Introduction: Hidden Magic Room

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This is my mini interpretation of an alchemy lab. The room is chock-full of all your magic needs, including... a cat! The room is made of an old book and it's portable. If you like the look of this room why not get creative and make your own unique room. I like magic so I picked potions, but you can use your imagination to make your room whatever you want.

I wouldn't have been able to do this project without my incredible sister Grace (check out her Instructables account graciepickle) and my Mom.

Supplies

Gather supplies. Please keep in mind that many of the supplies can be substituted or changed, remember the key is being creative!

  • A thick book
  • Polymer Clay (I used Sculpey)
  • Magic sculpt
  • Tin foil
  • Cardboard
  • UV resin
  • Pebbles
  • Duct Tape
  • Paint and stain
  • Powdered color pigments
  • Fun paper
  • Moss
  • Tealight candle
  • Old towel
  • Sculpt-able plastic (I used InstaMorph)
  • Gemstones/glitter

Tools:

  • Glue gun + glue sticks
  • Paintbrushes
  • Round silicone molds
  • UV light (I used my gel nail light)
  • Knifes/box cutter
  • Toothpick
  • Superglue

Remember to get creative!

Step 1: Make Base Room

We will start with the base room

  1. Rip or cut all the pages out of the book
  2. Now you will want to measure the edges of the book, and the height
  3. Measure and cut the cardboard
  4. Glue the cardboard to the book, make sure that it still closes
  5. Paint the entire inside black

Now you paint the floor

  1. Mix the color, I used light grey
  2. Using a square paintbrush paint jagged rectangles
  3. When the grey dries use an extremely watered down brown paint and apply with a sponge
  4. While the brown is still wet blot with a tissue, you want it to look dusty and warn

Time for the wall

  1. Cut the tip-off of some popsicle sticks
  2. Glue the sticks onto the wall and don't forget the sides
  3. Use the Magic Sculpt to chink the wall (if you do not have any you can use sawdust, drywall spackle, or even paper mache, again be creative)
  4. When the chink is dry stain and buff the wall

The room is done!

Step 2: Shelf and BookShelf

Make the bookshelf ( look a the pictures for clearer instructions)

  1. Measure out three large planks (popsicle sticks, I ran out of the large ones here so I combined three small ones)
  2. Measure out three medium planks (shelves)
  3. Measure out six mini planks (shelf support)
  4. Attach three mini planks to one large plank, repeat with the remaining mini planks
  5. Now put the last large plank on top of the other two (the mini planks should be on the inside
  6. Now you can add the shelves
  7. Stain and buff the bookshelf to match the wall
  8. Attach to the wall (I ended up moving the bookshelf to the center of the wall)

Make the shelves

  1. Measure and cut popsicle sticks
  2. Stain and buff the popsicle sticks
  3. Glue the shelves onto the wall

Step 3: Cauldron and Fire

Cauldron

  1. Roll a ball tin foil (to save clay)
  2. Wrap the ball in black clay
  3. Make an indent in the clay by gently pressing down on the top
  4. Roll out a snake of black clay
  5. Rope the clay around the indent
  6. Cut the indent out to make a small hole
  7. Make feet using another snake of black clay, and attach them
  8. Bake the cauldron according to the clay instructions
  9. Mix some green UV resin
  10. Fill small half circle molds with the resin and cure them
  11. Fill the cauldron with resin and place the bubbles where you want them to be
  12. Cure the whole cauldron

Fire

  1. Take a sizable piece of tinfoil and crush it into a round patty (add and remove foil as you see fit)
  2. Paint a base coat of black on the foil
  3. When the base coat drys paint on oranges, yellows, and reds, make it look muddled
  4. Make round lumps of black clay and bake (I made 21 but you might need more or less depending on your fire size) this is the coal
  5. Glue on the coal around the fire
  6. Brush on some UV resin to seal the fire and make it shiny

Don't attach the cauldron to the fire yet

Step 4: Ritual Table

  1. Start with the aluminum tea light holder
  2. Roll out some tan clay and wrap the holder with it
  3. Roll out a round piece of clay and cut out a tea light holder sized circle
  4. Add the tea light upside-down and attach the two pieces
  5. Cut out the table with a cookie cutter (or anything round) this smooths out the table
  6. Make the legs by rolling out a snake of clay cut and shape to size, make sure the legs are not too tall
  7. Bake everything
  8. Paint the legs and table your desired color
  9. When the paint drys attach the legs to the table
  10. Using paint (I used puffy paint) add designs to the table
  11. Add the candle

