Covered in Glitter and Screaming

Mystery gifts are my way of thanking some of the donors to a fundraiser I did a few years ago. I asked each donor for a theme for the mystery gift, which gives me both complete creative control and a starting point, and I love this model. For this person, when I asked for a theme he said he liked magic and Art Nouveau. You may have seen the companion piece I made for this earlier, since he and I have been sending each other cards with moving pieces.  In addition to magic and Art Nouveau, I also happen to know he's a big fan of a famous space-themed franchise, he built a remote-controlled R2 unit several years back (as one does, right?), and he has a history as a Stormtrooper with the  501st Legion , so I threw that in as well. I did my best to emulate an Art Nouveau style and made a deck of cards, because magic! (The back of each card, not the faces.) Final design Card face design and deck printing from  MakePlayingCards.com Design process Box (print/cut on...

My friend and I are continuing to send each other homemade greeting cards that include paper mechanics. This friend is also one of the people that donated to my fundraiser a handful of years ago and was on my list to receive a mystery gift. I asked for a theme, and he said he liked magic and Art Nouveau, so I came up with a design in an Art Nouveau style* incorporating props he has used in his magic shows and from when he was a Stormtrooper in the 501st Legion . This is not that gift. But since I had just completed the actual gift and it was my turn to send a card, I took the opportunity to make a companion piece. *at least inspired by, I also love this style but am new to actually working in it Process: Sketch, work out the design and mechanic concept Mechanic prototype on scrap paper Put the design in the computer Indicate size and placement of wheel, and cut lines Add graphics that will appear on the moving parts Separate into two parts, one for the base and one of the wheel to att...

The group voted on costume themes and we went with Star Wars. I debated between a twi'lek and a tauntaun , ultimately deciding that I'd rather make horns than head tentacles, and a creature from an ice planet would be more in line with the northeast Halloween weather than a member of a race known for their tendency to skimp on clothing. If you're not familiar, a tauntaun is the thing that they ride on the ice planet; the moment in the movie that tends to stick with people is the scene in which Han Solo slices open the carcass of one and shoves Luke inside so he wouldn't freeze to death overnight. This scene was very upsetting to me as a kid, so I have mixed feelings about referencing it in the costume plan, but I couldn't not. It's just too good a setup. Overall plan: light gray, tan/gold accents. Coverage somewhere between  bikini  and  fur suit . Headwear I started with a light gray wig from Arda  and made some ears and horns to clip in. Ears ...