Okay, so, today I decided to make the “Choker of the Firelord” – sounds epic, right? I’ve been seeing these awesome cosplay props, and I was like, “I can totally do that!” I thought it would be super fun to craft my own.
First things first, I needed to figure out what I was even doing. Started by hitting up the internet, looking for some reference pictures. I found some decent images of the choker, and realized it’s basically a gold-ish band with a red gem in the center.
Next up, materials. I’m all about that budget crafting life, so I dug through my stash. I found some:
- Thick craft foam: Figured this would be good for the base. It’s light, easy to cut, and I can paint it.
- Some shiny gold paint: Leftover from another project, thankfully. Always good to have random supplies!
- A big red plastic gem: I think this was from an old necklace or something. Perfect size, though.
- Super glue: Because, obviously. Gotta stick stuff together.
- Some black strings: To make the tie.
Getting Started
I started by cutting the craft foam. I didn’t use any fancy patterns. I just freehanded a long, slightly curved rectangle. Eyeballed it to be about the right size for my neck, not too big, not too small. Then, I trimmed the ends to make them rounded, just like in the pictures I saw.
The next part was a little messier. I took the gold paint and slathered it all over the foam. Two coats, to make sure it was really, really gold. Had to let that dry completely. Patience is not my strong suit, but I managed.
While the paint was drying, I worked on the gem. It was already red, so that was good. But I cleaned it up a bit with a damp cloth to make it extra shiny.
Putting it All Together
Once the paint was dry (finally!), I grabbed my super glue. Carefully, I applied a generous amount to the back of the gem and stuck it right in the center of the gold foam band.
Lastly, I poked a small hole on each end of the foam, and added the strings into each of the holes.
And… that’s it! Honestly, it turned out way better than I expected. It’s not perfect, of course. The paint’s a little uneven in places, and the gem isn’t perfectly centered, but hey, it’s handmade! And it looks pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. I wore it around the house for a bit, feeling like a total Firelord. Mission accomplished!
