How To-zday: Project Mantel 2

Back to Project Mantel, woot!  Today I'm going to show you how I did my paper-mache skull & the feather/leaf/paper bouquet for the cute owl vase Thing 1 bought me~*

 

First, the skull-- easy-peasy.  You need:

1. A paper-mache skull {technically a paper-mache anything}.  I picked ours up at Michaels for .99 {yay me!}.  
2. An old book cut or torn into small pieces.  We like to pick up damaged texts at thrift stores/junk shops for just this sort of occasion.
3. Mod Podge...or white glue...or paste {flour & water}...sticky stuff, in other words.

The rest is purdy obvious~*

I cut the pages with my paper cutter, but ended up having Jer & Thing 3 help tear the pieces instead-- the rough edges just looked better.  I also couldn't resist plastering a chapter title across the skull's forehead.  It was a book of fairy tales, & the chapter was Why the Fish Laughed.  I don't know, it amused me.

Now on to the bouquet.

1. A leaf pattern in 3 sizes.  I just drew a really, really basic shape because I was using patterned paper.  The end result was somewhere between leaf & feather. I like it.
2. Scrapbook paper {I had a ton laying around the house in autumn-y colors}.  Construction paper, or even felt would work
3. Florist wire.  I got white because I was going to use it for another project too, but it comes in other colors.
4. Raffia covered wire.  This wire is too bulky to use for the leaves/feathers themselves {and it is considerably more expensive}.  I ended up using it to firm up the "stems," but mostly its needed to make twirly branch things...you'll see what I mean
5. Glue.  I used Tacky glue because it dries fast.  You could use hot glue, but it would burn your fingers~*

And here is the finished mantel, complete with fire in the fireplace!

Next week I"ll show y'all how to make a stuffed pumpkin {which you can see clearer in the pic above this one} & Jebediah Soultree aka the owl pillow {whooooo-t...see what I did there?}!

Handmade Happy Hour