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Completed Monster Milk Jug Halloween Decoration standing up against a black and pink polka dotted background.
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DIY Monster Milk Jug Halloween Decoration

The DIY Monster Milk Jug Halloween Decoration holds candy or a glow stick for trick or treat fun. A cute, recycled milk jug craft.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Craft
Cuisine: Craft
Keyword: crafts to do with milk jugs, crafts to make with milk jugs, crafts using milk jugs, family craft, Halloween crafts with milk jugs,, Halloween milk jug, milk jug craft, milk jug Halloween decorations,
Servings: 1 Monster Milk Jug Decoration
Author: Shelly
Cost: $2

Equipment

  • Utility Knife
  • Scissors
  • Paint brush
  • Hot glue gun

Ingredients

Instructions

  • draw your monster face on the milk jug so you can cut holes in the jug.
    On mine I wanted the handle to be a nose on the monster, so the handle was in the middle of the monster face and the mouth went below the handle. This worked well and made a very wide toothy grin.
    You could use the “corner” of the jug opposite of the handle to be the center of the face or a flat side of the jug to be the face of your monster.
    Take a couple minutes and imagine what would work best for your idea. Then draw on the parts of the face you want to cut out with a permanent marker. This will usually be the mouth and sometimes the eyes. It may also be a hole towards the top of the jug if it is to be used to hold candy for a child as they trick or treat. 
  • I cut the pour hole off the top of the milk jug. I didn’t want the top of the head to come to a point because I wanted to glue some “hair” on, sticking some of it down into the hole that was left. It worked well.
    Once you have the face drawn on it’s time to cut it out.
    It worked well to use a utility knife to cut the plastic. Milk jug plastic is not very thick so it’s pretty easy to cut. 
    Note: This is a step that an adult will need to do for younger children. 
  • Use some lightweight cardboard to cut a nose, feet, hands/paws, ears, horns, or whatever else you would like to have stick out from your milk jug monster.
    Leave a ½-¾-inch tab on the end of whatever you draw. This tab will be bent back and used to glue the cardboard piece onto the milk jug. 
  • Bend the tab back on each cardboard piece. Use hot glue or E6000 glue on the tabs to attach these pieces to your milk jug monster. 
    Note: If you use the E6000 glue it takes longer to dry but may be more durable.
  • When the glue is dry, take your monster and your spray paint outside to spray paint. Even though you are outside I recommend placing newspaper or cardboard down. You don’t want the paint to get on the grass or sidewalk.
    Spray paint the front and the back of the monster according to the directions on the spray paint can. It took more than one coat to get good paint coverage on my monster.
    After the paint dries your monster friend and you can go back inside for some fun final decorating. 
  • Take the craft supplies that you pulled out and think about how you can use them to make the milk jug monster decoration look as you would like.
    My first decoration was to hot glue some “hair” onto the top of the jug. The hair I chose was some pipe cleaners and a loofah/bath sponge. 
    I placed a ring of hot glue around the opening I’d cut in the top of the jug and placed the pipe cleaners across the opening first. Then I hot glued the loofah on over the pipe cleaners. 
  • Next, how about the face?
    I used acrylic craft paint to make eyes and some details on the ears and nails of the monster. 
    Then I hot glued big wooden beads in the center of the eye area. 
    I was planning to do more to the monster but felt that this was all it needed.
    What would you like to add onto your monster? You can paint spots, stripes, eyes, or nails.
    Glue on buttons, pony beads, add stickers or pieces of felt.
  • I would love to see what you create for your DIY Monster Milk Jug Halloween Decoration! The sky is the limit! Post pictures of your monster.
    I hope you have a happy and safe Halloween holiday if you live in the United States and enjoy this silly craft no matter where you live!

Video

Notes

Note: Carefully poke the utility knife down into the plastic along the line you have drawn and then pull it back out again. Poke and pull up as you move down your permanent marker line. 
I recommend this poke and pull up method rather than trying to pull the knife along the line in one swipe as it’s often hard to control a swipe. It can cut across the jug where you don’t want to cut.
Once you have the cutting started you can shift over to using a scissors if that is easier for you.