Cow Horn Candle Sconce

Make a candle sconce just like the ones seen in the video game Skyrim! The perfect thing to decorate your mead hall.

1 cow horn (available from Amazon and other sources)

20 gauge steel wire

Plaster of Paris

Modelling clay such as Fimo or Sculpey

Paint

Tea lights

To begin, make a loop of wire to fit around the horn. Build this loop up fairly stiffly, using as many twists as you need. Make sure the loop is high up enough on the horn to provide balance and stability for the final product.

Make the legs and bind them securely to the loop with twists of wire. Spend some time getting the shape right, because the next step is to add clay which can't be changed after baking.

First, wrap the horn in foil for easy removal of the armature, then slide the loop and legs back on. Use your modeling clay to bulk out the armature (you could just leave it as wire, but I was going for a wrought-iron look). When you are happy with the end result, slide it off the horn and bake according to manufacturer's directions.

Paint the legs with a primer like gesso, then colour to look like metal. I used two shades of bronze spray paint and used some black paint on a dry brush to add shading.

Stuff the horn with foil until your tea light sits at the right height. Mix up some plaster of Paris, carefully pour it in. Grease your tea light with some vaseline and set it in top. After the plaster has set, the tea light can be removed. I suppose this last step is optional, but I like the tea light to be firmly set in a fireproof material for safety reasons - and it looks better!