Talia – Page 6 – An Unorthodox Halloween

Assorted Project run-down.

So, just to recap…

We have the armor project ongoing. Not a lot of new stuff to show there, just lots of boring technical stuff. Chest and shoulders done, both legs are getting close, had to start over on the arms, so only one is close. We just bought some nice buttons to attach the shoulder pieces, and will have some nice visual improvements in the next week or so.

Meanwhile, Talia’s pinata is all but done in construction. It’s stuffed with prizes, and the final coat (covering the hole and adding the string and legs) is drying now. One really crappy unicorn will need some paint soon.

From 2011 buildup

We have started making a mold for Alec’s NEXT school project: Mini society. He has decided to sell what made Kyle so much money. Skulls.

From 2011 buildup

We’re collecting wood for the Bridge of Death. Call us if you need any cleaned up!

From Bridge of Death

And, by demand, some more pics of the concept and area.

From Bridge of Death

(this one looks familiar…)

From Bridge of Death

Interesting gate.

From Bridge of Death

From Bridge of Death

From Bridge of Death

“I don’t want it torn, I want it to be perfect.”

Slow going on the armor lately.

We did get around to making the pauldrons,

From 2011 buildup

And casting the arms and legs for assorted pieces.

From 2011 buildup

In fact all those pieces have been made and covered in Das clay to make them smooth. In fact, the later pieces are skipping the celluclay all together, just using Das over the monster mud. The left side of the armor is now complete aside from paint and assembly.

I got to spend Friday with my daughter, needing to head into SLC to purchase our yearly supply of latex. Mostly so Alec can get going on his next project for school. After a week of her being terribly sick, it was good to get out of the house, and as long as we had to head out, we decided to have a little fun.

From 2011 buildup

From 2011 buildup

From 2011 buildup

From 2011 buildup

From 2011 buildup

Of course, her favorite part was touching the rays. “It’s one of the ones we touched!”

From 2011 buildup

Getting home, I was starting on a unicorn pinata for her birthday party. (Something of a tradition around here.)

So, I set up, grab the news paper, and start tearing, for as we all know, torn is much better than cut when it comes to paper mache. “What are you doing?”

“Tearing paper so I can make you a unicorn.”

“I don’t want it torn, I want it to be perfect!”

Armor, model 2.0

It’s time to put all that stuff we learned from Alec’s costume to good use.

The first step in making Kyle into King Hamlet’s Ghost was to get a body form…So, we wrapped him in rigid wrap, cut it off, and attached the halves back together with more wrap. It’s quick and dirty, and not a real life cast, but infinitely cheaper and quicker.

From 2011 buildup

Instead of the long, boring, paper mache, cheese cloth and glue method, 2 quick layers of burlap and monster mud get us to this point in 3 days, what took me nearly 2 weeks on Alec. I really can’t believe I didn’t think of this on Alec’s armor.

From 2011 buildup

In another ‘you idiot why didn’t you think of this THEN’ moment, the back of Kyle’s armor is going to have a seam we’ll just velcro shut for easy on/off action. Alec is something of a contortionist, so slipping his over his head wasn’t a huge deal, but should have thought of this then…

That’s just mod podge which remains flexible, prevents the itching and fraying of the burlap as well as a super simple means of attaching the pieces together.

From 2011 buildup

Some quick paper mache to smooth the front out, and the chest piece is all done save for some paint and drying. Shoulders are up next, but I need the chest dry for that as well.

From 2011 buildup

And, no, Talia is not being left out. (and yes, that’s a heart on there if you look close…)

From 2011 buildup

Oh, and Alec has some more homework coming up. But more on that later, I can only handle one of these things at a time. It’s a heck of an off season this year…

A very special Fears of Childhood.

Another in my series of examining the fears of childhood.

Somehow, some way, Talia managed to bite her finger whilst attempting to devour Oreo’s hard enough to draw blood…and trama ensued.

Talia REALLY does not care for blood. Ever since I was testing the 3d gel, and had colored it red (since we had a plethora of that color), she got rather upset with the ‘blood’ all over my face.

And, this cropped up again as she went through the haunted houses this season. One particular room, COVERED in blood, was always where she wanted me to pick her up. She don’t want anything to do with that.

Talia, it seems, has a fear of blood.

From 2011 buildup

Alec, meanwhile is nursing a long standing fear…of dogs.

From 2011 buildup

I really don’t know where this comes from. Both grandparents have dogs, and to my knowledge, he’s never been bit, yet he is still VERY nervous around either of them, and does not often pet, and will flinch if the dog so much as moves at his touch…

Kyle….

Oh, Kyle…

He got his first taste of a ‘real’ horror movie the other night…a sleepless one…

From 2011 buildup

As for Talia, though, she’s got her own way of working through the blood thing…raiding Alec’s old costumes.

From 2011 buildup

Sugar and Spice.

My little helper this weekend.

And, we’ve been quite busy.

Everything baked, wrapped, and ready to head out.

When she wasn’t reading the recipe to me, what we needed to do next, (Reading off such ingredients as ‘leaves’, and instructions to ‘spill that in there now’) she took to including her own ingredients.

Initially cute, it is conjuring images of Hansel and Gretel. I can just see the witch mixing Gretel into the cookie dough and shoving her into the oven…and then, with the princess, ponies, and peacock, you can’t forget the dash of SNAKE in there as well. Must have been from the Indiana Jones marathon…