Blog Placed On Hold Indefinitely

Hi everyone,

For the long time visitors to my blog, you have already noticed that I haven't been making any new tutorials. For the the first time visitors, enjoy my previous posts, but there will be nothing new going up any time soon. 

(Updated 2018)

The reason is ...I had a baby, two, three babies! 

So I really didn't feel up to crafting when I was pregnant and sick every day. And now that the little pumpkins have arrived, as you can imagine, I have absolutely no time to do anything but take care of the kids

There maybe a day when I have free time again, but until then I am placing the blog on hold indefinitely...

Thank you for all the continued interest and support.

-K

Nightmare Before Christmas Gift Tags Printable

I'm on a roll...
Here is another simple but sweet DIY. I just created these printable gift tags in Photoshop using some photos from the Haunted Mansion Holiday attic scene for reference. These would go great with your Nightmare Before Christmas Wrapping Paper!

Still frame/screen shot I captured from a behind the scenes video put out by Disney

To download click here

To download click here 

To download click here

After you download to your computer, you can use photo editing software to add colors and names to your tags. You can also print out blank tags, decorate and address by hand.

Sample Tags I made from the template:

 Message me below with any questions or comments.

Good Luck

-K

DIY Black & White Stripe Nightmare Before Christmas Ribbon Tutorial

I received many emails requesting more tutorials and some messages of encouragement.
Thank you so much to those who took the time to write me!

So lets get the ball slowly rolling with this NBC Ribbon tutorial.

This tutorial is not a new prop, but a staple for any NBC prop collection.

Here is the classic striped ribbon hanging on the Haunted Mansion during the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay:

Skull & Ribbon as seen on Haunted Mansion Holiday Overlay at Disneyland Park, California

Older version of Haunted Mansion ribbon was striped on both sides

 There are a couple of ways to accomplish the look of this Nightmare striped ribbon. It all depends on how much time and money you want to spend.

Here is what I did to create my ribbon:

(Poor Man's Version)

I purchased black wired ribbon at a craft store. Then I used white acrylic paint to paint on the wiggly stripes and purple acrylic paint to paint on the back side of the ribbon.

 

Here is a tutorial submitted to me by a fellow NBC fan Kurt:

Kurt used Duct Tape, wire and sharpie to create his ribbon. I love how it has that vinyl look and feel just like the Disneyland original ribbon has. 

Kurt's DIY NBC Ribbon Tutorial

Supplies:

Black Duct Tape

White Duct Tape

Galvanized wire

Wire Cutters

Black Sharpie Marker

Scissors

"I basically used black and white duct tape stuck together with wire in between, and then painted the stripes via sharpie on the white side" - Kurt

As always, feel free to question and comment
Good Luck!
-K

Nightmare Before Christmas Man-Eating Wreath Tutorial

Here is a tutorial on how to make the scary "Man-Eating Wreath" as seen in Nightmare Before Christmas & Disneyland's Haunted Mansion. As you can see , the Disneyland version and the film version differ in some ways. I chose to make mine a sort-of hybrid. The great part about this prop is that it is fairly simple to make. Also,  you can make it as big or as small as you would like .

Supplies Needed:          

Wreath 

2 strands of wired garland - 6ft

2 plastic spoons

Scrap foam core board -white

Red Christmas bow

Red holly berries

Hot glue 

Acrylic Paint- yellow & black
Scissors / X-acto blade 

NOTE: It is way more cost effective to buy all of your supplies the day after Christmas. I did, and got everything for 50% off or more .

And always Shop .99 cent Store & Dollar Tree First.

Total Cost: $10

Time Invested: 2 Hours

Detailed tutorial corresponds with picture Tutorial above:

1. Buy wreath and garland. 

I found my wreath at the day after Christmas clearance sale at Biglots for $6. It is a good size at 18 inches in diameter. I got the garland at the .99 Cent Store day after Christmas sale for .50 each. They measure approx 6 feet each and have a heavy gauge wire running through them. The wire makes it easy to pose the tentacle arms with out having to suspend them with hooks and strings,

2. Remove any unneeded decorative items the wreath may have come with. Fuff and shape your wreath to the desired fullness and shape.

3. Flip your wreath over. 

You want the front facing down. Unravel the garland and twist the two strands together near the center so they become one piece.

4. Make a slight bend in your garland and shape it to the wreath.

 With the wreath still face down: You want the garland to extend across the wreath and stick out like tentacle arms, but not show through the mouth opening of the wreath.

5. Secure the garland to the wreath.

With the wreath still face down: Use some of the wreaths wire branches to twist tightly around the garland. I have highlighted the garland in lime green, and where it is secured to the wreath with red.

Flip wreath back over and complete the project with the wreath face up:

6. Measure & Make the teeth.

Lay the wreath's mouth opening on a piece of Dollar Tree white foam core board. Draw the size and shape of the teeth.

