Makin' skeletons for the Christmas party

 So I've just been busy the past week or so whipping up a new project for the local comic shop's Christmas get-together. They always hold a massive auction of all sorts of oddities, this time including my cool skull art! I'm anxious to see how much my work will bid up to. The proceeds from some of the pieces will go towards buying my mom "The Walking Dead" comic series for Christmas. She loves the TV show and said she wanted to eventually read the real story. So hopefully, I'll make some money off of the whole thing. Here's what I'm entering:

This is what I like to call my disco skull. It's been floating around since last year's Christmas, when I made it for a charity art show ran by so called "local punk artists."  Unfortunately, they didn't appreciate my donation enough to even schedule a pick up, so consequently it was never sold. However, this year it's going off to a good home  and I'll (hopefully) never have to see it again!

It's actually a pretty interesting piece because it's purely pieced together with fabric and thread but it isn't soft or "quilty" at all; the whole thing was mounted to a tiny scrap of wooden board.

For the eyes, nose and mouth I got to use one of my favorite techniques, which is reverse applique. I discovered this method when a fellow artist introduced me to the Mola art form, done by Kuna women in Panama City.

I could never quite pull off the same intricate details that they do in a real mola, but I like to think that this piece was inspired by the style. The top fabric is cut away to reveal my shiny sequin fabric remnant (which just so happened to be the exact perfect size for this piece, go figure!)


The other item I'm putting into the auction is this cool little bag I've styled. Yes, I did use a blank tote bag instead of making my own, but I feel like I added at least some value to to it because I bedazzled the crap out of it. Well, technically, they aren't bedazzles, they're studs. Much cooler looking. 

I also had some extra big pyramid studs left over from an old belt, which are always a nice touch to an otherwise boring accessory.

The hands were done with gesso, which ensures that the print will not fade or degrade much over time. I also really like how gesso is such a strong white color. It doesn't take many layers at all to get a nice bright coat, especially against dark colors.

To bring the whole bag together (literally!) I added a closure made of ribbon, beads and elastic. I also added a little tag with my contact information and a message to the new owner:

The tag doesn't lie. This bag is going towards a genuine walking dead charity.. also don't be shy, if you're the owner of this bag leave me a comment and tell me what you think!

Of course I added a few "oldies but goodies" into the mix. Also up for sale are my fishy, mustaches and skulls keychains. I'm hoping that they'll bring in a few last minute impulse buys at the checkout aisle. Speaking of which, if you're interested in purchasing an awesome keychain for yourself, be sure to check out my craft shop! ;)





The auction is tomorrow, and I'll post my results then. I hope I make something off all my hard work! For the record, I'm starting my auctions for the disco skull and bag at $5 a piece. Wish me luck. It's gonna be a gruesome Christmas.

Portable Disguise Mustache Keychains

A funny mustache keychain that will be the perfect portable disguise.

Skull Guy Keychain

This weird little skull guy would add some edginess to any purse or book bag.

  At a glance:

• Handmade keychain
• Available in red, light blue, dark blue, yellow, brown, and orange.
• Skull shape
• Hand stenciled bones with acrylics on back and front
• Teeth painted on separately
• Circular key ring with suede or leather like twine
• Filled with store grade sand
• Heat pressed
• Each skull is slightly different

The Skull Guy Keychain....

The skull itself is made of felt.  The felt is hand stenciled with a bone design in either black acrylic paint or white gesso. The teeth are then all painted on one by one. The painted felt is later heat pressed for permanence and aesthetics.

The key ring is attached by brown or black suede like twine.

This keychain has been filled with store grand sand as opposed to poly fiber stuffing. It remains light weight and sturdy while giving the piece a unique feel

 Because they’re all different, each skull keychain’s measurements vary slightly. The skulls themselves span approximately 2 inches long and are around 1 ½ inches wide. The length of the key ring and twine are 2-3 inches on average.

This Skull Guy felt keychain is perfect for:

• Interesting gift for birthdays and holidays
• Adding personal style to a boring set of keys
• Showing someone your appreciation
• Sprucing up your purse or school bag

$7.00

Fishy Bone Keychain

This unusual fish keychain will gladly keep watch over your keys for you.

   At a glance: 

• Handmade keychain
• Fish shape
• Available in red, green, yellow, red, grey, orange, blue and purple. (Contact me to query about additional colors)
• Hand stenciled “fish bones” with acrylics
• 2 neon googly eyes
• Circular key ring with suede like twine
• Filled with store grade sand
• Heat pressed
• Each fish is slightly different

The Fishy Bone Keychain...

The fish itself is made of felt.  The felt is hand stenciled with a “fish bone” design in black acrylic paint. The stencil is later heat pressed for permanence and aesthetics.

The key ring is attached by black suede like twine, which is then sewn securely inside the felt.This piece is machine sewn around the edges with invisible thread. It has two neon colored googly eyes, one on either side of the fish. 

This keychain has been filled with store grand sand as opposed to poly fiber stuffing. It remains light weight and sturdy while giving the piece a unique feel. However, I would gladly make a fish with cotton stuffing upon request.

