Papier-Mache' Dress Forms.

Have you ever wondered what you could do with those papier-mache' dress forms you find in the craft store bins? Well I did. I would see all these different shapes and sizes piled high in bins and wondered what in the world people used them for. It wasn't until I discovered the wonderful world of decoupage art that I discovered what exactly they were used for. On my next visit to the craft store I looked at them and thought "Hey! I know what I could do with these!" I purchased the papier-mache' dress forms for just under five dollars and decided to make a jewelry stand with them. After studying the construction of the dress form I realized that it would have to have some kind of stand to keep it from falling over. I cruised the aisles looking for something to prop it up on when I ran smack dab into the perfect support. It was a bin full of wooden candle sticks! They looked as if they were just waiting for me to round the corner and discover their fabulosity! They were made of unfinished pine and appeared to be very sturdy. Purchases in hand I headed home. Like most of us that are busy with multiple projects at any given time, I let them sit in a box for a almost a year before I finally decided to get started on my projects.

For the body I adhered layers of collage papers and Royal Coat decoupage medium. I also burnished the final coat with metallic wax. I then painted the candlestick and hot glued it to the base of the dress form. Since I wanted the final piece to be able to hold jewelry I drilled two small holes into the arms and threaded several cut wire, coat hangers into the holes and sealed them with glue. Next I took my needle nose pliers and rolled the tips of each end of the wire. I then added crackle glaze, more metallic wax and a final coat of paint before spraying the whole thing with a light coating of polyurethane to seal it and add shine. I then added marabou feathers around the armholes and hemline to give it a more elegant look.

I loved the way this piece turned out so much and wanted to keep it for myself but my Mom had always wanted one so I ended up giving it to her as a gift. What kind of person would I be if I turned down my own mother! So off to the craft store I went to get another set of materials to make one for myself. I decided to make this one completely different from the first and it ended up being more of an art piece than a jewelry holder but in the end I was very pleased with the final result.

*Sorry for the sideways photo but I could not figure out how to get it turned in the post for the life of me!