7. Remove the wreath and cut out the teeth shapes with an exacto blade. 

Peel off the papery layer because its pretty much going to peel off anyway. You will be left with the soft white foam core. 

8. Make the eyes.

Use two plastic disposable spoons for the eyes. They are the perfect shape for the Disneyland version. Cut the handles from the spoons with sharp scissors.

9. Glue in the teeth.

Use hot glue to glue the teeth into the "mouth" of the wreath. 

10. Attach a red Christmas bow.

I found this bow in the Dollar Tree clearance for .50 cents. It came with a twisty-tie attachment on the back.

11. Paint Eyes.

Using acrylic craft paints, paint the eyes yellow. After it dries, use black acrylic paint for the "eyeliner" and black pupils.

12. Attach eyes with hot glue .

13. Attach assorted holly berries with hot glue .

I found the whole bundle of holly berries in the Dollar Tree clearance for .50 cents

Lastly, Arrange and bend the tips of the garland to look like out-stretched fingers 

Finished! Please comment if you have any comments or questions. Thank You.

Good Luck

Jack Skellington's Spider Snowflake Tutotial

Just in time for Christmas! 

Here is a tutorial on how to make the spiderweb snowflake that Jack makes in the movie

 Nightmare Before Christmas.

Here is the actual screen used snowflake cut by Jack in the filming of Nightmare Before Christmas.

It sold at auction for $700+ back in 2009

As you can see, this snowflake is not symmetrical on both sides and therefore, if you want it to be exactly, completely accurate, you will have to use the above picture as a template and cut it out with an xacto blade.

However, If you do not have the time to precisely notch each detail out with a blade, there is hope.

Penolopy Bulnick has made a symmetrical version of the spiderweb snowflake that can easily be cut out with scissors. She was even nice enough to create a free PDF printable:

Click Here for Free Snowflake Printable

Nightmare Before Christmas Scary Vampire Teddy Toy Tutorial

Hey everyone! I'm back with a new tutorial. 

I just finished Scary Teddy last night. He is one of the toys made by the citizens of Halloween Town during the "Making Christmas" song. He is later given as a gift to a child in the "real world" and chaos ensues.

Materials Needed:
-Pink Insulation Foam

-Soft Craft Foam Sheet

-Saw/knife/scissors/foam cutter
-Fine grit sand paper
-Caulking

-Paper towels or soft tubing

-1 yard cheap black fabric

-1 Sheet or section of white felt

-Acrylic Paints/brushes

-Hot Glue/Wood Glue

-Wooden dowel

-White colored pencil

-Wire Spool: 20 gauge

Scary Vampire Teddy Head Construction Tutorial
(Detailed description corresponds with picture tutorial above)

1a. Use reference photos to get accurate details, scale, and measurements.

1b. Make or Buy a round foam head.
(I could have bought a foam ball, but I had tons of pink foam just laying around so I figured I might as well  use it. I used 3 squares of pink foam, stacked and glued them together into a 6"x6" cube . Then once it dried I used a kitchen knife to shave off all the edges until it formed a ball.)

2. Notch out a wedge shaped mouth area with a knife .

3a. Cut out small ear pieces. Glue them to the head.
(You can use toothpicks to help them stay in place as they dry)

3b. Draw out with pen the placement of the eyes, nose, and widows peak.

4. Cut a small "dot" of foam for the raised nose, and glue into place.

5. Use some sort of flexible tubing for his lips.
(I did not want to spend any money, so I used rolled up paper towels dowsed is white glue. I blow dried them until they were tacky, then applied them to his mouth. Once they fully dried, they hardened and were very strong).

6. Use an exacto blade to notch, cut, and shave out the details of his eyes and widows peak

7. Pace paper up against the mouth and mark the shape of the mouth opening as best as you can. from that draw teeth that will fit in that opening. dry fit the paper teeth into the mouth. this is a tryal and error process. Once you get a good set that fit perfectly, they can be used as the paper template to cut the foam teeth later.

(Detailed description corresponds with picture tutorial above)

1a. Use reference photos to get accurate details, scale, and measurements.  

1b. Sand with fine grit sand paper. Patch any holes, seams, and gaps with caulking

(oops, ear fell off)

HEAD

2. Paint the head with a all over white coat of acrylic ( may need two or three coats for nice full coverage.

3. Paint the black details ( ears, widow’s peak/head, pupils, nose, inner mouth)

4. Paint lips red

5a. Paint eyes with a yellow wash. Paint a little darker yellow at the outer edges and blend to a lighter yellow toward the center.

5b. Using white acrylic paint on a thin, small brush, dry brush white dash lines all over the ears and black part of the head (see photos for reference)

TEETH

6. Cut out the teeth out of a thin sheet of craft foam and hot glue into place. Use the paper template you made earlier as a guide.

BODY

7. Take a piece of insulation foam and draw the body shape on it, place the head nearby to use for scale.

8. Cut out the body out of pink insulation foam.

9. Slice off the harsh, hard edges of the foam to form nice rounded smooth edges of the body. Sand hands and feet with fine grit sand paper.

