Halloween Book Art Assemblages 2016

I decided that to "eek" out my full enjoyment from an art project, I can handle doing about three.  Any more than that, and it seems like a job.  Which, is necessary sometimes.  But thankfully not for this project.

 

Like last year, I did include quite a few screws.

I really don't like my book assemblages to fall apart,

and this really keeps them solid.

(Clamp books together before attempting).

Again, a few screws.  (Another tip:

drill pilot hole first before adding the screw.)

  Check out my past book assemblages by clicking here and here.

Two Vintage Window Wall Hangings

I have been doing some MAJOR spring cleaning.  Garden shed, house, yard, back porch and antiques shed.  I have uncovered some items that were totally lost in space and time (i.e. I had forgotten them.)  These two windows fell under that category.

One of my many reasons for purging now is knowing that after "buying season" begins I won't have much time for projects.  I love this size and shape of this type of window, because I know that they make perfect wall decorations.  But they don't just get that way magically, it takes time.

Major cleaning.  I know that it least one of this pair actually came out of a barn.  I was lucky enough to have a couple of the vinyl cling decorations on hand, but one was very light and needed some backing to make it pop.

So I thought of my paintable wallpaper that I had leftover from my bathroom renovation.  I did not paint it for this project, because I wanted it to be white. 

I actually got it wet so that the paste would activate, and pasted it to a cardboard piece cut to fit the back side of the window.

I left the old hinges on the top to add some character, and actually threaded the wire through parts of one for hanging.  I love the pale aqua chippy paint on this one.

Halloween Ribbon "Awards"

A few weeks ago I picked up a slough of 1950s era horse show ribbons.


I sold a few, added a few to a chalkboard, and got inspired to transform the rest.

I started out by spraying them all a flat black.  (Before you get all "How could you?" just know that many were discolored or damaged).

I used some narrow paper strips that I had purchased to make Halloween paper chains with my niece.  (May need to purchase more of those...)  I also purchased some foil rosettes and paper BOO coasters from Michael's.  Otherwise I just used some stuff I already had. 

I don't know how well they will sell, but I had a lot of fun making them.

Halloween Assemblage Art Books PART 2

I do not claim to be a great artist.  But I sometimes get consumed by a creative force.  I lose track of time.  I can't get enough.  Everything else (like time itself) not only comes to a standstill, it doesn't exist.  So this is part 2 (click  here  to see Part I) but know this still is not all of them, just all that I paused long enough to take photos of.

If you were able to decipher the note:

the Apron Club was kind of a chain letter but with aprons.

 

This book I gave more of a masculine vibe.

 

I used all the different bits from a hinged paper

skeleton - just on different books.

Can you find all of the different parts after looking at my PART I post?

An actual page from an old book.

I was inspired by the "face"

I saw in the rusty metal piece.

You don't have to yell at me.

After I took this photo, I replaced the

doorknob plate with a less attractive one.

This photo had 1888 written in two places on the bottom.

So, I decided to have it's theme be numbers.

My favorite Halloween decoration this year has been

plastic roaches from Dollar Tree.

I added a little glitter to these three.

Best Ever Altered Dollar Tree Pumpkins, Second Edition

My first installation of Best Ever Altered Dollar Tree Pumpkins, can be viewed  HERE .  I only did two originally because that is how many pumpkins I had leftover from last year.  Since then I went out and bought three more.  This will conclude this particular artistic rant because I've used up all of my interesting rusty hardware.

Here is the whole herd altogether.

The first two lasted about an hour in my booth before selling,

so I'm trying to get a little enjoyment out of these guys before letting them go.

All of them have a little different personality.

 

But all of them seem to be in a good mood.

If you try one of these yourself, I have a tip for you --

I implanted a heavy bolt or piece of hardware on the back of each

to keep them from getting front heavy.

So easy, so fun.

Halloween Assemblage Art Books With Rusty Hardware PART I

I did a few altered Halloween books last year.  I wasn't terribly happy with the results, but with such a cheap blank canvas -- it was worth it to try, try again.

