Hey, gang!
It’s Patrick Hurd again from DoomBuggy Productions. First of all, I want to wish you all a belated Happy 2004. Hopefully, there’ll be lots of greats arts and crafts projects for you JHM readers in the weeks ahead.
To get the New Year off to a spirited start, I thought that we might tackle a project that keys off of one of my favorite characters from Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” attraction. That lovely lady who’s such a ball to hang out with, Madam Leota.
Now I know, I know. Since I started “At Home Imagineering” I have hosted several arts and crafts projects that prominently featured little Miss has-a-great-head-on-her … pedestal. These have included a custom made “Haunted Mansion” themed baby mobile as well as a Madam Leota Christmas ornament. However, this AHI project will be somewhat different in that it’s going to look like Jennifer Tilly (the actress who played the disembodied spirit in Disney’s recent “Haunted Mansion” movie) rather than Leota Toombs (the late Imagineer who actually served as the “head” model for Leota).
Which is why — this time around — I’m going to show you how to create a Madam Leota Rear View Mirror Hanger!
To properly pull off this project, you’re going to need one of the Madam Leota Happy Meal toys that were available during McDonalds’ recent promotion of Walt Disney Pictures’ “Haunted Mansion” movies. (My apologies to those of you who don’t have one of these lying around. Perhaps if you poke around eBay, you might one of these available for sale. But — in the future — if you’d like to know what sort of special arts and crafts material you should be squirreling away for future projects, then I suggest you sign up for the DoomBuggy Productions mailing list.
Anyway, what you’re going to need to do before we get started here is to break the clear plastic ball that your Madam Leota Happy Meal toy is enclosed in. What we’re really interested in the white plastic piece inside. The one that has the inverted image of Jennifer Tilly’s Madam Leota on it.
Okay. Now that you’ve done that … I want you to flip this piece over. Why for? Because we’re going to painting the positive side of the plastic. The side where Leota’s face actually looks like a face, rather than a mask turned inside out.
Once you’ve painted the face, you then place Madam Leota right inside of a plastic craft ornament ball. McDonalds was actually kind enough to make this Happy Meal toy the exact right size to fit inside one of these craft balls. Wasn’t that nice of Ronald?
Of course what would a crystal ball be without a base? So you take that wonderfully designed base off of the Madam Leota Happy Meal toy and give it a fresh coat of paint and a little antiquing. You then can glue the base to your new crystal ball and PRESTO CHANGEO! Your new miniature Madam Leota can be displayed pretty much anywhere. I designed mine so that it could be hung from my rear view mirror. But don’t let that stop you from hanging yours anywhere you want.
For a full set of instructions for this week’s “At Home Imagineering” project, head on over to the DoomBuggy Productions website.
In other news … If you want to pop over to DoomBuggy Productions and check out our “At Home Imagineering” section, you’ll find that one last Christmas ornament project that I had wanted to finish for the holiday season of 2003 is finally done. So if you’ve ever wanted your own set of “Changing Portraits” Xams ornaments … Now’s your chance.
Also, I just wanted to give a “heads up” up to all you JHM readers who have come to enjoy the weekly version of my “At Home Imagineering” column. I’m going to be cutting back for a while. For the next few months, I’m only going to be contributing one or two columns a month to JimHillMedia.com.
“Why for?” (… as our fearless leader would say…) Well, my plate is kind of full for the next few months. You see, I’ve got to complete a renovation of my home because … well … my wife and I just found out that we’re expecting! Yep, mini Disney fan No. 3 is officially on the way!
So please excuse a slight slow down of new arts and crafts projects from JHM. Once the work on the house is complete, you can expect to see some VERY ambitious, large, in-depth “At Home Imagineering” projects popping up over at JimHillMedia.com. Projects that — in the true Jim Hill spirit — will probably play out as series. Taking several different installments to complete. So keep an eye out for those in the coming months.
Finally … For months now, not-very-handy folks have been asking me how they can get their hands on some of DoomBuggy Productions’ most popular projects (You know? My Crystal Arcade Sign, Scrooge’s Money Bin Piggy Bank and the Haunted Mansion Wall Clock?) WITHOUT actually building those projects themselves? Well, here — finally! — is your answer:
As Jim Hill will no doubt concur, running a website ain’t cheap. Which is why I’ve decided to hold a little fund raiser. Now — seeing as I’m not the type of guy who likes to take and not give back — here’s what I’m going to do: For every $2.50 that you donate toward the operation of the DoomBuggy Productions website, your name will be entered into a drawing for the above mentioned three items.
The drawing for the Crystal Arcade Sign, Scrooge’s Money Bin Piggy Bank and the Haunted Mansion Wall Clock will be held during the second week of February. Winners will be announced on the DoomBuggy Productions website on February 11th. I will be contacting the winners in the order that their names were drawn so that they’ll have their choice of the remaining items. (I only have one of each of these projects. So — if you’re lucky number three — you’ll have to take what’s left.) Ten additional winners will receive one of our limited DoomBuggy Productions edition collectors pins.
For more information on how you can donate to the operation of DoomBuggy Productions, just drop by the site.
Your continued support and enthusiasm for these “At Home Imagineering” projects is what keeps DoomBuggy Productions going. And — for that — I will be forever grateful.
Okay. That’s it for this week. Until next time, happy crafting!
Patrick Hurd
www.doombuggyproductions.com