Halloween: Jeweled Doll Head Pumpkins

 

This week's BFF Open House link party continues here. 

Since our nest has been empty, my Halloween decor has become much more "Gothelegant" which is a word I just this second made up to combine gothic and elegant. Lots of jewels and metallics. Less whimsical ( although I do have some of that too!). But let's just say about the Darth Vader meme "Come to the dark side, we have cookies" is a perfect fit for me! I've wanted to do something with an old doll head but my thrifting trips the past few years haven't yielded the kind of doll head I want so I'm still on that particular hunt BUT I found some creepy plastic doll heads in the Halloween stuff at Walmart and they just spoke to my deep dark little Wednesday Addams heart! 

Supplies 

• Doll Heads ( Walmart, $4.88 pkg of 3)
• Foam Pumpkins ( Dollar Tree, while things are still $1)
• Glass Candle Holder (Dollar Tree, ibid)
• Craft Paints (Apple Barrel Gloss Black, Craftsmart White)
• School Glue (Elmers)
• Glue gun / glue and strong cold bond glue ( eg E-6000, I used Beacon 3 In 1)

"They're creepy and they're kooky, they're altogether spooky". 

Dollar Tree has these foam pumpkins every year and they're great. You can paint them. You can cut them. You can wrap them in fabric. So many possibilities. For this project I painted them. 

They take paint really well and this Apple Barrel Gloss only needed one coat. Then I did my go to glue crackle. 

To finish the pumpkins, I went over the glue with white paint and then used my craft room blow dryer to hasten the crackling. 

The doll heads were already pretty perfect but what fun is that? I got out my silver Rub N Buff and just added some spots of it here and there. 

This highlighted the scars already on the heads and then I dry brushed and wiped off some black paint so it would get in the cracks. 

Creeptastic! Now it's time to glam them up. I had some clear flat backed jewels in my collection so I randomly glued them onto the skulls and finished with smaller self adhesive rhinestones. Glamtastic! 

Once you're satisfied with your jewels it's time to assembler. I used hot glue to attach the skulls to the painted pumpkins and then the Beacon 3 In 1 to attach the pumpkin to the candleholder. I have found that hot glue doesn't always last on glass but it will work, just may come loose after a while. 

It's so good to be back! 

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Happy Friday and October Eve! You know what that means. It's full speed ahead to Halloween! I finally spent some real time in my craft room to kick off my 2021 Halloween decorating which you can see here. Crackled and Jeweled Floral Sugar Skull on Wood. 

Lots of fun ideas from last week's party so let's take a look at a few!

Brilliant idea from Penny at Penny's Vintage Home. Transform an artificial Christmas Limb into a spectacular Fall Tree! 

Who wouldn't want to sit at this "Bootiful" Halloween table? Gorgeous tablescape from Whispers of the Heart!

Check out this creative Upcycled Percolator Pumpkin transformation from Love My Cottage. I suspect some parents or grandparents may have one of these percolators stashed in a garage. I can easily see a Scarecrow or Tin Man made from one! 

Finally, this Poison Apple display is such a perfect Halloween and Snow White inspired idea from Studio 27 by Jennifer Adams. 

Thank you to everyone who linked up and can't wait to see what you've all been up to this week! 

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Halloween: Crackled and Jeweled Floral Sugar Skull Wall Art

 

I FINALLY got back to my craft room to make something last week! After the Summer from H*LL, the near septic abscess that tried to kill me followed by weeks of recovery, a move, and then surgery to remove the abscess host ovary and more weeks of recovery, it hasn't exactly been a productive Summer. But doctors know things and it was almost like clockwork when my energy level finally started coming back around week 5 post-op. 

Supplies: 

• Wood Art Board (Target Clearance but available at Art Supply Stores)
• Acrylic Paints (Folk Art and Craftsmart)
• White School Glue (Elmers but store brand will work too) 
• White Vinyl, Transfer Tape (Cricut)
• Jewels (Art Minds, Michaels)
• Dimensional Glue ( Glossy Accents, Ranger)

Before all of this started, I'd stumbled on these fabulous Art Boards at Target which screamed "buy me" especially since they were on clearance for something like $3 so of course I bought all the ones they had! Seven of them for what two cost at regular price. 

I had this mega pack of purple jewels from a previous project so it became the inspiration for my color choice of Purple, Black and White which will fit right into my primarily Black and White Halloween decor.

 

I painted the board with a coat of Folk Art Violet Pansy. I didn't care about a perfect finish because that's not my thing and besides, I knew I was going to add black with the purple showing through the crackle. 

My go to process for achieving a crackle finish is good old white school glue. I stock up on it during school supply season! Apply it straight from the bottle and then spread it trying to use complete strokes in one direction. 

