La Befana Christmas Decor
So last year I was made aware of La Befana by a friend and instantly loved her story. I knew I wanted to incorporate her into my holiday decor. This is what I came up with!
Here's some info on her and her story, La Befana . Hopefully you will fall in love too!
Materials
Foam head
Old lady/witch mask
Plastic eyes
White/gray wig
Head scarf
Large head pins or T pins
Push pins
Tattered or worn clothes
Old shoes
Pool noodles
Floral wire
Foam rollers
Garden gloves
Large plastic container
Utility knife
Zip ties
Glue
Broomstick
Cinnamon broom
Fabric bag
Utility cord
Pantyhose (optional)
Mesh Bows (optional)
Creating the Head
Apparently, wicked elves have taken the original pictures I took of this step. I retook them using a different mask, wig and scarf.
Prepare your mask to look the way you want. I took alcohol swabs to remove some of the paint and bring the flesh tone through. Then I touched up the moles with a brown marker.
Take the foam head, place the mask on it. Secure it in place with pins.
Place the wig on and secure on with pins.
Place the head scarf on and secure in place with pins.
Since my mask did not have eyes, I purchased some online and glued some push pins on the back, secured with glue when pushed into foam head.
Forming the Body
Using a utility knife cut arm and leg holes into the large plastic container.
Use the foam noodles to create the arms and legs.
Run the floral wire through the foam noodle to make it keep form when bending and forming the limbs.
Place the foam rollers in the fingers of the garden gloves, place at the ends of the arms and secure on with a zip tie.
For the feet, I placed an old pair of shoes on the end of the noodle and I zip-tied them in place.
For a wrinkly skin effect on the legs, I placed a pair of pantyhose on the legs. This is optional.
To attach the head, I cut a hole on the top of the container that would secure the head. I placed the head in the opening and made sure it was a snug fit.
Dressing and Finishing Touches
Dress the body and use glue, pins, and zip ties to secure the clothing in place.
Zip tie the broomstick to the hands and feet areas.. Zip tie the cinnamon broom to the end of the broomstick.
I created her bag with tattered fabric pieces over a foam block. I ended putting another bag over the initial bag.
Attach her bag and secure with zip ties.
I also added mesh bows to embellish her (optional)
Hanging La Befana
Using the utility cord attach it to the body near the base of the neck. That's it, hang and enjoy!