Aged Bones

$5 - $7 (based on 2016 prices)

Makes a dozen bones

I bought these bones back in 2015 for my creepy doll talismans. I attempting to stain them, but the coloration was too unnatural. So, I used chicken bones instead. A year later, I repurposed them with a few coats of paint and they proved remarkably versatile. In fact, I was able to incorporate them into three props for 2016’s haunt.

• One bag of cheap, plastic bones (roughly one dozen bones per bag)
• One 8 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying latex paint in flat white*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat black*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat brown*

1. In a well-ventilated area, lay out the bones on a newspaper-lined surface and give them three even coats of white paint. Although you can use more paint, keep in mind that additional layers may cause the coverage to become thick and cakey. To prevent this, apply each coat individually and allow it to fully dry before the next application.

2. Once the paint has dried, give the bones a smudging of brown paint. I discovered that applying a small amount of paint to your thumb and index finger and rubbing it onto the prop works well.

3. Repeat the second step using black paint. For this particular patina, I worked from light to dark to give the bones a brown hue accented with blacks; however, you could work from dark to light to give the props a darker appearance.

*You will not use the entire bottle’s content for this project.