Flying Unicorns Skeletons in the Closet = Spooky Altered Home Decor -with Instructions

Skeletons in the Closet ( Skelly in the Closet)

Flying Unicorns Going "Off the Page" with Spooky Altered Home Decor 

This was created using the "OTP" from the Flying Unicorn September Kit of the Month - Your Passion Your Art.  I thought I'd play off that age-old idiom of having "skeletons in your closet" - meaning a shocking or hidden secret from your past.  I'm turning this  idiom into an actual closet for my darling skeleton doll.    

Let me back up a bit.  What the heck is "OTP"?   Often I toss around terms not even thinking of the folks who have no idea what I am talking about. I apologize.  "OTP" means "off the page" - or in other words, not a scrapbook page, but an altered piece of home decor.  

Every month, each and every kit comes with an OTP project that you can alter and decorate anyway you choose.  The options are limitless.  The OTP items vary from month to month.  September's project was a wooden hinged box from Darice.  It measures 7.9x2.2x1.6 inches - perfect for something like a necklace/bracelet box or jewelry box.   

 I chose to make it into a small closet for my newest doll stamp by Prima and Julie Nutting...meet Skelly.  

Here's how I made the wooden box:  

Step 1.  I painted the box black.  I had some black gesso with a matte finish available so that is what I used.  And it is true...I have the world's yuckiest paint brushes because I do not take care of them.  ( Husband and I are painting a room in our house today and my husband is in for a wild-eyed awakening if he is relying on me to actually clean the paint brushes. Ahhh but back to crafting....)

Step 2.  I added some gold accents to my box using the  Prima Art Alchemy Acrylic Paint that  came in last month's kit.  It's always great to find ways to use the supplies from prior kits.    I didn't add a lot, but enough to give some interest.  

Step 3.  In order to gussy up the wooden box, I pulled out the Prima IOD moulds and the IOD paper clay.  After I removed the paper clay from the moulds, I set the paper clay moulds on top of the wooden box to dry because the wooden box had a curved dome-like shape and I needed the moulds to conform to the box.   They need to dry overnight before proceeding.  

Step 4. The photo below shows the steps needed to finish the moulds.  Paint with purple (Prima Art Alchemy Dark Velvet),  add some gold accents ( Prima Art Alchemy Ancient Coin Gold), and top with a few sprays of gold mist ( Prima Color Bloom Mist in Antique Gold).   

Why bother with step 3 - mist with an antique gold color?  Because the mist soaks into the crevices on the moulds to enhance the details of the moulds.  It also adds some beautiful golden sheen to the finished project.

Step 5.  Add ribbons, flowers and embellishments.  Note - I used a super strong glue to adhere my moulds and embellishments.  My glue of choice is Beacons 3 in 1 glue because it holds darn near anything in place quickly - wood, metal, fabric, plastic, foam, clay, ceramic.  Plus it dries clear and without a shiny gloss finish.    I even touched up my flower with some gold paint for a nice blended look. 

Here's how I made the dimensional doll:  

Step 1.  Cut two Skelly dolls - from Prima and Julie Nutting.   

Step 2.  One doll will be decorated and the second doll will be used for the backside as support.  

Ink the edges of both dolls with black ink for shading and blending.   It's very important to make sure you ink the edges of the doll that will be used as the bottom layer.  You do not want any white edges peeking out when the doll is finished.   Once the doll is glued together, it's nearly impossible to add ink to the inside edges to cover up white.  The extra steps and care taken ahead of time will make the finished product so much more appealing.  

Select the doll that will be on the backside and flip her over.  Cut some small pieces from a wood skewer and glue to the doll. Wood toothpicks will add support as well, however I always have wood skewers on my craft table so that is usually my go-to supply.  

Make sure you add wood supports to all areas that may bend - like the legs, neck, arms.  

   

Step 3.  Color the doll as desired.   Add small black pearls to the eyes and shirt as buttons.  Create a statement hairbow or couture fascinator headpiece with some black cheesecloth,tulle, ribbon and a decorative brad.  Skelly likes dramatic headpieces.  I do too!

Special tip:  I bought my creepy black cheesecloth at the dollar store in the halloween decorations section.  Don't have a dollar store near you?  Grab some ordinary white cheese cloth that can be purchased anywhere....hardware stores in the paint department, grocery stores in the baking area, and on-line.  Pop your cheesecloth in a small plastic bag and mist with black mist or use black ink to transform and dye.  

Step 4.  Add layers to Skelly's skirt, along with some additional creepy black cheesecloth, and she's all done.  Paper Used on Skelly:  My Mind's Eye -Lost & Found Paper 6x6 Sunshine collection LF2104

 Here's the completed look.  Skelly's ready to take a stroll about town and turn some heads in her new scary couture outfit.  

Here are the rest of the photos:

I decorated the rest of the closet box using a variety of Prima supplies from Frank Garcia's Memory Hardware collection.   The complete list of products can be found at the end of this post.  Note the pretty little Prima mould clock on the left side.  

