Fabulous, My Simple Home Life, Romantic Home, French Country Cottage, Tatertots and Jello, Thirty Handmade Days, Naptime Crafters, Stuff & Nonsense, One Creative Mommy; Saturday:  Be Different Act Normal, Tutus & Tea Parties, Positively Splendid, Sew Country Chick; Sunday: Nifty Thrifty Things, DIY Project Parade, I Should be Mopping The Floor, Under The Table and Dreaming, My 1929 Charmer, Sew Darned Crafty}

Here's another easy project: Candy Corn Ornaments