Halloween Haunted House Decoration

This is my prototype for a hanging Halloween decoration using seasonal MDF shapes from BR Crafts.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/qualityquickly?_trksid=p2047675.l2563

I had hoped to make a few more  at the same time but I ran out of orange acrylic paint, doh!  However, I started off by painting both sides of the house white as I wasn’t sure, with the wood being so dark, how the orange would turn out.

This was followed by two coats of the orange paint I had.

I covered the MDF ghost and skeletons shapes with white Range Enamel Accents. The bats were simply coloured with a black Sharpie pen and the headstone with a grey one. I then added a few doodles using a black biro, however I am not sure if that was entirely necessary once the oozing green was added.

When everything was dry it was time to position the figures.  I could see at this point more colour was definitely needed.

I know I go on and on about the white Ranger Enamel Accents but I love it, however I am, for some reason having difficulty using the coloured range, it just doesn’t flow as freely as it should, I wonder if I just bought old stock, but the fine applicator always seems to be blocked and plenty of pin action is required to free it …… I also wonder if I need to warm the bottles up in hot water or on the radiator before use?  I used the green Accents for the oozing slime.

I could see that again more colour was needed …… so I added a few purple stars, everything was coming together.

Then I decided to go round the back, if something is to be hung I like it to look good on the back too. The first thing I did was coloured the back of all the MDF shapes that were visible in their appropriate colours.

I doodled a couple of spiders webs, outlined windows and edges as well as adding a few clusters of three dots here and there using a black fine liner pen and white gel pen. 

I know the Trick or Treat square isn’t quite right, it's too precise, when I get round to making the rest the paper should be torn with jagged edges.  However, the purple does add colour to the front as it backs two of the windows.  Three confetti spiders finish the “look”, before finally adding a small bail fitting from which to hang the decoration.

I am really pleased with the finished result, there is a little fine tuning to be done on the others I plan to make plus I have a few more different Halloween shapes that are also begging to be used ……. but first I need to wait until I can get my hands on some more orange paint.

Inspired Barbola Mirror

Some of my projects seem to stop and start and then do an awful lot of resting in between, as is the case of my version of a Barbola mirror …….. and don’t be fooled by the pictures, it’s not over yet!

I started back in June 2020 http://itsallfiddlefart.blogspot.com/2020/06/my-take-on-vintage-barbola-mirror.html. by making the flowers using thick embossing powders and Martha Stewart moulds.

Then in September I did an awful lot of work on the flowers with Marc at the cottage http://itsallfiddlefart.blogspot.com/2020_09_02_archive.html where we experimented with a whole lot of shimmer powders and paints, but when I got home …….. it all went into hibernation again ……..

…….. until last week when they started to niggle at me again ……

I went over the flowers again with very pale pink, yellow and blue and then gold acrylic paint.

…… before arranging them roughly, along with the metal leaves, (taken from a necklace and painted previously at Marc’s), on a 25cm x 25cm copper edged, chained mirror (£2.99 from Poundstretcher). I was originally going to use a big, vintage, wood backed mirror, however, it was really heavy and would have required a super strength hook/screw to keep it on the wall ….. plus I had no where to put it.

I was finally, ready to permanently stick it altogether, only trouble was I was a cheapskate and thought I would use my glue gun instead of E9000, big mistake, as the glue just didn’t stick solidly to the flowers or the mirror with any sort of gumption.  However, I carried on regardless just to see how a finished mirror would look. As I write this now several flowers have unceremoniously dropped off, the glue is just too brittle, doh!

I also added the small, cream coloured flowers (from a charity shop necklace) to the flowers that had a more defined sort of centre. I like them, but you can see the holes in them where the chain used to be and I can’t help it, my eyes are now constantly drawn to them. 

So it’s back to the drawing board, it wont take five minutes to remove the flowers and leaves and then refix them, this time with E9000, when I get round to ordering it.  I think I might be able to cover the holes on the cream flowers with a scrap of tissue paper and then paint over it.  Looking at real Barbola mirrors I think I could go even more pastel on mine, plus add more colours to each flower, I have been subtle, but perhaps not subtle enough, so I am afraid on this third attempt, it’s still a case of watch this space!

Charity Shop Shopping

I can’t tell you how good it feels to be able to go out and have a good mooch again.

Today a few small tranklements to fill the odd corner all from the Vale Wildlife Shop in Evesham. They cost me pence and when I tire of them I can simply donate them back or put them in my various tut sacks for Christmas family gatherings!  My total spend was £1.90.

I  had so wanted to be able to find a few more Easter bits and pieces to add to my festive shelves this year before lockdown fraughted my ambitions, which is why this little Easter egg trinket box was a no brainer at 40p!

It wasn’t until I got home that I saw the label on the bottom that said Gisela Graham.  I reckon there’s a bit of age to it as the style of the label print looks a bit different to a present day one and I can only find one other reference to it online on eBay. I also guess that new it wouldn’t have been that cheap.  Not to everyone’s taste, but on my festive shelves, for just three or for weeks, it will do very nicely.

