Bottles and Boxes for Apothecary

 These are a few of my favorite bottles and boxes created for my Witches Apothecary Cabinet.  I love the "musty bones" and the "flying bats" the most.  The "Dragon Fire"  is a red mini perfume bottle from my collection of small perfumes. The only addition is the label and a chain with a dragon charm found at Hobby Lobby.  The bat fangs is an eye concealer jar that I painted the worn gold edge with black acrylic, added rhinestones, then glued a pendant to the bottom for added interest.  There are black fang looking beads inside from a collection of "things" my daughter sent me when we started following Laura's tutorial at artfullymusing.   I used green alcohol ink and green rhinestones into clay for the "old crone" beauty cream.  I "dismembered" a plastic skeleton for the musty bones square plastic container that my grand-daughter gave me.  The "arsenic" is a small bottle with green glass chips that I found in my "hoarders" collection.  I used black alcohol ink on the cork, added the label, the flying bats and a chain with a dragon fly charm.  These and more have been so much fun to create to add to the shelves of the cabinet.  Thank you, Laura, for all of the ideas, directions AND inspiration !!

Transylvanian Bat Fangs

The back of the Gravedigger's Musty Bones

Dismembered plastic skeleton for Gravedigger's
Musty Bones 

Flying Bats on an Arsenic Poison Bottle

Old Crone Beauty Cream

Red mini-perfume bottle, transformed into "Dragon's Fire

A Halloween Project

How did this ?

And this?

Become this ??

The next several posts will show how I converted this 8" x 11" game box into this beautiful and fun apothecary cabinet.  Laura Carson at Artfully Musing provides detailed tutorials where she creates her cabinet, bottles, books and other Halloween projects.  Anyone can create something for Halloween and enter her give-away.  In the past, Halloween has never inspired me to create - THEN - I saw this tutorial and now, my every waking moment (almost) is spent thinking about what I can put together next !!!

Halloween Project Completed

 This is the paper mache coffin finished !!  After the crumpled tissue paper texturing dried, I painted the entire box with acrylic black paint, then dry brushed gold over it. At that time I thought, "Oh, this is pretty"   Well, it's supposed to be "creepy" and  "spooky"  for Halloween !!  While I had the black and gold paints open,  I painted some swirly paper clips, silver metal stars and the latch. ( I never thought of painting metal with acrylics until being in Micheal DeMeng's  Navigator workshop in Portugal last year. With a bit of water added, it gives these metal pieces a bit of an aged look.)  The thin strips of cardboard forming the cross got a layer of gold paint, some black rhinestones and brass wings.  I used the packing tape transfer technique for the "bat, moon, cloud" image used on the inside of the top of the casket.  The image was a background in an Avon Halloween catalog ad. The "pillow" for the skeleton (another piece of ephemera that I've had for awhile) is leopard print "fur" fabric filled with quilt batting.  The skeleton received a crown and a hangman's noose and is holding some silk flowers I have painted black.  The creepy, crawly spiders were some I punched a couple of years ago when I was visiting my daughter. She has some of the neatest punches -- I need to visit her studio more often !!  I embellished them with black rhinestones and a bit of diamond glaze on their legs.  In the end, a little bit creepy, a little bit spooky, and a little bit pretty !!  Have yet to find a deep dark side to get any creepier !!

Halloween Project

I have had this paper mache  "coffin"  for quite some time thinking I would do something spooky with it for Halloween.  I guess this is the year to finally create something out of it !!  I love looking at everyone's creations on their blogs and I am always inspired.  I spend more time thinking about creating than actually doing something about it !!  There is always tomorrow ??? lifeartcollide.blogspot.com has a tutorial for "Secret Book of Sinister Potions" where she textured the book with crumpled tissue paper and glue, plus, cut and added thin strips of corrugated cardboard for more interest.  I borrowed her techniques and this is the start of a hopefully creepy creation.  My daughter tells me that I don't have a "dark side" !!

A Rose Matchbox

I put this small matchbox together while I was making the larger one for my sister.  It has the same script scrapbook paper on the outside and lining the inside.  As I was going through my collage assortment, I came across this tiny picture of a woman holding a bouquet of roses - perfect size for the top of the little box.  I had a small piece of the antique lace left over, so folded it up, found an old leaf earring in my box of junk jewelery, removed the wire and tied brown ribbon through the hole, found a small fabric flower, then laid them all inside the box.  Perfect fit and perfect elements to go with the picture.  Added a small brass rose to the top and all was well with the world.

A Matchbox for my Sis

I wanted to create something for my sister who has been battling cancer for over 6 years - her faith carries her through each day.  I have had this old matchbox sitting around forever and decided this would make a nice small gift for her.  I covered the outside and lined the inside with script scrapbook paper.  A piece of coffee stained vintage lace and brown ribbon are also used on the outside of the box.  The framed photo is one of my all time favorites of her and I taken in South Dakota around the fall of 1946.  Our family had made a trip from Iowa to visit grandparents and aunts and uncles.  The men all went pheasant hunting and a photo was taken of her and I holding up the spoils of the hunt.  The birds were cleaned and prepared for a feast that evening.  I remember always saying pheasant was my favorite meal for a long time after those days.  Inside the box, I have glued down some "autumn" leaves and pheasant colored feathers.  Other elements inside the box are a piece of coffee stained lace held together with a small brass safety pin to which I have attached a small heart that has "love" engraved upon it.  I have tied together a small bunch of wheat like stems and decorated a tiny straw hat with ribbon and flowers.  The little hat is the only element that is removable.  Everything else has a touch of glue to hold it in its place.   I hope she likes this gift and hope that it will bring back pleasant memories for her, too,

Birthday Card for Tammy

 I made this card for my daughter's birthday. Today is the day, so now, I can show the photos.  She is a very accomplished seamstress, taking after her maternal grandmother, so I know she will enjoy the theme.  I was inspired by an ATC seen on a blog recently. I wish I had written down the artist's blog title so I could give credit.  I have a stamp for the dressmaker's form.  I stamped it, then cut it out and embellished it.with scraps of paper and a bit of fabric and ribbon for the tie around the waist.  Made the bias tape card with  card stock and scrap booking paper.  The button card ??  Didn't have any decorative ones in my stash, so, went to EBay and found one up for bid, saved a picture, then made one to a small size and sewed on the tiny buttons.  The spool ? from a package of sewing embellishments.  It was wood -- I cut it in half and wound the thread around it. When I think about all of the buttons, seam tape, bias tape, rick rack, fabric scraps, ribbon and lace leftovers that I had from my days of sewing many years ago --- never would I have thought I would rue the day of letting it all go !!