We're mixing it up this year and introducing DIYs to the collab!
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through a link, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
If you are new here, welcome to the bewitching world of Fright Femmes, where every week leading up to Halloween, we're going to immerse ourselves in the most captivating and fantastical makeup and costume ideas that will leave you spellbound. If you missed our Practical Magic Intro, go take a peek to see a snippet of all our past looks!
Fright Femmes was primarily established as a Halloween makeup collaboration; however, being the creatives that we are, we didn't just stop there. Little by little our looks included elaborate DIY costumes and props, and sure enough, we started messing around with creative photoshoot setups leading the way to all the DIY decor we've done over the years. It was only natural that we would eventually include our DIYs as their own blog posts.
Laura Prado - Gothic Skull Wall Decor
Caro Pozo - Ember Burning Cauldron
Ruthmarie Tenorio - BooOoook
Besides subscribing to this blog, there are loads of ways you can support us: follow, like, and share our weekly themed looks, follow @FrightFemmes on IG, and subscribe to our socials!
Laura Jade Prado
Gothic Skull Wall Decor
Follow Laura's Socials and Shops: IG @LauraJadePrado | Shop IG @twgdesigns | Shop website twgdesigns.com | YouTube channel Laura Jade Prado
Laura is the queen of gothic glam spaces. She effortlessly makes a DIY look expensive and worthy of Pottery Barn. Venture off to her Blog to recreate one for yourself!
Caro Pozo
Ember Burning Cauldron
Follow Caro's Socials and Shops: IG @CaroPozo | Blog IG @Blonde2Brunette | Shop IG @thesugarcottage_ | YouTube Blonde 2 Brunette | Amazon Favs
Run, don't walk to Caro's blog post to make yourself your own cauldron. This is perfect for fireplace decor or as a kitchen countertop statement piece. I know I'll be making one this season for my Halloween party.
Ruthmarie Tenorio
BoooOook!
Follow My Socials and Shops: IG @The.Vintage.Raven | YouTube channel The Vintage Raven | Etsy Shop TVR Sewing Emporium | TikTok @The.Vintage.Raven
This tutorial was years in the making. Back in 2018, I made my first attempt at recreating the iconic Book from the cult classic film Hocus Pocus. My mission was to figure out how to recreate the book with a moving eye. As a result, the "accuracy" of the look of the book fell short, but I saw this as an opportunity to film a tutorial of the book and revisit the design to closer represent the original.
Photos of my first attempt at this project.
A bit of warning, this project is not for the faint of heart. It tested my patience both times that I made it and I am here to share all the successes and failures of this endeavor.
The problems that I observed with my first attempt are as follows:
The leather looked too new and clean
The color of the book was too dark
the stitches are too thin (I used four threads of regular thread)
Soon after the build, the foam I used for all the metalwork cracked
Although I addressed most of the issues the second time around, the build was not without its challenges. I will try my best to summarize what needs to be done
Materials
Book-shaped photo box (I purchased a 13" photo box from Joann Fabrics)
An animated eyeball doorbell
Sculpey clay (oven-baked)
Craft foam sheets (at least 13" long)
Faux leather - medium brown
Thin hemp cord
Gold gemstones (2)
Plastic severed fingers (5)
Glue sticks
E6000
Acrylic paints (browns, creams, black, and silver)
Aluminum foil
High-shine nail polish top coat
Tools
Glue gun
Fabric scissors
Leather hand-stitching needle
Leather puncher
Clay sculpting tools
Exacto knife
Paint brushes
3/4" flat head screws
Small screwdrivers
Drill
Drill bits
Instructions
First, you want to open up the eyeball doorbell. Make sure it is off and the batteries are out before this next step.
Look for the wires that illuminate the eyeball and make the sound. Sever those wires.
Mark out the area where the eyeball is going to go on the lid and make sure the doorbell fits inside and you can close the lid.
Cut out the hole on the lid of the book and position the doorbell.
Mark the areas you will screw in the doorbell and pre-drill the holes for the screws.
Screw in the doorbell to the book.
Close the doorbell and insert the batteries.
Take this moment to paint the eyeball to resemble a real eyeball. When done, you want to seal it with a high gloss nail polish top coat to give it that wet look.
For the leather, trace out the pieces onto your book. Here are a few links to reference images from the film.
Cut the leather pieces, and leave about 1/8" space between each piece, but make sure you leave a seam allowance around the perimeter of the book so you can fold the edges over.
Stitch the pieces together using a large leather needle and a thin hemp cord. For ease, purchase a small leather puncher, trust me, it is worth it. Your hands will thank you.
Before you attach the leather cover, paint the areas where the book will be seen between the stitches black.
I attached my leather with the glue gun. When I got to the edges to fold over the leather, I first folded the leather over, marked the excess that I needed to cut off, cut, and then glued it down.
For the fingers, I cut them to size, then in half the long way (essentially taking the underside of the fingers off) then glued them down to the spine of the book.
For the snakes and the ring, I sculpted out of clay. I've tried oven-baked clay, foam clay, mold magic, the works. Oven-baked clay works best. It is durable and it lasts forever. The foam clay was too brittle, my snakes shattered into pieces the moment I started painting them. The mold magic was great for the season, but dried out and cracked into pieces a few months later.
Once all the metalwork has been sculpted and cured, paint black (about two coats for me) and then go over with silver paint. for a bit of weathering, you can go over with a watery brown and wipe away the excess.
Add the gems to the clasp.
Cut out the bases to all the metalwork from foam sheets. Give them the same paint treatment as the metalwork.
For security, I glued everything down with E6000. It needs 24 hrs to cure, but once it does, it won't budge.
The final touch was all the weathering and texture I painted onto the book. It's what made it look a bit more authentic.
And if you made it this far down the post, huzzah! If you plan to make your own, I hope some of this was helpful and if you have any questions, drop them down in the comments!
Thank you for the read and follow us on our creative journey. If you give this look a go, pleeeeese tag us on IG @frightfemmes . We would love to repost.!
See you next Friday!
