Modified Haunted Mansion Mickey ears!
If you're not familiar, the ears are sold at the parks looking like this:
Those bright teal ears are a crime against nature and all humanity, but the back side is even worse, if you can believe it:
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[whimper] Scary for all the wrong reasons.
(I think the ghost patches glow in the dark. Not. Helping.)
Even so, the body of the hat is gorgeous, so when I found a pair at a Disney clearance outlet for 8 bucks I snatched it up.
The ear makeover was fairly simple: remove the chains, carefully tape off the hat with a plastic bag, and then spray prime the ears with plastic primer. Next, a coat of sprayed metallic copper. Once that dried, a coat of flat black, which I rubbed off in spots with a rag dipped in mineral spirits. And finally, a little watered-down teal craft paint dripped in the design's nooks and crannies, to give it the look of copper patina.
The ears have been in my closet for nearly a year now, but when John brought in this fantastic copper candlestick from the garage I knew it was a match made in Haunted Heaven. Don't they look great together? It's the perfect addition to our front buffet table - pics of that coming soon.
Unfortunately I'm still not done with the back of the ears, though. It was almost impossible to get the ugly ghost patches off, so I finally had to use an iron to melt the glue and peel them off bit-by-bit. There's still glue residue left over, so at some point I'd like to add a faux copper name plate to cover the spots. I'm open to suggestions, though, if you guys think of something else that would be fun!
Eucalyptus oil is usually pretty good at removing sticky residue. Obviously, test it somewhere hidden on the hat first.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm afraid to try oils because the hat is a fuzzy kind of felt material; probably not very washable. :/
DeleteThank you for posting this. Haunted Mansion is my favorite ride so I had to buy the ears, but those plastic teal pieces don't do the feeling of the ride justice.
ReplyDeleteMaybe put a little brass "999" on the back. For the 999 spirits who live there. Is that dumb?
ReplyDeleteNot at all - I like it!
DeleteI've read using skin so soft (from avon) and letting it sit on it for five minutes and gently scraping it off and then hand washing it with palmolive (to avoid any greasy spots) should help get the residue off. but Like Bri Said.. I would test it on a hidden spot first to check, It does look really awesome. As for the back..I like the copper name plate idea. or a bit of metal craft with HM (for Haunted Mansion) put on the back. I don't know if you could make it small enough though to not overpower the rest of the hat. Just an Idea :)
ReplyDeleteI can't really make out what the pin is (my eye sight is horrible) what kind of pin is it?
Hehheh.. just found the "zoom" option to get in a closer look at the picture. It is a really cute pin :) (I was trying to read what it said at the bottom of the pin). My grandmother has a crazy huge assortment of different pins/broaches that i want to get my hands on and do some fun crafty things with
DeleteI've had excellent success getting all kinds of glue and sticky goo off with WD-40. Seriously. It changes the texture of the goo so it's suddenly easily wiped off with just a paper towel.
ReplyDeleteJust cover it up with your metal/copper tape embossed with whatever design you think suits it. that way you don't have to slave away removing the sticky bits from the "ghosts".
ReplyDeleteYou could try a couple different ideas for the hat's back. The green & black stripes match the servant's uniforms. So you could take a nod from there. The bats are styled after the gates and stanchions of the queue area. You could use the headstone epitaphs or other signage like "Servants Quarters" for inspiration. :)
ReplyDeleteI've never been to Disney so I don't know anything about the Haunted Mansion other than what you say here, but I firmly believe that gears and gems look fabulous on everything!
ReplyDeleteWouldn't simply cutting the offending patch out and making BRAINS to fill the hole be the most appropriate solution to your ghost problem? You could even go with something glow in the dark.
ReplyDeleteHow about a few smashed pennies with a similar chain connecting them together?
ReplyDelete-Melissa R.
For some reason I keep seeing a black veil in the back. Could be fun, especially with some copper "sequins".
ReplyDeleteI like Ann's idea best if there's a vote :)
ReplyDeleteI vote for Ann too, since the bride theme goes along with the ride!
DeleteI second Tiffany's comment for the 999 Happy Haunts! You could use your metal tape idea in copper to make it look riveted to the hat.
ReplyDeleteHi! Can you please tell me how you made such a dramatic dome in you penny buttons?
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Hi Shannon! I used a doming block for those; you can see it in this post.
DeleteThose are really cute!
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty excited to do this because I have the same ears and I have my first mickey ears from my first visit so it's a creative way to display them!
ReplyDeleteSo cute Jen - Love the copper ears!! Did you add anything to help the hat stand still on the candle holder?
ReplyDeleteMaybe stitch Gracey on the back, like the fabled owner of the Mansion got a pair of ears?
ReplyDeleteThose ears are awesome! Way better than the original!
ReplyDeleteI've noticed using something sticky to kind of dab at any sticker residue works pretty well. I would normally use little leftover pieces of the sticker, but was thinking a kneadable eraser might work pretty well if you rub it in circles on the sticky bits. They're really cheap and shouldn't damage the fabric if you're gentle. :)
ReplyDeleteTo cover up the gluey bits ... hmmm ... how about a black bat like the housekeepers have on their caps? Or could you somehow attach a picture of the looming demon candle holders from the Stretching Room? Put in your favorite tombstone? Or the skeletal wolf from the graveyard? The raven? How about the words 'Hurry ba-ack' in metal work?
ReplyDelete