Progress… Slow and Steady

I love starting on props in February, it allows for you to work on several projects at a time, going from project to project when you need a break or a fresh perspective, or your kid breaks your gargoyle and you want to throw it in the trash.  Don’t throw it away, just put it in the corner, promise to come back to it next week, when you can do it without cursing, and start on a pumpkin.

Having said that, I bet you can assume that the Gargoyles are currently in the “pissed off” category.  Another project in that (ever increasing) category is the cauldron.  I’m about to make the largest trash bin that our house has ever see out of that thing.

Never let it be said that I’m not an idiot who takes all the stuffing out of a mache project before its ready…. or strong… and that the bottom wont cave in, so that when you lay it on its side to keep from having the bottom fall OUT, it then warps into an OVAL shaped cauldron.  Ugh.  Jayson had it right when he wanted to go buy the garden bucket… NO!  I will NOT give up!  I will put it in the “pissed off” corner, and move on.  It’s April, I have TIME!  (right?!?!  oh dear.)

The candles, on the other hand, are coming along splendidly, I just forgot to take a picture of them.  I am just finishing up the wax drips, then a coat of paint, and then Jayson gets them to do some kind of LED magic on them.  I get to make a kabillion flames out of silicone, and stick a fork in them.  Sweet.  Something according to plan.

Pumpkins.  Did I mention we are doing Zombie Pumpkins as a theme this year?  I liked it because I had not heard of it being done before (and if YOU have, please, PLEASE don’t tell me, or I will wanna change, and then I WILL end up at divorce.com, haha) and the pumpkins could easily be reused in other themes in years to come.

So, I need a lot of pumpkins.  Not 100 of them like a fellow forum member is doing, but… still… a lot.  Its April, and I’m up to 4.  I think I should be concerned, but, nah.  Not yet.  (Have time?  Right?)

Since these are still in the “working” pile, I haven’t started on the angel in the background yet, or any of the new graves.  But I’m sure that I will get tired of pumpkins and want something new for a week or two.  That's the joy of April.

And speaking of the “joy of April”, I just want to say how appreciative I am to live in Texas, as these were blooming throughout my yard this morning, and I just want to share two of the shots with you, in case your roses aren’t in bloom yet.

Off to a make & take tomorrow, so we will talk to you soon!

Paper Mache Assembly Line

I am quickly finding out that I am not going to be one of those amazing people that can post daily, or even every other day.  I get too busy working on props, and the other time is spent in the forums, so I get overwhelmed with the blog.  I promise to work out a time management system… (and that, I will!)

Ok, I can’t speak for Jaybo, he has his own section of the garage, and I have mine… but here are some of the things I have been working on… I have just been strip mache-ing anything and everything… getting it all built up and dry enough to get to the FUN part! 

 

 

  

 

These candles were inspired by the PVC Flicker candles found on all the forums….  I always have Jaybo cut the PVC for me, and one day I didn’t want to wait (patience has never been a trait of mine) so I decided to paper mache them… that would also allow me to have varying widths, as well as heights.  I used some Plastic Rain Gutter Guard that I had lying around - (thought it would be handy with monster building, but was apparently wrong) and rolled it into various true to life candle sizes… then wrapped in foil, mached, and am now adding clay to give it less of a straight edge feel, and more like well used wax.  I am still going to do the hot glue drips, but after looking at some of my old real candles, none of them had a perfect straight column shape anymore, and got a little warped as they burned down…  I know it sounds like a lot of work for a detail that probably no one will notice, but somehow I do a lot of that.  Plus, it gives my hands something to do while watching The Amazing Race or Survivor.  (Don’t judge, I like reality shows, and will proudly admit it.  Here.  Only.)

 

The cauldron.  I know, it looks funny so far.  Well, other than the fact that in that picuture it is sitting in a green lawn chair.  But this is one of those projects that will likely take months because I get so sick of it, and come back to it.  I actually have finished the mache on it (contrary to the pic above) and have removed the 450 thousand tons of wadded up newspaper… but am having trouble with the bottom now… it was not as stable as the rest of it, and I didn’t know that until *after* I removed the stuffing and made more pumpkins with all that newspaper.  It is now sitting upside down, trying to figure out how to mache the bottom up to strength without it buckling in.  I will get it right, oh yes, I will.  Then I will work on shaping the top, and adding all the awesome detail that is in my head, but will likely look nothing like it on the actual cauldron.

*Note.  I have had to stop Jaybo from running down to the garden center and buying a huge bucket like 10 times, just to put me out of my misery.  I keep telling him that I want to do this from scratch, and he doesn’t believe the “I WANT to” part.  But if this works out, I am really going to love it much more than a hot pink bucket with mache on it.  :D

  

Playing with my new homemade clay, and having a ball… another thing to do while watching TV, making various tombstone embellishments.

And last but not least…. while speaking of this homemade clay that I am in love with – here are one of the pumpkins, (Judy) and my two gargoyles (Brian and Jenny) that are past the mache process, and I am trying the clay on them.  The Pumpkin doesnt really need it – can definitely use pulp mache clay next time, but I was just testing it out. 

 

 

But it is on the gargoyles that I am loving this stuff…. it is smooth, and working with it is a dream.  Easily made with household ingredients, I am super digging it.

(Pardon the gargoyles…. I swear, they will look like gargoyles in the end.  Ok, I don’t swear…. I *hope*.  hehe)

 

So, that’s the status of the garage as of March 24th.  Will update as more items turn up!