Storage rack idea for your puppets

 Hi all, My 10 indigenous puppets arrived safely at their destination and I'm told they will be given out to different schools in Victoria as a way of communicating and opening up young people to talk about the issues they face today. What a great way to use a puppet! its been great to be a part of this project.
 Well in today's post I wanted to share with you my puppet storage solution. I searched everywhere on the net for something that would suit my needs and if your familiar with my crafting area you'll know how small it is!!! The only available area I had left was on the back of the door! which got me searching out "over the door" storage racks which led me to this Whitmor over the door shoe rack. It was pricey to buy here in Australia but I did see them over half the price cheaper in the USA but they wouldn't post them to my area. So I took the plunge and bought one and I'm pretty happy with how it has worked for me. I did have to do some minimal changes to this rack to support the puppets heads using pool noodles and some cable ties but that was pretty cheap and easy to do myself. It fits 12 regular size puppets on the whole rack, 2 on each row but if your puppet bodies are smaller you could adjust that to fit a few more..... So after using this for the past few months now the only down side was.... the pool noodles do bend a little with the weight of the puppet but that was easy to fix just flip the noodle around. and I did find when I finished all the hair and dressing the puppets the rack weight wise was definitely maxed out! so after posting away the 10 indigenous puppets I now have another four on the storage rack waiting for me to put their features on and dress them. Overall I'm pretty happy with this storage solution!

here is a pic of it loaded with puppets and I also added some large bags for dust covers...........

If you have any questions just email me and I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. I hope this may give you some needed inspiration or help in some way, now check out my video.... Happy puppeting!

 and a last thought

Store your treasures in heaven, 

where moths and rust cannot destroy,

 and thieves do not break in and steal.

Matthew 6:20

Making a fur wig cap for a puppet

Hi all, I was so happy with the way my long plush fake fur came out as puppet hair and had to share with you how I did it........ probably not a new idea but I hate wasting this stuff as it can be very expensive!
When using long pile fur make sure it is running in the direction up and over the head, this way you can slick the hair back or fluff it up!
I cut out a square around the size on the puppets head I want to cover, you could do this with some old fabric first to make a pattern. Then with some sharp fabric scissors make small snips (making sure to only cut the base fabric and not the fur) cutting off each corner and a V shape at the back edge. I don't like the look of raw edges on fur hair it just looks half done and cheap.....so crank up your hot glue gun and glue a small hem all the way around and closing up your V cut, this way you will end up with a nice concave shape that will fit well over a round headed puppet. Again just adjust the sizes of everything to fit your own needs.I then hot glued mine to the head but you could also sew it on. LOL I know what my husband will say .... can I have one of those!  :) 
Here are some details for you to save ........ and check my video (yes I was in my PJs but hey its cold here atm ;) don't forget to press like, subscribe or just say hi  :) happy puppeting!

and a last thought

He will cover you with his feathers. 

He will shelter you with his wings. 

His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

Psalm 91:4

 

Mungo

HI all,  Mungo is my recent build.... he was given to our neighbor who is a single mum with two small children who also gave him this great name :)
His eyes were made using the spoons in one of my last posts I love how they turned out! His hair was just a 3x3" piece of fur scrap (never throw out your scraps!) ..... watch for my next video on how I put on a fur wig cap as hair for your puppet! His tongue was some fun foam and I only put glue on the back section so the front would jiggle a little and make him look fun! He's so cute and I'm sure he will make two little girls laugh..... happy puppeting!

and a last thought

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, 

and your lips with shouting.

Job 8:21

Making yarn hair for puppets

Hi all, my next few posts will be about making hair for your puppets. previously you have seen my indigenous puppets well this yarn hair idea is what I used for the five girls. The idea was NOT my own I searched the net on doll hair making and used a mix of ideas to make it suit my needs... the original inspiration came from here at craft sheep.
The circumference around the head for my puppets was about 17" around, just above the ears and eyes that I wanted to cover. The card template I wrapped the yarn on measured 10 x 6" and one regular ball of wool made almost 2 wigs, my video below will show you all the details. They were basically made the same way as craft sheep made hers but on a bigger scale and an extra section. So I made a front fringe or bangs, a longer back under section and a thicker main overall wig with a center part. This way you get a full thick coverage and you see much less of the head skin.

This next pic shows how I pinned each section onto the head ready for sewing.... don't forget to remove the pins as you go .... I did ......

This is the wig finished! you can sew down small sections with matching fine thread just to keep the hair in place as sometimes during performances things can get a little crazy.... believe me I know! and you could also cut the fringe short as I did with some of the girls.

Well I hope you have found this helpful, enjoy the video (which I had a few problems with) and Happy puppeting!

and a last thought

And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. 

So don't be afraid; you are more valuable

 to God than a whole flock of sparrows.

Luke 12:7

 

Finally got my first big order finished and shipped!

Hi all, Yipeeeee! I finally got my first big puppet order finished and shipped! 10 indigenous puppets going to another state of Australia. Below are a mix of pics in the make stage. Happy to see them go to their new homes :)

 and a last thought

give thanks in all circumstances, 

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

 1 Thessalonians 5:18

still on the topic of eyes....... spoons?

 Hi all, I spent a nice visit with my parents last week and its always good to take something along to keep my creative Dad busy.... so I packed in a pack of plastic spoons and some 21mm safety eyes and we got creative!. Ive seen this done on the internet and a few different sites so its not a new idea or my idea but I thought I would show you what we did with them.

I found that the type of spoon was important. Some disposable spoons are very brittle and crack or break easily the more thick/flexible type works fine most of the time.... you still get the odd one that wont cut right or may crack but I can work with that ;) Cut the handle off first then trim each edge and finish it off with a light sand around the cut edges..... I use the rough side of a disposable nail file, they are a handy size to keep in my stash of supplies. Mark the eye placement and drill a hole in the spoon the same size as your safety eye back. At this point you can choose to add some glue to hold your safety eye in place. To attached them into your puppet use the same method as you would a normal safety eye and backing. I showed this in my last video tutorial called safety eyes and eye lashes. So once they were all done we had to try them on for size and I had three lucky volunteers :) ......... my Mum and Dad had some fun with them!

I love how they turned out.... now i can dig out all my eyes that I though were too small and create a good size fun looking set of eyes! thanks Dad :)

I hope you've enjoyed this and give them a try yourself you'll love how they turn out! happy puppeting!

and a last thought

God's eyes are on the ways of men;

He sees their every step.

Job 34:21