DIY Fairy Pumpkin House

It's my favorite time of year again...Halloween! Since fairy houses are so dang cute, I thought why not make a pumpkin fairy house?  Plus I get to play with a craft tool I am in love with right now - my Mod Podge Mod Melter!

The Mod Melter is different from a traditional glue gun. It heats up really fast and super hot. The melter has it's own special uber long melt sticks in white, clear, silver, gold, and some basic colors. The glue stays "melty" for a time so it makes it the perfect tool to create your own flexible items to accessorize any item with. The Melts won't stick to silicone so I use the Mod Podge silicone craft mat for all of my doodles.

Let's get started. You can do this too!

Supplies you will need:

• Craftable Pumpkin
• Craft knife
• Mod Melter and White Melts
• Silicone Craft Mat
• White Home Decor Chalk Paint
• FolkArt Multi-Surface Acrylic Paints
• Scissors
• Paint Brushes
• Plastic Sheet
• Tracing Paper, Pencil and Marker
• Hot Glue Gun
• Large round wooden disc and small wooden disc

You can also use a wood burner tool with blade
attachment for easily cutting through craft pumpkins.

Draw and cut out the windows and a small door window. Also cut a small hole in the back to add a light.  Trace the window and door opening on a piece of tracing paper. Transfer to a clean piece of paper. Draw simple line art of items you would like to accessorize your pumpkin with - such as: leaves with vines, a cat, bones, stones around the door, a skull for decoration, mini tombstones, etc. Create your own spooky fairy world!

Place the paper under the silicone mat and trace the
outlines with the Mod Melter.

You can use a hot glue gun but it won't dry as smooth and as flexible as a Mod Melted piece. I start at the edges and fill in by going around to the center.

See how smooth everything is? Great painting surface!

After everything cooled, I painted everything in a coat of white FolkArt Home Decor Chalk paint. This covers the glossy finish of the melts and gives the acrylic a nice primed base. (I cut the leaf edges with scissors to make them jagged.)

Chalk painted basecoat.

Dried and ready to paint with acrylics.

I painted all of the items in FolkArt Multi-Surface paint so if I want to place the pumpkin outside I can. After everything dried completely, I added window panes using a regular hot glue gun. The panes are a sanded piece of plastic with yellow marker colored over it.

Hot glue the pieces on the pumpkin. The melts are flexible so they will form to the pumpkin and look "real"! I glued the tombstones to little wood rounds. I cut up a silk marigold flower to make the mini leaves. I added one of my Christmas house lightbulbs that snaps in the back and has an on/off switch.

The fairies are home and ready for trick or treaters!

You can find the Mod Podge Mod Melter and other supplies here - Mod Melter from Plaid Online

The Mod Podge Melter is also sold at Michael's, Hobby Lobby and JoAnn craft stores.

DIY Ultra Dye Pendant Light Fixture

My husband and I were out to dinner and the light fixture over our table gave me an idea! I could recreate the look using popsicle sticks, an embroidery hoop, dowels and little "s" hooks. Plus I could use a new Plaid products that has just reached the market FolkArt® Ultra Dyes! And bonus their wood burner tool too!!

I started off with the supplies.

I wood burned inspirational sayings on each stick. Then painted each front and back with the array of dyes. I didn't wash my paintbrush between similar colors so I could create the continuous colorful ombré effect. I laid the sticks on a long piece of double stick tape.

I then drilled a small hole in the end of each stick and holes all around the embroidery hoop. I inserted small cup hooks to the ends of the dowels. I attached all of the sticks and hung the piece from a fabric wrapped single lightbulb fixture.

Cool huh?

Check out more Ultra Dye Projects

DIY Ultra Dye Pendant Light Fixture

My husband and I were out to dinner and the light fixture over our table gave me an idea! I could recreate the look using popsicle sticks, an embroidery hoop, dowels and little "s" hooks. Plus I could use a new Plaid products that has just reached the market FolkArt® Ultra Dyes! And bonus their wood burner tool too!!

I started off with the supplies.

I wood burned inspirational sayings on each stick. Then painted each front and back with the array of dyes. I didn't wash my paintbrush between similar colors so I could create the continuous colorful ombré effect. I laid the sticks on a long piece of double stick tape.

I then drilled a small hole in the end of each stick and holes all around the embroidery hoop. I inserted small cup hooks to the ends of the dowels. I attached all of the sticks and hung the piece from a fabric wrapped single lightbulb fixture.

Cool huh?

Check out more Ultra Dye Projects

Dolls In Progress

I thought it would be fun for you to see "in progress" photos of some of my dolls. I have randomly taken these at my studio worktable over the past few months. I enjoy seeing how other people work and what their workspace looks like.  I always start out with a organized table, then slowly it becomes messy the more I come up with and try.  I start with a sketch, but then I "audition" lots of items before I decide on the final look. Enjoy looking!

Need to make a trucker hat for HillBilly...

Getting Crazy Lloyd ready for dental work

Laying out a utility belt and face for Dynamite

Lulu & Lila began as a pair of vintage gloves 

Assembling just the right parts for Robot RX036Y1

I can't remember. Just how does a straitjacket work, exactly?

