Witch's Potion Niche Shrine

 Anyone else ready for summer to be over? Two months ago? I'm eagerly anticipating the slightly "cooler" weather, the departure of mosquitoes, and...Hallowe'en!!! The heat and annoying bloodsuckers will be lingering long after October, but at least I have something to look forward to that isn't too far off. And being holed up in the house gives me time to make all the spooky things (or at least three). 

My latest Hallowe'en project was another small one, but I really love Alpha Stamps niche shrines. Like, really, really. I've made quite a few things from them already, however,  I recently realized each one could be Hallowe'en themed and together would be a nice mantle display. Even the egg. Is it a giant spider egg sack, alien egg, or a pumpkin (just add stem)? Pretty versatile things, those niche shrines.

I used the Little Niche Shrine - Potion Bottle for my recent creation:

The Potion Bottle was painted black before being covered with Eerie Night Cemetery Secrets Scrapbook Paper and Brimstone Bulletin Scrapbook Paper. I sanded the paper here and there for that aged look. There's a Tiny Dot Dresden Borders - Black trim around the niche opening. 

The center was wallpapered with Witches & Wizards 6x6 Paper Pad before a bunch of stuff was tucked inside. There's a tiny shelf to hold a few tiny things like a teensy witch hat! I chopped a bit off the Rustic Broom to make it fit and painted eyes on the cat. 

There is a skull in there, a few rolled up spells, bottles of potion ingredients, and a crystal ball. The potion smoke is green wool roving left over from my needle felting days. (It was short-lived. I only have time for one craft with pointy sticks and I'd much rather knit socks.)

The neck of the bottle was wrapped with wool and I added a Bronze Spider Charm. The back was covered with snippets from the Witches & Wizards 6x6 Paper Pad, the hanger glued on, and then it was finished! 

Stay magical, folks! And thanks to Leslie for waving her wand over my awful photos and making them pretty. :)

GO HERE to see the supply list for the Witch's Potion Niche Shrine!

Mini Peculiar Plants

 Yesterday, right in the middle of doing eleventy thousand things, I had this brilliant idea to drop everything, ignore people, sit down, and make something. You know, as one does when one's To Do is two pages long.

It started with this fabulous Wood Plant Stand with Drawer from Alpha Stamps. This thing's been untouched for a little while now, mostly because I had so many different plans for it. Would it be a display shelf for a bakery, loaded with bread? Storage shelves for mini art supplies? A kitchen shelf for cookbooks and pots and pans? It eventually turned into what it's meant to be: a plant stand. With a bit of spooky sprinkled here and there. :D

The first thing I did was give the plant stand a nice wash of diluted black acrylic paint, then a dry brushing of some metallic silver, eggshell, and dark brown paints in various spots. The same thing was done to all of the pots, baskets, and chipboard pieces. I used alcohol ink to cover the miniature planter with foliage (on the bottom shelf behind the skull plant). It's such a cute plant as is, but I ended up plucking the pink flowers it came with and replaced them with orange fall foliage. 

Once everything was dry, it was just a matter of stuffing the painted planters with lichen, small brown path pebbles, moss, and all of the plants! They were arranged on the shelves along with a few bottles and Halloweenie beads. 

I really love the opening drawer on this piece. Room for more stuff! 

The bamboo house plant on the side was altered only a smidge: the basket was painted, path pebbles added, and polymer clay eyeball plants were stuck in. You can make the eyeball plants in about 5 minutes.

Grab some polymer clay, Eyeball Polymer Clay Halloween Slices, and a length of green florist wire.

Roll a small ball of polymer clay then smash an eyeball in the center. Push wire into the bottom.

Roll two tiny snakes of clay for the eyelids and put in place. Bake for a nanosecond. (Use your best judgment. Mine were baked 2 minutes.) Stick cooled eyeball plants into the basket and done!

I feel better now the wood plant stand is completed, and I'm eager for more Halloween crafting! It's been added to the To Do list (but not necessarily at the end). 

HERE is where you go to see all the fab things used for this project. Go make stuff!