Maybe it’s because I’ve had a summer of amazing rock concerts or maybe I’m just going through a mid life crisis, but I’ve been feeling my inner badass something fierce lately. Whatever the reason, I have been rediscovering my musical and artistic passions and my home and office has become a laboratory for some pretty bitchin’ decorating experiments and diy classes, and I’ve been learning a ton of new technology and I’m loving every second of it! I’m truly having a renaissance summer. So in the spirt of reigniting  my inner badass, let me help you unleash your own inner badass and let’s make some badass skull cocktail picks so you can serve up a cocktail with a little attitude this summer.
 

If you’ve been following me on Instagram and Facebook this week, you would have seen me release a little 14 second teaser video for this Sunday diy a few days ago. This is part of my tech renaissance that I’ve been referring to. Don’t worry if you missed it, it’s not on Instastories so go back to my posts and you’ll see it. Anyway, I’m planning on doing more little videos and hopefully producing my own vlog at some point too. If you enjoyed the little teaser video, leave me a comment below and let me know. Okay, enough about that, let’s get started, shall we?
 

Let’s make A Badass Skull Cocktail Pick: Your Materirals
 

Here’s the list of materials that you’ll need for this project:

1. Skull beads from Jo-Ann Fabrics. The Brand I found is: Hildie and Jo.
2. 6 Soft Sculpture Doll Sewing Needles, 3”
3. 1 Pack of 4mm, Swarovski Crystals
4. A roll of Plumber’s tape
5. A tube of E-6000 craft glue
6. A tube of gold metallic craft paint, I like Martha Stewart’s Brand
7. Small wooden craft dowels
8. A piece of Styrofoam or foam core board
 
You’ll also need a pair of scissors and a detail paint brush, not pictured.
 

Let’s make A Badass Skull Cocktail Pick: Plumber’s Tape and Needles
 

Cut about an inch of Plumber’s tape with your scissors and wrap the tape around the top of the sewing needle, where the eye of the needle is. Start about half way down on the tape and wind the tape tightly around the needle until it’s all the way around. It should be tight enough to fit through the hole in the skull bead, with a little wiggle room,  but not so tight that it will slide all  the way through. Also, the tape should not be visible from the bottom of the bead. It looks more finished that way. See the picture below. 
 

Let’s make A Badass Skull Cocktail Pick: Glue The Needle To The Bead
 

Next you’ll want to tamp down the little excess Plumber’s tape at the top of your needle so that you have what looks like a flat head at the top, like a flat head pin. Then squeeze your tube of E-6000 so you get a small bead of glue and roll the needle through the glue until you have the tape covered in a thin layer of glue. Stick the needle through the hole in the top of the skull bead and press down the little excess glue and tape that will be left at the top so that the top is smooth. Wipe off any excess glue on the bead.
 

Let’s make A Badass Skull Cocktail Pick: Paint The Beads
 

Let your glue dry and then paint the beads. I had this old foam wreath in my craft room and I stuck the picks in while they dried. Ideally you want to let the glue dry for 24 hours but I was able to paint mine after letting them dry for an afternoon. I painted a thin coat of Martha’s metallic gold paint on each. I actually liked the detail on the skulls and I didn’t want to cover it up completely. Originally I was going to spray paint them gold – cause you know I love my gold spray paint – but then all the detail would have been covered. After painting them, let them dry by sticking the picks back in the foam. 
 

Let’s make A Badass Skull Cocktail Pick: Add Your Crystal Eyes
 

This step is optional, but I like a little glam with my badass. That’s sounds weird.. What I mean is I like to add some sparkle to my badass…nope, still wrong! HA! Anyway, I found it easiest to stick the picks into the foam horizontally, like they’re laying down so that I could attach the eyes, see the picture below. I took my small wood dowel and dipped in the E-6000 and then dabbed that in the eye sockets on the skull bead. Then I carefully placed the crystals in the socket. Turn the foam around and repeat this process until all your eye sockets have crystals in them. Hello beautiful, instant glam!
 

Let’s make A Badass Skull Cocktail Pick: Serve Up A Badass Cocktail with Some Attitude!
 

Invite some friends over,  put on some tunes and have a badass time. Make a signature cocktail or keep it simple and let your peeps choose what they want. Your skull pics are the accent that makes whatever concoction you serve fabulous!
 

Thanks so much for reading and tuning in for diy Sunday! If you want even more decorating tips, tricks, and all around fabulousness that I only share with my subscribers, sign up for my newsletter and if you enjoyed this diy, let me know in the comments below and share, share, share with your peeps so they too can get in on diy Sunday! Let me know if you’d like to see a specific diy, get in touch with me here and let me know… Until next week, keep creating some awesome diy’s!
 

Michael is Principal designer and blogger at Michael Helwig Interiors in beautiful Buffalo, New York. Since 2011, he’s a space planning expert, offering online interior e-design services for folks living in small homes, or for those with awkward and tricky layouts. He’s a frequent expert contributor to many National media publications and news outlets on topics related to decorating, interior design, diy projects, and more. Michael happily shares his experience to help folks avoid expensive mistakes and decorating disappointments. You can follow him on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook @interiorsmh.