Found Bones

I've been working a bit manically lately. Grabbing this, gluing it to that, adding a dash of such-and-such. Last night I had my way with this shadowbox tray from 7 Gypsies, deciding to FINALLY do something with the fat jar of bones I've been collecting.

We dig up and find a lot of bones on the property. It used to be farm land so we get a few cow bits here and there. We also live in an area with loads of wild life and nature does take it's course.

A number of these bones were found on Gull Island. It's a strangely magical place with bones and holed stones, and rare birds.

I didn't do much to the base shadowbox, preferring to let the bones sing for themselves. The pages that provide the backdrop are from hymnals from around 1900-ish. I used THIS Fast Finish Decoupage adhesive from Beacon. It darkened the pages significantly, I didn't mind and darkened them even further, but it's something to keep in mind if you decide to try it yourself.

I find myself on a bit of kick, wanting to get beloved stuff out of my stash, to use it and celebrate  it and appreciate it and show it off. Fat lot of good it does sitting in a box or jar. Am I right?

That's sort of the story with these bones. I've picked them up because I saw value and beauty in them... and then they sat in a pile, and that's just not good enough.

Maybe I'm feeling a bit like that too. Tucked away. Hidden beneath a pile. And I'm trying to climb my way up and out. And some days that's really hard, but I keep trying. 

I suppose I find comfort in these bones. They are mementos of strength and delicacy all at once. Reminders that we're all built from the same strange magic.

Devilish Charm Tags

Rooting through my box of chipboard, these little tag/charms just sort of threw themselves together.

I had a short struggle with what to put inside... lovelorn vintage ladies? saintly images? weird snips from Hieronymus Bosch paintings? In the end I decided that some vintage devils were just the thing.

The winged pieces contain vintage photos of people costumed in devilish attire.

Ok, these guys are actually circus performers, but we'll pretend we don't know that...

A couple of the pieces include these great White Turquoise Skull Beads.

I sort of love this photo of a fairy, and devil costumed together. While at first it may seems a silly to pair them, I think it's perfect.

What most people think of when they hear 'Devil' (the horns, the cloven feet) is a bastardisation of the god Pan. Pan, the free and wild god of nature. Heck, in some versions of Pan's mythology his mother is a wood nymph! And just like fairies and nature spirits, he is not entirely 'good' and can be quite the scamp. So the pairing of devils and fairies doesn't seem too ridiculous.

The above image is from the 'Devil' card of an old tarot deck. I know it looks a bit menacing, but this card isn't about evil at all, just like the 'Death' card isn't actually about death. (To be honest, I find the 'Tower' card most frightening.)

Finally this sparkly dude. This devil face graphic was printed on boxes of Kellogg's Corn Flakes in the 1950's for kiddies to cut out and wear as a mask. I did a quick look about for more information (the artist?) but couldn't find much. I think it's a great image, definitely deserving of a sparkly crimson border.

That's the whole devilish she-bang! I hope you're enjoying all the Halloween-ish posts because I'm having a grand time making them. If you'd like to create your own little charms/tags here's my supply list:

Die Cut Heart Frames from Family Tree**

Wings Assortment
Small Resin Skull Beads
White Turquoise Skull Beads
Bronze Pentagram Charms

Colourarte Silks Acrylic Glaze
Ornate Metal Keys - Antique Brass 
Sparkly red trims from Petaloo (discontinued?)
Assorted vintage images

**Ugh! I didn't realize until compiling my supply list that I used the hearts from a larger kit. The hearts aren't available separately BUT you could always use these House Shapes, Circles or Domes

The Bride - A Frankenstein Recon

I've mentioned it numerous times, so pardon me if you've heard it before, but I am a big fat horror fan. And this gal? The Bride. Well, I love her to bits. I'm well chuffed with this project because it is a bit Frankensteinien itself, hobbled together from this and that, put together using things already in my stash.

The head was gifted to me a couple of years ago. She's been sitting around waiting for something to happen (like sooo much stuff in my stash). Maybe it's the recent Halloween brain, but the other night I caught sight of her and knew what she was going to become.

So I cleaned her up a bit and started working on her face. I did a little contouring to more closely resemble Elsa Lanchester who played the role of 'The Bride' in Bride of Frankenstein.

The lips were darkened and reshaped just a bit, as were the eyes. And I couldn't forget those amazing eyebrows!

For her hair, once again I just used what was in my stash. The bulk of it is fly fishing fur, with black and white raw wool to fill it out. I know those streaks should be a little more wavy, but I'm ok with them as they are... for now.

Finally, her clothes are just strips of tea stained cross stitch canvas. Easy peasy!

Now, I know she's not a perfect match to Elsa Lanchester's 'Bride', but given that I'm not a doll recon artist and that she is a bit of a Frankenstein's monster made with scraps, I'm quite proud to tuck her in with my collection weird and wonderful things.

P.S. Hope you have a gorgeous day. I love you to bits.

Grim ATC Reliquaries

I feel like I've missed out on Halloween for the past couple of years. I've skipped right past it, diving head first into holiday making. Not this year. This year I'm determined to fully enjoy the haunting season.

Today I'm showing off these grim chipboard reliquaries.



I've used these Miniature Reliquaries for the base, which are just about ATC sized, measuring around 2.5" x 3.5" (give or take a smidge).



To embellish, Latin Stone Scrapbook Paper is used to cover the front and back of the pieces.



The images used are from the Skeleton Slide Mailers Collage Sheet and Skull & Bones Collage Sheet .



I've added loads of black Dresden snippets, and some teeny weeny 'crystals', dots normally used for decorating finger nails.



