Eclectic Studio - Tammy Morrison-Koenig

Aren't these soap molds just gorgeous? My wonderful husband made them for me.  There is a total of 3- 3.5 lb loaf molds and a 2 lb for more of my specialty soap loafs. 3 sides are attached with heavy duty pressure hinges and the one end is static. The hinges are so strong that I don't have to reinforce the sides from expansion, or at least I haven't had to clean up a soap explosion yet from over expansion. Yeah! These molds are so easy to use that when my soap is ready for pouring all i have to do is make parchment paper liners to fit and depending on the recipe I will add a wood topper for heat retention.  Once the soap is set the sides of these molds just fold down allowing you to slide the loaf out. This is our Eucalyptus and Sage 2lb loaf that has now set and is ready for cutting and curing. With any craft sometimes you have successes and sometimes you have failures, this project encompasses both. This is a bubblegum scented loaf and a personal favori

When you lack a "front door" you have to draw the crowds in some how. So our show stopper this year will be the Mausoleum for the from of the garage. A very quick and effective Halloween project that is sure to be a conversation piece among the neighbors. You will notice that there are 2 empty spots these will be saved for a dead body and an empty spot.  These super easy faux stone markers are made from 1 inch foil backed insulation sheets. I purposefully used these because they can take spray paint, hot glue and writing.  From 1 sheet I managed to get 22  9*21 inch blocks which fits perfectly into the "framed" spaces.  Then I lightly sprayed the foil side with black spray paint, this allows a little of the silver to show through, which add dimension. Then I took my oil pencil and added the wording, nothing fancy and not all the same. I did use some stencils for some and free handed others. Using the wax pencil also makes it weather proof alleviating the step

I t's that time of year again when we start our Halloween decorations and planning. This year we needed to add some new grave markers and this is what we came up with. Supplies needed: *plaster of Paris                             *water, bowl, and stir stick                              *molds                              *pink or blue polystyrene insulation sheets. I used 1 inch and 1/2 inch sheets                              *Exacto knife, box cutter, solder gun                              *black, white and brown exterior paint and paintbrush                              *I used scrap lumber for my bases, as it adds a little more weight                              *a creepy face changing pic from the buck store, Mine had a frame - I just cut the image out to fit into our design.                              *liquid nails/ construction adhesive First, we started by making some plaster casting embellishments. These were made from a dollar store doorknocker and ice cu

"Sleigh Ride" is one of the fragrances from New Directions that I receieved for the more masculine soaps I made this year and I love it!  Their description of the scent includes top notes of eucalyptus, citrus, ozone floral with nuances of strawberry. Floral mid notes of cinnamon, carnation and tuberose blend into a warm base of cedar, violet, balsam, powder and musk.  It may be just be me but when I smell it I am reminded of my grandpas sweet pipe tobacco. Inspired by the name of the fragrance, I designed this soap in a white base (snow) and added a pencil line of activated charcoal (for the shadows that you would see on a moonlit stroll through the woods)and added a sharp peaked top that shimmer with white glitter (to represent the shimmery snow caps in the moonlight) . This soap is a treat for all your senses. What do you think? Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Adeps Suillus, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, titanium dioxide, Helianthus

Here is one of the techniques I use to attain the rotting flesh look on cheap plastic dollar store Halloween props.  Supplies you will need: plastic body parts or skeletons cheap plastic wrap - it doesn't matter what brand  heat gun or high-temperature hairdryer wood stain ( I used oak because that is what I had laying around) spray paint ( red and black) craft paint (red, black, dark brown, white, grey and green)   First, wrap your cheap skulls or bones in a few layers of plastic food wrap. It doesn't matter what brand. Then take your heat gun and melt areas away until you get your desired look. Some hairdryers may not be able to get hot enough to do this. Then take your wood stain and start adding a little colour.  Color choices are completely up to you but i used red, flesh, dark brown, black, white, grey. On the skull, I added some black spray paint in the hallows of the eyes to add a little more dimension.  Hope this inspires you to try a new prop id

Warning some viewers may find this disturbing. I find it to be the perfect addition to my Halloween Haunt. Just be warned that if you are found taking these babies by the princess of the house full size Mandrake screams pale in comparison to howling you will hear, so best be weary. Step 1. Sneak baby doll into an area that cant be seen by the princess. Step 2. Grab some black, white and grey paint and start dry brushing the colors on. Step 3. Dirty up some baby clothes and dress zombie. Step 4. Place in yard. I used the princess's old doll cradle with a tray of bloody fingers for baby zombie to snack on.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends and family.   “For each new morning with its light, For rest and shelter of the night, For health and food, For love and friends, For everything Thy goodness sends.” Ralph Waldo Emerson Only 2 weeks left until Halloween so here are a few more last minute ideas you can use in your Halloween haunt. Build your own Coffin:  I built this one using a half sheet of rigid insulation. I didn't really have any measurements to work from. I just took a piece of paper, scaled it to the size of insulation that I had, drew out a quick plan and cut it out. I used duct tape to stick everything together. Step 2: I had some leftover red velour fabric from a Freddy Mercury costume from a couple years ago so I cut it to size and used some carpet tape to attach it to the coffin. Carpet tape is a very strong double sided tape that is weather resistant, permanent and won't melt the foam. Then I used a hot solder pen to melt the wood grain

Its that time of year again and I thought I would stop in to share some of our new hauntingly awesome projects.  Super excited about our static guillotine. This project was made using scrap lumber we had laying around. The blade is from a scrap piece of wall panel that was given a quick burst of silver paint, added a couple eye hooks and some rope and of course evidence of its use. The Haunter: The armature is just 2 inch chicken wire that we wrapped around a tomato cage, added a bamboo stake to attach the skull to, the white cloth is a cheap dollar store sheet and the black cheese cloth comes from there as well. He does look a little shiny right now but we are expecting rain and fall weather, so that will cure that before Halloween night. Easy with Maximum impact: I hope you can find some inspiration from these. Happy Haunting!

Off to a fresh start with the cleaning of my studio. And after the last 3 months of going crazy, what an undertaking that was. Now this is not one of thise fancy pinterest dream studios. Maybe one day. ;) But it is completely functional for being an 8 * 10 space and holding as much "crap" asI have gathered throughout the years. So I thought I would share a little of my hard work with you and I hope you enjoy this little tour.