10. Dry fit the head onto the neck area, shave the neck down accordingly, until the head sits on the neck/shoulders perfectly.

11. Paint hands and feet white

CLOTHING

12. Front: Lay the body on black material. Trace the body shape with white color pencil. Cut it out about and inch or so outside the white markings.

13. Back: Repeat step 12 for other side of clothing, but cut it out about 2-3 inches out side of the white markings.

14. Back: Cut small slits at the armpits and hips to make the material easier to wrap around the body.

15a. Lay the larger (back) piece of material down. (make sure white trace lines are facing in).

15b. Lay the body face up on the material.

15c. Fold the material up and wrap it forward around the body, glue into place.

16a. Place the smaller (front) piece of material on top of the body (make sure white trace lines are facing in).

16b. Fold the material down and wrap it back around the body, glue into place.

17. Trim off any excess material to expose white hands and feet.

18. Use white color pencil do draw on lines/stripes all over the clothing.

ATTACH PIECES

19. Use drill/bit to drill a whole into the neck and bottom of head.

20. Pour wood glue into each hole, and insert a dowel. This will hold the head and body together.

ACCESSORIES

21. Add a collar out of black material, and white, round buttons cut from felt. Hot glue into place.

CAPE

22. Cut the cape shape out of black material. Leave and extra half inch on all edges to fold over the thin guage wire.  Line the left, right and bottom of the cape with the wire so it can be flexible and look like it’s flying behind him. Leave two inches of wire sticking out at the neck area (left and right) of the cape so it can be pushed into the neck and secured.

23. Use white color pencil to make white marks/stripes all over cape.

(The side that has the folded and glued edges is the bottom or underside. Flip it over and put the pencil stripes on the opposite side- top side)

24. Shove the extra wire you left at the top of the cape into the bottom of the head at the neck. Run a line of hot glue on the underside where the cape material meets the back collar for extra strength. The cape should be posable and look like its blowing in the wind, not hanging limp behind him.

25. DONE

Comment if you have any questions or comments

Good Luck . . .

Nightmare Before Christmas Prop Skulls for YOU...Available Now

I was able to make a mold from my original NBC skull. If any one is interested in purchasing some replicas, please visit:

Buy One Now From My Shop

THANKS

It is a replica of the front half of a skull used in Disneyland Park on the iconic Haunted Mansion.
The facial details are an exact 1:1 replica, as far as dimensions. It has been cut in half, losing the weight and bulkiness of the back, making it ideal for hanging and decorating.

Dimensions:
6.25" L x 5.5" W x 2.25" D / Weight: 14 to 16 oz.

First Casting:

Buy One Now From My Shop!

Coming Soon... Scary Teddy Vampire Toy Tutorial ...And More

This is one of the props I'm working on now, check back for more !

Scary Teddy

Other NBC Props in progress or slated to start 2013/2014:

-Lock

-Shock

-Skeleton Gingerbread Men

-Christmas Tree-Eating Snake (orange and black)

-Man-Eating Monster Christmas Wreath

-Man-eating Poinsettia plants

-Jack's Sandy Claws Naughty & Nice List

-"Seasons Screaming" gift tag (as seen on Haunted Mansion)

-Sally's Pick-nick Basket

-Scary Toy: Russian Nesting Doll

-Cat and Fish bone Gift Box (as seen on Haunted Mansion)

-NBC Fence and Finials with Pumpkins

-Bone Garland

-Oogie Boogie

-Jacks' Laboratory Specimen Jars

-NBC striped ribbon Tutorial

-Skeleton Reign Deer?

Please leave a comment if there is a specific prop you would like to see made

Nightmare Before Christmas—Oogie Boogie's dice printable

Oogie Boogie's dice printable from Disney

Print out the images onto a card stock. Cut out the two images and fold inward, the white side is the inside of the cube. Glue the tabs to the inside of the dice to hold it together.  To add weight to your dice, tape or glue a penny to the white side of each dice, or place a cube of pink insulation foam inside the dice to help hold its shape. Use black acrylic paint on any white paper showing through on the edges for a more realistic look.

http://www.disneyexperience.com/models/dice_model.php

Dimensions: 

Height: 1.1"

Width: 1.1"

Depth: 1.1"

Difficulty Level: 1

SAMPLE:

Ultimate Nightmare Before Christmas Prop Gift

I recently received the ultimate Nightmare Before Christmas prop as a gift...

It is an actual, full-sized NBC skull, that came directly off of the 2011 Haunted Mansion Holiday from Disneyland Park, Anaheim, California.

In 2012, I believe the tons of  NBC skulls that covered the Mansion, inside and out, were replaced with new ones, and the old ones were auctioned off individually. The new ones are painted differently, with more black around the eye and nose area.

As a HUGE Disneyland aficionado and NBC fan, I freaked when I opened it.

Behold the beauty......

amazing...