Halloween Raven

 I've been working ahead for Christmas, but I just had to take a break and do a little Halloween crafting. On Pinterest, I saw a wonderful raven perched on a wooden block, and wanted to make one similar. (Actually, I'm going to make another, but I decided to do one at a time, just to see how things would go together.) Here's my first one. Of course I had to give him a party hat, but he also demanded a ruffled collar. I wanted to give him something to do, so I let him hold a key.

There were a few things I struggled with on this one: I used crepe paper for his collar. It was hand pleated and then glued to a ribbon, which is tied around his neck. Because the ribbon wouldn't lay flat and I was afraid the glue wouldn't hold well, I ended up actually pinning the collar into his neck, which made it nice and secure. Getting that beast to hold the key was a bit of a struggle as well. I made a small hole in the beak, but didn't want to make it so big that the jump ring was loose. There was a lot of trial and error (and perhaps a bit of cursing) over that.

The block was easy; I painted it, sanded it, and then used Mod Podge to adhere some scrapbook paper to each side. I was going to use just the paper on the sides, but it looked too plain, so I added the buttons, which helps break up the space a little. I wanted to give it all a bit more height, so I added wooden beads for feet.

I'm not sure how I'll do the next one. I want it to be different, so it will be a surprise as to how he turns out.  Perhaps I can get to him tomorrow.