A length of seam binding is tied into wee bows to add one final touch.

So what about you? Anything spooky on your work table?

P.S. If you're interested in making these little bits, you might want to consider the swap that AlpahStamps is currently hosting.

Eleanor's Naughty Book of Secrets (Mature Content)

NOTE: A little warning to preface this post. This project contains slightly risque content. There's nothing grotesque or completely vulgar, but if that sort of thing offends you, you may want to skip this post.

I've mentioned it before, but I have the sense of humour of a 12 year old and the mouth of a sailor which often leads to a case of gutter mind. Recently, while looking for words in an old book, I came across this passage:

The book is actually quite sweet, but there are soooo many instances of pent-up yearnings, flushed cheeks, tinglings, and characters ejaculating their dialogue all over the place. "Geesh! Calm down Eleanor!" I thought. (The author being Eleanor Porter.) 

Then I thought that maybe Eleanor didn't need to calm down at all. Perhaps she just needed a proper place for those thoughts, a naughty books of secrets.

So I made one! A book filled with frisky snippets and sassy vintage photos.

It does get a bit steamy, but I'll spare us both the embarrassment of over-sharing.

The text is made up entirely of words and phrases from a beat up copy of "Sister Sue"
which are strung together to tell a new, rather dirty little tale...

...  and a there are some nice bits of old ephemera tucked in there too.

 

Also, vintage knickers and underthings are the bees knees! After searching for photos to include I sort of want to lounge around in giant granny panties, silk robes and stockings all day. That's pretty darned unlikely so don't worry, if you visit me I will answer the door looking like a fully clothed hobo.

Anyway, the book was great fun to work on, I've really missed playing with paper like this and creating the cheeky content was wholly enjoyable too. A little naughtiness is just the right thing once in a while. 

Thanks for the reminder, Eleanor.

A Grotty Goblin Dresser

Grotty. I love that word. It's a word from my childhood.

It was usually said in reference to something I was wearing "Take off that grotty such-and-such!" By definition it means something unpleasant and of poor quality like a dive bar or bad motel.

I would imagine that goblins rather like things that are grotty, and so I've created a little grotty goblin dresser this month for Alpha Stamps.

There's a nice little collection of spooky things on top of that dresser. Just the sorts of items that goblins find useful. And there's plenty of space in those drawers for storing rotten eggs.

The 'mirror' was made by applying a layer of tinfoil on the base, then adding large flakes of mica around the edge. A bit of staining and then a layer of Diamond Glaze to finish it off. There's a few wobbles and bubbles in there, but one of the very best things about making goblin items is that they don't have to be perfect. In fact, I do believe goblins prefer things that are imperfect!

Can you spy the pickled head ticked in the back? It was soooo easy to do, you won't believe it. I downloaded a stretched head picture from Howloweenqueen and then shrunk it down to fit inside the Stout Kitchen Jar with Lid. I just rolled the image up and plonked it inside and added some minor distressing. Voila! A miniature head in a jar. So easy! SO EASY!

You could add just about anything you like to your own goblin dresser. Mine is a bit of a lush and likes to have a nip of something or other no matter what time of day it is so wine was must. There's also a book of Terrible Curses from the Little Library Collage Sheet, because that's how magical goblins roll.

Bottles of this and that, a Tiny White Turquoise Skull, and a crystal ball to see what no good things other goblins are up to.

Check out those cute Antique Brass Mini Fleur de Lys Handles. The perfect finishing touch for those drawers.

I had great fun with this little thing. I didn't go nuts and plaster the whole surface, but I think it looks nicely cluttered (sort of like my own dresser). And if grotty goblin things aren't your style, you could absolutely make something cute and frilly and shabby chic. You know, something to make the goblins feel queasy. 

Here is the big fat supply list for the bits used in this project. Happy making!

Gothic Dresser 

Lotus Scrapbook Paper
Juliet Verona Scrapbook Paper
Stout Kitchen Jar with Lid
Snake Oil Labels Collage Sheet
Little Library Collage Sheet
Secret Spell Book Labels Collage Sheet
Tiny Magic Books & Potion Labels Collage Sheet
12 Tiny Glass Bottles
Amber Resin Potions Bottle
Miniature Tequila Bottle
Miniature Gin Bottle
Set of Miniature Books
10mm Clear Glass Marbles**
Tiny Antique Silver 3D Crowns*
Ghoulish Green Mini Resin Jars
5/8 Inch Bronze Skull & Bones Charms*
Tiny White Turquoise Skull Beads*
Antique Brass Mini Fleur de Lys Handle
Clear Stemware

And here is everything in one place.

Drippy Witch Lanterns

I've been making up a storm lately. There are bits and pieces of half finished projects all over the place and a bunch of completed pieces I can't show off quite yet. The posts have been a bit sparse lately so I made certain to get a little something done last night that I could share right away.



They are made with the same Industrial Lanterns used in THIS post.



And filled with moss, Pumpkin Pods and images from this Witch Stock Collage Sheet.



I've used stained lace trim to cover the sides of the lanterns.



There's a Black Mini Paper Bloom on top, and a length of fibre tied around the top. Finally I applied some drippy wax to the exterior.



I've got to add that these were inspired by some amazing pieces I saw on instagram a short while back. I cannot for the life of me find the original post to give proper credit. I'm going to have another search because it's driving me mad that I can't find it. Honestly, I have no idea what I'm doing on social media and it's sort of a miracle that I manage to post at all. (EDIT: I found her! Big fat thanks to Mary Fontones of Once Upon a Fairy for the inspiration.)

Lastly, if you decide to make your own and need help putting your lantern together HERE are the instructions for constructing those chippy lanterns.