Updates on the "One Stop Witch Shop"

What do broom racks, black cat "familiars" and crusty old potions display cabinets have in common?

They all belong in my One Stop Witch Shop!  I have no pictures yet but I did manage to get out into my own shop tonight (I've been busy painting a friend's house and having family over) and got a little work in on my witch shop display.  I have really worked on turning out a wickedly awful display cabinet.  I wanted this thing to look a million years old, wonky, and worn.  I've given it a paint treatment like none other:  layers of two different colors of wood stain, streaky orange paint, more stain over the top of that, and next may be wood burning to make it look even older.  I had a metal plate with stars cut out of it and I blackened it and added it to the open door of the cabinet.  I bought decorative metal cabinet door knobs that are also blackened to put in place of cheap wooden ones that were on there.  After I get a little more done to it I'll add a picture to this post.  I took a section out of the bottom of the cabinet to make room for a cage, for the "witch familiars" who will be available for purchase to whatever witch might need one.  I will be building completely from scratch a broom rack with a variety of different brooms I'll be making later on.  I've been thinking long and hard on potions names in either serious or funny themes to fill the cabinet with.  I know for sure I'll be making these:  Broom Hilda's Famous Minion Maker, Ruined Crop Drops, Love Potion #1 (we got it right the 1st time!), Essence of Spoiled Brat, Crows Feet (get that lovely wrinkled look in minutes!) and my personal favorite- Damn "IT" Cream :) :) :)    There's sure to be unhappy endings no matter what in this shop!  I'll post updates as soon as I feel I'm at a point where it's worth a look :)  See you sooner than last time!

Ok, so I got a little further but am FAR away from it being what I want it to be.  There will be hat stands with witch hats on them, bottles and bottles of interesting potions, the broom rack I haven't started yet, all kinds of things.  It took me forever to get the worn, distressed look I was after for the cabinet.  It had to be grungy, primitive for the look I was after.  Think late 1600's.  My pictures are always ten times worse than my things actually look in person, thanks to my awesome camera.  But you'll get the idea anyway.  I'm started, anyway.  I'm hoping at some point today to get a bottle or two done but I have a family thing (yet again) tonight that may interfere just like it did yesterday.  Now I love my family, I just don't think getting together constantly is good for my work schedule :)  They keep this up I may run away from home :)  Anywho, here's a dreadful pic I shot this morning in bad light.  I love that!  But it may be the only time I have today so here goes:

wish you could see the cats in the cage but you really can't

Ok so now I'm making poisoned apples for an apple barrel that goes with this (Just what an evil queen or witch needs to get her point across :) Is it too much to ask, to be the fairest in the land? I don't think so! These happen to be for sale, $5 an apple for the witch too busy to concoct her own living death potion. Look out Snow White! Your title is about to be taken :)  I made one before and here it is:

but this one will be a tad bit different.  The idea is pretty much the same though.  I've also been busy tonight (after my family cookout) sculpting tiny cursed foe toes for one of my bottles and tiny little crow's feet for another bottle.  I think I may start the next monster book of monsters for my new dear buddy Kate.  I've promised her a monster book and I never break a promise if I can help it.  So I have my clay and eyes on the table to start that as well :)  

Oh oh, I almost forgot, I sculpted a witch hat for the hat stand that goes up on top of the cabinet next to the shop sign too.  I'll need to cover it with fabric and decorate it before I can stick it up there though.  But I have to keep it simple and rather traditional because a fancy one would look silly on this very prim cabinet with the rustic paint/stain job.  Very old Salem, Mass if you know what I mean.  I have to keep within that style range on everything or risk ruining the old look I was going for.  

THANK YOU TO THE VERY TALENTED MINIATURE ARTIST DARK SQUIRREL VICTORIA FOR FEATURING ME ON HER WONDERFUL BLOG!!!  YOU ROCK GIRL AND I ASPIRE TO BE AS GOOD AS YOU SOMEDAY!  PLEASE VISIT HER FABULOUS ETSY.COM SHOP HERE :  http://www.etsy.com/shop/darksquirrel

FOR KICK BUTT MINIATURE CABINETS AND THE BEST DARN BEAD BOTTLES I'VE EVER SEEN!  HER DRESSER DISPLAYS ARE TO DIE FOR!  I'M A MINIATURE ARTIST MYSELF BUT IF I EVER WANT A DRESSER DISPLAY I'M EVEN GOING TO HER :)  WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU? :) :) :)

AND SHE'S INCREDIBLY NICE TO BOOT.  THAT'S ALWAYS A PLUS!    

Here's some potion and ingredient bottles I just made for this set, still working on it when I can but I've had some custom orders to fill first.  Plus I have to work around my kids and housework/cooking schedule.