The specimen jar

Good Morning everyone

Today card is for a good craft friend who is halloween & tim holtz mad, she loves using Tims paper dolls so i have teamed up 3 paper dolls with an acetate jar i had.  It is sat on the shelf in the witches den among her other lotions & potions 

   I took a piece of white card and drew around the jar acetate as it has a border around the actual printed line, i then used a craft knife to cut just inside the pencil line, i used very thin super hightack tape to adhered the bottle behind the aperture.  Before actually sticking the jar in, i used glittery texture paste through a shattered stencil and inked up with oxide inks, once dry attahed the jar.

I cut another piece of white card with the next size up die, in the middle where the bottle would be i inked with lemonade and twisted citron inks to give a glowing effect, the outside edge i inked with violet, potion and sapphire inks.  I worked out where i wanted my 3 paper dolls so that they would appear in the bottle and adhered them in position.  I added foam tape to the back of the front panel and stuck into place.  

From previous years i had these digital images of jars, skulls, eyes, bugs printed off and covered with glossy accents.  They are a very very old daisytrail digi-kit.  I arranged them around the main image.  I also had an offcut of spider web and 2 spiders, all cut from black card and dry brushed with silver paint - i also added crackle accents to the spiders.

Dreadfully wicked chipboard

and then 3 chit chat stickers which i mounted onto black card

'Watching and waiting'

'what horrors they had seen'

'Here in the darkened house of weeping'

..............one day the specimen jar will break and they will escape and get the witch😊

This is my last halloween card for this, ive had great fun letting the imagination run wild and distract from real life for a while.

Items Used:

PET/acetate/transparency jar 

Tim Holtz Stencil - shattered

Tim Holtz Paper dolls

Tim Holtz Halloween clipping stickers & Halloween baseboards

Stamperia texture paste 'arctic ice'

Distress Inks 'squeezed lemonade, twisted citron'

Oxide inks ' violet, villainous potion'

Spider & web die

Discontinued daisytrail digital kit for all the bottles, skull, eyeball etc...

Thank you all for stopping by once again. I can't believe its half term already, babysitting 3 nieces so lots of crafting to be done which is lovely, i provide the stash they provide the energy & imagination.  I hope you all have a great week.  Big hugs Emma

Id love to enter the following:

https://craftycalendarchallenge.blogspot.com/2023/10/october-challenge-autumn.html

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https://trimmiescraftchallenge.blogspot.com/2023/10/challenge-695-halloween-thanksgiving.html

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https://craftrocketchallenges.blogspot.com/2023/10/challenge-108-autumn-andor-halloween.html

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https://throughthepurplehazechallenges.blogspot.com/2023/10/challenge-209.html

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https://cinspirations.blogspot.com/2023/10/october-challenge-autumn-or-halloween.html

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https://creativecraftinguncles.blogspot.com/2023/10/46-halloween.html

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https://papercraft-challenges.blogspot.com/2023/10/challenge-99-happy-halloween.html

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https://twooldbatshalloweenchallenge.blogspot.com/2023/10/october-anything-halloween.html

 

Beware...

Good Morning everyone

Although its a bit early for halloween i had the urge to make something for my craft friends birthday as she absolutely loves anything spooky. I came up with this home decor piece which can either be hung up on the wall or stood up on its pumpkin feet to display. 

I have put step-by-step below with how i built it up.  Once i had the background and paint work finished i added a black die cut spider web which i added touches of silver paint to, 3 tim holtz chip board sayings and covered with glossy accents, a candle and then the plastic spider, fly & ants, these i covered with black gesso to take away the plastic look and then a touch of black cadence dora paint. . 

I sealed the final piece with mod podge to give it some protection

I took a chipboard page from a very old chipboard album i bought and never used, added polyfiller through a crackle stencil to give a spider web effect and then just dabbed the excess onto the side of the panel to give some texture and interest to the finish effect.   I glued 2 little wooden fences into place.

I took 2 of the larger polystyrene pumpkins and cut slots into them to slide the bottom of the chipboard into and glued into place, this gave it feet so it can stand up on its own.  I cut a 3rd large pumpkin in half and glued one half into place in the middle.  I cut a smaller pumpkin in half and glued both halves into place, building up my pumpkin stack.  

I chopped the head & one arm off a plastic skeleton, pushed the neck into one of the pumpkins and the arm to the top of the pumpkins.  I took a plastic arm and glued between the bottom pumpkins.  Once the glue was totally dry i covered it all in black gesso.

