It was an itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny orange and black painted booty...

...that we made this past week. Actually there were more than one attempt. But, this is what you get to see. :)



Just a few posts ago, I showed you my "A Little Batty" paper mache witch boot above. I called it a "mini" boot. Well, today I have TEENY TINY miniature version. And, it's a pair! Finally a pair that match! Sorta. See those two tiny things in the right of the pic above?



My mom was attempting to make some miniature witch boots to go with her curio cabinets that shes been working on. (She already has the hats and spell books down.) And, I'd also coincidentally had a request to try a tiny size version. So, mom and I worked it out and came up with these.



It was all a matter of getting the pattern pieces right. The less we have to fuss with the shape, the better chance we have of them turning out similar. :) These tiny terrors stand about 1 3/4" tall and 1 1/4" long from toe to heel. They're not completely made of paper mache as before, though. This time we had to add in some clay stuff my sister recommended to get the toe curl. We also used the clay to spackle over the tiny holes smoothing it out. The painting was a real challenge. I knew I had shaky hands before this. But I didn't realized just how bad until I started to paint with my one-haired paint brush. I also tried an ultra-finepoint sharpie for some black details. I think I prefer painting the original scale.



It was also a slight pain to lace them, as well. But I managed it without too many curse words. Had to use a fat needle to make the lace holes. And, since the laces were too thick to double over, I had to dip the ends in glue to stiffen them. Then, I could poke them through easily.



I really admire miniature artists who have the patience for the meticulous details they work with. I've heard that all artist have their own scale they work best in. I'm not sure what mine is, but I'm certain it isn't 1/12th. :)

Thanks for lookin'. And, stay tuned. There'll be more frighting footwear to come in the next few weeks!

My Amazingly Crafty Sis

My own sister, Jamie Moore at Creepy Creations, has been up to some awesome things lately. She's been a busy girl with Halloween just around the corner. But, she managed to participate in the Halloween Queens' month long giveaway! 31 prizes in 31 days!! Can you imagine! Click on the banner to go to their blog for official rules! Drawing starts tomorrow, October 1st, until the 31st where there will be a grand prize! She has donated a really cool Jack O’Lantern charm bracelet that will be given away on the 23rd!



On top of that, a couple of pieces of her work have been featured in the 2010 Fall Issue of Celebrate 365 The page spread is loaded with awesome Halloween folk art! If you don't believe me, go check it out by clicking the image below!



And best of all, she finally has her Etsy store, creepycreations, stocked with her fantastic work! I've been hounding her for months to get her stuff on there. She just started listing items at the end of August and already has 4 sales. That's awesome! Go follow her blog at Creepy Creations, so you don't miss her new work available. Can't wait to see what creepy cool items she posts next!

Tim Burton Inspired Witch Boot on Ebay!

"Every Halloween night, when the moon is just in sight,
Place pumpkin lanterns on your porch to stay.
They are not very bright, with just a candle for a light.
But they frighten all the dark things away." - Tiffany (mieljolie) 2010

The last Paper Mache witch boot is on eBay here. It should end Sunday evening.



I was trying new things, again. So, the heel is a different shape than the previous boots, tapering in at the bottom instead of flaring out. And, the ankle top is a little shorter. Looking at the stance and shape of this boot really made me think of something in the world of Tim Burton. I love his movies, so I wanted to pay homage to his work (without copying it blatantly). I thought it needed an unusual color to go with the shape, so I chose the purple, which reminds me of a dark spooky night scene. The trees are stylistic, almost cartoony, to go with the creepy mood. I was going to paint some skeletons, but I thought too much white would take away from the toe and heel. Then, when I was painting some branches on the trees, a face started to appear at the bottom in the purple background. It later became the large pumpkin above. Maybe now, some will believe that these pieces do tell you what they want to be. :) That or, I'm just bonkers.



The left and right sides are painted similarly. The left moon is asleep while the right is awake. And, they are wearing a striped nightcaps.



Experimenting with the laces, I relaced this one at least six times in different ways before deciding to add the polymer clay skulls. I was getting bored of just black laces and wanted something unusual. But, the ribbon was too wide and covered to much of the tongue where I had painted another creepy tree. What do ya think? Daughter commented that they looked like little winged skull butterflies. :) I think she's right on there.

Hope you like it! Now, to get busy on some shoes!

"A Little Batty" Boot Available on Etsy!

Just listed this little orange paper mache witch boot on Etsy.com. In the spirit of this boot, I wrote a quick little rhyme about it for the auction:

"As the full moon rises in the midnight sky,
above a lonely graveyard the ghosts fly by.
They've come to greet the boisterous bats,
and scare the fur off the lazy cats." - Tiffany (mieljolie) 2010

It's a mini-sized version standing 6 3/4" tall and 6" long, that I've named "A Little Batty". The size was based on a tracing of one of my daughter's shoes when she was 6 years-old. Yes, she has large feet for her age. She's going to be really tall. :)

The right side of this boot is of a ghost in a graveyard with an owl looking on in an old tree.



