A Witch's Apothecary

Laura Carson over at Artfully Musing is inviting fellow bloggers to join her in making a mystical and magickal apothecary cabinet during the month of September. So fly on over to her blog and see what exciting things she has brewing. Click here!

A Dye Job

The Cotton Candy bouquets need to be blue. I thought about using food coloring but wasn't sure if the fiberfill would 'hold' the color so I decided to use fabric dye, aka RIT. My first attempt at coloring the fiberfill was with straight RIT. Unfortunately the color washed right out. So I decided to try 'cooking' the fiberfill in a solution of 1/2 water and 1/2 RIT.

I layed the fiberfill sheets in the dye solution, brought it to a boil and simmered the concoction for about 5 minutes. This worked out well. Not only did the color stay in the fiberfill but it also stayed in the handle of my wooden spoon as well as my hands.

But the finished product is a pretty blue. 

I then reassembled the Cotton Candy using heavier paper for the center of the Candy as well as for the cone which holds the Cotton Candy. I trimmed the upper edge of the fiberfill after I took this picture to give it a more rough look. Personally, I think I need to add another layer or two of fiberfill to make the candy part a bit 'fluffier' (I think the fiberfill compacted a bit during the cooking process) but I shall let the bride make the final decision. I'll keep you posted.....

Making (fake) Cotton Candy

With a Carnival theme for the July wedding, the Bride-to-Be wants her Bridesmaids to carry Cotton Candy bouquets. While real cotton candy would have been the simplest solution, it wouldn't have been practical. There was a good chance that by the end of the ceremony (remember! it will be  July!), the cotton candy would have begun to melt. And what a mess that would be!
So I undertook the task of learning how to make fake Cotton Candy. I went to the Web to see what I could find, unfortunately it wasn't much. The instructions/videos that I found all utilized cotton balls - the end result was a tad bit more 'rustic' than I cared for. So I dug a bit deeper and discovered some basic info on a HALLOWEEN FORUM ! Bless those who love to HAUNT their homes for HALLOWEEN!

I decided to use fiberfill sheets used for quilts.

The fiberfill sheet would hold together better than regular fiberfill that a person would use in stuffing a doll. And I could cut the sheet to the width I wanted.

I decided to quarter the sheet of fiberfill. I then separated that quarter section into layers. This would give me a lighter and airier look.  

 

Real cotton candy is wrapped around itself with a paper cone at the center. I needed to use something at the core to give the many layers of fiberfill support. So I made a cone out of a sheet of paper and then taped the edge of a fiberfill layer to the cone. (Because this was just a 'prototype' I didn't use any adhesives when putting this all together.)

Next, I wrapped the fiberfill sheets around the cone making adjustments as I went so that the finished product had the same shape as real cotton candy.

Once I was satisfied with the look, I made another cone from heavier brown paper and placed the cotton candy into the second cone.
Here is the finished product.....

The Bride was pleased, but the 'cotton candy' had to be colored. Check out tomorrow's post about my dye job.

How to: Antique Silver Finish

Do you love the look of vintage metallic pieces?

Mandi at Vintage Revivals Blog has given us an easy tutorial for just that! Using aluminum foil, mod podge, and paint.

I am SO anxious to give this a try!

How to - Create an Antique Mirror

A trademark in Halloween decorating is the use of the OLD and the VINTAGE. And what gives a better sense of unrest than a vintage mirror?

Here is an easy tutorial on making your own vintage-esque mirror from  Apartment Therapy .

How to....Very Cool Candelabra

Every Haunted House needs a Creepily Cool Candelabra!

And this one is super easy to make!

Sandra of Sawdust and Paper Scraps is the creative genius behind this one! 

Visit here for complete directions!

How to.....Wicked Wreath

This eerie Halloween wreath is made from plastic gutter screen and orange surveyor's tape. Add your choice of lights to give it that special Halloween glow....

Click here for directions!

Let's Make a Garland!

Remember those construction paper garlands we made in school as kids? This project is a variation of that.


This simple garland is made from pipe cleaners. Orange and Black ones. But other colors could be used for other holidays. I used a pair of wire cutting pliers to cut the pipe cleaners in half. Next I formed a circle with one of the pipe cleaners and twisted the ends together. I then took the second color and twisted it around the first color and twisted the ends together. Place the next loop (before twisting the ends together) through the first loop to form a chain. (Be careful when twisting the ends together because the wire can POKE!)

Looks like Mr. JOL got a little carried away with his decorating! :0)