#24 Distractions & Dragons

Wow I haven't posted anything in quite a while! 

Now that the kids are out of school and home all day, every day, 

it's a little hard to work on projects. 

So I have decided to employ them.

I found kids are great to use for separating and 

crumpling balls of newspaper! 

They are also good for covering a few balls in paper mache (although very messy). 

So I saved a little time, but I had lot more clean up after.  

FYI a four year old playing in paper mache glue, is one wild scene.

Our project this month (I could only manage the one) was this dragon trophy.

He is again made using Dan Reeder's techniques.

I have used his methods before (#19 Scary Fish) but it is absolutely beyond a doubt made for dragons! 

Buy his books, check out his site or blog "Gourmet Paper Mache' 

and be prepared to be amazed by the master.

If you want details they are in the book 'Monsters'. 

Lots of step by step color images, and detailed instructions

 and Dan's slightly twisted since of humor (that I also love).

It's available on Amazon

It starts with classic paper mache shaped in balls and such.

The teeth are sculpy.

The cloth mache methods invented by Dan is what really makes the difference.

You will also need several coat hangers and a lot of masking tape.

It's pretty cool to watch him take shape.

The whole time I was thinking of an alligator.

Now he started looking like a dragon.

The eyes are gold sculpy. I painted an iris on and made them shine with some clear nail polish.

The webbing part is so cool. 

I found I love cutting and trimming dry cloth mache webbing... it is strangely  satisfying.

after he had a skin I added scales and the other details.

Of course paint I went with purple mouth green tongue and orangish color.

He is pretty good sized fella, a little over 3ft long. 

Any way  I love him. He hangs on my wall right by the front door so he is the first thing you see when you come in my home.

#23 Tudor Toss

I have always been into Tudor history. The political, religious battles, the power plays, the scandals! For most people the thing that comes to mind first about the Tudors is all those beheadings! So I thought, of course to make a game of it.


Coincidently this last Thursday marked the 475 year anniversary of Anne Boleyn's execution.
Too Soon?

So probably the first thing I should have done was decide on the heads I would use.  Doing so after the fact may cause a problem, but I got lucky.

 I decided to use these doll heads I found at Goodwill. They go to those make up hair dolls (you know the ones with just a head, neck, and shoulders). I popped off the heads and decided to Un-Barbie them with a little dead looking paint. 

Next I used a 4x4 piece of ply wood. I got a little nicer wood (popular 3/4" thick).

I cut holes (badly) and painted it with some oops paint. 

I choose a light color because I want to see it outside at night.

Then I started painting on my Tudors.

I chose.... of course Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard (Queens are worth more),Mary Queen of Scots, Lady Jane Gray, Thomas More, and Thomas Cromwell. 

They just come to mind most when it comes to tudor time executions.

To make it stand, I used a couple strips of wood cut into four 4 foot pieces 

I screwed one of them to the top of the board. and attached the legs at an angle underneath.

I attached it with a bracket that I bent with a clamp and pliers.

Then I attached the fourth piece on the ground the same way. 

The angle was sharper so I just took angle brackets and unbent them a little.

I decided to just print up the names on paper and Mod Podge them on!

I also antiqued the whole thing a bit with a watered down brown paint and a rag.

I need some more heads! I only found four that day.

 Later I will get a couple more and make them over into the men, probably by just adding beards.

The picture quality is kind of poor , I didn't realize how dark my garage is. 

I will post some brighter ones when I have time.

#22 Zombie Bunny

I don't know why I did this. 

I saw this idea as an April fools joke and wanted a real one.

Since I had all the supplies on hand, it was a no brainer!

It's happening!

I already had the mold for a chocolate bunny along with my many other candy molds.

You can buy bunny molds online or at a local cake supply store. 

Mine is kind of big almost 10" tall! 

I would suggest going for a small mold if you are starting out in candy making.

 Plus this guy uses alot of chocolate!

I used just plain old candy melts, they sell them every where. 

I used red, white, green, and yellow.

They are super easy to use you just microwave them and remicrowave them as needed.