I spraypainted the covers a flat black (if you use a book with a dark cover this makes the process go even faster). 

I still am really into rusty old hardware, and it came to me how easily books could be drilled...screwed...bolted. 

So ... all of my bookish assemblages this year will feature old hardware.  The more hardware, the better.

And then everything that I could get my hands on starting appearing on the book covers.

 Including quite a bit of vintage stuff that I just had hanging around for awhile.

If you are interested in trying this, I do have one suggestion.  Use a couple clamps on the book while working, so that the book stays tightly closed and doesn't pull apart while drilling.  There will be more books coming in a future pot.

Best Ever Altered Dollar Tree Pumpkins

Best ever altered Dollar Tree Pumpkins...I know that title is a lot to live up to.  I'm going through yet another rusty hardware phase, and I came across several of my Dollar Tree Pumpkins from last year.  Click   here   to see last year's look.  They were cute...

But this year I killed it.  I used the only two pumpkins I had leftover from last year.  They already had been sprayed flat black and had the "stem" removed, so it was relatively easy.  Digging around in my rusty stuff hardware stash.  Some of the "junk" I was able to just screw in, and some I had to use a hot glue gun. Both were fast, and provided instant gratification.

Yes, I am definitely going to pick up a few more Dollar Tree pumpkins.  I've got the fever.

Upcycled Art Cross For Easter

I had created an altered wooden cross last year, see post here.  I had found another wooden cross at a flea market last fall, but didn't get around to the "altering" part until recently.

Nicely timed for Easter.

I had gotten a few containers of hardware at an on-line auction recently, and almost all of the "bits and pieces" came from that stash. 

I love how the hinges give it a gothic feel.

Selling the cross and other vintage Easter décor at The Rusty Chandelier.

2013's Framed Jewelry Christmas Trees

This year I made the two 3D jewelry trees -- Figural Fun Tree and Buttons & Pearls Tree .  Previous years I have made framed vintage jewelry trees to sell.  I think that next year I will actually go back to the framed Christmas trees because they seem to have more personality.  Live and learn, it was still fun to make the cone shaped trees this year.

"Hearts Afire" on an antique milk glass "forget-me-not" plate.  It is composed primarily of heart jewelry (at least 12 hearts) and red rhinestone jewelry.  Lots of romantic bling.

"Jewel Yule" Christmas Tree composed primarily of jewel tone rhinestone jewelry.

"Crystal Night" Christmas Tree made from silver and clear rhinestone jewelry pieces on a taffeta background.

Repurposed Christmas Scene Clocks

I was looking for white or neutral items to pair with my ivory bottlebrush trees.  Then I found these two clock "bodies" on my back porch.  One I had taken the non-working clock works out of, the large one I actually bought without the clock works.  Then they gathered dust on my back porch for several months, until rediscovered for this project. 

I have a box of little "kitschy" Christmas items, so it was not problem finding something to accompany the little bottlebrush tree inside. 

Old sheet music was glued to the back.

Some mica "snow" to cover up the hotglue on the bottom.

And there they are...

repurposed Christmas scene clocks.

Halloween "Web Pages" Altered Books

I did several different altered books for Halloween:

 

This first type was the fastest and easiest --

plus I think it turned out the best.

Glue design (I used Elmer's), let dry.  Spraypaint.

Highlight with chalk.

A few of the other books I made.

 

After a frustrating afternoon with altered books,

I spent some therapy time with these guys

and really loved how they turned out.

Past Altered Halloween Projects

I'm basically done working on this year's Halloween items to sell.   Here are some items I made in past years:

I made several black rose bouquets.

Some of the roses came from Dollar Tree.

Some were silk or plastic roses that I spraypainted my favorite flat black.

A little white spiderwebbing over the top.

I like the little skeletons hanging off the vases.

These were the first altered bottles I made.

These were the first altered crow projects.

Thank goodness for Dollar Tree.