Metallic Mushrooms

Instructions

1. Cut the 4” and 5” balls in half.  Use the metal spoon to scoop out each half ball to create four hollow half balls.  Scoop the ball out evenly so that you have about a 3/8” thick shell.
2. Completely coat the half balls with Smooth Finish™.  Smooth Finish™ can be applied to foam in a couple of different ways; with a spatula or a flat paintbrush.  Be sure to mix the material before using it.  When using a spatula, apply a small amount of the Smooth Finish™ to the foam and spread it out evenly in all directions, working it into the cells of the foam.  If using a paintbrush, load material onto the brush and spread it onto the foam, smoothing out the lumps as you go.  Let dry.  Sand each half ball for a super smooth finish.
3. Paint a 5” half ball and a 4” half ball with copper acrylic paint and the other two halves with bronze.  Use the stencil sponge to create the spots on the mushrooms in opposite colors, as shown. Let dry.
4. Cut a 36” length of burlap.  Cut the burlap lengthwise into three strips about 1.5” wide.  Glue one end of one strip to the bottom of a 9” cone.  Begin wrapping the burlap around the cone, overlapping as you go.  Glue the end where you stop.  Glue the next strip in place and continue wrapping to completely cover the cone.  Repeat to cover the 6” cone with burlap.
5. Cut the top 4” off the remaining 9” cone (this is the smallest mushroom’s stem).  Cut 1” off the bottom of the remaining 5” of the cone.  Cover both of the stems by wrapping them with wired sisal rope, securing the ends in place with glue.
6. Glue each mushroom top to the cone base with low-temp glue.