Make no bones about it: Taylor Turansky loves skeletons.

Her hobby is fashioning elaborate handmade costumes for them. The 18-year-old Windward Community College student said she finds inspiration from the Mexican Day of the Dead festival, or Dia de los Muertos.

"We don’t celebrate Dia de los Muertos, and we aren’t Mexican, but we sure love those skeletons," she said.

She scares up the skeletons at craft and Halloween stores and garage sales year-round. Searching for just the right clothing and accessories is a creative endeavor for Turansky, who finds herself looking "at boring, everyday things in new ways."

Barbie doll hair, old brooches, beads, earrings, jewels, sequins, ribbons or fabric are among the materials she uses to create the skeletons’ wardrobe.

"The hot glue gun and glitter are my best friends," she said.

Before starting a project, Turansky carefully considers each skeleton. "I try to imagine what sort of personality it might have and what his or her story might be," she said.

"I apply a special makeup to the face, often with designs like flowers or dotted circles. Before I can be finished, I pick a name for each one."

Turansky has finished three large skeletons and three smaller ones, and plans to do more.

"My tutu looks everywhere for me, and when she does find one, they’re often worse for the wear, with an arm missing, the jawbone coming off — stuff like that," she said. "I try to hide or fix it the best that I can, but in the end I think it just adds to their personalities."