Heat Free Quick Projects

This heat is dreadful! Hotter than Dante's seventh level of hell and no relief in sight. I refuse to sweat unless I intend to. Standing outside for 2.5 minutes and dripping is certainly not on my must do list. Which explains why I refuse to suffer out in the garage and have stayed inside working on Halloween projects for my interior instead.

It's been a productive week. Several projects in the works and I even managed to complete a few.

Three new vintage inspired Spook Sticks:

(front view)

(back view)

I have a gob-a-lot of vintage hats. When I say gob-a-lot I mean like 40. I'm attempting to do up a few haunt style and I need displays. Here's one dressed up manni head with stand finally done:

Potion labels are on the menu so I'm on the hunt for jars. Managed to snag two of these for 50¢ each at Party City. I'm testing out the Graveyard Dust label. Am thinking I like it so permanent attachment will go on the to-do list.

I get to spend all day tomorrow at a baseball tourney. Yeah. I can stand out in the heat and drip. Can't wait.

Haunt on!

Ghoulie Girls Quick Projects

I've had the most marvelous day! I'm all settled into the studio and since there were no kiddo obligations (ie: mom taxi service) required today I was able to do a few things.

I managed to start on some ideas from the Project Files but more importantly I got to finish up a couple of small things I'd been wanting to do.

Here is photo of the cabinet I decorate for each holiday. Notice anything missing? See the picture frame at the bottom? Yeah, the one without a picture in it. There's a couple of those in the cabinet. I'd meant to find something Halloween related for them and - really - how hard should that be?

I remedied this little irritation today with some fantastic vintage graphics from TheGraphicsFairy. (If you're not acquainted then I suggest you head on over. Great stuff!) I changed them up just a tiny bit by giving them a touch of color in Photoshop.

Remember my glitter issue? Well I managed to add a few new glitter pieces to the bone pile today:

And finally I cut out a few more Martha Stewart bats. Love these little guys.

I can't find a link to these anymore but I have them downloaded onto my computer so if you need a copy just yell.

So, nothing huge but the devil's in the details and I love the little touches. Plus - I've got things crossed off my to-do list. Yep - it's been a very good day!

Haunt on!

Ghoulie Girls Quick Project

Ok, here's a riddle for you. What does your local garden center have to do with Halloween? They carry great cemetery props for your haunted yard. No, really.

Work with me here... Several years ago I purchased a cheap resin bird bath and set it outside (exactly where one would expect it to go). Last winter the bird bath started to crack and finally it broke into pieces (I mentioned it was cheap didn't I?). The well of the bird bath was surrounded by three small resin birds that were attached to the bath by a peg. Though weathered they were all still in one piece and I got to thinking that these would be a nice little addition to a handmade tombstone. (Now don't pressure me. This is just one of many ideas banging around in the ol' brain. I haven't actually got around to doing it yet.)

All types of resin products are sold through garden centers. Everything from statuary busts to stepping stones to finials. At the end of the season you can probably even pick up a few on the cheap. (We love cheap!)

I place several architectural style pieces amongst our tombstones. I left them as I found them but you can certainly paint, weather, dry brush, or distress them to get the look you want. Smaller resin pieces can be incorporated into handmade tombstones or add them to store bought pieces for a unique look.

In the picture below you'll see the white resin piece nestled in a bush with a crow perched on top:

You don't have to wait until summer's end to do your shopping. You can often find resin pieces year-round that would be the perfect creepy addition. And, best of all, if you can get these for a few bucks on clearance and just slap them up you've got a great look that's Ghoulie Girl quick!

Ghoulie Girls Quick Project

I'm all for fancy props. I love animatronics, pimped bluckys and hand made tombstones but sometimes I get the itch to create and need it to be fast and easy.

Several years ago I was searching for just such a project. I wandered around my garage trying to find something I could put together quick. I spotted a rather plain and uninteresting corn broom and had a light bulb moment.

The hardest part of this project is locating a corn broom. Mine was old but you can pick one up a new one at Lowe's for under $10. While you're there grab some orange and black spray paint, 1" painter's or masking tape and surgical weight gloves.

Paint the entire broomstick orange. Let it get good and dry (a few days may be necessary). Once dry assemble several small strips of tape - just enough in length to go around the broom. You're going to start at the base of the broomstick and wrap your first piece of tape. Then, butt the next piece of tape against the first and wrap it around. Continue until your entire broomstick is wrapped.

Now, remove every other piece of tape so that the orange paint shows through. Spray over the orange with the black paint. Let it dry and remove the tape.

Wearing your gloves, spray black paint into one palm, rub your gloved hands together and lightly pat on the bristles for an aged look. Repeat this aging over your paintwork on the broomstick.

So simple even a zombie can do it.

Guns, Roses and Glitter

I'm an extremist. When I get a vision of how something should be done there's just no talking me out of it (just ask Tracy - she'll tell ya). I call it Axl Rose syndrome. (Pure waste of talent and it's about damn time he got the new Guns N Roses CD out.)

Where was I? Guns N Roses, Axl, extremes - oh yes! Being an extremist is akin to being a perfectionist only worse. I graduated from perfectionist a long time ago. I have tons of over-the-top ideas bouncing around in my grey matter but when it comes to getting them completed, well, that's another story. Even little projects can cut me off at the knees if I don't see them coming together as I envisioned.

Take this past Halloween for example. Simple project. I wanted a black and white theme in my dining room for the season. My centerpiece was to be skulls covered in black and white glitter (eerily elegant). Simple enough right? Uh-huh.

I sat down one evening with the best of intentions. I had my skulls, assorted other bones, glitter, glue, newspaper - I was ready. I covered my first skull in black glitter and set it aside to dry. Now to bang out a white one. "That doesn't look right" I thought but I kept going. Looks a little gamy. Finally I grabbed the bottle of glitter and took a good look. It was the palest, pale, pond scum green - it wasn't white at all. Uggggg!

Well, you see where this is going. No white glitter, late at night.... project on hold. And, as of today, it is still on hold. Now, probably no one could even tell it was green unless it was right up against something stark white but since I knew it was green that was all she wrote. I think I need an intervention.

Well here's what I've accomplished so far:
















Maybe you can try your hand at this and actually finish it. As for me, I'm off to pick up a copy of the new Guns N Roses CD.