| General |
| 1. Wax serrated knife with candle stub or paraffin. Cut foam block in half, creating two 6" squares. Cut remaining foam shapes as indicated below; use glue gun to assemble pieces and let dry completely before and after painting. Refer to photo throughout. |
| Tall Finial |
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2. Cut equal corners, about 1-1/4"-deep, from 5" foam cube to create octagon-shaped piece; glue to 6" foam square base. Glue 1" foam balls to base corners.
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| 3. Cut four sides from tip of 12" foam cone to create 1"-tall pyramid shape; smooth side with fingertips. |
| 4. Cut 1-1/2"-thick horizontal slice from center of 5" foam egg; glue to top of octagon. Twist cone base firmly against top of egg slice; glue to secure. |
| Short Finial |
| 5. For shorter finial, cut 5" foam ball in half; reserve one half for future use. Cut narrow slice from rounded top of half-ball. Glue half-ball to foam disc base. |
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6. Cut 1-1/2"-thick horizontal slice from bottom of 6" foam cone. Firmly twist bottom of this piece against top of half-ball until snug; glue to secure.
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7. Cut narrow slices from tip and base of 4" foam egg. Center and glue top portion of 6" cone to narrow end of egg; they will not fit precisely. Make four straight, slightly diagonal cuts down sides of cone/egg to form pyramid shape with rounded bottom; tip of cone should be about 5/8" square. Glue pyramid shape to previously assembled pieces as shown.
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8. Glue 1-1/2" foam ball to tip of cone.
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| Painting |
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9. For each finial, mix 1 c. spackle with 1 T. water in small bowl until smooth and easy to spread.
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10. Using firm paintbrush, spread thin, even coat of spackle onto surface of each finial, covering top and sides only.
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11. Use putty knife to smooth surface of spackle. Dip paintbrush in clean water to lightly smooth edges where excess spackle tends to accumulate. Let dry completely.
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12. When dry, sand any imperfections. If needed, apply second light coat of spackle; let dry.
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13. Spray paint finials with desired metallic- or stone-finish paint. Let dry completely.
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