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Mosaic Sunglasses – oversized wall art

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I don’t have a link for you today. No tutorial to send you to, no blog post or artist gallery. The pictures I’m showing you here are off of my cruddy cell phone. A couple of months ago my oldest son had an appointment, and that meant I had some time to kill. So I called a friend who was familiar with the neighboring town of Elkhorn, Wisconsin. It was cold, snowy and slushy, and the town wasn’t really hopping the way it might have been in the summer months. So I asked my friend if there were any thrift stores or consignment shops I could kill some time in. She mentioned a cool store she had always wanted to go in called Uncle Hunk’s Junk. That sounded like my kind of place!

Unfortunately for me Uncle Hunk’s Junk closed some time ago. The building is still there as are some of the decorations and props. It’s now home to the Elkhorn Area Chamber of Commerce. There’s still a mannequin torso and legs suspended from the ceiling and these awesome mosaic sunglasses.

The sunglasses were probably four feet across, I only wish I had my actual camera with me instead of my phone. There’s not much information available about the old store online. There’s a great photo here of the outside of the building from a few years ago. The photo above is from the chamber’s website. See the amazing mural? It’s still there, no one painted over it. How could they? It’s too cool. Be sure to visit that link too, more amazing mural on the other side! The murals were painted by Florida artist, Christopher Burlini.

So if you are ever in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, make sure you stop by the chamber in the old Uncle Hunk’s Junk building. They’ll even give you a card for a local coffee shop good for a free cup of coffee. 🙂 Heck, if you’re even in Elkhorn, look me up, I’ll go with you!

In closing, here’s a couple of cruddy close ups (sorry, cell phone yuk) of the mosaic sunglasses. These were so fun.

Comments

  1. I LOVE this photo of the Mosaic Sunglasses! My husband is the Operations Manager of the largest eyeglass recycling centere in the world. We volunteer 60 hours a week to help provide donated eyeglasses to those in need around the world…it’s an awesome experience. This is gorgeous!!!!! Wish I’d thought of it!!
    Thanks for sharing this photo.

Have you read?

DIY Giant Eyeball Lanterns – Creepy Halloween Decoration

When it comes to Halloween, bigger is always better—and these giant eyeball lanterns prove it! With nothing more than plain white paper lanterns, a little paint, and some imagination, you can create huge, spooky eyes that look like they’ve popped right out of a monster movie.

They’re perfect for hanging from ceilings, displaying on porches, or grouping together in a corner for an eerie effect. Best of all, paper lanterns are super inexpensive (you can grab them on eBay, Amazon, or even your local dollar store), which makes this a great budget-friendly craft for big impact Halloween décor.

Supplies You’ll Need

  • Large round white paper lanterns (various sizes look best) 
  • Acrylic paints or craft paints in black, brown, green, red, orange, or blue (for irises) 
  • Wide paintbrush for background color 
  • Small paintbrush for details 
  • Black construction paper or cardstock (optional for spiky “lashes” or accents) 
  • Hot glue gun or strong craft glue 
  • String or fishing line (if you want to hang them) 

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Prep the Lanterns

  1. Assemble your white paper lanterns according to the package directions. 
  2. Make sure they’re fully open and the wire insert is in place so the surface is taut for painting. 

Step 2: Paint the Iris

  1. Using a wide brush, paint a large circle in the center of the lantern to create the iris. 
  2. Choose spooky colors—green, red, orange, or blue work wonderfully. 
  3. Don’t worry about making it perfectly smooth; streaks and uneven textures add to the eerie, organic look. 

Step 3: Add the Pupil

  1. Once the iris paint is dry, use black paint to fill in the pupil at the very center. 
  2. Make it large enough to stand out against the iris. 

Step 4: Detail the Eye

  • Use a smaller brush to add darker or lighter streaks in the iris for a more realistic effect. 
  • You can even add thin vein lines in red around the iris to give it that bloodshot look. 

Step 5: Optional Spiky Lashes

  1. Cut long triangles from black construction paper or cardstock. 
  2. Glue them around one side of the lantern so they stick out like sharp monster eyelashes. 
  3. This makes the eyeballs look even more monstrous and stylized. 

Step 6: Display Your Giant Eyeballs

  • Hanging: Use string or fishing line to suspend them from ceilings, trees, or porch rafters so they look like floating eyeballs. 
  • Stacked: Place them in corners, along stairs, or even grouped on your lawn for a spooky display. 
  • Tabletop: Use them as oversized Halloween party props. 

Tips & Variations

  • Glowing Eyes: Insert battery-powered LED lights into the lanterns so they glow from the inside. 
  • Rainbow Eyes: Mix up the colors and make a whole rainbow of creepy eyes. 
  • Monster Cluster: Group multiple eyeballs together in different sizes for a scarier effect. 

This DIY Giant Eyeball Lantern craft is quick, cheap, and gives you maximum Halloween spook factor with minimal effort. Whether you make one or a whole creepy collection, your haunted house setup will definitely be eye-catching!