BetterAfter.net feature and Halloween

 I'm so excited to be featured on BetterAfter.net today! I made this coffin to display a bunch of apothecary bottles that I made this year. I used cardboard and foamcore, masking tape and hot glue. It's actually quite sturdy. I decoupaged some pages out of some thrift store books that I got to make spell books with inside of the shelves and of course painted the whole thing.

 I also made this Halloween grandfather clock the same way.

I am not posting enough on this blog, but again I am really going to put in more time here. I love all my friends out in blogger land! I do post more on my Instagram account: KelleySmithArt @kelleysmithart so please follow me there. I have been doing a couple of giveaways' for the Halloween season and will do more for the other Holidays and in-between on Instagram.

Happy Spooky Month!!!

The Mystry Thrif Off Reveal

    Thank you BetterAfter for inviting me to repurpose this crazy ceramic head for "The Mystery Thrift Off"! But oh the frustration when my plan of attack had to change when after I made a "crown" out of 2 part epoxy on the top of the head to hold a platter that I had drilled holes all around to hang jewels from and in 2 minutes, I knocked the head of the counter accidentally which cracked and broke it and then I picked up the platter at a weak spot and broke a piece off  just by picking it up. (sorry for the longest running sentence ever)
   For a minute, I had wished it had shattered :(   So I made a vase out of the head instead. Plan B worked out ok.  :)
 

The Mystery Thrift Off sponsored by BetterAfter.net

I'm so excited to have been chosen to participate in betterafter.net 's Mystery Thrift Off!
  I went out to my front porch on Saturday and found this box. Inside was this crazy hand made ceramic head!  I am supposed to alter/reinvent/repurpose this object from the Goodwill into something new. Oh man!!! But after a day and a half thinking about it (I'm still open to suggestions too) I'm looking forward to the challenge.
  I will be posting the progress here and on my Instagram account @kelleysmithart with the hashtag #themysterythiftoff . Check out Lindsey's blog Better After to see mine and other participant's progress with their items. Fun!

this year's Halloween crafts.... Ewwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!! ( I kind of thought to myself- "What's a nice girl like me making creepy stuff like this?!! ) Oh well.

more images to come..... Happy Halloween!

My Paper Mache Pumpkin Head Project

 This summer, while I did some paper mache projects with the glamchildren, I started a pumpkin head mask for myself. I started by applying torn newspaper an old school flour, water and white glue mixture all over a plastic beach ball. ( I like adding liquid starch into the mixture when I can find it)

 Then I taped some cardboard onto the ball for a neck and taped crunched up newspaper all around the ball to form a pumpkin shape, then paper mached on top of that.

 I takes at least a day in between each layer of paper mache to harden and that's in our AZ heat! I then drew a face on the pumpkin head and taped cardboard to add the 3-D features.

 More layers of paper mache........

 and more layers of paper mache and adjustments to add form and scariness...

I'll add a final post as I start to paint this guy. FUN

The Jackson Glamchildren came to stay....

 A couple of weeks ago, my Gourmet Girls went to Utah for 2 weeks to do research for their catering company and it was my pleasure to babysit the Jackson boys for a week. One of the "life skills" that I think is soooo important is paper mache. Need I say more. The kitchen was a mess the whole week (and the next week when I babysat the Giffin kids) but is was fun and well worth the effort as you can see! These boys waited eagerly between drying layers and layers of paper mache over inflatable beach balls.

When the paper mache was drying, the boys played video games, I introduced them to the old "Twilight Zone" TV shows on Netflix and we played laser tag. Laser Tag was intense!!!!! I sure do love these glamsons of mine!

Melted Crayon Painting

I have always wanted to make one of these melted crayon paintings that you see all over pinterest and I thought it came out so good! I sprayed triple thick epoxy lacquer on top and that made the colors pop. This canvas is 24" by 8" by 2" deep and I painted the sides black.

I put it on top of the mantle above the fireplace in the kitchen next to a painting by one of my favorite artists Lee Kaster (her artwork in also at the AZ Art Alliance Gallery...fabulous stuff!) and some of my store front letters that I collect. (you really can't see the "K", but the letters represent "Dennis & Kelley Smith" Anyway, it was fun and easy. I think it will make a fun craft thing to do with the Glamchildren.

"Create" Collage Jewelry line

So I've been working on my line of jewelry called "Collage Jewelry". I use all kinds of non-traditional materials along with vintage pieces of broken jewelry that I incorporate into these fun and creative ways to scream "I LOVE ART"! This necklace is available in my Etsy shop "Kelley Smith Originals and Fabulousities". To see more scrapbook pages of other jewelry pieces, go to my art blog: "Kelley Smith Art". (brag-brag-brag and shameless self promotion....someone has to do it, so it is up to me) Hope you are having a fabulous day!

"Artist" Scrabble Tile Necklace/Bracelet

I am just LOVING these very limited editions of my Scrabble Tile Necklaces (that also can be worn as a Bracelets)! I finally found some more old Scrabble tile game pieces and was able to make a few really artsy jewelry with them. I had to sacrifice a whole lot of other word options to be able to make the art termed jewelry... but it was worth it! I have an "Artist" and "Create" necklace/bracelet available at the AZ Art Alliance Gallery in Scottsdale, and one in my Etsy shop. Anyway, I always feel like I am bragging when I post stuff that I am selling on my Glamma Fabulous blog, but I am just so excited about these new pieces that I have been working on. Fun!

1920's "Puttin' on the Ritz" Headpiece Inspiration

I am helping put together a Prom for the kids out here in Surprise, AZ. Our theme is "Puttin" on the Ritz"! So to help them get some ideas for headpieces, I made these examples and thought that my friends in the blog world might like to see them and maybe use the ideas for inspiration for future projects. Anyway, it has been great fun putting these items together.

FABULOUS!

Sousical the Musical costumes

My daughter Hilari is a home room school mom, so as Glammas do, I helped make some costumes for their school play coming up next week. My mind went a million ways to go about making these hats as the kids are just wearing school t-shirts and they are going for a certain style. I ended up designing these fleece hats. The crazy bird has a craft foam beak glued to a pink $1 store hat.

I thought that elongating the Giraffe back of the hat would give a sense of tallness.

The Elephant is also glued onto a blue $1 store hat. I also put boning in the front of the Kangaroo's "pouch" to make it stick out a bit. We had to make multiples of several of these costume hats, so it has been crazy with fleece scraps around here!

Thanks for letting me brag!

Halloween Decor 2011

Costume Award Trophies

Our Annual Smith Spooktacular is tomorrow evening, and here are the trophies for the Costume contest. The $1 store is my best friend lately with the Smith household budget cuts, but that doesn't mean we still can't have spectacular trophies!!!

The "VIP" award will go to the person who is the Best Party Participator. I know that I will have a tough decision to make tomorrow evening if it is anything like all the past years of Halloween madness...

Keep in touch!