DIY Forgery Instructions
GENERAL: Stain outside of box with shoe polish, except bottom of box. Darken surface with fire and/or smoke; a soldering iron is recommended. Oil outside when finished, except bottom of box, where felt should be glued. Stain inside of box with matching acrylic paint. Glue xeroxes to inside sides of box bottom. Make partitions for box bottom using newspaper-covered cardboard. Glue quarter-inch lengths of hair to partitions. Insert partitions in box bottom.
BUTTERFLY ROCK: Adhere dried butterflies to cobblestone with melted wax. When rock is covered with butterfly wings, place it in box. Pour pool of melted wax around Butterfly Rock and leave until set.
MINOTAUR NEST: Cover bottom of Minotaur Nest with coal chips. Bend rusty scrap iron into nest-like structure. Make small egg of modeling clay and encase in wire cage. Place caged egg on bed of artificial lichen in iron nest.
HOUSEHOLD ICON: Make crude female figure of modeling clay the same length as hairbrush handle. Paint face area gold. Insert pen nib between legs, point down. Bind figure to handle of hairbrush with thread, face out. Gild tips of brush bristles. Insert straight pins between brush bristles, point out. Make two clay rests for Household Icon and glue in place. Wind jute in figure-8 shape around clay rests. Place Household Icon on clay rests.
CHILD'S LABYRINTH: Paint labyrinth design on inside top of box, following example above. Acrylic or oils recommended; gouache also works. Paint the two phrases "the labyrinth of the world" and "and the paradise of the heart" in lighter brown on either side of the central labyrinth.