Halloween – Fairy Skeleton

Typical, I’ve put off making these fairy skeletons for far too long, but now that I have finally got round to it they have turned out even better than they “looked” in my minds-eye, so obviously I now want to make a few more ……… except getting hold of the main components is turning out to be nigh on impossible, doh!

Marc found the skeletons two years ago in Tesco, he got me a little stash and though I have used a few, I was sure I still had a lot left, sadly, I find that I am down to my last three.

The same goes for the fabric butterfly wings too, bought from The Works specifically with this project in mind a while back, but now no longer available on their website, why didn’t I buy a few more packs (as usually is my want) when I saw them? Aghhhhh!!!

It was this reel of sequined lace that finally got my started, found in The Range (£1 for 3m).  I simply cut a “right looking” length off it, put a running stitch along the top, then gathered and tied it firmly together round the skeletons waist, before securing it with a blob of glue gun glue to create a skirt.  When it didn’t look full enough I repeated the process to add another layer to the skirt.

 

I then added the wings by putting a large and small butterfly wing together, sticking with my glue gun, to make a double layered set of wings, perfect!

The wand was made by putting a skull bead onto a cocktail stick with a small,  silver, star shaped spacer bead underneath before colouring the wooden stick with a silver felt pen.  The bead hole was a little large for the stick but another blob of glue gun glue at the bottom of the bead sorted the problem out.   The wand was then attached to the skeletons hand and chest using an epoxy resin glue as I wanted a quick but strong fix.

I wasted so much time trying to work out what sort of headdress the fairy skeleton needed, nothing looked right, so in the end I bought some large, silver crown charms from eBay, also attached with epoxy resin glue. The size was a bit of a guess, but the proportions are pretty bang on.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Antique-Silver-CROWN-Princess-Tiara-Royal-alloy-Charms-Pendant-Bead-Craft-Card/224326787458?hash=item343aeb2182:g:yigAAOSw4OFd4CcP

As an afterthought I decided to bend one of the skeleton's legs backwards using my heat gun to give him/her a more fairy like pose.  As this was my prototype I think I could do the same with the arms on the next two.

On the back of the wings I put a small jewellery bail fixing to hang the fairy by.

I can just see my twig Christmas tree full of these fairies ……. it might take some time, but at least I have a mission now to look out for more wings and new skeletons when I am out and about or searching online.

I do have another set of skeletons, but unfortunately they have a zonking great hole in the back of their heads, I could fill and cover it ????),  but I also need to try bleaching the skeletons too, as they are very dark. There is also, for me aesthetically, a problem with the positioning of the head, but I won’t bore you with the details until I work it all out!  I also have a few feathered butterflies, however their backs are very plasticky, and if I am making things to hang I like it to look good from all angles.

I could perhaps buy a large, plain butterfly die to cut my own wings, using a similar material to the originals and then spray starch them to add, pardon the pun, some extra body! Lots to think about and problems to solve, any suggestions would be very gratefully received …….

A Piece of Easter Charity Shop Tut!

This is what I’ve soooooooooo missed during three lockdowns finding erm ……. seasonally themed treasure tut  in the local charity shops!

I mean who wouldn’t want this piece of prize kitsch depicting a young, bonneted child proffering a carrot to her pet (or random) rabbit, gracing their Easter display for the third year running now!

Ok, so the bunny had been knocked of his pedestal at some time in the past but for just 25p it would have been rude not to make a considered purchase …….

……. because perched up on the shelf for a couple of weeks over the holiday no one ever gets to see the cracks! I am soooooo counting the days down until the charity shops are open again and I can go once looking for something to make me smile or go in Marc and Ricks Sack of Tut at Christmas …………. it keeps me sane?????!!!!!

Jenga Block Snowmen

Remember the box of Jenga blocks I found in a free giveaway outside one of the houses on the school run, well I have been busy ………not my idea, but one I found many examples of on Pinterest.

I have got 40 done, doing ten at a time, over a couple of days, as I waited for snow and paint to dry.

I think 40 will be more than enough for my fairing gifts in place of a Christmas card this year. There are 14 blocks left in the box, I am putting these aside as there were also a few ideas for Halloween characters on Pinterest that I would really like to try so watch this space.

Wooden Bat & Pumpkin Halloween Tag/Hanging Ornament

My first Halloween craft of 2021 in April, even for me that must be a record for early starts!

Taking a wooden tag from The Works (£1.50 for 10)  I started by covering both sides with scraps of Halloween themed paper (Avenue Mandarine – Origami Paper – Boo!)

I then coloured the bats, pumpkin and frame using appropriately Halloween coloured Sharpie pens.

I put a scrap of black paper behind the frame and then added the pumpkin to the centre.  The frame and green craft stick “shelf” (Hobbycraft - 50 small, assorted coloured sticks for  £1) were then glued to the tag.

I also outlined the edges of the tag with a black Sharpie pen.

When everything was stuck Ranger Glossy Accents was applied to the frame, pumpkin and bats and green Dovecraft Enamel Affects to the edge of the “shelf” to add a little extra dimension and texture. While these were still wet, the bats added.

Under the shelf I added half a confetti shaped spiders web.

On the back I handwrote “Trick or Treat” on scrap of paper along and then added a couple of small plastic creepy crawlies. A few clusters of white gel pen dots and tiny orange stars here and there complete the tags.

