Cast your spell with us! We’ll have a blast making this voodoo altar, love shack. We’ll paint, saw, nail and goo-ga our hearts out! The roof is covered with hammered copper and patina’d, and gobbed up with copper nails and crazy little birthday candles which look great when lit. I will show you how to use a dremel jig saw that I will bring, and how to manipulate the copper. You need no prior experience with tools or metal at all. I just had such a fun time making this. And people who see it, LOVE it! I think the small size is exciting. It’s like a little voodoo dollhouse. The best part is the decorating and dangling charms from little screw eyes underneath. It now has me on the rampage searching for charms that have that Madame Laveau feel. Mine has voodoo "veves" drawn on the outside. Veves are charms drawn, often on the floor, to let in spirits. I researched to find benevolent veves to use. I will share a three page handout on the veves which has images of some if you want to draw a few on your altar. Instead if you wanted, your little altar could memorialize a person, or have another theme that excites you. So bring on your mojo and let’s do that hoodoo that you do so well!
Supply List:
- A small, 5” tall wooden birdhouse from a craft store the one I used can be found at JoAnn’s or AC Moore for $2. If you want me to bring you one just like mine, contact me I have a handful of them.
- 24ga sheet copper- I used 24ga roofing copper from my local Craft American hardware. I used just enough to cover the roof and a strip around the bottom (mine was approx. 3”x8” and 1”x8” ) Roofing copper is also available from metal shops that sell sheet metal. They will cut if for you too. (it is slightly thicker than chimney flashing which is paperthin and often has a tar backing) Or you can order it from Rio Grande or Contenti.com
- Precision, scissor style metal sheers or small snips to make the decorative trim
- A small hammer- I suggest a ball peen to texture the copper and I used a small tack hammer to drive in nails
- Copper cut tacks- I used 3 small packs of 14
- Craft paints- I used black, turquoise and red
- Paint brushes and little water cup of some sort
- Charms! bring an assortment of funky ones, maybe even fibers
- Craft wire to wire on charms, and or string. I used thin black annealed iron wire.
- Jewelry pliers to do the wire work, or scissors if you use twine or string
- A package of 14 small screw eyes
- An awl to start holes for screw eyes
- An assortment of birthday candles
- Small jewels and or mirror for embellishing. I found a little package of small square mirror tiles that I broke. You might even use old broken jewelry.
- Your favorite glue for gluing on do-dads. I used E6000, but if you have a favorite bring that.
- Mark making pens, sharpie or stamps anything you might want to embellish with.
- Dremel with carving bits and small drill bits will be handy (I will have mine available if you don't have one)
Optional items:
- A Eurotool hole punch -I will be bringing mine so we can share, but if you don’t want to wait and share you will want your own. Contact me if you want to purchase one.
- Wipes
- Gloves
- Close up glasses
- Work light if you need more light
Teacher will bring:
- All kinds of tools, patina and and a few extra supplies. I can supply items such as copper if you’d like. To contact me Also, there is an EXCELLENT hardware store Henery Hardware(360) 385-5900 in Port Townsend close to Artfest. They have all kinds of great stuff and can order and have it ready for you when you get there.
A Little About ME
I am so excited to join the gang again at Artfest. It is such an honor! During the year I teach metals at Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington, NC, and have taught around the country at other retreats and workshops. But Artfest is by far the most wonderful of those experiences. I love to make pretty much anything. My batchelors degree was in studio arts, mostly painting and printmaking. Later in life, I went back to school for my Master of Fine Arts and studied metals at East Carolina University.
