We have this saying at the Graveyard

We have to make a prop three times before it comes out right.  

So I present to you Celtic Cross attempt #2.

Two of the crew have spent a lot of time fixing some of the sloppiness that made the first one unsuitable for the yard.

Same size as the old one, just much more attention to detail this time.  The dimensions are pretty even all around which made for much easier design and carving.

Instead of a skull, which fit our decor, but really stood out as a problem in the actual piece.  The long face of a full skull, just not working with the exactness of the design.

Visually just threw it off.

So here is where we are today.

Break a leg

...so we did.


The sitting skeleton just did not work.  If it is supposed to be a statue, that was an awkward pose to 'carve'.  I kept looking at it and knew that something had to change.

I thought, kneeling, yeah, let's give that a try.

So with the help of the crew we broke (cut) the legs off the skeleton and put them underneath his thigh bones to make it look like kneeling.  We then taped up and put expanding foam where the knee joint should be, then sanded it out to hold the shape.

Because of the way the base was made (we used an existing base) we could not easily center him on the base, so his knees are hanging over. I have remudded him and he is awaiting final paint.

Who knew the tools knew each other so well

...I mean they do spend a lot of time in the shop together.  Should not be surprised.

So I was cutting pieces from the bolt of burlap and it kept falling over and rolling away from me and just being a pain.

I kept tell it. "I have scissors and opposable thumbs, I will win."

It kept fighting me....but I did win, got all the pieces cut and the selvage removed.  How little did I know it was plotting my revenge with the all the staplers in the shop.  Every last one of them.

I starting mudding, you know, soaking the burlap in water then wringing it through the mud - all went fine.

Then I get out the stapler to tack a piece in place.  Two staples in, it breaks.

No worries, we have another stapler......that one just plain refused to staple.

Husband came to my rescue with the pneumatic stapler....two staples in on that it also broke.  Let me tell you, he was really unhappy about that.

He hates when I break his power tools.

You have got to be *#@!ing kidding me!!!!

From under the stairs......I could hear the burlap laugh at me........

The Texas annex of the Davis Graveyard

Look what is going to Texas!

We made a whole lot of props for a home haunter in Texas these last few weeks.  This order bought us some much needed time (financially) since we both lost out jobs.

It was really fun to make this stuff and I have to say that I have the best crew/family in the world who helped us build this the last several weeks.

Most the the props are better than our first versions.  Learned a lot of things remaking our stuff that makes me excited to make new versions in the nest few years.

Thanks again to the crew.  Could not have done this without you!

Your cherub was broken

so I fixed it.

He looks a bit sad

New prop in progress for the Davis Graveyard. 

Grief

One of the crew posed a skeleton for me with a heat gun.  We made dams in the joints with gaffer tape and filled it with expanding foam to keep the joints in place.

More pictures to follow