Miniature Halloween Haunted House sculpture from CreativeCritters

Well, it's that time of year again- the time when I (along with so many others) am inspired to make some spooky Halloween creations.  I'd been tossing around the idea of a miniature haunted house sculpture for some time, and recently my ideas came together and I got to sculpting.

I used heavy cardboard for the base and to cut out the shapes of the house.  For the tower I used the tube from a roll of paper towels.  Everything was securely taped and glued together and then I wrapped the whole thing in black clay to make one solid piece and to make the windows look dark when I cut them out.  After I baked that it was easier to apply the walls of the house.  I cut out windows and the door and framed them with thin strips of clay.

Then I started having fun with the glow in the dark clay!  I made glow in the dark candle flames for the upper windows and made them resemble eyes and teeth.  I started the front porch and sculpted a door as well.  The ghost was sculpted from glow in the dark clay and is letting out a black cat with glow in the dark eyes.  For as tiny as he is (no more than 1/2" long) that cat took a long time to make!  It's not easy sculpting in such a small scale!

And this is what it looks like in the dark at this point.  Pretty cool, huh?

And this fun face in the back window was a suggestion from my boyfriend.  It's reminiscent of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, albeit slightly more spooky and evil looking, especially when it's glowing in the dark!

Then I started really getting into the details, adding a roof to the front porch, more spooky effects in the windows, and of course the resident skeleton.

All of the effects in the windows were sculpted from glow in the dark clay, as was the skeleton.

At this point I put the roof on, shingled the roof, and then added the large Oak tree at the back of the house.  The tree has a wire and foil armature ansd is securely attached to the base of the sculpture.  It looks somewhat delicate, but is really fairy strong and sturdy.

I added a large glow in the dark full moon to the branches of the tree as well. Then  I added ivy climbing up the sides of the house along with red, yellow, and orange Maple and Oak leaves in the yard.

 

I also made three Jack O Lanterns with glow in the dark faces to decorate the front yard.  The whole thing looks pretty impressive during the day or at night!

 

You can click on any of the pictures to be taken to the listing and read more about this unique Halloween haunted house sculpture.  This took about three weeks to complete but I really enjoyed the process.  I wasn't just sure how it would come out until it was finished.  I must say, I'm really pleased with the results!  As with most of my work, this is another one of a kind creation. 

Thanks for joining me for yet another creative adventure!  Stayed tuned for more creativity- I've got plenty of new projects planned for the holiday season!

 ~Michelle of CreativeCritters

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The Phoenix Arises From the Ashes

The Phoenix is described as a bird with a colorful plumage and a tail of gold and scarlet (or purple, blue, and green according to some legends). It has a 500 to 1000 year life-cycle, near the end of which it builds itself a nest of twigs that then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix or phoenix egg arises, reborn anew to live again. The new phoenix is destined to live as long as its old self. In some stories, the new phoenix embalms the ashes of its old self in an egg made of myrrh and deposits it in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis (literally "sun-city" in Greek). It is said that the bird's cry is that of a beautiful song.

