WIP Wednesday: By the Light of the Moon

Today starts another new blog feature: WIP Wednesday! WIP (Work in Progress) Wednesday will give you a little peek at what new project I'm working on. I'll share the creation journey of the different art, craft, and jewelry projects I have and hopefully give you a little inspiration to start (or finish) your own!

This week, I present to you "By the Light of the Moon," a fun little werewolf assemblage I've been working on for a while.

Still a ways to go with this piece!

This piece started out as an IKEA RIBBA picture frame. I took the easel out and covered it in Mod Podge® and tissue paper, letting the crinkles fall where they may. Once it was dry, I used

Tim Holtz® Distress Stains in Walnut and Forest Moss and blended in the colors to get a very watery effect. 

Next, I applied Golden Matte Medium on all sides of the frame with a plastic painter's knife. Once I had a thick layer, I pressed the flat side of the knife against the medium and lifted it up, making small peaks and crevices. After the medium dried, I painted it with a simple black acrylic craft paint. 

With all parts of the frame dry, I flipped the frame around and added a bead of glue on the inside edge. I could nestle the easel into it and pressed firmly so the glue would make contact. Now, instead of being a frame it was more like a shadowbox.

At this point, the project sat while I decided what it was going to be. I thought about making a swampy creature or creating a cemetery, but they didn't seem right. And then I went to one of my favorite antique shops.

I found a cheap bracelet that reminded me of the focus to an old spyglass or telescope. Then I thought of the moon and knew the piece was meant to have a werewolf in it somehow. I had a small collection of optic lenses and one was a perfect fit! I added a thin snake of Aves Apoxie clay around the edges of the lens to hold it in place. Once it cured, I painted it gold.

Next, I was on the hunt for a very cheap action figure that I could decapitate. I found this guy at Dollar Tree and filled in the articulation joints and drill holes with the Apoxie clay. Next step is to sand it and paint it matte black.

For two weeks I hunted for a wolf toy and finally found one! I cut its head off with a rotary tool with the help of my hubby and will connect him to the action figure body with Apoxie clay.

Next up for this project is to paint some bullet shells silver and antique them, creating a moon, mounting the lens, and finding other bits to balance it all out.

What are some of the projects you are working on this summer? How do you keep yourself on-task to finish them?