The left side has a group of bats flying in front of a full moon above another section of the graveyard with a scared cat and two other ghosts.



I added more bats to cave scene on the heel and the tongue. And, added a few "fiend"-ship pins to the waxed cotton cord laces.

Hope it captures the spirit of the holiday. Have a great Halloween!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/57232042/original-vintage-style-halloween-witch

"Bewitched" BOO't available on eBay!

Just finished the largest one of the three sizes of original boot styles I posted about here. This is the green one with the grayish heel and tongue. I hope I've improved upon it since the base coat pics. :)

I've added a few "fiendship" pins to the top right of the laces with a JOL pumpkin attached to one. The boot has two witch scenes.



The left side has a witch stirring a cauldron with a cat batting at the steam. And, an owl in the tree. I put some some handmade polymer clay skull bead dangles on the laces to match the random ghostly skull faces on the heel.



The right side is of a haunted house with a witch flying high on the sky on her broom. (Guess she's off to the 24-hour Potion-Mart get more ingredients for the brew in her cauldron.)



I tried something new with the laces of this one. I decided on the ribbon I use to weave my "tabistry" favors. It has a kinda mummy-like quality with some eyes peaking through the laces. The lettering on the tongue took me awhile, even using the paint pen instead of the paint brush. But, if you've seen my everyday handwriting, you'd know it is barely ledgible. :)

I wrote a quick little rhyme for the boot:

"A witch stirs her cauldron in the murky moonlight,
while the woods around her settle in for the night.
"EGAD!!", she shrieks as she grabs her last jar
of "Dr. Pimply's Most Amazing By Far Beauty Restoring Tar".
In a flash she's off on her broom like a dart
to get more tar from her nearest Potion-mart." - Tiffany (mieljolie) 2010

Please check this Bewitching BOO't out at my SO account on eBay here! It should end sometime Sunday evening. Thanks for looking!

Have a SPOOK-tacular Halloween!

The loveliest, sweetness thank you!!

Just this past Thursday, my mom, daughter and I received the nicest "thank you" surprise ever. If you're up to date with the last couple posts I've made here, you'll know that I did a craft swap with MissingWillow. Little did I know that my family would help me out so much with it. Well, to say thanks, my dear swap partner sent my mom the most amazingly beautiful tribal necklace, my daughter some adorable banana scented ducky soap and a cowrie shell necklace, and my sis what I'm guessing is also soap. She even sent me an awesome kuchi pendant so I wouldn't feel left out! :) I just had to share a pic of these wonderful items that aren't making an appearance in the swap gallery.



Mom was giddy and couldn't wait to wear her necklace, so she wore it out to eat on Saturday night just for fun. She said that on her way back to our table from the restroom, a couple of girls complimented her on it. We also have a local ren faire, Middlefaire, coming up this weekend that she is planning to show it off at with her tribal outfit. I'll try to get some action shots of her. I'm probably going piratey, but I'm determined to incorporate my pendant into my outfit somehow. :)

Her homemade soap looks and smells wonderful. She said it's made with milk from her own goats! I don't have the heart to use the ones I received in the swap. But, my daughter didn't seem to have the same qualms about it. She's been using her ducky soap at bath time and loves it.

Just have to say THANKS,again, to MissingWillow for the very unexpected and absolutely wonderful thank you gifts. You've been such an awesome swap partner!

New Witch Boots (and SHOES!!) WIP

Here are some sneak peaks of what I've been working on this week. I had so much fun decorating the last paper mache witch boot for my swap that I decided to take some time to make a few more experiments. This time I tried some low cut shoes, too. I haven't decorated any of these past the base coats, yet. But, I can't wait to start painting the scenes and adding the little extras. Still deciding what to paint on them.



Above are a few more of the original style boots. The orange one is a mini, while the other two use the same regular footprint. Though, being hamdmade, they tend to develop a personality all their own as they come to life.



I've been experimenting with the height and shape of the heels just a little. And, I've also added a lighter purple to my palette. I think I'm planning to creep this purple one up with some skeletons and maybe a graveyard.



This orange shoe turned out so cute it may wind up my favorite of this bunch. Not sure what I will paint on it, yet. Probably some JOL's, I think.



I've got a couple more that are in various stages of completion. The tall boot just above was an experiment in trying a more Victorian style. I want to put buttons on the sides. It sure didn't want to cooperate with me, so far. :)



The shoe will have laces in front instead of a buckle. I haven't decided what color it wants to be painted.

I was hoping to get all of the boots and shoes finished before the end of this week and available on either Ebay or Etsy to those who'd like one, which isn't looking possible at the moment. I don't normally offer my crafted items for sell. But, having so many on hand, I'm trying something new. So, hopefully sometime next week these boots might make the market. I'll post as they are finished and available. If you want one, don't delay. These spooky paper footwear will most likely be a limited time offer that will disappear along with ghosts and goblins of Halloween.

Thanks for dropping by!