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| Sneak Peek~ |
Hello ladies and gentlefish,
A while back, I took a trip to Big Lots to take a gander at their Halloween themed decor.
Upon the shelves of decaying bodies, grinning skulls and haunted televisions--my eyes caught sight of the beautiful Palmistry themed decorations. One of which, really sparked a sense of inspiration and creativity in me.
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| Big Lots had so many cool Palmistry stuff! |
Illuminated by LEDS--the "glass" sign looked quite dazzling and really caught my attention pretty fast. But the pricing was way beyond my own pocket-change.
I was pretty bummed out about not being able to afford it until the inner creative demons inside me told me--"Girl, you can just MAKE it. You're an artist, right? Just get to a damn DIY"
So, there I was. In the middle of the aisle. Fondling this piece of decor. Listening to these chatting demons pin-point what I should do and how I could achieve it. The other customers in the same aisle were looking at me quite weirdly and probably addressing this matter to the front store employees..but my inner demons were right. How could I call myself an "artist" and be upset about not obtaining something I could easily replicate? For shame. For shammmme.
THE MATERIALS
It did take a while for me to gather all my materials. Obviously, it wasn't going to look 100% like the original but I did want it to be similar in appearance. If it came out looking like trash, I'd probably cry a million times over. My art was at stake and quite honestly, if I failed this DIY--It would be like the biggest slap across my face. As an artist and as a lover of crafts.
First thing first--I needed something "glass." Actual glass would have been great but I needed something I had on hand or if I could purchase at a decent cost. Otherwise, if the materials were going to be more expensive than actually going to Big Lots and purchasing the damn hand sign, it would beat the whole purpose of this DIY. Right? lol
I wanted to use actual glass, like from an old busted up window or door panel.
But finding said glass was very hard. Even at old dump sights or around town. No one just sells them without them costing way too much for such a simple little DIY. It dawned on me while I was looking at my mothers Ipad. She was talking about needing to get a new protective glass shield for her device again, because the one she had was scuffed and scratched. To make a long story short, I ended up buying her a new one, so I could use her old one. Luckily for me, she let me keep the new box her glass shield came in...which served as a makeshift "frame" for this DIY. It was perfect. A few tweaks and a few little add-ons, and I am sure I will get it looking like the real deal.
THE ASSEMBLE
As easy as 1-2-3...but not entirely quite. I made it far more harder than it should have been, especially for those who just want a simple sign. I don't. Not necessarily. If I am to keep this all year, in my oddity room, it has to have meaning and life. Otherwise, it will just be boring standing in my shelves. Taking up space. I'm quite a contradiction, because if I bought it...it would have been just that. A boring, cold art piece with no other meaning than being cool. But when I craft, when things are handmade, I want them to have that special "meaning"...otherwise, why even bother? lol
I'm a riot, lemme tell ya. lol
Everything was hand-drawn. The text, the handprint, everything. In fact, the handprint is that of my own. I traced my hand on paper, flipped it in the other direction using a lightbox to help me and traced that with paint over top of the glass shield. A lot of unnecessary steps taken but I tend to do that a lot. I'd rather be ten times sure things will be fine than just guesstimate what should be and screw it all up. Also, the fact it is of my own hand makes it a great piece for my oddity cabinet.
Let me tell you something. If you plan to go this route, using a glass protection shield.
Remember--the glass has a plastic covering. Find it and take it off!! Don't do what I did and paint on top of it. lol Luckily, it still worked for me. I was so far into the paint-job that I just kept it as a "sticker." Which kinda works, in truth. If I ever get bored of having it--I can just "peel" it off.
Outlined, detailed, then added "shades and shadows" by blotting white paint with a sponge over the entire surface. I kept it very light, just hints of white. So, the details wouldn't be clouded by paint and ruined. I think it turned out very nice. If I do say so myself.
THE SEMI-FINISHED PRODUCT
I call this the "semi-finished" product because as much as I want to call it "done," it just doesn't feel like it is yet. I actually want to have it adhered to the center of the "frame" a bit more. Maybe have the image be put on top of 4 black Styrofoam blocks, so it will "float" instead of just appearing like a picture within a picture. I definitely want to add some LED lights inside to give the same illusion as the Big Lots version had with theirs.
I want to do more with the "frame" itself, as well. I'm not entirely sure what I want done with it but I know, deep down in my creative bones, that it is way too bare for my taste. I'm thinking perhaps to shred up some printed vintage newspaper clippings about fortune telling or something like that and adhere it to the rim. Paint some sections with gold accents, to tie in with the image. Add some stuff, like tarot card pieces, old jewelry, beads (perhaps even dangled some off the end). I want it more "crowded" like a very antique "found object" assemblage piece instead of something you'd find at a store. *which is what the source of this DIY actually was from. lmfao*
I'm going to spend some quality time at a few thrift stores. Try to find some objects that will look nice with this. If I have to, i'll paper mache some stuff, too. *I definitely will be doing some Paper Mache stuff this year, so stay tuned for that!*
I don't quite know yet. I don't like to rush things unless need be.
I want it to come naturally to me and be tied together by fate. ;) haha
But so far, I am liking how it's turning out to be. It's a bit harsh, a little rough on some edges. Sure, it's not 100% like the original but it's mine and I made it. <3
Thanks for reading all this. I look forward to posting about the SURE FINAL PRODUCT when I can. When it's finished. I have so many ideas in store for this Halloween season and quite honestly, fall is the ONLY time I am this creative. The only time I actually want to do anything.
Summer nearly kills me--all I want to do is try to breathe from the heat. lmfao
I hibernated far too long. Like a vampire, I have arose from my tomb~ <3
xoxo
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