Another no brainer here, 20p (?) and again when I got home I saw the label ……..

…… this time it’s from East of India and is still available on Amazon for £12.99, all be it without its fancy box.  I’ve found a home for it for now as I really like it, but where else am I going to find something for 20p as a whimsical nonsense at the Christmas or Boxing Day table?

I am assuming that this 80p hand painted vase was possibly originally from Greece (?), bought because I had just moved something from my shower room shelves and it seemed to fit the space.

The shelves are filled with other bits and pieces that also cost no more than £1, except for the largest of the hands which cost me £4.00, which is going some for me! The vase on the top left annoys me as it really doesn’t go, so I am now on a lookout for it’s replacement, then I shall take it back from whence it came.

I also found a small terracotta pumpkin tealight holder for 50p, safely put away for Halloween, it’s nothing special, but I think I might cover it with a lightweight, small print, Halloween design paper and varnish, even perhaps adding a couple of plastic creepy crawlies to it ……… we shall see.

Very Simple Zig Zag Daisy Birthday Card

This card measures 5ins x 5ins and uses a smooth, plain, white pre-scored blank from a bulk pack from Hobbycraft.

The zig zag paper used to cover the front of the card  came from an M & C Boutique paper pad from The Works on a buy one get one free offer, although a really lovely quality Christmas design pad, most of the designs are suitable for a lot of other occasions/themes, so a bargain at just £1 per pad.

I took a 3D sentiment sticker from a pack from Home Bargains (69p or 79p?) ……

…….. and mat and layered it on the same design paper, followed by silver mirror card

I then added punched white daisies and lime green leaves to add extra interest and texture to the card (for my niece Daisy), before adding a tiny button to the centre of each flower………..

N.B. Not a single dash of faux stitching or clusters of three dots in sight, now that’s got to be a record for me!

Beach Hut Magnet Decorations

A variation on my basic craft stick “house” design, turning my thoughts to small themed fairing gifts for Iris and Bertie’s teachers as a Thank you at the end of the summer term with perhaps a stick of rock?

I started by making the basic house shape using small blue, red and yellow coloured craft sticks (Hobbycraft, pack of 50 for £1.00) ………..

……… adding a few doodled lines using a white gel pen …………

…… and ready made bunting, (I know, I could have made my own), £1 from The Range.

All the MDF shapes came from BR Garden and BR Crafts, their range of shapes is fantastic and could keep me busy for years.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/qualityquickly?_trksid=p2047675.l2563

I just ordered a few shapes in the first place to see if the proportions worked and found that the 20mm and 30mm sizes suit this size project best. 

I had treated myself to a full set of Ranger Enamel Accents, but to be honest, white is all I really need. By covering the whole shape completely with the white I can then add the colours I need using Sharpie pens, especially on something as small as the seagull and buckets and spades.

I added yellow Dovecraft Enamel Effects on the shelf of the hut for the the sand, as the texture is more “blobby” and not as refined as the Ranger Enamels when dry which I  prefer on some projects.

I added googly eyes to the large crabs and just a white enamel to the small one with a black centre using a fine black permanent pens.

I intend to stick a small magnet on the back of the beach huts, I just need to order them from eBay.

I have other seaside shapes like octopuses and seahorses to use, but I needed to sort out this basic design before going wild, but expect to see variations on the theme in the coming weeks and perhaps even a few brooch/badges.

Non Essential Shopping!

Oh my goodness nearly four months without being able to explore the delights of a charity shop, I have sooooooo missed a mooch.  Well, I hung on until Tuesday before venturing out and oh it felt like bliss, even if I didn’t buy that much ………

My foot for scale in second picture.

……. however I did buy…….., a huge bag of wooden building blocks for just £2.50!  I did hesitate, as I need to find a place to keep them, but as soon as I saw them my mind was racing, after the success of my Jenga block snowmen, to all the other block ideas I’ve seen on Pinterest for Christmas and Halloween.  I’ve already sent Marc over a picture saying that when I go over to the cottage, legally, for Eurovision we can busy ourselves by either re-painting them or sanding them down to make them look rustic and aged.  I just need to sort out the shapes and sizes and see what combinations I can make up and how to decorate them.

I also found this extremely kitsch 50’s/60’s piggy bank, complete with stopper for 50p, it’ll probably end up in my festive tut sack, but for now she’s making me smile on the side in the kitchen.

The Works was also open, I went in hoping to find some more butterfly wings (no luck there), but these packets of 15 wooden fruit beads were a no brainer for 25p …….

…… as were the alphabet charms ………..

……. made all the more sweeter by the fact that I had £1.50 on my Works card, so in the end I only paid 50p for the lot.  I just need some ideas ……… though I am sure Iris and Bertie would also appreciate a bag of the letters to “do something with” ………………