How to Make a Head on a Platter Serving Tray

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Mummy head on a platter

Heads up! There's someone watching the candy platter to make sure you take just one. This head-on-a-platter serving tray features the disembodied head of a mummy that is so decrepit, snakes are slithering through its skull. All it takes to make this platter is a styrofoam head, gauze bandages and the absence of fear. In a matter of minutes, you'll be serving this severed head on a silver platter to your party of terrified guests.

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Things You'll Need

  • Gauze bandage roll

  • Styrofoam head

  • Tea bags

  • Pins

  • Hobby knife

  • Almonds

  • Rubber snakes

  • Hot glue gun

  • Glue dots

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Stain the Gauze for the Mummy Head

Stain the bandage in tea

Before wrapping the mummy's head in bandages, we need to stain it. A new roll of gauze from the drug store is very white, and a centuries-old mummy would not be so clean. Boil a pot of water and place several tea bags in the water. Unroll the bandage and let it soak in the tea for five to 10 minutes.

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While you're waiting, think about whether you'd like this mummy's backstory to include a romp through the 14th century, a run-in with John the Baptist, a trip to the Victorian-era United Kingdom or a verbal duel with Oscar Wilde. You're only limited by your imagination.

Add More Stains

Rinse and add additional stains

Remove the bandage from the tea and rinse it. To add more stains to the bandage, rub the tea bags directly on random areas. When the bandage dries, the stains will be more subtle, so don't be afraid of adding too much color. You're not handling decaying pages of the original New Testament, though your mummy may be familiar with King Herod! Allow the bandage to dry overnight or run it through the dryer.

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Wrap the Styrofoam Head

Wrap the bandage around the head

You can find a styrofoam head by searching online stores that sell retail display supplies. Starting at the bottom, wrap the bandage around the head, pinning it in the back at various points so the bandage stays in place. As you go around the head, leave the eye and mouth areas slightly uncovered. If you'd like to be more creative, there are a variety of mummy head formats available online.

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Craft the Mummy's Mouth

Almonds make great decaying teeth

In the mouth area, hot glue some almonds for teeth. Select almonds that have some of the skin peeling off, as they look like they are decaying.

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Add the Eye Sockets

Poke holes in the eyes

Using a hobby knife, poke holes in the two eye sockets of the styrofoam severed head.

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Cut Up Your Rubber Snakes

Cut a rubber snake into two

Cut a rubber snake into two pieces. You can purchase rubber snakes at toy stores or online retailers. Select smaller ones that are about 12 inches in length. These snakes may have you thinking of the ancient land of Galilee if you've decided your mummy was a contemporary of Herodias — or if your mummy is John the Baptist's head itself!

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Slide the Snakes into the Eyes

Insert the snake pieces into the eyes

Insert the two pieces of the snake into the holes you created in the eye sockets, with the head in one hole and the tail in the other hole. Use a hot glue gun to reinforce the snake pieces so they don't fall out.

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Add the Head to a Platter

Use glue dots to adhere the mummy to the platter

Place the finished mummy head in the middle of a large platter. Adhere glue dots to the bottom of the head so the mummy does not tip over. That would traumatize everyone in the household.

Tip

Instead of a mummy, you can place a mask on the styrofoam head to change out the monster.

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