While I was wide awake last week worrying about trips to Indonesia (Luke my 21 year old), AS exams (Lloyd my 17 year old) and 1st year uni exams (Grace my 19 year old), I thought about hat boxes for my witch emporium.
This is how the project has started. Small boxes that I bought from Hobbyland and paper clay hat shapes. I intend to glue the hat shape to the box lids. My colour scheme for the shop will be a very traditional purple and orange so I have painted the boxes and hat shapes in those colours. No photos yet........grrrrr.
I also found a fab product for texturing paper, it's like paint with bits in, and I have covered some of the hat shapes with this to add texture.
I think I will also cut out some cardboard circles slightly larger than the lids to make a definite hat brim.
I intend to decorate the hat boxes with ribbon, feathers etc plus I want to design a designer label for the shop which will also go on the box.
Any ideas of where else I can go with this are very welcome. Plus I need a name for the shop. Being an 'I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here' fan I was going for Witch E.T. Grubb's Emporium. What do you think? Too sad, as my kids would say.
Have loved reading everyone's Kensington stories, we all seem to have had very different shopping lists but ended up buying very similar items from Nikki. I had fun yesterday morning playing with my new items and placing them in their new homes or planning where they will be going.
I have also been busy making toiletry and perfume bottles for the bathroom of the witch house and tomorrow I am going to have a go at proper potion bottles with scenic water and fimo the whole shebang, wish me luck! Oh and does anyone know how you get those tiny circles of fabric to stay on the top of the jars, previously mine simply sit half on half off or go flying across the room! And trying to tie the ribbon around the top of the jar......well let's just say it's been frustrating.
Janice try putting a weeny bit of glue on the top of your Jar first, then add your fabric, let it dry then pull it down the sides.
ReplyDeleteWitch hat boxes - excellent! It's on my to-do list, which is very long, and not likely to ever be completed!
ReplyDeleteWhen I put tops on my potion bottles, the bottle needs a lip which 'grabs' a bit. On mine, I run a line of glue around near the top and let it dry. Then I run a couple of turns of gluey thread around on this and let it dry. The fabric is best put on while damp, then a string can be tied tight on it, underneath the lip. Hope this makes sense.
Fabric behaves a lot better when damp, and can sometimes be shaped and left to dry, as with tablecloths (cover the table with plastic). If you want it to never change, and it's a natural fabric, you can dampen it with mix of PVA glue and water (anything from 1:4 to 1:12, depending).
That's a great idea for the hat boxes, really want to see the ready ones :)
ReplyDeleteCool Janice! is this a seperate project or is the shop part of the witches house? Look forward to seeing what you make with all those hats and boxes. Dont forget to add some of Kats fab hats in there too, I always recommend Kat to any new witches!! Potion bottles are fun to make, so cant wait to see yours, have fun!! Kate xx
ReplyDeleteAt least you have 'homed' your new mini's! I can't do that yet sadly!
ReplyDeleteYou have been busy! :o))
With the jars you could try using some of the liquid fimo on the brim to keep the fabric in place or use a tiny amount of super glue or PVA and then use your embroidery cotton or some very fine thread wound around and around (ribbon is generally too wide, even dolls house stuff) etc., around the top.
Michelle xx
Thanks ladies for all the tips. I have tried them all today but all the potions I have done have ended up looking a little too pretty for my witch's kitchen dresser.
ReplyDeleteI think I will have another go at these tomorrow.
You are right Michelle even the very thin ribbon and cord is too bulky. Off to Hobbyland tomorrow I think for embroidery thread.
I ended up making big circles and then cutting them down to size but the jars I am using are too small for this type of look. Back to the drawing board!
Hi Janice. Damp material as above is great... i do that after much learning.
ReplyDeleteI dont glue the cloth to the top. I just dampen the material and using the whole sheet hold it over the bottle and then tie the string really tight. Then i cut roughly around the bottle from the big sheet of material and then go all around the bottle. Its the easiest way i find and gives you lots to hold while your tie the bottle.
It was lovely to see you on Friday! I was a nervous wreck the first few hours and found it really hard to add, wrap, talk and everything else. By Saturday i could actually add up... oh lol.
Looking forward to your photos.
Nikki xxx
Forgot to say, i will send you sme labels for your designer box hats. Send me an email at rnikkij72@aol.com and i'll attach them back to you.
ReplyDeleteNikki xxx