So what does that have to do with me?  In many ways I'm like that Phoenix.  My old life has been burned away and a brand new Me has arisen from the ashes.   In my old life I had an emotionally abusive husband who kept me isolated and depressed and stifled the person that I truly was.  I knew there was someone much brighter, stronger, and supremely joyful hidden within me, but she was never allowed to come out before.  Since I left my husband and moved across the country that person has been able to blossom.  I wake up happy every day.  I laugh often and loudly, without fear of judgement.  I share my joy with those around me and know they won't demean me for it, or try to take that joy away.  I finally feel as though I'm truly alive.  I've found my path and am following my Light, and life has never been better.  In the past my husband was always coming up with excuses not to do things reasons to avoid experiencing  life (so of course I couldn't do these things either).  Now when someone invites me to try something new I say "Sure, why not?"  And that attitude has lead me to some wonderful discoveries.  I love camping and hiking in the mountains- both brand new experiences for me.  I've even developed a taste for spicy food, which I never really tried before because my husband didn't like it.  Life is full of opportunities and possibilities, and I intend to take advantage of as many as possible!
Ever since I left my husband I had the idea to make a Phoenix necklace for myself.  I rarely make anything for myself, but I knew, deep down, that this was something I needed to do. I've become much more in touch with my instincts and intuition over the last several months, and have learned to follow those instincts. For months the ideas drifted around in my mind, but I waited to start sculpting.  I've learned that everything happens in it's own time, and that I would know when it was the right time to create this piece.  That time happened to come at 1am last week- LOL.  I was hit by an intense urge to sculpt my Phoenix, and I knew exactly how I wanted her to look.  And since I can now sculpt whenever I want to, without anyone complaining about it, I was up until 3am working on this one.  And the feeling while I was sculpting was absolutely euphoric.  The inspiration was intense.  The flames that are the bird's tail were inspired by a camping trip I took a week or so earlier.  I sat by the camp fire (which I made) and watched the full moon rise over the mountains in front of me and was filled with such emotion and an amazingly powerful feeling of gratitude.  I watched the flames of the fire twist and dance like a living thing: green and blue at the hot center, then red, orange, and yellow at the outer edges.  I've always been fascinated by fire, and I can sit for hours gazing at the flames.  You see, there's just so much more to this necklace than a physical pendant.  The emotion embedded in this piece can't be quantified.  This necklace represents my strength and ability to maintain my true self, even after years of hiding that self behind protective walls.  If my husband had seen this part of me he would have destroyed it as quickly as possible.  I am a happy, energetic, creative, loving person who is filled with the joy of life.  And now I'm surrounded by people who appreciate that person and accept me for who I really am.  It may have taken 37 years, but I've finally got it right and am doing exactly what I should be doing, where I should be doing it ;)

And here are the work in progress pictures of my Phoenix necklace.

I started with a wire armature to add strength to the wings.

Then I sculpted the body and head, using a bright blue glass bead for the eyes and adding feather around the eye and on the top of the head.

Next I sculpted feathers for the wings, textured them, and applied gold and red Pearl Ex powders for an iridescent sheen.

I added a row of smaller feathers and applied red Pearl Ex.

To finish I sculpted the flaming tail and textured the rest of the body.  The tail, body, and head are colored with blue, blue-green, red, and gold Pearl Ex powders, mimicking the colors of actual flames.

After the Phoenix pendant was baked  I sealed it with two coats of high gloss glaze and attached it to a gold necklace.

Thanksgiving is next week, and when I think of all the things I have to be thankful for this year it brings me to tears.  My life isn't perfect, and it probably never will be, but that's OK.  I can handle whatever challenges are thrown at me, and I can do it with my head held high knowing I am being the best person I can be.  I've risen from those dark, smothering ashes and am spreading my newly found wings.

~Michelle of CreativeCritters

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Custom personalized wedding cake topper

My youngest brother recently got married and I had the honor of making their wedding cake topper.  He and Sarah first met while playing the World of Warcraft.  He played a female Blood Elf and she played a male Tauren.  They wanted me to create their characters in polymer clay wearing the same outfits which BJ and Sarah would be wearing for the wedding.   Sarah wore a beautiful white wedding gown and BJ wore full Scottish dress to represent his Celtic heritage.  I even created her wedding bouquet to match the flowers in the real bouquet.  This highly detailed cake topper posed several challenges for me.  It had to be lightweight since I didn't want it to sink into the bride and groom's special cheesecake.  I also learned a lot about Scottish dress outfits while painstakingly matching the plaid pattern on the Blood Elf's kilt to the clan pattern my brother would be wearing in the wedding.  I included as many details as possible, like the sporran, the purple tie, the laced gillies, and the belt buckle. 
 

This cake topper measures about four inches tall and 5 inches wide and took about a month to complete.  It was a real hit at the wedding.  Everyone liked it so much I decided to  make a custom order listing in CreativeCritters for personalized wedding cake toppers.
I can create toppers to resemble your online avatars, characters in a game, or anything else you like. 
Your wedding is one of the most important events in your life. You want your cake topper to signify that importance, rather than have just another generic bride and groom! This is a keepsake you will have for the rest of your married days. It should be as special and unique as your wedding :-) I can create any character you like, so long as you can provide good pictures. I can also create more traditional bride and groom, or same sex cake toppers, but still customize them to make them resemble the bride and groom. There are a lot of options when it comes to wedding cake toppers, and I do my very best to create something that is completely unique, something that really captures who the bride and groom are.  If you have any questions just visit CreativeCritters and use the Contact Artisan button under my avatar.
Thanks for stopping by!