The holes on the tag were covered by the papers, so a flat jewellery bail was added to the back for a thread to either tie or hang the tag from.

Fiddle Fart Tag Challenge

Being a bit of a loss where to put my craft energies at the moment I have decided to issue myself a challenge to create a whole pile of tags, each using whatever theme grabs me, starting with this one ……

……. to be honest I started it weeks ago,  I got so far and then it wasn’t working, so it sat in my tray staring at me while I waited for inspiration.  

The tags come from The Works and measure: 5.5 x 3.5 x 0.2cm and I have quite a few, bought mainly to help fill up an order to get free delivery (??!!), hence the tag challenge.

I started by covering one side of the tag with a scrap of blue patterned paper.

I then decided to create a shelf, as is my want, to help give the tag a 3D element, by gluing a wooden house and glittered Christmas tree embellishment onto a short, natural craft stick. I also stuck tiny scraps of yellow and red paper behind the heart and windows.

This was then attached to the tag, with added Ranger Enamel Accents on the craft stick and house but after that inspiration failed me!  It needed something else, but what?

In my head I had been fighting off the idea of adding a snowflake, thinking it would look random (?), however, working on another idea, I decided to try a small, plastic snowflake as if to prove my theory right, but it worked, doh!  Adding more Enamel Accents around the edges of the tag and a few doodled dots and stars using a white gel pen bought it all together, I liked it!

This being the prototype I think it can be fine tuned a little, another layer of glossy accents to create a deeper snow effect, the craft stick needs colour (?) and perhaps the tree needs a star, or tiny baubles (?) ……… so watch this space for Tag Mark 2!

What Do I Do Now …………..?

Well, that’s Easter done and dusted craft wise at least ……….

……….. it’s now time to sit back and enjoy the chocolate!

I’ve put a shelf together using the few festive bits and pieces I had, but had been really hoping, before lockdown struck, to find a few more Easter tranklements in the local charity shops to bulk things out ……

……… a few more bunnies and chickens would have been nice, but hey ho!  I have noticed that a few of the charity shops in town are gearing up to hopefully re-open on 12th April, so who knows what treasures I will find after that.  

However, one thing in means one thing out. I have a pile of stuff that needs to go back to the charity shops from whence it came, I know where it all is, but I daren’t start putting it together, because there’s no where in The Towers to put a pile of bags without it starting to look incredibly untidy. I really need to cull a lot of my Christmas stuff, some I think I will try to eBay to help finance my “craft habit” ……. but the rest has to go, my yen to create a Christmas Grotto each year has to be seriously curtailed.

But I digress, after a month or so of non stop Easter crafting it's all suddenly over …...... and I just don't know where to go from here, HELP!

The mail box in my block of flats all decorated for the holiday.

I don't enjoy making cards at the moment, however I need to get a wriggle on as I have a few I need to get done for birthdays this month ….....

So I guess I am sort of back to Halloween and Christmas again, although to be honest it seems a bit soon and I am not even sure I am in the mood, but  with more than a lifetimes f Christmas and Halloween embellishments  I just need to rev myself up and rack my brain for new and different ideas on how to use them, so please bear with me.

Tiny Easter Bunny Pin Badge Brooches

I think these will be my last Easter pin badge/brooches of the year.  I can’t believe how many I have managed to put together.

These are all really tiny, the MDF squares measure 1ins x 1ins and the oblongs 1.5ins x .45ins. and were sourced from e-Bay.

They came about after I also ordered some MDF bunnies from eBay, I knew they were 2cms tall, but even so, when they arrived they were tiny, and difficult to place on any other project (for the moment) other than on a badge/brooch.

Made just like all my other badge/brooches by creating a scene using scraps of gingham papers and edged with a black fine liner pen …….

…… and then placing the bunnies, covered with Ranger Enamel Accents in position on top, giving them a tiny pearl flat back gem for a tail.  I experimented by adding some tiny Fimo nail art flowers around the single rabbit, but it didn’t work, it was a proportion thing!

I then added two tiny punched flowers with a gold flat back gem and a sun in the corner, but the sun didn’t look right either, so in the end I simply added some doodled birds in the sky, less is more.

Finally a pin fastening on the back and a little more edging finish off the badges, simples!

Egg Shaped Hanging Easter Bunny Decorations.

This is what I did with all the middle sized eggs from a pack of 30 wooden slice type shapes I got from Hobbycraft (£3) https://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/wooden-egg-shapes-30-pack/647358-1001

I started by covering the egg shape with scraps of blue and green gingham print paper and adding a little faux stitching using a black fine liner pen.

The MDF rabbits came from eBay, I have posted the link in a previous post.

I covered the rabbits with white Ranger Glossy Enamel, adding googly eyes, a black flat back gem nose and whiskers drawn using a fine black permanent pen.  I did try having a pink nose, but it didn’t quite look right.

When the E8000 glue on the rabbit had dried I added small punched daisies with tiny weeny button centres, adding a few three dot clusters in between, here and there just to fill in any empty space.  I used tiny, silver screw eye hooks in the top to hang the decoration by.

The back was covered with more blue gingham paper, a hand written Happy Easter and two more flowers, so when hung there would be two decorated sides to see at different angles.