 Because they’re all different, each fish keychain’s measurements vary slightly. The fish themselves span approximately 4 inches long and are around 1 inch wide. The length of the key ring and twine are 2-3 inches on average.

This fish felt keychain is perfect for:

• Interesting gift for birthdays and holidays
• Adding personal style to a boring set of keys
• Showing someone your appreciation
• Sprucing up your purse or school bag

$7.00

 


Other posts where this item is mentioned...Here! and here!

Heart and Button Keychain

Wearing your heart on your sleeve is so last year. Now you can attach it to your keys, lanyard, bag and more!

At a glance:

• Handmade Keychain
• Heart shape
• Red felt
• Lanyard clip with loopy silver string
• Filled with store grade sand
• Button color varies (contact me for specific color requests)
• Each heart is slightly different

 The Heart and Button Keychain...
This darling little thing is made of red felt.  It’s cut out by hand, making it a completely unique piece. No patterns were used in the making of this item.

The lanyard clip is attached by a shiny silver string that has a loop like texture, which is then sewn securely inside the felt.

This piece is machine sewn “haphazardly” around the edges with invisible thread to give another interesting texture. A single colorful button is sewn on with embroidery floss.

This keychain has been filled with store grand sand as opposed to poly fiber stuffing. It remains light weight and sturdy while giving the piece a unique feel. 

However, I would gladly make a heart with cotton stuffing upon request.

Because they’re all different, each heart keychain’s measurements vary slightly. The hearts themselves span approximately 1 to 1 ½ inches. The length of the lanyard and string are on average 1 to 2 inches.

This red heart felt keychain is perfect for:

• Interesting gift for birthdays and holidays
• Adding personal style to a boring set of keys
• Showing someone your appreciation
• Sprucing up your purse or school bag

 $5.00

Mustache Keychains and a Stenciling Tip

I've been working on a whole series of different keychains, not just my cute fishie ones. Mainly I've been using them as an excuse to experiment with some new techniques! For example, I have been using simple stencils to embellish these pieces. Like my new mustaches:

The three remaining amigos!

I used to have more colors of them, like a pretty blue and another version of the yellow, but alas I sold them already! These guys have become very popular items, and with good reason.. they're just so quirky and whimsical you can't help but like them. The mustaches themselves are made from a stencil I cut out of transparency paper. On a side note, Stencilers, Graffiti artists, craft artists like me..This is a VERY helpful hint I picked up somewhere along the way: Use transparency paper (like your teacher used to use with a overhead projector) and an x-acto to cut out your stencils. It's very durable, can be used over and over, and is quickly washable.

 So the 'stachies get cut out and re-sewn onto another colored piece of felt, one for each side of the keychain. I like having the different color options.. those little black mustaches look great with pretty much any piece of felt I pair it with. The variety is pretty much endless, everyone who get's a 'stache will have a completely unique piece. The most unique part about these keychains, though, is how the 'staches are sewn on. Each one is machine freestitched onto the felt. The result is this great little textured design on the moustache. Because the mustaches were stenciled in heavy acrylic paints, it's a lot stiffer than regular felt and the threads just seem to "bite into it" more than usual.

Like my other keychains, I've filled these up with store grade sand. In my opinion the sand is so cooler than just stuffing the keychains with regular cotton. The texture becomes completely different and the sand costs half the price of the poly fiber stuffing. I always feel like I'm getting ripped off when I buy that crap. Anyhow, sand is superior.
OK I will leave you with a question though. This idea happened to run across my mind while creating thse keychains: What if, instead of stuffing the moustaches and sealing them up, I leave one end open enough for a person to put their finger in? It'd be like a great (funny) portable disguise.. you can wear it on your finger, get it? Just a passing idea..tell me what you think crafties! 

Fishy Jamboree

These are my fishy keychains. I just find them so vibrant and full of personality. The inspiration came to me when I was searching for stencils on the web and found this very interesting fish bone design. It was easily adapted for practical use, and I was quickly stenciling a bunch of felt ready for my first "school of fish." The print turned out beautiful. I used just regular black acrylics and the paint is as solid and crisp as any expensive screen printing ink. Plus when they got heat pressed by the iron, the paint turned all shiny and smooth. It kind of bugs me that companies sell this overpriced "fabric paint" and "screen printing ink" when you can get the job done with half the price and hassle with a regular cheap batch of acrylic paint. But I digress. I ended up doing some experimentation and stuffed the entire batch of fish with sand. I think it works out GREAT. The sand is kind of squishy and coarse but still soft and flexible enough to use for a keychain. Although I will admit it was a pain in the ass to sew those poor fishies shut once they were full of sand. Erm, I hope sand won't ruin my sewing machine...
Anyways It would be totally worth it.

Oh, by the way, do you dig the new lightbox? Check out the pictures I was able to capture. GAH the lighting is Sooo much better. Note the first image was done outside and the harsh light from the sun kind of washes out all the details. But the second image was taken in my lightbox and it picks up every tiny hair on the felt.

Get a fishy keychain for yourself...

$7.00