Tempering real chocolate is an art form.

This is just way simple, and you have all the colors ready.

I started by doing the blood stains with a brush. I froze it and let those dry.

Using two whole yellow candy pieces, I cut out bulging eyes. 

For my bunny the back of a piping tip made the perfet size.

 I piped red pupils and stuck them in the freezer.

I made a zombie green with a mixture of all the chips (even just a couple of the red). 

I just kept experimenting until I liked the color.

I painted a nice thick layer of the green in my mold getting in all the cracks. 

Then I poured more melted candy in and sealed my two sides together and moved it around to get an even coat on the inside. Then let it set in the freezer

After it set I popped it out of the mold and trimmed and cleaned up all the seems.

I reheat my red candy and added more details.

I used it to stick on his eyes and add more 3D blood drips

I used a little white and brushed on fangs......

and some ribs!

I just played around with the red until i felt satisfied.

It is really tempting to go nuts with the blood but a little goes a long way.

He will look adorable in someones easter basket.

Happy Easter!

                               Or just get a mold and make an army of zombie bunnies!

#21 Scorpion Orchid

I had made this tutorial a while back and just forgot to post it. 

It's another of my Fearsome Foliage. 

Yes I know.... another plant! 

But you know witches have a lot of weird stuff in their garden.

There is a real flower called the Scorpion Orchid but what I had in mind was a bit more literal.

I again used "Creative Paper Clay" because this needs to be extremely light as not to weigh down the delicate silk plant. Paper clay is the perfect choice here. 

So I am making a super light weight yet long scorpion tail.

I rolled little cylinders of the clay and pushed them on just regular floral wire approximately 3 to 4 inch length.

When I had the amount I wanted I smoothed and evened it all out. Then I curved the wire like a scorpions tail and defined or added more joints as needed.

 For the stinger tip just a little ball of clay.....

...gently rolled one end.....

...to a point......

..and stuck it on the end of the tail.

Let it dry completely.

For the claw like stamens, you could just curl some extra stem pieces from a silk flower.

Or I found these claw like pieces inside a plant I had, and just bent them into curves.

The flower was just a simple dollar store orchid. I manipulated it slightly. 

Since this was only an experiment I went cheap, but I will likely try this with a nicer silk orchid next time.

With Hot glue I attached the tail to the back of the flower. I also glued between the joints of the tail that didn't stick to each other, and hot glued the stamens in the front center of the flower.

I painted the tail black and added some brown highlights. I also painted the stamens and flower center and used water down black paint to stain the petals and leaves.

And there you have it .

#20 And The Award Goes To....

 At Halloween I like to have a big party.

So every year I need some new best costume awards.

A little hot glue, some gold spray paint, and dollar skeletons that have been in a tote since last year.....

 have finally found a purpose.



He is holding just a wooden dowel. I will likely add a clay pumpkin topper



In case you are new to my blog you may have noticed I have a Dollar Store addiction. I sometimes buy things there with no idea exactly what I will do with them but I just know there is some potential. 

So yes, I mindlessly spend money on things there all the time. Suze Orman would be yelling at me now.

Anyway here they are the little 12" skellis from Dollar Tree. They are floppy jointed kooky little guys. Something comic about them attracted me and the fact that I could get so many. So I bought them almost two years ago but they have them every year it seems.

Note get em early this is something that will sell out. If you are dollar store shopper you know, buy Halloween in August.... Christmas in October etc.

Found these little plaques in different shapes at Michael's craft store. They ranged from fifty cents to a dollar.

So using my trusty Hot Glue Gun I start at the feet and work up. I broke the limbs and glued them back on in the pose I wanted. That gives them a little more range of movement.

I plan on making these into best costume awards so I posed some appropriately.

See bellow "Funniest" and "Sexiest"

I clipped there little hanging loops of their heads as well.

I played a round with them. I was thinking these would be fun over the kitchen cabinets as well.

Just some skeletons having a good time. Oh you could add accessories like a little apron, and chef hat, a mini wine glass. a little feather boa.... OMG! Cute potential!