Last year’s Halloween party had a vintage, gothic feel which all started with a plastic skeleton and continued with these invitations.

The Materials:
A4 card (120gms or more, depending on your printer) in White
A4 card (heavyweight) in black and red (corrugated or textured if possible)
1” wide mini luggage tags
Avery Labels in clear and white
4.5mm round head black brads (8 per skeleton)
Red embroidery thread or string
Good Craft Glue
Scissors, ruler, awl or sharp pencil, pencil, black pen, hole punch

Step 1: The Wording

The wording for the invitation was printed on to mini luggage tags. To put the text onto the tags I printed it onto clear labels, deconstructed the tags, stuck the labels on each side of tag, trimmed them, repunched the holes and then put the tags back together again, gluing on the hole reinforcers and retreading the ties.

On one side the text gave details of the party and on the other was the only clue written that our guests got “Will the dead rise?”

I won't say it wasn't a lot of work, but they are worth it!

Step 2: The Skeleton

I found this skeleton as a free printable on a well-known ice cream manufacturer’s website and printed him onto sheets of thick white card. Head and torso were one piece and a choice of attachable limbs.

Once I’d cut out each skeleton I joined them together with 4.5mm black round head brads and tied a luggage tag around their neck.

Step 3: The Coffin

Tracing a basic shape from a book, I made three templates for the coffin; the base, the lid and the lining.

You can download the template here; print at 100% on A4 paper.

The base is 10mm deep, the lid is 3-4mm longer and wider than the base and 5mm deep, the lining is 2mm shorter and narrower than the base.

As I wanted black coffins, I couldn't print the template onto the card so I traced it instead. I used an awl to pin prick each point in the card and then joined the dots to redraw each piece.

Once cut out, I folded each line against the ruler for a smooth, sharp crease, and glued the tabs. I decided to line each coffin in a fabulous corrugated red card that I found. I cut lengths 8mm wide trimmed them to length (the circumference of the internal measurement of the coffin) and glued them in place. I then glued in the inner lining. The lids, at 5mm deep, I decided were too narrow to line.

Step 4: The Finishing Touches

Finally I found/Photoshoped a variety of luggage labels and stickers, and a stamp. I printed them onto some white labels, cut them out and decorated the coffin; this is a well-travelled skeleton!

I hand-wrote the names on and packaged the coffin up in a length of red embroidery thread. All ready to go...