Want Skelly to come live at your house?  

This darling spooky box and Skelly doll are available in my ETSY shop.  Grab her while she is available!

You can see her right here!

Did you miss out this month? 

If you missed out on the Flying Unicorn kit for Sept., you may want to think about taking advantage of the pre-order option available on the 20th of every month.   The beauty of this option is that you get to preview all the goodies in the kit and decide if it is something you will like...and of course it will be!  You can find all the details here and never miss a kit that you want.  

Kits are limited

so do not delay in getting yours!

Product List:

Flying Unicorn September Kit of the Month - Your Passion Your Art
Prima Julie Nutting Doll Stamp - Skelly 911621
Darice wooden box - measures 7.9x2.2x1.6 inches
Prima Art Alchemy Metallique Dark Velvet Acrylic Paint - 963125
Prima Art Alchemy Metallique Ancient Coin Gold Acrylic Paint -963057
Prima Color Bloom Mist in Antique Gold-573843
Prima Frank Garcia Memory Hardware - Pearls 990381
Prima Frank Garcia Memory Hardware -Montpellier Apothecary Vial Labels 991098
Prima Frank Garcia Memory Hardware -Montpellier Apothecary Vials 990619
Prima Frank Garcia Memory Hardware -La Rochelle Antique Trinkets 990725
Prima Frank Garcia Memory Hardware -Strasbourg Gold Trinkets -991142
Prima Frank Garcia Memory Hardware Chains - Antique 990633
Prima Frank Garcia Memory Hardware Vintage Trinkets -991135
Prima Mechanicals Stars-936654
Prima IOD Moulds - Vintage Art Decor Mould - Baroque 6 -814823
Prima IOD Moulds -Vintage Art Decor Mould - Baroque 4- 814809
Prima IOD Paper Clay - 814991
Black Matte Gesso
Black Cheesecloth
Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Black Soot, Crushed Olive,  Mowed Grass
Decorative Brads
Black Pearls
Flowers

Peace Card - using Prima and Frank Garcia's Tales of You & Me

Prima and Frank Garcia - Tales of You & Me

While the world is anxiously awaiting the new summer releases from Frank Garcia for Prima, I will continue to love and adore and use my Tales of You & Me collection as well as his wonderful Memory Hardware trinkets and embellishments.   

Don't get me wrong - I am anxious as well to see what Frank releases and what that  creative genius conjured up for us.  

Here is my card - gussied up with the embellishments that go along with the Tales of You & Me collection and some Memory Hardware tossed in.    

I filled Frank's - Vintage Trinkets Strasbourg with Glass Glitter in gold to help accent the warm vintage gold in his wonderful Rocquencourt Doily Lace - also from his Memory Hardware collection. 

This card is also available in my ETSY shop right here.  

You can grab this card and give to someone or pop it in a frame and use as an inspirational piece.  

Please visit the ETSY shop.  

Thanks for stopping here.  Enjoy Frank Garcia's collections! You can find the Tales of You & Me collection right here.  You can find Frank's other collections here as well and all the other fun Prima goodies at the Flying Unicorns Store. 

Products:

Prima  Frank Garcia Tales of You & Me Brads -583873 

Prima  Frank Garcia - Tales of You and Me Collection - Flower 586256

Prima Glass Glitter - Gold Rush 961657

Prima Frank Garcia - Tales of You & Me 6x6 paper pad 584399

Prima Frank Garcia - Tales of You & Me 4x6 Note cards 990992

Prima Frank Garcia - Memory Hardware -Rocquencourt Doily Lace 991043

Prima Frank Garcia - Vintage Trinkets Strasbourg 991142

Martha Stewart Doily Lace edge punch

Prima's Memory Hardware by Frank Garcia - Pirate Chest - with Escape Kitty

Prima and Frank Garcia's - Memory Hardware Showcase ( with the help of Escape Kitty)

You can see the original post on Prima's blog here

I have a whole lot of scrumptious Memory Hardware going on. I love it .  I actually have a tutorial if you scroll down– showing exactly how I used the hardware.

The Memory Hardware collection is bursting with fun, unique and rich products.  What can be more rich than a pirates treasure chest filled with chains and trinkets.  I had a lot of fun with this piece utilizing so many wonderful items from the Memory Hardware line.  

I have a helper who also loves the treasure chest.  My little Escape Kitty makes a dashing pirate.  I cannot lie. She prefers a chest filled with cat toys and catnip booty.  

Because Escape Kitty cracks me up....here is a second photo.  

 The "Before" photos. 

This was a treasure chest left over from a Halloween clearance sale.  I love finding goodies on the "cheap".  I admit I can get carried away with storing cool things for future use and I was happy to tell my husband that I actually used something from "THAT SHELF".   "That Shelf" as he calls it -the junk shelf with all my clearance finds.  It's a marvelous shelf of happiness. 

Plus it was pre-painted.  BONUS!

