I made this for cadet120433 in the Vintage Halloween 2019 swap. It was the first time I made a contained miniature like this and it was a lot of fun!

I created the spooky tree with wire, and put in the moss, gravestones, rocks, and skull and bones. I also added a battery-operated string of "fairy lights" to illuminate the whole piece.



With the lights on so you can see the whole piece:


And a close-up:


I definitely learned some things in the process and it's a lot more challenging to do this kind of piece when you only have a small access from one side, but it was a lot of fun and I was really happy with how it came out.

I recently got these gorgeous rainbow dyed solar quartz cabochons and have been having an absolute blast wrapping them. It's so much fun because they're undrilled and flat-backed, so I have to create a base for the back and "encase" the tree around the stone, alternating wrapping down the branches to ensure a tight fit.


I wrapped this square one on the diagonal to give it more interest.



The teardrop shape was fun.



This is a big, bold oval piece.


Yeah so I'm on a kick!

I've had people asking me if I could make large versions for years, but the one time I tried, it was a mess because scaling up gets exponentially overwhelming really fast. A 1.5" pendant uses about 10 feet of wire, so you can imagine a 12" piece gets out of control really fast.

But, people have continued to inquire about it so I sat down and got thinking and I was able to invent an entirely different technique from the way I make the pendants to scale up and make giant 8", 10", and 12" versions of them! I'm thinking they would look great in a window or a backyard garden.

These were the first few I experimented with. I'll be trying some additional styles and variations moving forward.


(Rainbow cracked glass beads)



(Copper with crystal accents)


(Two tone pink/blue cracked glass beads)



(Red/gold glass beads)


(It looks awesome in a sunny window too!)

I'm working on a few more too. I'd like to develop the idea further. Thoughts & feedback appreciated!

I made this for aisy in the Mini 13 days of Halloween swap! I was inspired by one on her pinterest.


20160919_145129 by May Turner, on Flickr

Bought a plain, black tee. And some detailed "lace" ribbon. I did a combination of hand sewing and a little fabric glue to attach the lace along the collar. Then I used glittery fabric paint to draw the spider and line attaching to the web.


20160919_145123 by May Turner, on Flickr


I think it's super fun! (Click pic for larger version!)

I made these for aisy in the Mini 13 Days of Halloween swap. I've never done anything like it before but I got inspired by her love of Ouija boards and some other decorated shoes on pinterest.


20160919_145708 by May Turner, on Flickr

I bought a simple pair of black faux leather flats and printed out some various Ouija board images on my laser printer on regular printer paper and used Modge Podge High Gloss and just started laying pieces down. I was originally going to overlap and cover the whole shoe, but I wound up liking how it looked so I just repeated the same pattern on both shoes.


20160919_145641 by May Turner, on Flickr


20160919_145719 by May Turner, on Flickr


20160919_145733 by May Turner, on Flickr

I did several layers of Modge Podge, covering a shoe, letting it dry, then going back over. I used a standard foam craft brush.

I was so happy with how they came out!

(Click any pic for a larger version!)

[Very]

...because I clearly cannot possibly photograph trees without her paws-on assistance.







Yeah, thanks Ginger. Very helpful!

So earlier this summer I made a female Marty McFly cosplay to attend my first ever convention; Tampa Bay Comic Con on August 1st.

For Halloween, I modified my costume to add some Part II touches in honor of October 21, 2015 being Back to the Future Day.



It's one of those things that looks simple but involves a lot of parts. Especially since those parts are all 30 year old men's clothing, coming up with women's version was a challenge.

I sourced out a similar shirt, suspenders, vintage shoes and accessories such a cassette player, Casio watch, etc.

I modified a vintage jacket to look more like his one-off costume with a two-tone paint scheme, updated pockets and even fusing in custom printed fabric lining.

I painted it step-by-step to give it the details of his original:








For Halloween, in honor of October 21, 2015, I added in a few touches from Part II, namely his Nike Mags and Hoverboard.

