Heart Tray

$15 - $20 (based on 2020 prices)

Makes one tray 

 

I wanted to litter the laboratory of 2020’s haunt with trays of fresh medical experiments, so I made three versions: one with a brain, another with a face, and a third with a heart. This variation – the one with the heart – incorporated the old pill bottles and bloody syringes used for many of the haunt’s props to create a unified theme.

• One 9” x 13” metal baking sheet
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in metallic silver*
• One plastic syringe
• One plastic prescription bottle
• One 8 oz. can of oil-based interior wood stain in Jacobean*
• One 8 oz. can of oil-based interior wood stain in red chestnut*
• One plastic heart
• One pair of metal scissors
• One pair of silver tweezers
• Two crochet hooks
• One 0.3 fluid ounce bottle of red food coloring*
• One 4 oz. bottle of clear, all-purpose tacky glue gel*
• Six cotton swabs
• Two 1.5-inch T-pins

1. Thoroughly wash and dry the tray. If there is any sticker residue, use rubbing alcohol to remove it (soak a paper towel in the solution, let it sit over the area for a few minutes, and wipe away the remaining glue). After cleaning the tray, roughen its surfaces with coarse sandpaper to help the paint adhere and then give the tray one or two even coats of metallic silver spray paint. This step is entirely optional; however, if the tray has a non-stick coating, you want to cover it so the blood has something to firmly adhere to (otherwise, it will peel off after drying).

2. On a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, paint the syringe and prescription bottle with the Jacobean wood stain. I discovered that applying a thin coat and patting it with paper towels produces a hazed appearance. Then, dab their surfaces with the red chestnut wood stain to create spots of dried blood.

3. Position the heart, prescription bottle, scissors, syringe, and tweezers on the tray and glue them in place. You can arrange the items however you like and can substitute the scissors or tweezers for other types of medical-looking instruments. For the best hold, I highly recommend using superglue for all of these elements.

4. Cut two holes into the top of the heart and insert the crochet hooks into the openings, gluing them in place. Akin to step three, you can replace these items with other surgical tools like forceps or scalpels to cater the prop to your haunt’s needs.

5. In a plastic container (because the food coloring will stain, use something disposable or that you won’t mind dying), pour in your desired amount of clear glue gel and slowly add red food coloring to the solution until it achieves the sanguine hue you desire. To give the blood further density, add blue food coloring and mix well.

6. Apply the blood glue to the prop and allow it to fully dry. You can use an old spoon or plastic utensil to strategically dribble the liquid along chosen areas or pour it haphazardly for a gory mess. During this step, add cotton swabs and T-pins to the sanguine pool for extra detail.

7. Depending on your haunt’s theme, you can embellish the prop further with swarms of maggots crawling across the heart’s surface or attach a specimen tag to the tray’s side.

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