Jack O'Lantern

While the husband was out  playing golf today, here's what I did (between folding loads of laundry). It's a paper maché pumpkin head on a trinket box. He's a bit cheesy, just like a proper Halloween pumpkin should be.

 

Watch out! He's got his eye on you...

Black Cats and Pumpkins and Witches: Oh My!

Hooray! My tinsel from Alpha Stamps was in today's mail,  so I finished the tin that was waiting on just the right touch. This one's got everything I love about Halloween represented, with the possible exception of ghosts and monsters. This time, there's one of every sort of Halloween cupcake pick I have sitting on top of the tin. I love their cheap creepiness.

Here's the back:

And a closeup of the inside, so you can see how the pumpkins and the little boy are stacked to give the scene more dimension:

I love those tea drinking witches! (Or is it whiskey in those tea cups?)

Jack O'Lanterns Tin

Even though as a design team member I'm not eligible to compete in the Alpha Stamps Halloween contest (mentioned here), I couldn't help but get all excited about it. I made this jack o'lantern tin using the Halloween #2 collage sheet. Don't you love the little pumpkin at the top? It's actually a vintage cupcake pick. I like the shiny stars too.

As always, I just can't leave that back plain.

 

I'm almost done with a second tin that I think I love even more than this one, but I'm waiting on some fantastic orange and black tinsel to arrive in the mail before it's totally complete. Hopefully that package will arrive soon!

Circus Train and Alpha Stamps Halloween Challenge

I had a few small shrines left, so I made a circus train. This one is similar to the circus parade I made a while back, but I decided to actually hook this one together. I used some brads with eyeholes, and large gold jump rings. I like the way it joins the little cars together.

I really love working small. This little train is only 5 inches long. Here's a photo of the back, with a quarter for scale:

The only thing I'd change is to make those alphabet beads read the same on the front and back. It's a little silly to have the word "circus" upside down on the back side, but what are you going to do?

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Just about everything I used to make this little train came from Alpha Stamps. Want to get to know them better? Check out this new giveaway challenge they're sponsoring now! Create a great piece of Halloween art, and receive a wonderful Hocus Pocus Halloween Kit, chock full of Halloween goodies. You can submit up to three entries, so what are you waiting for? I'm planning on starting my first project later today.

Arrrrrrr! Elephant Pirate!

One of the other moderators from Craftster was bemoaning the fact that her dog had chewed a leg off the paper maché elephant she bought from Michaels. We were all trying to help her figure out what to do with the now-three-legged elephant, when someone suggested making it a pirate. All day I thought about that pirate elephant. I had to make one of my own. I felt bad about cutting his little leg off, but I think he really loves his new peg leg.

I've named this little fellow Bertram. He'd like to think he's fierce, but who's he trying to fool with that newspaper hat? I'm so glad I stocked up on these little guys.

Here's his good side:

 One more for the road:

Arrrrrrrrrr!

Big Top, Tiny Circus

I really love working with the small size Altoid tins. Here's my latest. I might have gone over the top with glitter, tinsel, sparkly stars, and Dresden trim, but really, can you ever get too showy when it's a circus? I think not.

The little size has just enough room for one roly poly clown and his costumed cat (images from Alpha Stamps).

The foot of this tin is actually a suction cup from an old toy arrow. I got it in those big bags of wooden blocks I found at the Thieves Market on my way to the beach this year.

 I just never get tired of the circus theme, or those bald headed clowns.

Pink Elephant With Party Hat and Umbrella

Meet Eleanor. She started out life as one of those pink elephants that appear to drunks, but ended up in the circus as a top performer. She never goes out without her pink umbrella to protect her delicate skin.

She's definitely a girly-girl with her rhinestone forehead jewelry and her bright pink toenails.

Little diva!

Mother's Little Helper

I woke up this morning with a Rolling Stones' song in my head, and I just had to make this little tin:

I think it could raise some eyebrows when you reach for a mint!

One more view:

...still got the song in my head, though.

Norman, the Reluctant Knife Thrower's Assistant

Here's what I made today. It's Norman, who would feel MUCH better juggling than standing there having knives thrown at him.

  

Norman isn't too comfortable being the knife thrower's assistant, so he is doing his best trying to impress the ringmaster with his juggling. He's definitely got his eye on the balls! Constructed with vintage blocks, a plastic funnel hat, some fimo clay and a hand painted paper maché trinket box, Norman is a two part little circus scene.

 Here he is, away from that dreaded knife thrower's wheel!

New (old) Toy!

I went thrifting today, and had some great luck. I got several old wooden alphabet blocks, a big bag of vintage white buttons, a glass jar filled with wooden spools, and a small beat up looking hardware shelf with plastic drawers (rusty blue metal!).

Here's the best thing, though...I saw this wooden stacking toy from the 40's the last time I was at a local antique mall. I drooled over it then, but it was too expensive. It was still there today, but on sale! It's mine now. I just love it so much. Look at that patina.

LOVE!

Christmas in July

 Christmas is still months away, but it's always fun to see a little Christmas in July, right? Here's a small Christmas angel shrine I made. It measures around 4 3/4" by 4 1/2", and is made from a masonite shrine kit I got from Alpha Stamps. I added the cardboard doors to make room for a couple more angels (images from an Alpha Stamps collage sheet), and gave the shrine some sparkle with glitter accents, gold Dresden trim, and shiny foil wrapped packages. The feet of the shrine are made from gold bead caps, and the top arch is a rusty bottle cap I found in a parking lot.

Here's a closeup of the angel in the middle. See her sparkly glitter headband and the glitter ornaments on the tree?

 And, if you're one of those people who like to see what's going on in the back:

I have such a huge list of things I'm dying to make: Christmas ornaments, more circus tins, Halloween items...I need more hours in the day!

Clown Star

Here's my latest circus tin, this one on two stripey feet and sporting big shiny stars that I found under my daughter's bed while cleaning out her room. Of course I took them. They're mine now.

I used little wooden candle cups for the legs on this one. After I painted the stripes, I aged them both with a little ink for that beautiful grungy carnival feel.

The clowns are stacked for a bit of dimension:

 

 

And, the back is decorated with a couple of circus posters. Funny story: it wasn't until I was getting ready to post this picture that I noticed I had made a mistake and the posters were upside down. Doh! Luckily, I was able to peel off the top layers of them and replace them with two new posters, right side up this time. That will teach me to leave a project partially done overnight and not check for orientation when I start it back up!

Happy holiday weekend, USA! I hope everyone has a great Fourth.