I added a couple of small tim holtz pumpkins to the top of my pumpkin stack & I then splodged on acrylic paints in orange, green & purple - Yes it is a right mess but a necessary step to give the final finish depth and colour rather than just flat black.  Even once you add all the top layers of paint these colours really do still show through. I also rounded the top corners with my WRMK corner chomper which easily cuts the chipboard

I then dry brushed on more black gesso

I then dry brushed silver & black candence dora paints to the background, these are super shimmery in real life and when the light hits them.  I built up the pumpkins with orange & gold dora paints & acrylic paints, adding little by little until it was at a level i was happy with which happened over several days. 

This shows the bits before i assembled, collected over the last few years, the plastic skeletons from poundland (I think) are great as for this project i just cut the head and arm off one which leaves more body parts for another project.  The plastic dolls arms came from poundland many years ago too, the insects were from morrisons and the polystyrene pumpkins from ebay

Id love to enter the following:

http://unicornchallenge.blogspot.com/2023/09/challenge-91-layer-it-up.html  - ive added lots of layers of paint

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http://getcreativechallenges.blogspot.com/2023/09/125-pumpkin-spice-please.html

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https://twooldbatshalloweenchallenge.blogspot.com/2023/09/september-anything-halloween.html

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https://halloweencraftsallyearround.blogspot.com/2023/08/aug-15-sept-14-challenge-7.html

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https://mostmagicaltimeoftheyear.blogspot.com/2023/09/challenge-12-most-magical-anything.html

 

Pumpkins

Good Morning everyone

Today im sharing the only Halloween cards i made, i used a stampendous pumpkin stamp and aall&create spider web.

I made my cardbase from orange pearl cardstock which has a lovely shimmer to it, i stamped the spider web in 2 corners using grey ink and stamped the sentiment in black in the bottom right corner.  I then took some patterned papers and stamped the batty spider web in the middle, matted onto black and added a die cut a frame from black and added over the top with foam tape.  I took an offcut of the same paper matted onto black and added to the left side of the card front. I then added my topper panel with more foam tape.

I stamped the pumpkins and watercoloured with inktense pencils and cut out. Fright night sentiment stamped in black and die cut into an inverted scallop circle.  I added glossy accents to the pumpkin, bat & owl eyes to finish.

Version 2

It is interesting as i stamped all the pumpkins on off cuts of white card - i have a drawer full!  Anyway i used the same inktense pencils on them all and they look quite different, the first one brighter and more muted on this one.

and version 3, made the same way but i added Mr Crow who id paper pieced to add a bit of colour and i cut the pumpkins up to build a little scene around the crow.  

Items Used:

Stampendous stamps 'pumpkin night'

Aall&create stamps #445 dashing crow & #572 spooky sky

Clearly besotted sentiment stamp

Frame die

Stitched circle dies

Spellbinders inverted scallop die

Funky Fossil paper pad 'kaleidoscope'

Inktense pencils

Thank you all for stopping by and all your lovely comments too, i really do appreciate it.  I hope you all have a good week.  Its half term so i hope to catch up with my nieces at some point. Hugs Emmaxx

Id love to enter the 1st card in the following:

https://countryviewchallenges.blogspot.com/2022/10/october-2022-halloween-or-harvest.html

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http://sweetstampinchallengeblog.blogspot.com/2022/10/halloweenthe-colours-of-halloween.html

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http://craftrocketchallenges.blogspot.com/2022/10/challenge-97-autumnhalloween.html

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http://craftycalendarchallenge.blogspot.com/2022/10/october-challenge-halloween.html

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Happy Halloween

Good Morning everyone

Today is a little Halloween card for a crafty friend who is big into Halloween and i had great fun making it.

5x5" black cardbase.   I dug out a previously made background which was made with brushos & pixie powders, cut it to fit my card and die cut the star circle from the middle which i backed with orange mirri card to act as stars shining in the sky.

  

I die cut the spider and web from black card and added a little silver paint to them both and glued into place, trimming any overhang from the web.  I used a black fine liner pen to draw in a line for my spider to dangle from.

Aall&create crow stamp i stamped twice onto orange inked card, i cut out the whole of one and then just the hat & jacket from the 2nd one which i decoupaged on top.  I added glossy accents to his eye and goggles and glued into place after stamping my greeting.

Items Used:

Aall&create stamp 'dashing crow'

Sentiment stamp

Star wreath cutting die

Spider & web cutting die

Brushos

Pixie powders

Orange Mirri card

Thank you all for stopping by.  I hope you all enjoy the weekend and halloween if you celebrate it.  Hugs Emmax

Id love to enter the following:

http://sweetstampinchallengeblog.blogspot.com/2021/10/sweet-stampin-all-hallows-eve.html

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http://useyourstuff.blogspot.com/2021/10/434-halloween-or-pumpkins.html

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https://lilredwagon.blogspot.com/2021/10/challenge-625-outside.html

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http://craftygalscornerchallenges.blogspot.com/2021/10/challenge-224-halloween-colours.html

 

Spooky

Good Morning everyone

Today is a little fun mixed media project inspired by 

 Make a halloween scene  

I started with an MDF frame, dug out lots of stamps and mediums and got playing.  Whereas last week my katzelkraft owl was out in the daytime, today its full on night time.  There is an owl that sits on my parents chimney at night hooting - always sounds spooky in the dead of night when everything else is silent.

