Jeweled Crosses

$20 - $25 (based on 2017 prices)

Makes two crosses

The opening room of 2017’s haunted house depicted an elaborate funeral held in an old Spanish mission. To decorate the scene, I built two ornamental crosses. To enhance the Dia de los Muertos theme, I fashioned the props off of the jewel-encrusted artifacts once used in Catholic reliquaries and altars.

• One 1 ½” x 1 ½” x 12” square oak board
• One 1” x 4” x 16” rectangular oak board
• Six wood screws (roughly 1” in length)
• Two birch wood cross (roughly 8” wide and 11” tall)
• One 10 oz. cans of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in metallic silver
• Three or more 14 oz. bags of multicolored glass gems (roughly forty gems per bag)
• One 4 oz. bottle of all-purpose tacky glue
• Two decorative brooches

1. Using either an electric or hand saw, cut the square board into two six-inch sections and the rectangular board into two eight-inch sections. Use sandpaper to round their corners and smooth their surfaces.

2. Create bases for the crosses by screwing the square boards to the center of the rectangular boards to form a T. Once this has been accomplished, attached the crosses to the square boards. For added reinforcement, use wood glue in addition to the screws.

3. On a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, give the crosses and their bases an even coat of silver spray paint. I chose one, since the majority of the prop will be covered by glass gems. You, though, are free to apply extra coats.

4. Once the paint has dried, glue the gems to the crosses. Hot glue failed to hold the items in place, so I ended up using craft glue. For a sturdier hold, consider super glue. I decided to try two different techniques to give the props their own distinct character. For the first cross, I created a specific pattern and arranged the gems beforehand. For the second cross, I chose to create a random arrangement and glued the gems down as I worked.

5. For extra detail, I glued a decorative brooch to the center of each cross. Here, too, hot glue unsuccessful attached the items, so I used craft glue. I wanted something big and flashy, but you are free to use smaller pieces or ignore this step entirely.

6. If you plan to display the props on a surface you do not want to damage, consider applying squares of felt to the bottoms. You could also add further embellishments – such as small brooches or jewels – to the bases as well.