~Michelle of CreativeCritters

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I've reached the next level on Fiverr!

Due to consistently good customer service I've reached the next level on Fiverr and can now offer my customers the option to order my gigs multiple times at once. For example, you can now order several Custom Cat Sculptures at once, rather than having to place a separate order for each sculpture.  This option will be visible to customers on the gig page.  I can also offer my buyers Gig Extras for $5 or more.  You now have the option to upgrade your order and get better value for your money.  Many of my Gig Extras allow you to order a larger sculpture as well.  I also offer extra fast completion of your order for when you need it fast!  Starting at just $5.00 you can get customized pet sculptures

 

 

Adorable personalized gifts

 

 

 

Pets with logos or messages

 

 

catnip toys filled with my own organic catnip

 

 

And fun handmade jewelry

 

 

I plan on adding more gigs as the Christmas season approaches, so be sure to stop by CreativeCritter on Fiverr to see all I have to offer!  You could do all your Christmas shopping without spending a ton of money (and still get some really awesome personalized gifts).  And if you don't see exactly what you're looking for, just let me know- I may be able to create something special just for you ;-)

I hope to see you soon!

~Michelle of CreativeCritters

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The Mighty Oak

The weather is cool and rainy today and very much like Autumn.  After walking the dogs in the rain and smelling the crisp air my mind turned to changing leaves and Oak trees in particular.  So I was inspired to put together this collection of awesome Oak trees and Oak leaves.  I found lots of great Oak themed items, everything from Tree of Life pendants, to vinyl wall decor, to paintings, photos, and sculptural wall decor.

The Mighty Oak

   Curated By: CreativeCritt...

ArtFire.com

Craft Supplies

I hope you enjoyed this little taste of Autumn- I know I enjoyed putting it together! :-)

~Michelle of CreativeCritters

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Getting back to work

It's been a bit over month since I moved from Ohio to Arizona and I'm settling into my new home nicely.  I had to take a few weeks off from work as I waited for the moving company to deliver all my craft supplies and the rest of my belongings.  I'm still waiting for several boxes to be delivered, but at least I got the majority of my crafting supplies.  It took me a little time to figure out a new work schedule, but I'm now back to sculpting and listing new items on ArtFire and new gigs on Fiverr.  And of course I'm back to blogging regularly for my personal blog, my Artfire blog, and the Smooshers blog.  I've discovered that it's a lot easier to get more done now that I don't have the constant interruptions from my husband.

 In the last several weeks I've completed several custom pet sculptures, added a Personalized Scarecrow sculpture gig to Fiverr, a larger version on ArtFire, added listings on ArtFire for custom cat and custom dog sculptures, and worked on the wedding cake topper sculpture for my brother's wedding next month. 
I have a personalized baby sculpture I just finished today and plan to put up on Fiverr, and started a baby pin I hope to get listed in the next few days.  I'm feeling very productive out here and even finding it easier to write.  I've even been able to make a braided rag rug for in front of the cat's litter box and have started making a dog bed for my puppy.  She's quickly outgrown the spare cat bed ;-)

 And I've been able to do all these things without feeling rushed or stressed out.  In fact, my stress level has dropped significantly.  Even Calcifer and Ginko are less stressed here.  They're both more playful and loving and are very relaxed.  Calcifer used to be much more high strung and jumpy, but since we moved here he's become downright laid back ;-)

And being surrounded by all these animals is great too.  Miss Kitty shares my craft room with me and has to check out all my projects.  All three dogs are interested in anything I'm doing, and when I need to think about a project I can take them for a walk and get some fresh air, which helps to clarify my thinking. 
So leaving my husband and moving to Prescott was not only good for me, but for my business as well!  I have lots of ideas for new creations and a few special things just for Christmas.  Being able to brainstorm with my mom is really great too.  She's another very creative person and has already come up with several good ideas for things I can create.  So be sure to stay tuned to keep up with all the fun new things I'm doing and making! 
Thanks for stopping by! :-)

~Michelle of CreativeCritters

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