Step 5: Cat and Pillow

Make the cat

  1. Start with a ball of black clay
  2. Cut out the tail
  3. Cut the shape of the head
  4. Cut the ears
  5. Indent the shape of the eyes and nose

Make the pillow

  1. Make a tin foil square
  2. Roll out a flat piece of red clay
  3. Drape the clay over the tinfoil square and smooth down
  4. Roll a snake of light brown clay
  5. Make indents for the rope
  6. Add the rope to the indents
  7. Make round indents where the ropes intersect
  8. Roll small balls of black clay, these are the buttons
  9. Flatten out some more tan clay and add around the edge of the pillow
  10. Make tassel from more tan clay, roll a ball and cut to make the tassel frayed, repeat 3 more times
  11. Cut out an indent for the cat, make sure she fits
  12. Bake both pieces separately
  13. Glue the cat into the pillow
  14. Embellish the cat's face with some paint or color pigment

Step 6: Make the River

This step is needed to make sure that the book stands open on its own. If you do not like the look of the river you could add something else, such as different flooring or more fire.

  1. Glue in the pebbles at the crease
  2. Paint dark blue where you want the river to be
  3. When the paint dries add lighter blue streaks
  4. When you are satisfied with the river color add a border of rocks
  5. Brush on some UV resin to seal the river and make it glossy

Step 7: Bits and Bobs

Resin potion bottles

  1. Fill two small, half ball mold with UV resin, color it with color pigment if desired, cure
  2. Put the two halves together with more resin
  3. Roll a small roll of tape
  4. Attach the tape with more resin

Cloudy bottles

  1. Heat up some InstaMorph in hot water, you may dye the water to change the bottle color
  2. Take a piece, size of your choice, and make a kind of cup with it
  3. Fill the cup with some hot water
  4. Fold the cup around the water
  5. Pull the bottle and shape it to the desired shape
  6. Cut the stem off the bottle

Make spell books

  1. Cut out small pieces of cardboard I cut out 36 pieces
  2. Glue to pieces of cardboard together I ended up with 18
  3. Cut out some fun pieces of paper
  4. Wrap the paper around the books
  5. Trim away the excess paper

Candles

  1. Cutaway small pieces of a thin glue stick
  2. Spear the glue with a toothpick
  3. Drip some hot glue on the top of the glue stick
  4. Paint the candle yellow-y white
  5. Brake off the tip of a different toothpick and add the tip to the top of the candle, this is the wick

Flowers

  1. Make a tape roll
  2. Add base to the tape roll with UV resin
  3. Cure
  4. Fill the "vase" with resin, and then add some moss
  5. Cure
  6. Use super glue or more resin and place a drip on the edge of each moss branch
  7. Dip the Branch in glitter or gems
  8. Do a final cure or wait for the super glue to dry

Make wooden spoon

  1. Roll out a snake of tan clay, cut to size
  2. Make the spoon bowl by indenting a ball of clay
  3. Combine the bowl and handle
  4. Bake

Make the rug

  1. I used an old towel but you could use any cloth or faux fur
  2. Cut to size

Potion Spill

  1. Mix some UV resin the same color as the potion that is spilling
  2. Use a suction tool, anything would work I used an old medicine container, and suck up some resin
  3. Drip the resin into a spill
  4. Cure

Moss

  1. Make a strip of hot glue on some parchment paper
  2. Working quickly add some long moss to the glue
  3. Once cool, cut the moss to the shape you want
  4. Add the moss to the room, I put mine under a shelf

Make skull

  1. Make a white clay ball
  2. Indent the eyes and nose
  3. Cut and shape the jaw and teeth
  4. Bake

Picture + frames

  1. Print out some whimsical photos, I just found some images on the internet
  2. Make frames out of clay
  3. Cut out some clay and size to the picture
  4. Braid some clay and form around the picture
  5. Bake
  6. Make some frames out of hot glue
  7. Drip hot glue around the edges
  8. Paint the frames

Wizard Hat

  1. Make a clay rope and form into a ring
  2. Form more clay around a cone shaped object to make the top of the hat
  3. Combine the ring and cone
  4. Bake
  5. Paint

Step 8: Finish and Glue

It's time to glue everything down. Place everything on the floor first and stage the room. When you are happy, close the book to make sure it still folds correctly, if it does, hot glue everything down. Add the pictures, books, and other bits and bobs. With every glue, close the book to make sure it still closes, if it doesn't gently pull away the item and move it.

Now the inside of the room looks good it is time to do the outside. Paint the cardboard to look like pages. If you want you can glue the original book sleeve back on, but this is optional.

Now your room is complete enjoy and make some potions!

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