Ready for 2015!

With 2014 wrapping up, I am already looking forward to 2015.

I've put a poll up on the sidebar.  People interested in playing along can vote on what they'd like to see for 2015.  Voting closes the first of January and I'll announce what we will do immediately after....or as soon as my head clears from the night's festivities!

I will be hosting my regular zombie doll swap along with the annual 5 for 5 ornament swap, a Hootie Drop and a couple other fun things!

This particular poll is for a MONTHLY swap or craft along.  If you have an idea for a swap, email me or put it in the comments.  (Thank you Karen...for the idea of a Bring the Bling swap!)
In the past, my apron swaps were popular.....anyone want to do another one?

During each month, I'll be hosting a giveaway open to participants who posted their creations that month.

I have had a suggestion to bring back Year of Enchantment!   It was successful for 3 years....maybe it is time for a return?

Here is a little more info on what you are voting on:

*You can look YOE here
*The craft along will be something I announce each month.  I'd suggest a theme and idea.  
*Craft book along would be where we all pick a book we own and choose something to make.  I would start with a theme/medium idea.
*The Putz Along would be where I announce which type of Putz house we are to make and then see what everyone does. 
*The craft/sew along would be where we take a theme I announce and we all make something to within that theme, using whatever we want.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!

Shhhhh......sneak peek

Pop by my blog on December 24th and leave a comment....I'll put your name in a drawing for this cutie!

LOVE

LOVE LOVE LOVE all the ornaments! Each one is so beautiful. Thank you to everyone who sent one. I will send each one love as I hang them on my tree today!!!
So happy I could play again this year.
xoxoxoxxo
Little Messy Missy

Here dey come......

The ornaments are trickling in and they are AMAZING!!!!!  I cannot wait to see what everyone made!!!!

Zombies.... Zombies .... Everywhere .....

How exciting it would be, to see how you talented group of zombie queens have displayed your zombie horde for Halloween.
So, I thought I'd get the ball rolling ....
I LOVE Val's Zombie Patch so much, that I had to create my own this year .......

So share away girls .........

Zom-bee Challenge

I planned to participate in this year's zombie challenge but have been procrastinating a bit. I've had a zombie picture in my head for a couple of years that I have yet to create. I knew it would be perfect for this challenge. I've been envisioning a bumblebee that has been zombified; you know a zom-bee.  I wanted to use paperclay but have been nervous about giving it a go, hence why I dragged my feet on this challenge.
This is my first go with paperclay and I'm glad I finally gave it a try. It took a few hours to create him so now I'm trying to wait patiently while he dries. Once he's dry I can paint him black, yellow and bloody! I'm  anxious to finish him and add him to my horde of zombie dolls.

Zombie surprise!

So the other day, I came home to find a little box on my doorstep.

Inside what did I find?

 A wonderful box of cookies and a zombie head pincushion!

Now, the cookies did the Monster Mash during shipping...but I don't know ANY zombie that has all his limbs!  I ate them first...before Kaela stole the "bodies."

And Ernie is happily sitting out with my other zombies....just waiting for some poor unsuspecting soul to get within lips reach!

Thank you so much Kerry, this little package made my day!!!!

Ornament swap is OPEN!

pop by my regular blog for the lowdown!

Doing The Monster Mash ......

Remember these ....

Well, I had time to play yesterday ....

Doing The Monster Mash Zombie Style !!!

What I sent

Hope my partner doesn't mind me showing what I made. She loves the movie corpse bride... So my zombie was inspired by that movie.

Instead of carrying a bouquet, this zombie is carrying her head. There is a giant blood stain where her head should be and black flowers. That was my 11 yr old's idea ;)

I also sent along other goodies including Halloween julep polish, pumpkin carving lit, a small rat, and a few decorations. I love julep nail polish <3 and I wish the October offerings would have come in time for the swap! Glow in the dark top coat... Anyway... I'm hoping my personal "make something" will be a zombie themed manicure as soon as my polish arrives :) 

Bloody Mary!

