Vampire Emergency

What's with all of the Vampire movies? I don't get it, but let's make it into a craft - okay?

First you need a shadow box frame - long and skinny is ideal, but not completely necessary. I've found that the cheapest ones are those that already have something in them.  Some (especially the dollar store ones) are glued together making it difficult to take out the old stuff and replace it with your stuff. No worries. Heat the stuck areas with a heat gun as the glue is usually of the hot variety.  The glue will soften so you can pry things apart. 

Remove the glass and all the innards and spray paint the frame red.

Cut a length of 3/4" dowel to fit your frame. Take a hammer and smash one end, hitting the edges to give a blunt, flayed end. Use a knife (in my case, a utility knife) to whittle the dowel into a stake shape. Stain it with a golden oak stain, then coat it with amber shellac (optional).

Download this document here. You may need to resize it for your frame. Tape it behind the glass and with the white paint pen, paint the message on the front of the glass. When it dries, coat again for an opaque look. I overpainted the V with a red permanent marker and added the blood drop. You need to underpaint the V in white so that the red will show as red pigment is generally transparent.

Hot glue the stake to the background (in my case a piece of black posterboard) and put the frame together. 

Place it in a prominent place where Vampires might be found because you  never know. . . . .