{"id":2905,"date":"2017-10-30T14:43:17","date_gmt":"2017-10-30T14:43:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/?p=2905"},"modified":"2020-11-18T14:33:35","modified_gmt":"2020-11-18T14:33:35","slug":"paper-mache-scarab-beetle-decorations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/paper-mache-scarab-beetle-decorations\/","title":{"rendered":"Paper mach\u00e9 scarab beetle decorations"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I made these very quick and easy paper mach\u00e9 scarab beetle decorations for my ancient Egypt Halloween party. They were a breeze! Check it out&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/paper-mache-scarab-07.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/paper-mache-scarab-07.jpg\" alt=\"Paper mache scarabs with skeleton decoration\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I started with these plastic bowls from the dollar store \u2014 four for a buck! I cut one of the bowls in half to make the head and back end of the scarab beetle. One half would be the head, and I cut the other half in halves again to create the division between the wing coverings.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/paper-mache-scarab-01.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/paper-mache-scarab-01.jpg\" alt=\"Paper mache scarab decorations - starting with cheap plastic bowls\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/paper-mache-scarab-02.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/paper-mache-scarab-02.jpg\" alt=\"Paper mache scarab decorations - building the base with foam board and tape\"><\/a><\/p>\n <div class=\"ad-300x250 ad-float-right\">\r\n<script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- MMS 300x250 -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:inline-block;width:300px;height:250px\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5009313124668288\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3616150394\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/div>\n<p>Uh&#8230; I really didn&#8217;t take many pictures of the next steps for building the base; I was totally just winging it and taping stuff together. Basically I used lots of pieces of foam board and tons and tons of masking tape. I traced an oval shape for the base, and made a half-cylinder for the body segment between the halves of the bowl. To create the curved half-cylinder part, I used my usual method of making foam board bendable: I covered both sides of the foam board with masking tape, and then carefully rolled it up. If you try to bend or curve foam board on its own it&#8217;ll break, but the masking tape lets it curve without breaking.<\/p>\n<p>I added two more curved foam board parts for the shell\/wing coverings. I then added six pieces of strings along the back of the wing coverings with masking tape, just to give the whole shape some more interesting details.<\/p>\n<p>You can see the base shape is much taller than necessary; I made it this way to make it easier to hold onto and work with. I built up the height by making a second copy of the scarab&#8217;s oval-shaped base to serve as the very bottom surface, stuck a small box shape on it to create the height, stuck the scarab shape on top, and built a wall around the bottom made from a long strip of poster board. I used tons and tons and tons of masking tape and packing tape to make all of this as strong as possible.<\/p>\n<p>One final step before using this base to make lots of scarab beetles: I covered the entire base in two layer of paper mach\u00e9. This was just to make the whole base stronger and to smooth out the surface a bit. When the paper mach\u00e9 was dry, the base felt very solid; ready to go!<\/p>\n<h2>Using the scarab beetle base<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/paper-mache-scarab-03.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/paper-mache-scarab-03.jpg\" alt=\"Paper mache scarab decorations - paper mache on bodies\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Now, to make the beetles! My fianc\u00e9e actually did all the paper mach\u00e9 for these things. For each scarab, she started by covering the base with a aluminum foil to act as a release agent; the paper mach\u00e9 sticks to the foil but the foil doesn&#8217;t stick to the base, so when the paper mach\u00e9 is done you can simply lift it away from the base.<\/p>\n<p>We use <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2LYmQsW\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Roman PRO-543 universal wallpaper adhesive<\/a> (paid link) for paper mache; alternating layers of newspaper and brown wrapping paper.<\/p>\n<div class=\"am-item\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B00FK8VNJE\/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;linkCode=li3&amp;tag=manningkrull-20&amp;linkId=c750f16dcb0f016ec23f35d64e1c3348&amp;language=en_US\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" border=\"0\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?_encoding=UTF8&amp;ASIN=B00FK8VNJE&amp;Format=_SL250_&amp;ID=AsinImage&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;WS=1&amp;tag=manningkrull-20&amp;language=en_US\"><\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=manningkrull-20&amp;language=en_US&amp;l=li3&amp;o=1&amp;a=B00FK8VNJE\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" alt=\"\" style=\"border:none !important; margin:0px !important;\"><\/div>\n<p>We decided to do just four layers of paper mach\u00e9 for the scarab beetles; these decorations will only be used once, and they&#8217;ll be out of people&#8217;s reach, so we didn&#8217;t need them to be sturdy at all. If we were making a permanent sculpture we&#8217;d use more like seven layers of paper. You can read about my paper mach\u00e9 process and materials <a href=\"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/my-paper-mache-method\/\">here<\/a>. Since the base was so tall, we just left the bottom edge of the paper kind of ragged; it&#8217;ll get trimmed later.<\/p>\n<p>When the paper mach\u00e9 was dry, it was pretty easy to carefully lift it off of the base. We then trimmed the edges with scissors to make a nice straight line all the way around. Now the base is ready to re-use!<\/p>\n<h2>Finishing the scarab beetles<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/paper-mache-scarab-04.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/paper-mache-scarab-04.jpg\" alt=\"Paper mache scarab decorations - foam board on bottom\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We traced the finished paper mach\u00e9 scarab shape onto foam board, cut that out, and taped it in place on the open bottom surface of the scarab body. We then covered this area with a layer of paper mach\u00e9. (It feels weird to keep saying &#8220;we&#8221; here; I&#8217;m not used to having help!)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/paper-mache-scarab-05.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/paper-mache-scarab-05.jpg\" alt=\"Paper mache scarab decorations - wires for the legs\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We made the legs from craft foam with thin steel wire taped in place. No need to bother with covering these with paper mach\u00e9; again, these decorations are for one night only. They&#8217;ll be spray-painted black and displayed at our Halloween party with low lighting. They don&#8217;t need to look perfect!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/paper-mache-scarab-06.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/paper-mache-scarab-06.jpg\" alt=\"Paper mache scarab decorations - cutting out the legs\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We hot-glued the leg shapes to the bottom of the scarab body and then bent the legs into position. We spray painted the scarabs gloss black and let them air out for a day or two.<\/p>\n<p>We ended up making six of these things, and if we&#8217;d had the time we (or at least I!) would&#8217;ve happily made a lot more! Three of them ended up displayed on this disassembled skeleton outside on our terrace&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/paper-mache-scarab-07.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/paper-mache-scarab-07.jpg\" alt=\"Paper mache scarabs with skeleton decoration\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/paper-mache-scarab-08.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/paper-mache-scarab-08.jpg\" alt=\"Paper mache scarabs eating an unfortunate explorer\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/paper-mache-scarab-09.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/paper-mache-scarab-09.jpg\" alt=\"Paper mache scarabs picking bones clean\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Others were displayed on various walls, mirrors, etc.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/paper-mache-scarab-10.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/paper-mache-scarab-10.jpg\" alt=\"Paper mache scarab decorations - displayed on a wall of hieroglyphs\"><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I made these very quick and easy paper mach\u00e9 scarab beetle decorations for my ancient Egypt Halloween party. They were a breeze! Check it out&#8230; I started with these plastic bowls from the dollar store \u2014 four for a buck! I cut one of the bowls in half to make the head and back end [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3133,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[255,261,60,262,3,256,250],"class_list":["post-2905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-ancient-egypt","tag-beetle","tag-halloween-decorations","tag-insects","tag-paper-mache","tag-scarab","tag-tomb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2905","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2905"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2905\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5954,"href":"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2905\/revisions\/5954"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manningkrull.com\/manningmakesstuff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}