How to Make a Princess Scepter
Royal scepters have been carried by the crown princesses and princes of the United Kingdom along with a golden orb during coronations for centuries. Two of the most famous queens in English history, Queen Elizabeth the First and Queen Victoria, carried the golden scepter during their own coronations as a symbol of dominion over their people. The word scepter comes from "sceptrum," which is Latin for walking stick, and it was adorned with decorations and passed down through families in ancient Rome.
Things You'll Need
- 1/2 inch diameter Wooden Dowel
- Precision Hobby Knife
- Old Shoebox lid
- Gold Spray paint
- Gold glitter
- Yarn
- Jewel Beads
- Beading wire (any thin gauge)
- Ribbon
- Craft Glue
- Handsaw
- Sandpaper
Instructions
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1
Cut the scepter to the desired length with a handsaw. Sand the end you just sawed to remove any rough edges or splinters.
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2
Take the precision hobby knife and cut a cross about 1/4 inch deep into the end of the dowel where you just cut it. Repeat until the cuts have a width of about 1/16th of an inch, or are wide enough to fit a piece of shoebox cardboard snugly. This end will be the top.
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3
Wind and glue a piece of jewelry wire in a wide spiral from the bottom of the dowel to the top, leaving about 12 inches of wire hanging from the end.
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4
Take a piece of yarn and wrap it tightly around the base of the scepter to create a handle. Secure with glue.
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5
Cut a balloon shape (rounded at the top and tapered at the end) out of the shoebox lid about 3 inches long and 3 inches wide at the widest point, and tapering to 1/2 inch at the end. Cut a hole in the center. Leave 1/4 inch of cardboard all around the balloon shape and slit the tapered ends so each tip is 1/4 inch.
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6
Cut another balloon shape 3 1/2 inches long and 3 1/2 inches wide at its widest point, and tapering to 1/2 inch. Cut a hole in the center leaving 1/4 inch of cardboard all around the balloon shape, with two 1/4 inch tips as in step 5.
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7
Slide the tips of the smaller cardboard cutout into the end of the dowel. Repeat with the larger cut out so it crosses over the top of the smaller cutout. Wrap the wire once around the space where the two cardboard pieces overlap and let it hang into the center of the opening created by the cardboard.
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8
Spraypaint the entire thing gold on all sides and let it set until it is just barely tacky. While it is still tacky, sprinkle gold glitter along the handle and cardboard sparingly to create a sparkling gold effect.
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9
Thread the beading wire at the top of the scepter through a large and shiny jewel bead. Crimp the end of your wire with the back edge of your precision knife so the bead won't slide down, and wrap the remainder of the wire around the top of the scepter to hide the trim.
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10
Tie a ribbon to the end of the end of the scepter so the ends dangle from the handle.
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Tips & Warnings
Embellish your scepter with more than one bead at the top, or glue jewel or mirror beads around the edge to resemble a jewel-encrusted scepter.
References
- Photo Credit Queen Victorias Memorial image by Stihl024 from Fotolia.com
