Día de los Muertos, also known as the Day of the Dead, is one of Mexico’s most vibrant and meaningful celebrations. Despite its name, this holiday is anything but gloomy; it’s a lively, colorful, and deeply cherished tradition that honors loved ones who have passed away. Every year, homes and altars come to life with papel picado banners, marigold flowers, candles, sugar skulls, and of course, the elegant and iconic La Catrina.
If this is your first time making Día de los Muertos decorations and you’re looking for creative yet easy craft ideas, you’re in the right place! In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to make your very own DIY La Catrina using only crepe paper and an empty Coca-Cola bottle — or any recycled soda bottle you already have at home.
This project is colorful, fun, and surprisingly simple to make. It’s the perfect addition to your ofrenda or home décor during the Day of the Dead celebration. You can personalize your La Catrina with different colors, accessories, or embellishments to match your theme or creative style.
What I love most about this recycled craft idea is that it’s budget-friendly and you won’t need fancy materials or expensive tools to make something beautiful and meaningful. Whether you’re crafting solo or with family, this easy crepe paper project is a wonderful way to celebrate the spirit and artistry of Día de los Muertos.
▶ Watch this tutorial on TikTok
What You’ll Need for DIY La Catrina
How to Make La Catrina Using a Coca-Cola Bottle
Step 1: <strong>Paint the Bottle</strong>
Apply primer to the upper half of the empty Coca-Cola bottle and let it dry completely. Once dry, paint the primed area with your chosen color.
Primer is the step people skip, and it is the reason painted glass ends up patchy. Glass has nothing for paint to grip, so a thin white base coat gives the color something to sit on and makes orange read as orange instead of a muddy brown over green-tinted glass. Wash the bottle first and let it dry completely. Any leftover soda film underneath will lift the paint later.
Two thin coats beat one thick one every time. A thick coat looks fine wet and then dries with runs down the shoulder of the bottle. If you are impatient, a hair dryer on low speeds things along.
You only need to paint the upper half, since the crepe paper skirt covers the rest. I still paint a little lower than I think I need to, because the ruffles shift once you start layering them.
Step 2: <strong>Prepare the Crepe Paper Skirt</strong>
Cut the crepe paper into a 5-inch-wide strip, then sew along the top edge using a running stitch. Gently pull the thread to gather the paper and make it look fuller. Create three sets in different colors and sizes for a layered effect.
The running stitch is what makes this look like fabric instead of taped paper. Sew along the top edge of the 5-inch strip with a long, loose stitch, then hold one end of the thread and slide the paper down it. The strip bunches into real gathers. Pull slowly. Crepe paper tears if you yank, and a torn gather cannot be fixed, only replaced.
No sewing at all? Run a line of hot glue along the top edge and pinch small pleats into it as you go. It is less even than a gathered stitch but nobody notices once three layers are stacked.
Cut your three strips in different widths, not just different colors. Same-width layers stack into a tube. Graduated widths give you the tiered silhouette that makes her look like she is wearing a dress.
Step 3: <strong>Assemble the Crepe Paper Layers</strong>
Gently insert the prepared crepe paper pieces into the body of the Coca-Cola bottle, starting with the largest layer first.
Step 4: <strong>Create the Crepe Paper Marigold</strong>
Cut several circles out of crepe paper and staple them together at the center. Then, cut small strips around the edges and gently gather them toward the middle to form marigold flowers. Make three in different colors and sizes.
Marigolds, cempasúchil, are the flower of the holiday. Their scent and color are traditionally what guide the spirits home, which is why you see them everywhere on Day of the Dead altars. That is worth knowing before you pick your paper. Orange and deep yellow are the colors doing the work here.
Cut the fringe around each circle closer together than feels reasonable. Thin, dense strips fluff into a full bloom. Wide strips look like a paper daisy. And stack your circles slightly off-center before you staple, so the layers do not line up perfectly and the flower reads round instead of flat.
RELATED: DIY Egg Tray Sugar Skull
Step 5: <strong>Draw the La Catrina Body and Face</strong>
Sketch La Catrina’s body and face on cardboard or cardstock, then color it however you like. Alternatively, you can print a template from the internet. Once finished, carefully cut out the upper body shape.
