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steampunk pumpkin

Steampunk Hallow's Eve Party~Decorations (Re-blogged)

D-I-Y-Samantha Extance3 Comments

Having a Halloween party? Want to Steampunk it up? Here are a few ideas that won't break your wallet (gotta have money for all that candy right?)! Jars of candy are a given for any Halloween party--to add just a touch of mystery & oddness you can attach labels like the one below from VectoriaDesigns.  They are much classier than your average Halloween labels, indicating the jar's contents are brains, zombie boogers, blood, etc. VectoriaDesign's labels, for instance, help set a Steampunk/Sci-Fi mood with labels like: Anti-Time Tablets, Steam Engine Oil, Octopus Ink, and my favorite Time Traveler Pills to name a few.

The labels are a digital download. Total cost: $3.50 label images (15 total), $11.99 label printer paper...$15.49

Another great digital downloadable decoration for your party are Victorian style paper dolls with a Halloween & Steampunk twist. My favorite paper doll artist is RhondasOrignials. Her dolls are by far the most unique and strikingly odd. She has over 50 paper dolls for Halloween alone. These dolls make excellent centerpieces for your table or to fill up empty space on your mantle or shelves.

What makes Rhonda's paper dolls so special is the accessories that come with each doll and the characters that she creates. You can download her dolls on her Etsy shop, click here to follow the link. Rhonda also has specials where she bundles a number of her dolls together for Halloween. The bundle costs $23.25 or you can purchase individual doll patterns for $6.00 each. The instructions on how to assemble your dolls is very easy to follow and the colors are true to how they print on your home printer. Total Cost: (for a bundle) $23.25, brads (found in your local arts & crafts store in the scrapbooking aisle)  $1.39, Aleene's Tacky Glue $2.50...$27.14

Aside from digital downloads, hit your local flea markets, garage sales, and estate sales for old jars & bottles. You can fill these bottles & jars with an assortment of items to fit the mood of your party. Inkling for a bit of twisted romance, dry some red roses beforehand and place them in your jars for a pretty bit of decay to display or paint them black (how very Alice in Wonderland of you to do so!). Want your party to look like a Mad Scientists Laboratory, fill those jars up with an assortment of colored liquids & place glow sticks inside so that they give off an eerie luminescence. There's also my DIY on steampunk candles--they're perfect for a Hallow's Eve Bash!

There are other items you can make to give your party a steampunk feel. Craft recently posted a DIY on how to make your own miniature hot air balloon.

You can suspend them from the ceiling to give your party-goers the feeling that they are on an airship deck among the clouds--you can even make clouds! Click here to find out how!

If you do not have a specific steampunk  theme in mind, you can be more general and decorate using broken machines, machine parts, clocks, and other mechanicals you may already have or ones that you can thrift. Great items to pick up: tea cups & saucers, china, clocks of any kind (you can line them all up on your mantle, table, or along your stairs), jars of light bulbs, globes or old maps, or springs (to make a garland to hang in your doorway or off your fire place).

These are just a few ideas to get you started! Stay tuned for the rest of October for my Steampunk Halloween DIY series  and get ideas on steampunkins and how  to make your own steampunk halloween costumes for adults & kids.

 

 

Carve Your Own Steampunkins! (Re-blogged)

D-I-Y-Samantha Extance1 Comment

As promised, here are a few ideas & DIYs (3 different DIYS) on how to Steampunk your Pumpkin  this Halloween! Happy Carving! 1) Kid Friendly Steampunkins, or the "Mr. Potato Head" Approach

What You'll Need:

  • Pumpkin Carving Tools (You can purchase a kit or gather up the following: A large knife, paring knife, toothpicks, a corn-on-the-cob utensil (optional but it makes poking holes so much easier), small & large metal spoons, newspaper or trash bags to protect your table from all the pumpkin guts, and a bucket or big pot lined with a trash bag for pumpkin guts & seeds)
  • 2 gears, or as many as you prefer your pumpkin can have many cog & gear eyeballs (salvaged is preferable but if you cannot find any you can purchase reproduction gears from Michaels. Just look for the "Industrial Chic" or "Found Objects" items).
  • 3 springs (use 5-6 springs if you have a large pumpkin)
  • Accessories, goggles, a top hat, a monocle, pocketwatch, eyepatch--get creative! Create your very own Steampunk Pumpkin Character!

Steps:

  1. (For adults only) Carve a lid, scoop out the pumpkin guts, and poke starter holes where the gear eyes & spring mouth will be inserted. The holes for the spring-mouth should be relatively small because your springs will be held in place by 2 toothpicks (as shown below). The toothpicks should stick out approximately 1/2-1 inch.
  2. (For kids) Stick the eyeball gears into their pumpkin sockets and give that steampunkin the ghoulish grin it's been waiting for! Link the springs and place them on the toothpicks.
  3. (For kids) Last but not least, dress up your pumpkin with a pair of googles & a hat, an eyepatch, or a monocle on chain! Whatever your heart desires!

2) Painting on the Punk! Another kid friendly approach to pumpkin decorating!

What You'll Need:

  • Various Acrylic Paints (any colors you choose. I like black, white, red, & metallics)
  • Paintbrushes (or various sizes, at least 1 small paintbrush for details & 1 large brush)
  • Water & Jar & Paper plate (or cardboard) for mixing your paints

Steps:

  1. Paint some Steampunk scenes, objects, or faces onto your pumpkins!
  2. (Option 2 for tiny tinker-tykes ) Cut out some gear shapes or pocketwatch shapes from some sponges & give them to your tyke to dip in paint and place on their pumpkin! Download a template for gears below!

3) Classic Carving & Pumpkin Poking

What You'll Need:

  • Pumpkin Carving Tools (You can purchase a kit or gather up the following: A large knife, paring knife, toothpicks, a corn-on-the-cob utensil (optional but it makes poking holes so much easier), small & large metal spoons, newspaper or trash bags to protect your table from all the pumpkin guts, and a bucket or big pot lined with a trash bag for pumpkin guts & seeds)
  • Template or Design, to trace or draw freehand on your pumpkin (you can download Steampunk ones here)
  • Tea candle (I prefer electric, but that's up to you!)

Steps (for tracing your design):

  1. Carve a lid & scoop out the pumpkin guts.
  2. Next, place your design over your pumpkin and trace using your special pumpkin poking tool (in your kit). I used a corn-on-the-cob utensil instead. It worked really well and had the added benefit of creating 2 holes instead of just one per punch so I was finished poking holes a lot sooner.
  3. Once you're done tracing your design, place your tea candle inside and affix your lid! Enjoy your steampunkin's ghoulish glow!

Steps (for carving your design):

  1. Carve a lid & scoop out the pumpkin guts.
  2. Next, free hand sketch the design or template of your choice onto your pumpkin. I recommend using a pencil as pen can smudge and show on the skin.
  3. Carve out your design!
  4. Once you're done carving, place your tea candle inside and affix your lid. Enjoy your steampunkin's eerie luminescence!

Templates: (Free to download, my gift to you! Happy Halloween!) 

Don't forget to post pictures of your steampunkins! I'd love to see 'em! Happy Carving!