Blushing Bride as I assess her pinned in place dress and veil 

Tomato & Groom drying in the sun together...ahhh

My Dad's Advice on Boys

 

I made this doll to celebrate a memory I share with my parents. Maybe the doll can be a reminder to other young girls. 

When I was a young girl just beginning to notice boys, probably around the age of 11, my daddy sat me down and told me the story of "The Squeezed Tomato". My mom had heard the story from Pat Boone who was a guest on the Mike Douglas Show back in the early 70s. She shared it with my dad and either he or both of them repeated the story to me and my two sisters throughout the years.

The story went something like this...

Once there was a bright red, lovely tomato at the grocery store. She sat with all of the other tomatoes waiting to be chosen to leave the produce section.  Boys were the shoppers. They would come by and "squeeze" the different tomatoes that "let" them. Now, be aware that a tomato has the power to stay sitting on the shelf. The boys cannot pick her up unless she agrees to let him. You can talk and smile at boys as you remain on the shelf. Smiling and being friends with the boys is fine. This way you will stay a bright red, lovely tomato. 

BUT, if you allow the boys to pick you up and squeeze you, then you can become bruised and rotten. Especially if you allow a LOT of boys to squeeze you! And who wants a rotten, squishy tomato? Yuck! Not many boys, when there are other bright red, lovely tomatoes to choose from.  So always remember, "Don't be a squeezed tomato!" One day when your future husband comes into the store he will see you as the bright red, lovely tomato that you are!

I shared the story with my daughter, and hopefully she will tell her child. There were a few modifications I made to the story. Like, it's ok if you don't want to leave the store; it's cool if you just hang with your tomato girlfriends and choose to not be on "display";

making a mistake doesn't mean your rotten; you get the idea. But the story's general message of self-worth is there. Simple, easy to understand. I have never forgotten it.

Let's just say, some boys like ketchup though! :)

Four Dolls In Three Day - I Was In The FLOW

I never quite know when an idea for a doll will completely form. At least once a week I do some quick sketches of doll concepts that have been on my mind. I set the drawings aside, then glance through them every day or so. Last week I sketched on Monday; made 23 little clay skulls on Tuesday; did laundry on Wednesday; made four "bodies" on Thursday and cleaned house on Friday. That was my week. BUT if you were inside my brain all week you would know something was brewing with the Monday sketches.


Friday night I felt bad that I hadn't made one doll all week. I started working on the new superhero idea. I love the idea of superheroes. Even more, I love the innocence of children's belief in superhuman powers. I bought this cool t-shirt at a thrift store that looked like it had been printed from a comic book. The screen printed design had the words "POW" and "TNT" in great comic book colors. Well, once I decided how to cut the fabric everything else just flowed. 


Have you ever read the book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience? It is about being happy and when you are "in the flow" everything else falls away and you are in the moment with whatever task you are performing. I highly recommend reading it. The author explains that once you master a task you cannot get "back in the flow" until you push yourself to go beyond your set skills.  Interesting stuff.


I finished Dynamite Superhero at 1:30 am. He's available at my etsy shop. (See the side bar for link.)

Saturday morning came bright and sunny and so did my creative energies! To my studio to regroup and clean the "designing mess" from the night before. Every superhero need a worthy villain, right? Hence, Hector The Masked Villain was born, also available at etsy. (Dave though he looked like he had S&M tendencies but I refuse to go there!) 

As I was waiting for Hector's paint to dry I decided to make a striped jumpsuit for my next doll with no name. With that accomplished, I hand stitched a zipper around the doll's head. What if I cut the head open? Now this has a lot of possibilities...Frankenstein, zombie brains, removable brains; lots of new ideas for dolls! 

But I had just finished a fuzzy white and pink striped jumpsuit. That didn't go with the "removing brain idea". Pink is girly. Can still be creepy though. What if I don't add a brain? Airhead Annie was born! Her skull opens up to reveal nothing. It did take me most of Sunday morning to finish all of the hand stitching of the striped jumpsuit. Listing her on etsy tomorrow.

Saturday night Dave and I watched a documentary on the history of burlesque. It was so interesting on how the original burlesque women started in the business. Burlesque became popular during the depression when women needed to make money any way possible. Some made $1,000 a week! Most didn't love the work but needed the money to support their families. And a lot were married. Anyhow, that's where my next doll idea emerged from. I quickly made her. She just came together easily with items I gathered around the studio - presenting Betty Burlesque. I haven't listed her yet. Still kinda attached to her. I may keep her for awhile. Oh yeah, you just gotta see her backside, it's lovely! (I added and old garter clip at her shoulder blades to hang her on the wall.)

Summer Show - Indie Craft Experience

I will have a booth at this show this summer I.C.E.-Atlanta

One reason for doing this particular show is yes, it's indoors!

Lots of cool independent artists with unique items to sell. Check out the website to see the list of ICE vendors. I am crazy busy working on new dolls for the show. Mark your calendars and come visit me!