DIY Halloween Dragons - Free Pattern and All

 

So this year my Halloween theme is a Fairy Garden and I've been working on getting some decorations ready and starting to get them out in the yard. This is my dragon and the first one that I've ever sewed.

I looked on-line but couldn't find one that I liked. I really love dragon wings so that's what I was looking for - some large dragon wings. So, I decided to make it myself. I took a  look at  some  of the  dragons on pinterest and then I sketched out my pattern pieces.

After I drew the pieces, I cut them out of butcher paper but you could use old grocery bags if you have some sitting around the house.

Then I laid the pieces out on the material I had waiting for the  project (which I really love) and starting cutting away.

After I had the  pieces all cut out, I laid them out to see how they looked. 

My sister thought it looked like a giant turkey :( 

Anyway, then I used some duct tape to adhere some pipe cleaners to the inside of the wings to give them some ability to be posed into different positions.

Then I started sewing away.... until I had my dragon all assembled. I also took the belly piece and ribbed it by sewing lines across the belly. I stuffed every other belly slot with cotton balls and then I stuffed the body and wings with batting. Perhaps I overstuffed the wings - but that's  the way I like them. Last of all I sewed some beads onto the head, to make some beautiful jewel-toned eyes.

And then my dragon was ready to soar off into the wild blue yonder.

(If you'd like to make one of these, just let me know and  I'll email you the pattern pieces - or maybe you can pull them off this post).

And, if you do make a dragon, please share a photo with me. I'd love to see what you do for Halloween.

Halloween is Sneaking Up On US

 

Is anyone else starting to get ready for Halloween? I can hardly wait. When can I start putting out decorations? I don't want to be one of those people who start celebrating a holiday before it's even here but....

I've been working on so many things. I can't wait to share them all so here are a few of my creations and works in progress.

Okay,  my theme this year was inspired by a drawing I made and I'm not an artist but I fell in love with the idea of  dragons:

Then I started thinking about Game of Thrones and Dragon Eggs. So I had to make a few...

It's simple to do. All you need is some styrofoam shaped like an egg and some thumb tacks. I tried to use a variety of tacks to give  the eggs  some dimension.

And I was  super happy with how they came out.

Next, I wanted some dragons. So, lucky for me, my sons both have 3D printing skills and so I didn't have to wait long to have some baby dragons to come creeping out of my eggs.

Of course,  I had to piece them together and paint them.

And the hardest part was picking the colors.

I made one blue and one green (never said I wasn't a Dr. Obvious). Which one do you like the best? I even used a little glitter to add some more magic to the mixture.

And now, I'm just getting going...

If you love Halloween, like me, keep watching for more of my decorations because I'm planning to go all out this year.

Fairy Garden - 3D Printing a Fairy and Creating a Homemade Garden

I've been working on making a Fairy Garden out in my yard. I made a couple little houses and set them outside. One was made from a broken plant pot.

 But I wanted a larger Fairy than I could find  in the store so I asked my son to 3D print me one and he did. 

This is what the Fairy looked like when it came off the printer.

I separated the parts then put them together.

I primed her with a spray paint then started to paint her. 

I kept painting...

And kept painting, until...this is how she came out

But I'm still thinking of a few more details I can add to make her more magical.

Let me know if you have a fairy garden too. I'd love to get some more ideas for mine. 

Homemade Clay Craft - Penguin Project to do with Kids

I wanted to make some little penguins  so I bought some clay and started modeling the little guys.

Here's how to do it.

First buy some clay at your local craft or hobby shop.

Make sure you get the clay you can bake and not the remoldable clay - which doesn't harden and can always be squished back into a pile of clay.

Then make a pear shaped object out of your clay.

After you've made the pear shaped object, cut out some wings and stick them on the sides.

After you have the wings, you need eyes, feet and a beak.

Stick the beak, feet and eyes on to the pear shaped figure. Rub them into the figure at the connections. Then bake the little guy - per  directions on the clay package.

When he is finished baking, add a little paint or you can use markers.

Before you bake him, you can smooth him a bit. I accidently made indentations in his  body with my fingernails.

I think this little guy is cute but I want to practice a bit so I can make a little penguin pond in my garden ;D I think kids  walking past my little "pond" will think it's fun. 

Fairy Gardens

I've always wanted a Fairy Garden...so I decided to make one 

Or two...

Here's how I did it:

First I grabbed a broken ceramic pot that my dog knocked off the porch when she ran past it. And I began painting it using a gold acrylic paint. When I was done painting, I started gluing...

I glued some moss and little garden-like embellishments all over the pot. Next I  painted the chipped-off piece yellow. Then I took an old  button and sewed a bead on the  button and glued it to the chipped piece because I thought this would make a perfect doorknob. I glued the "door" back onto the pot using a strong epoxy glue.

Then I used my handy-dandy hot glue gun to make a wreath to hang over the door.

I hung the welcome wreath over the door but I still wasn't finished. 

I also painted some windows on the sides and glued more moss onto the "house". 

I thought it turned out really cute but I'm not finished yet.

I also made a birdcage fairy house to hang on a post.

Now all I have to do is find a nice spot in the garden for these tiny homes. 

Cheap Garden Trellis You Can Make at Home

If you've ever wanted to make a beautiful but inexpensive trellis for your garden, here's how you to do it: 

Homemade Perfume from Flowers and Herbs from my Garden

Have you ever wanted to create your own perfumes or stylized scents?

 I have. And I've always loved the aromas of flowers cut fresh from my garden.  Hyacinths in the spring are hard to beat. With their sweet and spicy scents that are overpoweringly pungent - you'll have to love or hate them.

And the wild hyacinths grow like weeds around here. I just love the pretty blue bells. But lilacs are my favorite with their sweet floral notes and soft hints of vanilla. So of course, I have  them all in my garden. And, I thought why not make my own liquid floral scents?

Here's how to do it:

1.  Picking blossoms for perfume is just like picking grapes for wine or berries for jam, pick them early in the morning when the oils, flavors and juices are at their peak of perfection. Blooms just getting ready to open hold  the richest most powerful fragrance. Blossoms that have already bloomed are already losing their aroma.
2. Pick the petals from the flowers and put them in a zip-lock storage bag then lightly tamp the petals with a rubber mallet to stimulate the petals, which will make them release their oils.
3.  Put the petals in a mason  jar and cover with oil. You can use any oil (including olive) but you might prefer the sweet nutty aroma of almond oil mixing with the floral scents. Shake the jar to mix the oil around.
4.  Put the jar in a sunny spot to give the petals plenty of time to soak in the oil--24 hours is best. Then shake  the contents gently and strain the petals with cheesecloth. Toss the old petals, unless you want to let them dryout in a cool, dark location.
5. Pick  new petals and follow the  procedures above--only cover the petals with the previously used oil. Repeat  this procedure for 3-5 days or until you've achieved the fragrance you enjoy.
6. Keep your mason jar filled with  oil in a  cool, dry location. Feel free to use your freshly created fragrance as a perfume.

And, if you make  some perfume of your own, please tell me about it. I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks for reading.  Kim