The Nike Mags can be purchased as a costume replica, but...they lack any branding since they are Universal licensed, they are not Nike licensed. So I added screen-accurate decals including the "Nike MAG" lettering and swoosh. I also added screen-accurate Mattel logos to the hoverboard.



The outfit was a total hit. I had SO many kids oohing and aahing over my shoes and hoverboard and one even asked to take my pic.

[I even modified an old Jansport backpack to look more like his (VERY EXPENSIVE) Eastpak original:]

A few months ago, I decided I was going to attend my first ever con, Tampa Bay Comic Con, and that I was further going to do my first ever cosplay: a female Marty McFly from my all time favorite movie, Back to the Future!!


(and yes, that is me with Lea Thompson who played Marty's mom, Lorraine!)

On the surface, this looks like a simple costume. But there's a TON of details and converting 30 year old men's clothing items (that are rare and expensive to start with) into equivalent female versions...well, it was a bit of work!

For reference, this is what I was trying to replicate:



There are so many layers and details and components that are easy to get wrong and hard to get right. Even the basics are daunting...

a burgundy tee shirt
a white button up with a black windowpane pattern
black suspenders
custom Guess jacket with those distinctive dark blue accents
burnt orange puffer jacket
jeans
Nike Bruins red and white sneakers

...it was a lot of thrifting and repurposing and getting creative. For example, here's my windowpane shirt:




And here's a pair of vintage women's Nikes I was able to get. They're not the exact style but they're darn close!!



They still make the Casio digital watch amazingly enough. LOL



I even modified an old Jansport backpack to look more like his (VERY EXPENSIVE) Eastpak original:





The jacket was it's own adventure. I started with a vintage one like this:


I painted it step-by-step to give it the details of his original:






I also had to add pocket flaps and fuse in paisley lining for the cuffs.






Overall though it was a HUGE hit! I had a ton of people ask me where I "bought" my jacket.   I was like, bought? I MADE this!!


I get into a lot of information and reference photos and the original screen used products in my blog if you're interested in getting MUCH more detailed info:
Part I: http://giveneyestosee.com/blog/2015/08/female-marty-mcfly-cosplay-part-1/
Part II: http://giveneyestosee.com/blog/2015/08/diy-female-marty-mcfly-cosplay-costume-part-ii/

Also see pics of me in action at Comic Con with Doc Brown and other Marty McFly cosplayers here:
http://giveneyestosee.com/blog/2015/08/female-marty-mcfly-cosplay-at-tampa-bay-comic-con-2015/


Overall it was a HUGE hit and I was so excited. I love this movie so much and this is the 30th anniversary and next month (October 21st 2015) is "the future" (the day they travel to in part II) so it was just a perfect time to try my hand at a cosplay.

PhoenixFire Designs will be vending at the 2015 Etsy Craft Party Friday June 5th 6-10pm, Downtown St. Pete at the Coliseum!

TBEC: Tampa Bay Etsy Crew, St. Petersburg Greenhouse, Creative Loafing Tampa & Strands of Sunshine bring the area's most vibrant makers, artisans and vintage sellers together in this free community event. We'll have craft demonstrations and make-n-take projects for all. The first 100 at the door get a Dark Cycle swag bag full of goodies. Our team is putting together some amazing raffle prizes to benefit Pet Pal Animal Shelter. Concessions will be available.

Check out the event page for more info: https://www.facebook.com/events/381403845386740/

Or my blog for more info: http://www.treeoflifependants.com/event-etsy-craft-party-june-5th/

[PhoenixFire]

Come on out and see us Saturday, June 6, 2015 @ 6pm in Ybor at the Crowbar for Art and Music Show!



Live, local music and lots of local artists and crafters will be on hand for this awesome evening!! Right in the heart of Centro Ybor, Crowbar is located at 1812 N 17th Street.

Click here to save $2 on tickets with code "PhoenixFire"

Additional info, maps, details and more here: http://www.treeoflifependants.com/event-phoenixfire-designs-at-art-and-music-show-ybor/

Hope to see you there!!