I did a Nursery themed zombie doll for the challenge:

and her poem....

Apparently, the true meaning behind this particular nursery rhyme included beheading and torture....so I didn't have to stretch too far!

Zombies!!!

I want to thank Jill for my Zombie package!!  I love it. They are so stinking cute! Thank you Chris!!


Spring

Thank You Spring ...

I had a visit from our friendly post lady yesterday ...

 Thank you Spring for my package ....

Some fun Halloween goodies ..... my daughter has already snaffled one of the cups and the polka dot coffin :-)

And Mr Jack Skellington ....

October 1st is just around the corner ...... time to release the zombies !!!

Thank you!

I adore the Addams Family.  ALL of them....even Thing and Cousin It!

So....what did I get for this swap?

TUESDAY ADDAMS!

along with a glittery pumpkin, a spider ornament and a couple kitchen towels

I adore her, I mean, seriously y'all....Isn't She awesome?!

Thank you Shelley!

More Zombie Ideas .....

I found these two tutorials today, during my browse around Pinterest ........ Just in case you have time to squeeze in a little more zombie magic before Halloween ..... I'm tempted !!!

ZOMBIE MASON JARS .... These look so easy and are super cute.

ZOMBIE BARBIES .... These made me giggle. Wish I'd seen this before selling all of my daughters barbies at the garage sale last weekend. I could have had some fun !!!

Hoping y'all have a fun day :-)

Frankenweenie's Sparky ....

My partner has received her package, and she liked it :-) So I thought I'd share with y'all ... Meet Sparky !!!!

I'll let you into a little secret ....... I had no clue who he was until I did some investigating after receiving our partners preference info !!! I had never done an animal zombie before, so he was a challenge, but such a fun challenge :-) I made him out of paperclay, and used styrofoam and aluminum foil to get his shape.

Thank you Val for putting together another super awesome swap ...... Again my creativity was stretched, and I learned so much from the process. You are definately The Queen Of Zombie Doll Swaps, and I think I speak for all of us, when I say that we appreciate you and all of the effort you put into making these swaps FANTASTIC :-)

For myself zombie

This is the zombie I wanted to make for Val's challenge:

  

  I enlarged the bunny pattern from the book Zombie Felties. The platform is a empty ribbon spool, but instead of wrapping it with ribbon I went with fake fur because - why not.

I might have gone a little overboard with the zombiefication process.

  Then had some fun with the running produce. It's like a really, really, really bad (but fun) B horror movie.

TTFN,
Chris =]

Let Me Introduce You .... Jack Skelling Zombie !!!!

Val issued us a challenge ...... Make A Zombie For Yourself !!!
Any excuse to make another zombie to add too my collection. I am so excited for October 1st to roll around, so that I can get them out, and create my Zombie Patch !!!

Here is my response to her challenge .....
May I introduce you too Jack Skelling Zombie !!!!

I adore him .... however, this time yesterday, I did not feel that way, in fact, he was headed to the dustbin !!! The sculpey had cracked a little, he looked odd, and I just wasn't feeling it. I decided to walk away from him for a few hours and then revisit him ...... I'm so glad I did :-)

His zombification was quite traumatic ..... just look at his battle wounds !!!! It was worth it for him though ..... Yum ... Yum .... Brains !!!!
I'm going to do a post on my blog in the next few days, to explain in more detail how I put him together, in case anyone wants to know more.

Cant wait to see which of you Zombie Queens also takes Val up on her challenge ..... I just love how creative and talented our group is.

My Zombie Package!!!

I have to say a huge thank you to Sarah; she sent an amazing zombie package. I feel very spoiled!  She sent lots of zombie goodies and an amazing doll. I've posted more pictures on my blog.

Just look at this Sally doll. Her patchwork dress has a ton of detail and she's even holding a jar of deadly night shade. Sarah, you did an amazing job creating her.  Did you want to cry when you had to wrap her up and send her off?  I would have. 

I promise that she has gone to a good, zombie filled home and is already making friends.

Thank you Sarah!

