31 Days of Halloween - Harry Potter Shadowbox

 

 

Time to show off a new shadowbox. I inherited tiny Harry Potter figures from my mom. They were ornaments for a small tree, I think. The shadow box is one I've had for about a year. When I bought it, I thought inspiration would come to me immediately, but when I got it home, nothing came to me. So I packed it away with my other lonely, unused boxes. Waiting patiently for me to reach in my hand and pull one out.

Today was that day for this box, and I went full Hogwarts on it. I started with the first shelf, which lent itself to a cozy library for Hermione. Before COVID, I had been facilitating craft workshops featuring shadow boxes. For these, I crafted tiny little books out of corrugated cardboard and patterned paper. I had some left over and used them today. Hermione looks very comfortable up there.

Next up (down, actually) I gave Ron Weasley a room from his nightmares. You can't see it well, but it's filled with spiders and spider webs, and Ron is none to  keen on spiders. I'm sure he would like to know how to apparate from his place in the shadow box to just about anywhere...

Harry is next, holding his broom outside. His passion for flying helped him gain a place on Gryffindor's Quidditch team. His keen eye and flying talent helped him catch the Snitch and win the game  many a time.

My last two figures are on the bottom shelf. Headmaster Albus Dumbledore  and Potions teacher Severus Snape. It's fitting they're on the bottom, as they form the foundation of Hogwarts as well as the book and movie series. 

Throughout the shadow box, I scrambled to find tiny supplies to make each scene appropriate to each character.  There are buttons, stickers, jewelry parts, floral moss, stickers, wooden diecuts and corks,  all transformed into scrying bowls, brooms, books and other wizarding items.

And my Halloween shadow box is finished. I think it turned out awesome. I've made several Halloween shadow boxes, and even sold a couple. This one, as much as I like it, is going to a young girl who is just getting into the Harry Potter series. I think she's going to really like it...

Ready for another gruesome giggle? Enjoy!

31 Days of Halloween - Journal Page (trying new technique)

 

Hello, my name is Patacake and I'm a craftaholic. I slipped off the wagon the other day and met my gf at a thrift store. While there, I found a full set of chalk pastels for $3, and the color of the price tag cut the price by 50%!

I've never tried chalk pastels before, so I had to bring out my creative journal to make a page. I admit I watched a YouTube video to see what to do with the chalk. I didn't get quite the effect I wanted, but it's my first attempt, and I will be experimenting in the future with the pastels.

Meanwhile, I took inspiration from the season and created a page devoted to Autumn. I used red, orange, brown, green, and yellow and used a baby wipe to smooth out and blend the colors. After the page was dry, I  added some background stamping. I added a sticker for the title of my page, and left room for a Haiku. Some pumpkin stickers, some trim and various Fall leaves frame my poem. 

Do you journal? I have several active journals at the moment. I have my travel journal, my Book of Lists journal, one for craft projects I want to do, another for my mood of the day and one for art,  gratitude and grief journals, and a few others. I write in some, draw, color and doodle in others and even collage from magazine cuttings and images found online. Journals keep me going when I'm depressed, save memories good and bad, and let me create with words and pictures whenever I feel like it. One helped me through the loss of my husband 4 years ago.

So I guess you could say I'm a journal junkie LOL And for one more laugh, here's  gruesome giggle for you...

31 Days of Halloween - Scarecrow Welcome Halloween Decor

 

I finally decided what to do with the last of the wooden blocks I had painted this month. I had a small scarecrow attached on a stick I had bought years ago from the Dollar Tree. I beheaded her and glued her onto my wooden block. After adding stickers and Autumn leaves, My 28th project of the month is finished, and the easiest one of the whole lot!!

Just three more days until Halloween, and still so much to do!! Have you watched any of the Halloween-themed movies or specials this month? My daughter and I have been watching one movie a day. So far, her favorite is Hocus Pocus. Mine is Nightmare before Christmas, but we're watching Coco tonight and I might change my mind. 

Meanwhile, I have another gruesome giggle for you. Enjoy...

31 Days of Halloween - Pumpkin Trio Decor

Today I decided to dig into my Dollar Tree pumpkins. I painted each of them, even the orange one (I toned the bright orange down). After they dried, I glued tea light candles to their tops (I really need to buy the battery-operated ones). Then I painted alpha stickers with black acrylic paint and attached them onto the front.

I added leaves and flowers to surround the candles. Lord knows I have buckets of fake flowers to use up! Finally, I decided to make a couple stands for my pumpkins, so that they are all different heights. I painted a dessert cup and a tiny condiment cup and glued the pumpkins to them. It really makes a pretty decoration that catches the eye.

One more gruesome giggle for your pleasure, crafters...

 

31 Days of Halloween - Creepy Candles

And here I thought my toilet paper rolls crafting days were a thing of the past. These creepy candles were made using empty toilet paper rolls that I painted with black acrylic paint after first using my hot glue gun on one end to look like dripping was. 

After the paint dried, I glued in tea lights (which I will switch out with the battery-operated ones later--no use taking chances). After gluing the "candlesticks" together, I  tied a festive ribbon around them and added a black flower. Too much black, so I added a felt jack-o-lantern and now it's decorating my living room (which is getting a little crowded).

Can you believe it's less  than a week until the big night? Are you decorating for the holiday? Sending cards out? Sewing up costumes? Going to a party? If so, you still have (a little) time to get crafty.

Here's another gruesome giggle for you...

 

31 Days of Halloween - Digital Paper for You

I haven't played in Photoshop in a long time, and I really liked making my own designer papers. So today I am offering two of my own digital papers for anyone who wants to use them. You can click and save image and use it for digital projects. You can also print them out and use them for cards, upcycling and mixed media projects. 

Here's the second paper. I hope you like these papers and have a chance to use them in your crafting. If you do, please credit me with the name: Patacake Designs

Now for some gruesome giggles...

31 Days of Halloween- Upcycled Ceramic Pumpkins Decor

I found a couple ceramic pumpkins in my Halloween stash, and thought they needed a little, I don't know, more. I raided my jewelry supplies and wound one pumpkin with silver chain, adding some dangly metal feathers (used to be from a pair of earrings but I lost one). I wound gold chain around the other pumpkin and added a gold charm of the moon and a star to it.

Not much, very easily accomplished, but I like the look of them better now. The hardest part was waiting for the glue to dry as I wound the chains, and using teeny tiny jump rings to attach the charms. I guess I better go to the eye doctor for stronger glasses this year!

Next up is a gruesome giggle for your warped sense of humor...