Projects We are Currently Working On
Hello crafty halloweeners,
With the current world state we are fairing better than most countries however the constant in & out of lockdown we experience is making it difficult to get anything done.
J & I are planning to get back into things asap, we will plod on with what we can when we can & updates will be posted here & on the facebook page.
The list below will be of what we have to complete & what we would like to start but we won't have a specific year to finish them by :-D
Planned Projects
- Giant Bats
- Simpler Creepy Trees
- Wooden Block Garden Pieces
- More insulation foam gravestones
- Skeleton horse herd (my nemesis)
- More Wytch Bottles
- Burning Embers (for 3 witch's cauldron)
- Papermache pumpkins
- Signs - Wooden & Foam
- Papermache Pumpkin Topiary
- Lanterns (for graveyard)
- Papermache Eyeballs
- Creepy Trees
- Papermache Pumpkin Monster Man (sentinel)
- Creepy Angel Dolls
- Man Eating Plants
- Grave Lanterns
- More Tombstones
Burning Embers
Cardboard Tube Tree/s
Creepy Angel Dolls
Creepy Trees (Simpler Design)
You will need
We made the first one at 2 metres tall which is too tall for us shorties. I recommend 160cm tall though that is a good height however you can make them as tall or short as you want and some can be made into stumps if you like.
Glue the pipe together if you don't have one length and fix it to the base using screws and metal brackets. Then use the drill with a drilling bit in it to drill holes through the top for the branches. Drill all the way through from one side to the other.
Unwind the wire and straighten it as much as possible, carefully thread the wires through the hollow middle of the foam piping. Loop over the end of the wire, clamp it down and gently pull it back into the foam pipe. Leave enough wire at the end to go all the way through the top of the tree from one side to the other. Do as many or as few branches as wanted.
Tread the wire end through the pipe at the top from one side to the other and bend the excess down. Once all the branches are in use the electrical tap to stick the ends down and stop them moving.
For small branches repeat the wire/foam pipe leaving a small piece at the end. Push them into the branches use tape to secure them. Use the electrical tape to cover the ends. Then bend branches to desired positions.
Use material from top of tree down under the base and back up to the top and tie the corners diagonally across from each other to secure it. If wanted cut small indentations in the top to help secure the material.
Use enough material to create a stretched look and so it is tight. Cut the creepy cloth to desired lengths and drape over branches.
- Pieces of board cut to squares we used 30cm (approximately) squared pieces of laminex
- 90 degree angle brackets & screws
- Polypipe (joiners & glue if you need them)
- Fencing wire (I used 18gage I think)
- Air conditioner insulation pipe (black foam piping)
- Material with stretch (enough to cover round the base & up to the top of the pipe)
- Creepy Cloth or cloth you can tatter to look creepy (organza & sheer curtain material will work too)
- Electrical tape (black or dark blue)
- Wire cutters, sharp knife, scissors, screwdriver, drill
We made the first one at 2 metres tall which is too tall for us shorties. I recommend 160cm tall though that is a good height however you can make them as tall or short as you want and some can be made into stumps if you like.
Glue the pipe together if you don't have one length and fix it to the base using screws and metal brackets. Then use the drill with a drilling bit in it to drill holes through the top for the branches. Drill all the way through from one side to the other.
Unwind the wire and straighten it as much as possible, carefully thread the wires through the hollow middle of the foam piping. Loop over the end of the wire, clamp it down and gently pull it back into the foam pipe. Leave enough wire at the end to go all the way through the top of the tree from one side to the other. Do as many or as few branches as wanted.
Tread the wire end through the pipe at the top from one side to the other and bend the excess down. Once all the branches are in use the electrical tap to stick the ends down and stop them moving.
For small branches repeat the wire/foam pipe leaving a small piece at the end. Push them into the branches use tape to secure them. Use the electrical tape to cover the ends. Then bend branches to desired positions.
Use material from top of tree down under the base and back up to the top and tie the corners diagonally across from each other to secure it. If wanted cut small indentations in the top to help secure the material.
Use enough material to create a stretched look and so it is tight. Cut the creepy cloth to desired lengths and drape over branches.
Giant Bat
Ice Smoke Machine
More Insulfoam Gravestones
The designs for these are the only differences, how to make them & what you need is all in the Gravestones tab.
We will be revisiting this project in 2019.
We will be revisiting this project in 2019.
Lanterns for Graveyard
Papermache Eyebals
Papermache Pumpkins
Papermache Sentinel
Repairs to Previous Years Decorations
We have had to repair some of our previous years Decorations, some have broken over the years & some of them needed a rethink with the materials we made them from.
For example:
The monster plants -
Helga Holy Hedgewitch -
Monster Tree Arms -
For example:
The monster plants -
- Tendrils have been re-made with the same bases but instead of paper clay
- We used pool noodles, masking tape & heat shrunk plastic over them before painting them to color match the plants
- The paper clay kept breaking on us & we needed something with more flexibility
- The method we used to prep them before painting is the same many use for corpsing skeletons & skulls.
- Re-attach her hands to her arms & touch up gaps
Helga Holy Hedgewitch -
- Has had her eyes recessed more & eyelids made over them
- Bubble wrap & clear packing tape to make her a body so the dress fills out with form instead of hanging there looking like it's just cloth over sticks.
- Her cauldron has been modified with creepy crawlies embedded
Monster Tree Arms -
- Re-attaching hands
- Gluing down lifting masking tape
- Touching up paint
- We are selling the older ones we made previously to make way for cardboard tubing ones however we did have to repair the arms first