Category: Arts & Crafts

Halloween Hall of Shame

 

 

I bet you thought I was exaggerating yesterday with my post. No. No, I wish I were. I walked for two blocks on a single street in my neighbourhood snapping photos of Halloween fails. Here they are and here’s how to fix them if you find yourself committing the same offences. Identifying markers have been obscured to protect the tasteless.

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What happened here? Seriously, did a giant can of silly string vomit on your lawn after eating Barney the Dinosaur? 1. Spiders do not build webs that are purple or green. 2. Spiders build webs primarily to catch prey. This couldn’t catch a cold from a toddler. 3. LAZY.

Spiders do build giant webs that cover trees. They look like this:

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(This lovely little nightmare is courtesy of Geekosystem.)

The fix: You’ve got to stretch the fibres of the web out until they form gauzy, transparent sheets. Otherwise, they don’t look like spiderwebs. They look like really cheap, awful garland that has been through a dog and out the other end. Continue reading “Halloween Hall of Shame”

Stop Failing at Halloween

Stop Failing at Halloween

It has come to my attention that many people in my neighbourhood do not know how to decorate for Halloween. It seems that the only thing most people really know how to do is Christmas.

Folks, stretchable spider web is NOT garland. You don’t wrap it around trees. You don’t string it between things in thick ropes. You don’t put it up in clumps unless you’re making a spider egg sac.

Do not use any colour but white unless you plan to have a blacklight on it. Seriously. It looks stupid. Spider silk is universally white regardless of the type of spider.

I know this is a cheap decoration to buy, but if you’re not planning on using it properly, don’t bother. Take the time to stretch it out like it’s supposed to be or leave it on the shelf and get yourself some streamers.

Home Made Ginger Tea

Ginger tea VS cold season: GO! 

So, I mentioned in an earlier post that was making some ginger tea in the dehydrator. I decided to share this arcane knowledge with the rest of the world because the tea it produces is absolutely divine.

What drove me to make my own tea? Well, where I live, it’s difficult to get your hands on just plain ginger tea without paying around eight to twelve dollars for 20 sachets at a health food store. There’s all sorts of blends: ginger & lemon, honey ginger, ginger, lemon & honey, ginger, lemon, mint & fennel (EW.), ginger & chamomile …

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STOP MESSING WITH MY TEA DAMNIT!

Ahem. Sorry. As I was saying, sometimes, I just want a tea that aids in digestion or calms an upset stomach. Yes, you might want to add some lemon to it if you have a cold, or some honey if you’ve got a sore throat, but most of the time I just like the clean, spicy flavour of ginger. Continue reading “Home Made Ginger Tea”

Samhain Decorations

Hurrah! I finally finished my wall display. And in all the days I’ve been working with my art scalpel with never an injury … I cut my dang finger on the extra paper  that I was stuffing into the recycling. Go figure.

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It looks much better when lit obviously but I won’t be able to snap a photo of that until after sundown. The boxes are all repurposed from things I’ve bought like a kitchen scale or laptop or what-have-you. Painted black. The pictures are cut from old calendars while the mask and pseudo jack o’ lantern (Box o’ lantern?) were my creations. Hurray for reusing things!

Continue reading “Samhain Decorations”

It’s that time of year again …

Here’s a sneak preview of my Samhain decorations.

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Doesn’t look as good with the flash on but hopefully I’ll be able to snap a photo of it lit up when I figure out this camera.

Continue reading “It’s that time of year again …”

How to do Zaraki Kenpachi’s Hair

I had intended to post this yesterday but my computer shut down and my almost-finished post got eaten. Noooo!

Very well then. Today, I would like to present a cost-effective easy(ish) way to execute Kenpachi’s crazyass hair. He’s the favourite character of many Bleach fans but the ‘do is something that often stymies anyone wanting to cosplay the guy. Through my experimentation, frustration, and multiple tries, I managed to come up with a way to do his hairstyle in a way that is relatively simple and involves only materials that are cheap and easy to find.

I’ll also share with you the process of creation and discovering what works and what doesn’t. The hairpiece I currently have works but I intend to re-make it with some improvements. I’ll tell you what these will be and why I will make the alterations in question. In addition, I will talk about Kenpachi’s eyepatch and how I made that.

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Look like something you’d like to try? Well read on then!

Continue reading “How to do Zaraki Kenpachi’s Hair”

Montreal ComicCon!

Montreal ComicCon!

Sorry I haven’t posted since Thursday. I’ve been absolutely exhausted coming home every night from the comic convention.

Here’s a photo of the two costumes I made. I’m the dark elf.

Making an Evil Wizard Staff

Finally, the project is complete and ready to be shared. An inexpensive but beautiful staff for an evil mage or wizard. My secret weapons for crafting are tissue paper, glue, and wire. Never underestimate the power of these humble items to make something cool!

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Continue reading “Making an Evil Wizard Staff”

Elf Ears

Elf Ears

“Hey Ethan, what’re you doing?”

“Oh y’know, just washing my ears.”

I bought these: http://www.trendyhalloween.com/Woochie-Werewolf-Ears-P12867.aspx#.UjCS6cYjLGU last year because the other elf-ears in the store were too short for my liking and it’s a lot easier to go from dark brown to black than pale peach to black.

I mixed a few drops of black acrylic paint into some liquid latex and re-coloured them. A bit of matte finishing spray to take off the rubbery shine (and stickiness) and tada! Drow ears.

Black Hands: Using Alcohol-Activated Paint

Woohoo! I got my alcohol-activated paint in the mail and gave it a try. While it’s more expensive than the other solution I offered with the latex gloves, I recommend this method if you can get hold of the stuff. You put it on, it dries really fast, and then it doesn’t come off for anything short of 99% isopropyl alcohol.

I initially ordered it through Reel Creations but given that I live in Montreal, the shipping was going to be almost twice what the actual colour pot was worth! So I sent them an email asking if there were any distributors closer to where I live so that I wouldn’t have to pay crazy ridiculous shipping. They were exceedingly helpful and understanding and in a few days they got back to me with a distributor in Toronto: The Face Station. If you’re in Canada looking to buy unusual makeup and theatre stuff, I highly recommend these folks. They work alongside an actual theatre and special effects school so they’re able to give you tips and such on how to use their products.

The colour pot didn’t come with any instructions but instead of pestering the Station, I just talked to my friend who recommended the stuff to me in the first place. It’s ridiculously easy to use. So let’s get down to business and show you how it’s done!

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Continue reading “Black Hands: Using Alcohol-Activated Paint”