Come Here My Pretty

It all started with a post from a small retail store’s Instagram account this past summer.  The owner of the store happened to give his followers a look inside of his home.  In one of the photos… a hand protruding from the wall holding a birdcage of sorts.  I was immediately obsessed, and had to have this Creepy Hand Wall Sconce.

Hand decor is nothing new, but this was no ordinary hand.  It was a bony, frightful looking hand….  belonging to a witch or vampire I assume. It was most certainly not green (as so many “Witch” props are).  It wasn’t even flesh colored.  Oddly, it almost seemed to be an aged copper, showing signs of wear at each knuckle and joint.  Not sure if it was the unexpected finish or the wickedly long nails that made this hand stand out?  I saved the image, screen-shotted the image, pinned the image… you get the idea.  If you know me at all by now, you’ll know that this screamed DIY project!  I have a bad habit of assuming I can make anything myself!

Months went by, and the project landed in a large pile of DIY To-Do’s.  Then Halloween hit store shelves!  One of my first Halloween hauls of the year came from Tuesday Morning, where I discovered these hands, and the project was brought back to life!  The only thing similar about this hand was that it was, well, a hand.  Besides that, I had some work to do if it was going to look anything like my inspiration.  The good news is that hand decor is quite common this time of year, so even if you can’t find this exact one at Tuesday morning, I have no doubt one will cross your path somewhere else.  I found this “Come Here” Resin Hand, and this “Grab Hand” Resin Hand on Amazon.  Grandin Road also carries these Reaching Hands, as well as Grandin Road Creepy Hands with Lanterns.  If you know of somewhere else that carries hands, please leave a note in the comments.

Now, let’s get on with the transformation!….

On a side note…. This post contains affiliate links.  If you buy something through one of those links, you won’t pay a penny more, but we’ll get a small commission, which helps keep the lights on.  Thanks!  Click HERE for more details.

Here’s what I used to create and refinish my metal lantern:

• Hand Decoration
• Fake Fingernails
• E6000
• Paper Clay
• Metal Effects Primer
• Metal Effects Reactive Copper Paint
• Metal Effects Green Patina Solution
• Spritzer Cap
• Paint brushes
• Sponge brush or applicator
• Wooden Plaque
• Black Paint
• Screw
• Washer
• Drill
• 5/8″ Hex Shank Spade Drill Bit

Paint a coat of Metal Effects Primer onto the hand.  This prevents the patina aging solution from penetrating to the surface of the hand, and thus interrupting the oxidization.

I brushed it on with a paintbrush, and gave it two coats.

Once dry… I painted one coat of the Metal Effects Reactive Copper Paint, covering the entire hand.

At this point I was able to get a better idea of what the hand was going to look like, and decided to change course slightly.  Since I wanted the hand to look a bit more “wicked”, I felt like it needed longer frightful looking fingernails, like my original inspiration.  The hand you are working with may already have long fingernails or you may not want the added steps, so obviously the fingernails can be an optional step.  If you do choose to add them, I would suggest adding them first before painting the primer or copper.

Select the correct size nail for each finger.

Using E6000, attach each fingernail onto the fingers of the hand.

Allow to dry overnight.

To make sure the nails looked like a part of the hand, I used paper clay to fill them in.  I simply pinched off a small piece, rolled it in my hands, and then used my fingers to smooth it behind each nail.  There’s not an exact science to this step.  The point is… you don’t want it to look like you glued fake fingernails on.

Again, allow to dry overnight.. Yeah – sorry, this is not the kind of project you rush through hours before a party!

Since I added my fingernails later in the process, I had to go back and paint them with the primer, and the copper paint.

At this point, you should have an entire hand covered in the first coat of copper paint.

On the areas where I wanted to see some of the patina, I dabbed the reactive copper paint with a brush.

While wet, I soaked a bit of my sea sponge with the patina solution, and dabbed over the wet paint.  I worked on small areas at a time to ensure the paint was wet while I worked with the oxidizing solution.

The Patina Solution reacts with the real metal particles in the Copper paint, thus speeding up the oxidization process creating an authentic Patina finish. This does not happen immediately, but you will slowly see a change in the finish.

After applying the solution to the areas I had selected, I allowed the piece to oxidize overnight.  When I use these metal effect products, I always feel it’s important to be patient with this step.  Because the process can take a bit of time, I always want to be sure the oxidation is, for the most part, complete before making any decisions on how to complete the finish.

The next morning, when I was able to assess the final result, I chose to go back over a few of the areas that I felt did not have enough patina.  If you think your piece has too much, you can use a sponge to dab some copper back onto the hand until you’re happy with the amount of patina.  There’s no right or wrong here when applying the patina or copper.

Once the hand was complete, it was time to mount it.  The hand I purchased did come ready to mount, but that would be too simple!

I painted a small wooden plaque black.

Once dry, I lined the plaque up to the hand, and drilled a hole (the size of a screw) into both the plaque, and through the wrist of the hand.

Next, using the Hex Shank Spade Drill Bit , cut a circle a few millimeters deep.

Thread the screw through the washer, the plaque, and then into the hand.  Depending on the material of your hand, you may want to squeeze some E6000 into the hand’s drill hole first to ensure a tight and secure fit.  My hand was resin, and I wasn’t 100% confident that the screw would secure tightly, so I used a bit of the glue.

Allow to dry overnight.

It’s pretty critical that the hand is secure to the wall plaque if it’s going to be able to support anything hanging from it, so if you feel the hand is not secure enough, squeeze some E6000 behind the wrist, and press firmly against the plaque.

Add a picture hook to the back of the plaque, and your hand is ready to be hung!

For the proportion to work, I felt like this hand needed a birdcage that was either small or delicate.  I found this little one at an antique mall, and simply painted it black.

I added a small tea light candle… but would HIGHLY recommend using a battery operated candle if your birdcage is as small as mine!

For a look at Modern Master’s Blue Patina finish, check out this DIY Aged Skull Lantern.  And if you’re interested in giving some other basic Halloween decorations a makeover…. I turned a Trick or treat Halloween Skeleton into a fun Victorian Gothic Chalkboard, I transformed a pair of black resin Halloween candlesticks into Rusted Antique Bird Claw Candle Holders, and upcycled a hokey ceramic cauldron into a more authentic Aged Iron Witches’ Cauldron.

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