Cardstock is worth using over regular paper. Her upper body has to stand up on top of the bottle without curling, and printer paper will flop within a day. Cereal box cardboard works too and costs nothing.
Draw the face lightly in pencil first. La Catrina’s face is a calavera, a skull, with the features kept elegant and symmetrical: round eye sockets, a small heart or triangle nose, a line of stitches across the lips. Keep it dignified rather than spooky. She was drawn as satire of people denying their own roots, not as a monster, and the figure carries real meaning for a lot of families.
Cut just outside your outline, not on it, so no pencil line shows on the finished edge.
Step 6: <strong>Assemble the Marigolds on La Catrina</strong>
Hot glue one marigold onto the hands and another to the side of the head. Next, attach the La Catrina body to the upper part of the Coca-Cola bottle. Finally, hot-glue another marigold onto the crepe paper skirt for added design.
Test the fit before any glue comes out. Sit her paper body on the bottle mouth, step back, and check that she is centered from the front. Hot glue on paper gives you about three seconds, and a Catrina glued on crooked stays crooked.
Use low-temp glue if you can. High-temp glue melts a shiny dent into crepe paper on contact, and you will see it.
💡 Pro Tip
To make your La Catrina stand out, use contrasting colors for the dress or add a hat, and add small details like lace trim, tiny flowers, or glitter to give it a more festive and traditional look.
How to Display and Store Her
An ofrenda is usually built in tiers, and she works best on a middle or upper level where her full skirt is visible. Group her with photographs, candles, marigolds, water and the foods your people actually liked. If you are keeping this as general seasonal decor rather than a family altar, a mantel or an entry table with a papel picado banner behind her does the same job.
Use LED candles, not real flames. Crepe paper and open fire are a bad pairing, especially with a paper banner overhead.
She stores better than you would expect. Stand her upright in a tall box, no lid pressing on the ruffles, and keep her somewhere dry. Crepe paper is the one part that suffers in a damp garage, since humidity relaxes the gathers and the skirt goes limp. Mine have come out of the closet three seasons running with nothing more than a quick fluff of the layers.
Making a set is the natural next move. Vary the height by using different bottles, change the dress colors, and give each one a different flower placement so they read as a family rather than a batch. A wine bottle makes a taller figure. A small glass soda bottle makes a child-sized one.
💕 Why You’ll Love This Project
You’ll love how this La Catrina craft combines creativity, color, and sustainability! It’s a fun and meaningful way to celebrate Día de los Muertos, perfect for beginners, and totally customizable with your favorite colors and details. Plus, you’ll be amazed at how something so beautiful can be made from a simple recycled bottle and crepe paper!
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to prime the bottle before painting it?
Yes, if you want even color. The tutorial has you prime the upper half of the bottle first, let it dry, then paint over the primed area, and that white base is what keeps the tinted glass from dulling your color. Skip it and you will be doing four coats instead of two.
What if I cannot sew the crepe paper skirt?
The running stitch in step 2 is only there to gather the 5-inch strip, so any method that bunches the top edge works. Pinch small pleats into a line of glue instead, or thread a needle by hand with one long loose stitch. Once the three layers are stacked in the bottle, the top edges are hidden anyway.
How many marigolds do I need?
Three, in different colors and sizes. One gets hot glued to her hands, one to the side of her head, and the third onto the crepe paper skirt. Making them slightly different sizes keeps the three from looking like a matched set stuck on in a row.
Can I draw the Catrina body myself if I am not an artist?
You can. Step 5 is a simple upper-body shape sketched on cardboard or cardstock, colored in, then cut out, and the skull face is mostly symmetry: matching eye sockets, a small nose shape, a stitched mouth line. Pencil it first, color second, and cut just outside your line so no guide marks show.
What’s Viral Recently
Recipes
Seasonal
Not Listed
Seasonal
*If you love this craft, then visit our official website, follow our Facebook page, and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more!
DIY La Catrina Using a Coca-Cola Bottle
