Bones them bones, them...thigh bones

I've found several ideas to try in the October issue of Martha Stewart Living.  My favorite thus far is from page 148, "Skeleton Crew".  I tried it out and here's my tale.

I wanted large bones so I rolled up newspaper into 2" diameter rolls and taped them closed with masking tape.  I made mine between 16" and 20" long.  Make sure these are thick and sturdy so they won't crumble under the watery plaster cloth. 

Then I took 3 pages of an ad insert, the booklet kind, and scrunched them into barbell or bowtie shapes.  Use the fold as your center line and crumple the paper on both sides into balls. 

Take a long piece of masking tape and tape the "barbell" down the middle to the end of your roll.

Do this for both ends.

Now comes the gooey part.

Make sure your table is covered in newspaper or plastic and that you have removed all of your jewelry.   I skipped this step and had to thoroughly scrub my table and clean my rings.  It gets into every crack and crevice.

Then unroll your plaster cloth and cut into varying sizes.  The longer they are, the easier, is what I found.  I cut mine into 16" and 5" pieces.  You'll want to make most of your cuts before you start wetting as your fingers are soon too gooey to pick up the scissors.

Following the manufacturers instructions, dip the cloth into warm water.  Martha says to add tea for a stained effect, but I admit, I forgot and didn't do this.  Will try it next time.

One helpful tip is to keep working the fabric in the water/tea until it gets a little gooey.  It will adhere better and also dry with fewer holes.

Cover all of the newspaper and add layers to anything you want more definition.

Let dry in a warm place and voila!  Giant bones ready to add to your favorite haunt.

I got my plaster cloth from Michaels, it is called Rigid Wrap.  They had two sizes and the larger was easier to cover large surfaces.  I used one large size for three bones and two small sizes for the same.  This cloth is great, I'd like to use it for other crafting projects.

Let me know how it works for you!

Happy find

Sometimes things just already exist that are perfect for an event or theme.  I found the perfect butler for my Poe party and am thrilled.  He has a raven on his shoulder and says things about "nevermore".

Even though he wasn't in my original plan, I think he'll add a lot!  So when you see them, grab them.  A little extra spend, but absolutely NO DIY!   Sometimes that in itself makes me happy.

Crystal Ball

I need a light up crystal ball for my upcoming party.  However after looking online and seeing the prices (yikes, that's scary!) I decided to make my own.

I had the following already on hand...

• 1 purple glass ball (originally from IKEA)
• 1 pumpkin light (1/2 off after Halloween last year)
• Black electrical tape

 

Starting at the outside of the base just wind the electrical tape around the light.  Keep winding until you get up to the clear plastic.  All of the orange should be covered.  Then place the ball on top of the light (this is the tricky part) and keep winding until the ball feels secure.  My ball had a flat base, so this is pretty easy.

And here it is, one light-up crystal ball.  Fortunes anyone?  Hmmm, I see saving and craftiness in your future...

Make your faux candles creepy

I love my battery operated candles in Autumn.  They're stationed around my house and automatically turn on and off every night.  I just got a new box at Costco (4 for $20).  Unfortunately when you get them they don't look very authentic.  Sterile comes to mind actually. 

But we can fix this!  Grab a heat gun,

and start melting away.

Keep melting until you achieve your desired look.  You will get run off down the sides, so put some wax paper underneath for easier clean up.  The wax will also melt and run down the inside of the candle.  I let it build up and then carefully pour it out onto the sides of another candle.  Remember the wax will be hot.

Now isn't that better!  Much more believable.

Happy decorating!





Linky Party with Eighteen25

Today I'm linking with Eighteen25 for their Halloween Linky Party!



Check out their site and see all of the other party members.

So relieved

Ahhh, so relieved this weekend.  I finally completed the major props for my Poe party.  I'm apparently not very patient with myself when it comes to my projects that last more than a week or two.  I did have a deadline though, so I guess it wasn't just my own pressure!

It feels great to finally get the kitchen table back.  It has been covered in craft supplies and tools for the last month.

So here's the big reveal (although not in its "natural setting" yet)... The Poe Tombstone!

This is a replica of the real one in Baltimore, MD.  It stands about 4.5' tall and is mostly made from pink insulation foam.  The 'bronze' face is model magic.

So there it is!  Stay tuned for the tutorial and the rest of the setup in future posts.

And the preparations continue

The theme for my 2010 display is Edgar Allan Poe.   I wanted to include vintage books in my display, however didn't have the budget or the resources for actual old, leather books.  So I went to the used book store and as luck would have it, they were thinning their stock.  So for the price of just one nice used Poe compendium, I got two big boxes of hardbound books they were going to toss!

However they were bright and shiny all taken care of in their dust jackets.  So I ripped off the jackets and set about aging them in tea.  I brewed a very large and strong batch of tea and let it cool.  Then I immersed them each for a minute or two. 

Then I took a scrub sponge and went up and down the spines to dull or remove the lettering. 

Finally I put them out to dry.

2nd project done for my vignette!  Stay tuned for more Dark Autumn ideas...