Party Favor Moustache -- by LeeAnn Kress of Charmed Confections

Hi Everyone!  Welcome to the Creative Paperclay® Blogsite!

It's LeeAnn Kress from Charmed Confections with my next tutorial for you.  Ok ... this tutorial is a little off the beaten path for me, but I couldn't resist.  I was having the worst time trying to figure out what type of tutorial to do this month. 

So, for inspiration, I went to Michaels to check out their latest offerings.  As I was browsing the aisles, I came across these wooden moustaches on a stick.  I started to giggle a little when I saw them, and the lady in the aisle with me said that they were pretty cute, but what do you do with them ... paint them?  Well, it got me thinking why not try paperclay.  So, I bought two of these for .99 cents a piece (so cheap).  How could I not try it!  Michaels has these in various shapes and they even have several types of hats and glasses to match.

These would be so darling made up for someone's birthday party.  Tie a little tag to the stick to personalize it.



Here is what they look like.  Cut out wooden moustaches on a stick. 

Here is what they look like finished! These would be great for a party favor. 

So cute and funny too!

Supply List:

Creative Paperclay®

Delight® (clay)

Moustaches

Paint / Paint Brushes / Paper Towels

Sand Paper (Rubber Scrubbers)

Wood Stain

Matte Varnish

Glue

Scissors

Decorative Styrofoam Ball

Tinsel



In the above picture, I have already finished one side of the handlebar moustache.  I basically rolled out the clay like a snake added it to the wood.  Make sure you wet the wood with your paintbrush before you add the clay (if the clay is not sticking to the wood, rub a little water on your rolled out clay).  The water will help adhere the clay to the wood.

In this picture, I am smoothing the clay around the edge of the wood.  Smooth the clay all the way around to the back.  This will hold the clay more securely and finish the edges.

Here is another view at adding the second layer.  Continue to add snakes of clay to match the other side.  Remember to bring the clay over the edges of the wood and smooth to the back.

Here I am using my paintbrush to smooth the clay on the backside of the piece.  We will sand this later to smooth it completely and blend it into the backside.

In this photo, I am measuring the lengths of the snakes to make sure they are even on both sides.  Would hate for this handlebar moustache to be uneven!  Whoops!

Here is the finished sculpt!  Let's put this aside and move on to the next moustache!  

Besides Creative Paperclay® the manufacturer also has a clay called Delight®. I have never used it before. Thought that I would try it out on the next moustache to compare the difference.

When I first opened the package, the clay is very different from Creative Paperclay®.  The texture reminds me of the inside of an Oreo Cookie.  In fact, it is quite similar.  It is light, fuffly and kind of spongy.  This would be great for making accessories / ornaments that need to be light in weight.

In the above photo, I completed one side using the same techniques.  Instead of snakes, I just smoothed a lump of clay over the entire front surface and smoothed to the back covering the edges.  I carved some lines in the clay to give it texture.

Here are the finished pieces.  One using Delight® and the other using Creative Paperclay®.  The handlebar moustache using Creative Paperclay® was heavier than the moustache using the Delight®. 

Before moving on to the next step, make sure your clay is completely dry.  Lightly sand the piece, the edges, and backside to blend the clay into a smooth finish.  Use your fine grit sandpaper or rubber scrubbers to do this.  (Don't know what rubber scrubbers are - see my tip on sanding in older posts.)

Paint your moustaches any color you would like.  I have painted the one on the left with a black basecoat and the other with a brown basecoat.  In the picture, you will see two different shades of lighter variations of paint on my paper towel.  I used these to bring out the detail and to highlight the pieces.  After drybrushing the moustaches, I used wood stain on them to enhance the colors.  When using wood stain, paint on and rub off the excess until your achieve the look you like.  Dry completely.

Next paint your stick.  Again, paint the stick whatever color is your preference.  I have chosen to paint mine with stripes.  After stick is dry, coat the entire piece (moustache and stick) with matte varnish.  Let dry.

Here I glued on a glittered, black syrofoam ball to the end of the stick and then added some tinsel to finish it off.

Since I didn't have human model to help me show them off to you, my doggie, Jake said he would fill in.  Here he is modeling the brown stash.  So handsome!



Here is Jake again, modeling the handlebar moustache.  He is looking quite distinguished!  This might be the latest fad in luxury accessories for dogs and humans.  Hope you enjoyed it! 

If you have any comments or questions about this tutorial, please leave a comment below and I will get back to you as soon as possible.  To see more of my creations, please visit me on my blog at www.charmedconfections.com and say hello.  Until next time ~~ LeeAnn

p.s.  I finally have a moustache I'm proud of!  HA! HA!