Decorating for Halloween

Love D.I.

And so, for about $4 total for shakers and paint, we now have these awesome Salt and Peppa shakers. Push it real good!

It's Zombie Barbie!

Alright, so this was not a Jeffrey original, I stole the idea from here.

However, that does not alter the rockin'ness of it one whit!
After a $1 awkwardish trip to DI, I was in business! The skull, (which you can't really see too well in the pics) is made of Sculpey, and the rest of the zombie ensemble was a result of various paints and my handy-dandy leatherman tool.
My only fear is that she will somehow animate and lumber after my brain while I'm asleep...

Success!

So, I've been engaging in a plethera of different projects, and as of yet, have been unable to finish a one of them. However, I finally found success in this t-shirt! I've had a thing for shirts lately (hopefully I'll be able to post pics of a homemade t-shirt and a button-up shirt I've been working on soon...) This shirt started out as a Fruit of the Loom white undershirt that I dyed blue, stenciled a bleach stain onto, and cross-stitched a Black Mage onto. The overall effect I was shooting for was that of BM casting a spell which it kind of hits and kind of doesn't. Also the cross-stitching turned out to be kind of spacey for whatever reason, which I'm not too happy with. However, I'm very happy with the overall product and I'm satisfied that I'm finally able to put a project to rest!

Two more sprites and a chair...

So these are my most recent creations: Fighter from Final Fantasy and Mad Dog, from Contra. (That one's for you Cams!) I would have 50 more made, but these freaking beads are expensive and I can't seem to get enough black! But it's been a super-fun hobby and I'm looking forward to more to come...



My other project that I've finished is a chair. $5 from DI. I sanded it down, stained it black, and threw on the new fabric ($3). Not too shabby! I forgot to take a "before" picture, suffice it to say, it looks 20 X cooler now! I'm thinking about trying to sell it...

Pixel-art

So I have a new hobby. Years ago in high school I got really into 8 bit sprite art. OK, that really doesn't sound like art, but we all know how I love video games, especially the retro NES kind. Thus far I've only made one piece and I'm working on a second. Both come from the NES Final Fantasy I. The completed one is the Black Mage and the unfinished one is the Fighter. The process consists of placing beads on the boards and then fusing them together with an iron. I'm planning on making more and maybe even trying to sell them.

Tree light.

My latest project.

And so, in a whirlwind of stripey-green majesty...

With a little bit of this:


And here is the finished product!





DI Chair- $25
Fabric- $21
Wood Stain- $8
Trim- $7.50

Having the sense of satisfaction that comes from chillaxin' in your handiwork in front of the TV- Priceless.

Happy Birthday Project

So, for my Bday, my sister (at my request) purchased a chair from DI for me. The idea was that I was going to reupholster it, somehow, and now almost two months later the project is finally coming to an end. I only have to add the finishing touches and it'll be done. I must say, it's a huge improvement from the $25 yellow, worn, nasty thing it once was...


And with a finished picture coming soon!

A Crafty Guy

Ok, yeah Darian, sorry for stealing your screen name, but it was the first thing that came to my mind!

Well, in the midst of trips, illnesses, dances, 18 credits, and a myriad other aspects of life, I've been devoting my time to a couple of projects that I'm finally almost done with. And here they are!




Starting with this little guy...




I'm thinking his name is Pinhead, given that he is a pincushion. I borrowed the idea from a crafting blog to make an anime marshmallow pincushion. True, he turned out to be slightly base-ball-ish, but he serves his purpose.







Next is my sock Cthulhu kə-THOO-loo (the idea of which, I also borrowed) It's basically a modified sock monkey who has been modeled to look like H. P. Lovecraft's fictional demon of the same name. I couldn't find any green socks to make him with, so I ended up dyeing some white ones. I also used a sewing maching for the first time in 5 years, so I'm pretty pleased.





And last but not least, is my vintage suitcase!


$5 from DI. I washed all the scuff marks from the outside, tore out the lining, and relined the inside with modpodge and a wood-patterned ConTact paper.


So I'm feeling pretty crafty lately.

The Ottoman Empire

I spent the Valentine's Day weekend in Missoula Montana with my favorite Brother and Sister-in-law, and while there, I spotted this foot-stool thingy at a thrift store.

BEFORE

It cost $15 which struck me as a bit much, but Melinda managed to knock off 10% of the price and I drove home the proud owner the the darling beige beauty. With the help of my re-upholstery savvy sister in law, I purchased some CHEAP pleather and we were well on our way, ripping seams and unscrewing screws like pros. After some fancy sewing machine work performed by Melinda and various other tasks performed by Lindsay and myself, we finished and here is the finished product!

AFTER

Gorgeous, I know! So after $13.50 for the original, $6 for the fabric, $1 for some string, and $3 for furniture nails, totaling $23.50. DANG I'm good!


PS-I wish the AFTER shot was a bit more dazzling, but alas, I don't have a very nice camera! So if anyone is interested in buying this little beauty, I'm willing to sell for upwards of $250... :)