You want a medium coverage of the glue. Too thin and it won't crackle. Too thick and you won't have a smooth surface. Let this coat dry to tacky. I use my handy craft tool...an old blow dryer set on cool, to speed up the process. You don't want the glue completely dry. Go over the glue layer with the black paint, using the same one direction brush strokes as the glue layer. If you're patient, you can let this air dry. If you're me, grab the blow dryer again, this time set on warm to help the crackling process. 

Q: "Can I use my heat gun?"

A: NO! It's too hot and everything will bubble and peel which might give you a cool effect but it won't be THIS effect. 

Don't worry if the glue shows through. Once dry, it dries clear. Even though I help the drying process with the blow dryer, set it aside to dry completely which gives you time to work on the vinyl piece. I found this image on Creative Fabrica ( Disclosure: I am an Affiliate so if you use this link to purchse, I do receive credit to their store).

Download your image  then bring it into the Cricut Design Space Software ( these files work with all of the different cutting machines but I used my Cricut) and size accordingly. I cut this from white Cricut Vinyl, using my Explore Air 2. 

Weed your vinyl (if you're new to vinyl, weeding is the process of removing the vinyl from the negtive spaces to reveal your image) and then apply the Transfer Tape (this is clear tape, I used the Cricut brand, that allows you to position and apply the vinyl to your surface). 

Position your transfer tape lightly on your surface until satisfied then use a scraping tool ( I use the one that came w/ my first ever Cricut or they sell them at craft stores and you can also use an old credit card etc. ) to apply your vinyl to your surface. Peel off the transfer tape.  I do this slowly vs ripping off like a bandaid in case there are spots the vinyl isn't sticking. It allows you to maintain the positioning and fix any issues. 

Then it was time for the jewels! I used a strong glue (Glossy Accents by Ranger) to adhere these and just randomly placed using the different sizes and shades. 

Et, voila! 

I haven't hung it up yet because I haven't started my Halloween decorating yet but I absolutely LOVE how it turned out and I have some other projects planned using this color scheme! Happy Haunting Season! 

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Happy Friday Eve. How is it almost the end of September already! I wish I had an answer. I know it's been "Lost Creative Summer" for me because of health challenges so I've had little choice but to watch the calendar go by. Fortunately I have been spending a little time back in my craft room. So far, just a few cards I haven't even bothered to share but working on something to share soon. Feels good to be able to play! 

Since last week's party I've celebrated one more trip around the sun and after the year I've had, don't take those trips for granted. Older, possibly wiser, still young at heart and definitely refusing to act my age!

So let's take a look at some of the ideas from last week's party! 

I love being part of a community where we get to see through other people's eyes how things come to life. This Repurposed Expandable Rack from Fresh Vintage by Lisa S into a shelf is one such brilliant idea!!

Kathleen from Our Hopeful Home can turn the simplest find into a perfect addition to home decor as she's done with this simple Wood Pickup Truck from The Dollar Tree! 

The most beautiful creative supplies can so often be found in nature. Such is the case with this simple but elegant Twig Wreath from Priyam at Simple Joys. 

Can't decide between a cookie and a brownie? Why choose and instead make these Brownie Cookies shred by CJ at Morsels of Life. 

Thanks to all who linked up. Now let's take a look at what everyone's been up to this week! 

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BFF Open House

 

Happy Friday Eve and Mid-September all. I still have to look at the calendar to be reminded that it's Fall here in the desert because it's 97 degrees as I write this and I'm dreaming of when I can wear boots and sweaters. 

Got the post-surgical all clear to resume whatever I feel up to including driving so I ventured out solo the other day for the first time in five weeks and of course where did I go? Dollar Tree! I was itching to see what cute Halloween stuff they had to play with and wasn't disappointed. I'm on the hunt for a Halloween tree to decorate this year and got some very cool ornaments to use when I find the right one. I'm sure by the next time I go they'll be knee deep in Christmas!

Before we get that far ahead though, let's take a look at some of the great ideas from last week's party! 

Can you ever have too many pumpkins on display this time of year? Especially Glitter Pumpkins like these from A Life of Balance? Now's the time to pick up those faux pumpkins before they're gone. 

I've seen some fashion ads featuring painted jeans and they can of course get pricey. Being DIYers though, of course our first thought is "How can I do that?" and Love My Little Cottage has got us covered with a tutorial. How cute are these? 

Look at this fabulous Coffee Table from A Life Unfolding made from...wait for it...a vintage CHICKEN CRATE! I love it. And on wheels!

 

Finally, Cindy's Online Recipe Box is back with another spectacular Fall cookie idea. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Rake Cookies that look 3D!

Now let's see what everyone's been up to this week and thanks to everyone who linked up! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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