Look at the Amazing Zombie I Received from Jill!!

Isn't he the greatest! So amazingly cool. Jill I LOVE him. He is perfect just as he is. Thank you for such a gruesome guy. I'll be standing him next to my Jack Skellington. Not only was my zombie perfect... check out the rest of the package:

This is the first thing I saw, feathers and eyeballs - 

This is definitely going on the door of the studio. Today!

and then

I love how everything was wrapped in "bloody" butcher paper

The whole package

My fun box of goodies filled with a feather and eyeball wreath, a little zombie house box which was full of ribbon and a deck of Zombie playing cards (I love these), some Zombie Crossing tape, and a "Zombie Croissant" that I get to grow, seriously, I get to grow my own zombie!! To top it all off Jill added extra bugs so I could make my zombie even creepier if I wanted to.

I love these swaps, everyone is so creative and fun. Thanks Val for hosting the swaps for us and Jill - thank you for such an awesome zombie :0) I just adore him and everything else!!!!

Zombie Cookies ....

I think I may just have come upon cookie bakers utopia .........

I could barely contain my excitement today when I found this at World Market .....
I don't really care about all the extras (cookie mix, icing etc) that comes in the kit, but oh boy, I wanted those zombie cookie cutters SOOOOO badly !!!

Look at them ..... how awesome are they !!!!
I will be mixing up a batch of cookie dough this weekend, and making some zombie cookies. The timing couldn't be better, as I have a new sugar cookie icing I've been wanting to try ....

Teaser for my partner

I know you can't tell but the dolly has lost an eye...

Poor baby

Thank You Debbie

  I Love my Coraline!! Everything about her is wonderful, the raincoat and boots, her sweet face and blue hair.  My husband was laughing because I was like a little girl (carefully) playing with my new doll.

 She is enjoying a day or two center stage before her new friends come out to play. The grey Hello Kitty socks are going to be turned into a Halloween stuffie, they are too cute to wear.

Thank You again!!!!

TTFN,

Chris =]

P.S. The best part I got her for my birthday.

My Zombie Totoro

Val is amazing ... Her package arrived just before I left for work (my mailman came uber early!)

It's a Totoro <3

Other goodies too that I will post about later... Students are coming now :)

A challenge and a giveaway!

Your doll is shipped, right?   
You have all this good zombie creating energy coursing through your veins!  Right?
NOW what do you do?  Well, I've been thinking about that and came up with an idea.  

Each year I fall in love with what I give away and then want my own!  So with that in mind,  I'm hosting a challenge!

Starting NOW, create yourself something inspired by the swap.   Maybe you want a zombie doll you saw someone else get....so try to make one for yourself!  Or maybe you want a zombie apron. Or maybe you want to creat a zombie doll identical to the one you just shipped off.  Afterall, we love them.  I can't tell you how many times people say, "It was so hard to send this one off."

Make it (whatever it is!) and post it here by October 11th.  Everyone who posts something they made for the challenge will have their name put in a giveaway. (expect moi!)

I'll put all the names in a witches hat and draw out a winner!  Then I'll stuff a box full of goodies and ship it off the next week!

Go vote!

I am gearing up for my annual  ornament swap.....
                   go check it out on my yarnigras sidebar and VOTE!

T Shirt Tote ....

Sometimes those kitchy Halloween T Shirts are just too good to pass up !!!

The Beginning of a Zombie

My partner also was pretty specific/unique in her zombie needs so this is all I can show you right now :0) I can tell you that I am having lots of fun with this swap.

Sorry I am so late in posting this sneak peek! I was accepted into the largest juried craft fair in our area and I have been super busy creating fun things to sell there. I am so glad I joined in on the fun here - Zombies are the best things to sculpt!!

It's DEAAAAD!

The zombification is complete......so here is just a teeny peek!

Sneak Peek . . . Eek!

Here's a sneak peek of a zombie package tuck in.

A book for the "zombie club"

 I saw this and thought of all of you.

 

TTFN,

Chris =]