DIY: An Eyeball Necklace for Halloween!

I just finished making my third Halloween craft of the season! I shared my new Halloween dress in this blog, complete with a video tutorial, here. Then I made another dress...which you can see a sneak peek of in this photo. I can't wait to share it with you but until then...let's make an eyeball necklace! Here's what you'll need:

* Large wooden beads

* White and black acrylic paint

* Skewers

* High gloss Mod-Podge

* An assortment of beads

* Elastic string

* Paint markers

* Flat paintbrush

And here's a little how-to:

My only real tips: 

* Work on these in batches. This will allow dry time between the white paint, the iris, the pupils, the highlights and the red veins. Thankfully, the paint markers dry quickly!

* Lay out your design on a plate. This will keep the beads from rolling all over the place.

* Don't worry about 'mess-ups'. In the end, no one will notice a wonky circle or a misplaced bloody vein. Trust me! 

* Have fun! Do this as a craft while watching your favorite horror flick or listening to a spooky podcast to get you in the mood!

Making these necklaces on elastic means I can easily put them together! And slide 'em over my big ole head.

I already debuted my necklace with my new dress at Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios! It was fun to dress all creepy for the occasion. 

You'll have to know if you decide to give these a try! And stay tuned...I have so many Halloweenie crafts coming your way. 

Until then...I have my eye on you!

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DIY: Eyeball Ornaments

They say the eyes have it, y'all. Well, I'm excited to say that not only do they have it but they have bows too. Yay! Balls and bows, my favorite! Wait, uhhhhh. Scratch that. Eyeball ornaments with bows are my favorite. That sounds MUCH better.

I created these Eyeball Ornaments for my Halloween tree (yes, it's a thing) that will be revealed right here on October 9th so mark your calendar in Candy Corn, witches, cuz it's a Candy Corn Tree! I was tasked by Treetopia to not only decorate said tree but come up with a theme. I've been sharing sneak peeks here but you'll have to wait until October 9th for the full reveal. Until then, I'll be sharing the DIY's I created for the tree.  Today, that means there here ornaments. Here's my wee how-to video:

Here's a wee list of the supplies I used:

* Foil. I hit up the Dollar Tree for this one. Did you know they sell a box of 30 sheets of foil for...you guested it...a dollar?! That place is my sanctuary. Don't judge.

* Rigid Wrap. Which is plaster wrap. You can find plaster wrap at craft stores but I really like Activa's Rigid Wrap. The stuff just seems a little thicker and more sturdy. You can find it here.

* Acrylic Paint. I'm a fan of the cheapo craft store stuff. Cuz I'm cheap and crafty. At least that's what the boys say.  

Before these cuties hit my tree, I displayed them for all to see. If you are curious where I scored my Halloween decor, I'll gladly spill the beans: Nancy Drew book collection was from a gullible neighbor kid I knew when growing up; EEK signs scored at 70% off at after-Halloween sales last fall; paintings by yours truly; beakers from the craft store and the rest was thrifted. 

 Oh! I forgot to mention, after the eyeballs were created, I thought they needed a little touch of cute and fun so I added the bows. I used ribbon found at the craft store. After shaping them in to bows, I simply hot glued them to the top.

 By the way, what is it with me and eyeballs? I mean, I have an eyeball dress and eyeball jewelry. Weird, much?

 About that Haunted Mansion painting...I've never blogged about it because I never finished the thing. And I don't know if I will. The spider webs are strategically placed to hide my unfinished'ish'ness. 

 I REALLLLLLY cannot wait to share my Halloween tree with y'all. Any guesses on the theme I went with? The big reveal will be next Monday, October 9th!

  On a different note, is it weird that I'm itching to paint the covers of the Nancy Drew books and hang them in my house? I want a whole wall. I am living for the paintings on the cover. I might have to do some painting over fall break...which is next week...not that I'm counting the MINUTES. 

 Oh! And not only have I been decorating my home but my art room as well. I'm excited to share what's new in that hot mess express, choo-choo!

 Until then, Jeepers, Creepers! Where'd you get them Peepers?! 

 

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