This is obviously the "Before and After" photo.  Pretty dramatic. But honestly the project is only as good as the richness and quality of the products.  Which is why I adore Frank's Memory Hardware collection. 

How Did I Make This? 

Typically, projects look complex and difficult when first viewed.  When the steps are broken out, it suddenly becomes a little easier.  This is not a difficult project.  I'll show you:

Step 1.  Cut paper to fit the chest and accent with Artisan Powders. I used Prima and Frank Garcia's wonderful French Riviera collection.  My Artisan Powder is Umber. 

Step 2.  Once the papers are in place, I added Memory Hardware Antique Screws to each corner.  I am going to drape some Memory Hardware chains and I want them to be secure.  This is an easy and durable solution.  When making an "off the page" project or altering home decor, I try to think durability.  

The screws did twist into the wood without the aid of any tools but I had a paper piercing tool ready to punch a small hole just in case.  

Step 3.  Time to pull out the Prima Paper Clay and IOD Moulds.  

Step 4.  I let the moulds dry overnight then I started distressing them. I have a few different steps for distressing these.  

I used all three Memory Hardware Artisan Powders even though only two are shown (Clay Brown, Black and Umber. )   I sprinkled a little powder on my craft mat and added a bit of water.  Then I painted onto the moulds getting into all the crevasses.  

Step 5.  I topped the moulds with Prima Color Bloom in Antique Gold. 

Step 6.   Before I added the finished mould to my piece I wanted to distress the box.  I felt the black pre-painted chest was too stark and unexciting.  I created a wash by spraying Prima Color Bloom Antique Gold onto a paper towel and rubbing it all over the chest.  This actually helped blend the paper and wood perfectly to create a more uniform look. A nice finishing touch.  

Step 7.   First of all- look at the warm golden sheen on my project.  I love it.  The wash is perfect.  

I used a strong glue to secure the mould - Beacons 3In1,  It holds almost everything - and is way more dependable than hot glue.  Hot glue will degrade in a very short time.  Give this chest a year on a dresser and the mould may fall off if I had used hot glue.  
Step 8.   Next is to start adorning the piece with Memory Hardware chains.  This is where my Antique Screws come into play.  I simply string the chains through the screws.   EASY

A better close up of my process. 

Step 9.   Time to gussy up the chest by adding treasures and trinkets.  In this next step I combined two of my favorite Memory Hardware products to make a customized trinket. 

 I am using Beacons 3in1 glue  here as well because it's strong, durable and dries crystal clear.  I did be sure to dry this completely before continuing with the next steps.   

Step 10.   I did have to pull out my needle nose pliers for this step.  In order to secure the chain to the trinket, I  added Memory Hardware Rings to  each side.  I secured them tightly with the pliers.    I'll show you both the front and the back.  I used this trinket horizonally as I thought it was a better fit for my piece. 

  Here is the backside of the trinket

Step 11.   A " whoops " learning moment.  I added my trinket to the chain and continued to finish my project.   I realized the trinket was a little too droopy  and heavy looking without support. 

I added another screw to the front of the chest and attached it to the trinket.  I also needed my handy pliers for this as well. A little re-engineering backtrack and all was fixed.

Now I was ready to continue stringing  the chains.  

Step 12.   I secured the chain by using a Memory Hardware Ring and dangling the coin trinkets from La Rochelle Trinkets pack.  I honestly have no idea what a doubloon looks like so these are  now my pirate doubloons.  

Here is the finished Pirate Treasure Box:  

( my stars were the cool  Finnabair Mechanicals - Vintage Brads Stars)

Thanks a bunch for stopping!

and special thanks to Escape Kitty who does put up with a lot from me. 


Here are the wonderful products I used:

991197 Prima - Memory Hardware - Artisian Powder - Parthenay (Clay)

991203    Prima - Memory Hardware - Artisian Powder - La Chapeliere ( Umber)

991210     Prima - Memory Hardware - Artisian Powder - Vausseroux ( Black)

991142  Prima - Memory Hardware - Vintage Trinkets - Strasbourg

990725   Prima - Memory Hardware - La Rochelle Antique Trinkets

991050  Prima - Memory Hardware - Cours Mirabeau Floral Lace

990732  Prima - Memory Hardware - Genouille Antique Screws
990664  Prima - Memory Hardware - Montagnac Antique Cord Chain - Antique Brass
990763  Prima - Frank Garcia - paper 12x12 French Riviera-Respirer l'air de La Mer 

990626  Prima - Memory Hardware - Villeneuve Antique Rings

814991  Prima - Iron Orchid Desgins - Paper Clay
814809   Prima - Iron Orchid Desgins - Vintage Art Decor Mould - Baroque 4
814823   Prima - Iron Orchid Desgins - Vintage Art Decor Mould - Baroque 6
573843   Prima - Color Bloom - Spray Mist - Antique Gold
961169   Prima - Finnabair Mechanicals - Vintage Trinkets - Brads - Stars

Other Products:
Hemp Twine Cording
Vintage Brown colored ink
wooden pirates chest