A Mermaid Crown Fit for the Queen of the Sea

Do you love mermaids? Or the idea of them? I do. And for as long as I can remember, always have. Swimming in the oceans, unbound by the need for oxygen. A tail powerful enough to cover vast distances or fight strong currents. And of course, the best part may be the crowns and tiaras you imagine one would wear. I mean, let's face it, they live in the ocean! You know how much gold, pearls, and gemstones has been lost at sea? Oh and the clams that make amazing pearls down there?? So yeah... they would probably look fabulous all the time. 

My daughters and I love cosplay. Creating characters or becoming a favorite character. It is all fun for us. I had the idea to create a mermaid crown when I noticed a couple things in my crafting bin. 

1. A plain headband. Nothing special about it. Just your average, plastic headband. 

2. A bag of spiral shells. These were from my mom. And I had been meaning to make something with them... well, since I got them! But time and ideas have been short with me until now. 

So, I went online and looked at various creations that others have done and thought.... Why not? 

My first course of action is...

Create a Pinterest board. This is where I store my ideas when working on a project. And there are SOOOO many ideas! So click HERE and check out mine if you like, or create your own. Crowns and tiaras aren't the only things you will find on my board. I'm planning to test out makeup and costuming tricks as I come across them too. They will be added to the board as I continue down this path.

I found a video and also some great creations that helped me get an idea of how to even manage this task. I decided to go with the foam idea from a video. I don't have regular crafting foam or eva foam, so I went with packing foam I happened to have on hand. I created a brace along the top of the headband that I would attach my decorations to. I couldn't find a better, or cleaner, way to attach the spiral shells I had.

Not too fancy, but I already feel like a princess! This is the beginning of a great cosplay. I hope. As also seen in the video, I added material that had that mermaid vibe to it onto the back. This way, no matter which side you are looking at me from, you won't be seeing my foam base.

I'm not too worried about perfection. My hair will help hide that. Besides, I don't think folks around me are going to be concerned with how perfect it is. I mean how often have I worn my elf ears and shocked those in this small town? And yes, I have a feeling I'll be wearing this publicly at some point. Not just for a cosplay event. 

Checking my inspiration... 

So originally, the crown that caught my attention first was this one. And I have to say, this is a lofty goal at best. I know my skills are no where near this good, but I thought it would make a good reference towards making my own. I loved the way the spirals are given an ombre look. And that they incorporated such beautiful jewels. 

I decided to start with the shell painting and slowly build the look. For the pink ones you see in between the spirals, I actually 3D printed those! They are light and flatter than a real shell. I painted the fronts with a mermaid nail polish. I also painted the spirals with the same, but they didn't come out as pink. Then I added a dark blue shiny nail polish to the bottom of the shells. Once I complete the crown, I plan to spray the whole thing with a clear coat that will seal the colors as well as add strength. I hope. 

Now to fill in with some pearls. I started this while trying to think of what other shells I wanted to use and how. I quickly came to decide that just pearls on the rest is enough. I tried to randomly sprinkle seed pearls on the printed shells after I painted them. As you see, my OCD kicked in on both in different patterns. Random and my OCD do NOT get along. 

See that big gaping hole in the middle shell? So... learned something about these shells. They are super pokey! I didn't glue it high enough, so it poked my scalp when I would put it on. I had the brilliant idea to then cut the point off. It was easier said than done. So I then had this hole to contend with. I filled it in with hot glue. And added a bunch of pearls into it. 

What do you think? Have I made this well enough? Now that I have done this one, I have the desire to make two more. So that the girls and I can all be mermaids together.