Ive had this MDF box frame for years, i had the idea of the owls living in an owl barn and looking out the window to the dark of the grave

Frame approx 8x8" Inside frame size 6x6"  Please see last photo for how i did the frame & background.  I then found a chipboard grave stone in my stash which i covered with black gesso and dry brushed on some silver & gold paint.  I added with glue gel and added a skull and leg bone and a fly.  I die cut my spider & web from black card and brushed on silver & gold paint, i added crackle accents to the spiders body.  I glued the web to the top left behind the front frame.

I had the die cut ivy left from another project - its been coloured with brusho's.  I stamped and coloured my owls with inktense pencils and cut them out.  I went with bright colours as i didn't want my project to be too dark on the wall.  I got a dried hazel twig from the hedge and attached to the frame and then arranged my owls.  Tim Holtz words to finish.

I like using inktense pencils to colour images for home decor as ive found they are much more colour fast than using inks.

Of course i had to add glossy accents to the owls eyes

Peeking inside - these fab plastic flies i found in morrisons a few years ago

I first used a brick stencil on the outside frame with texture paste and on the middle piece i just added texture paste with a pallette knife to give a rough texture, once dry painted all with black gesso.  Once the gesso was dry i painted on patches of purple, yellow, green and blue paints to pick up on the colours i used on my owls.  I then dry brushed on more black to help the bright colours blend in but you can still just see them.  I then dry brushed over the top with silver & gold paint to highlight the textures. 

For my scene i cut a piece of white card for fit inside, i added a circle mask to act as the moon and then sprinkled on brushos in colbalt & prussian blue and purple pixie powder to add some shimmer.  Once completely dry i removed the mask and using a brush added a little colour to the moon to make it less white and stark.

I then stamped the big tree & eyes (sheena) in black and the smaller trees and the one with owl (choc baroque)  I coloured them with walnut & black soot oxide inks and added some shadow in the bottom of the frame and around my eyes.  The eyes i coloured with lime/lemonade oxide ink and a white gel pen.

Items Used:

Katzelkraft stamps - KTZ237 'Les Super Chouettes'

Chocolate baroque stamps 'howling moon'

Sheena Douglass stamps 'Little Red' & 'Scary tree'

Ivy, Spider & web dies

Brick stencil

Golden texture paste

Pebeo acrylic paints

MDF box frame

Derwent inktense pencils

Brushos & Pixie powders

Tim Holtz chit chat stickers

Thank you all for stopping by once again.  I hope you have a good week and we have a bit less rain than last week.  Stay safe. Hugs Emmaxx

Id love to enter the following:

Hopefully if the new blogger feature works the links are now attached to the images - so fingers crossed you can click on the image and it takes you there😀

 

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House of Horrors

Good Morning everyone.  

So today im sharing something a bit different with a 3 dimensional project.  Im not really into halloween but am into all things mystical - witches, vampires, Cornish Piskeys so had great fun decorating this house shaped printer tray.

I bought a pack of halloween emphemra from ebay, containing lots of different products including tim holtz and combined with items ive collected over the years in my stash.  I decided to give each room of the house a different theme.  The attic isn't yet finished, im still looking for the perfect items which i have in mind. 

Overall Size: 12x7" (20x30 cm).  I first added touches of sand texture paste for the front edges and through a brick stencil on the outside sides of the house.  Once dry covered it all with black gesso. I then highlighted with dry brushing silver acrylic paint on top to give a kind of moonlight feel. 

I cut a blue and gold foil paper, inked the edges and glued to the back of each room of the house as wallpaper. I then bit by bit built up the rooms with items until i was happy, more details below on each room.  I then die cut spiders & webs from black cardstock, again added silver paint and added these to the front of the house.  

The Copse Bride room - i added a grunge board skull & cross bones to the back of the room, my immortal soul tab on top. A vintage wedded couple image, grave stone, skull, spider and white flowers inked with a touch of red. I added a black inked heart in the background. 

Close up, love the skull, so much detail in it

A close up on the spider web, see the fly? - Morrisons supermarket Halloween isle, i toned it down a bit with black ink but think it looks quite realistic. 

Lots of bottles of potions for the witches to use, ive built them up in the background using digital images printed out and sealed with mod podge.  For my real bottles in some i added a drop of alcohol ink just to stain the glass, in the red one there ive added lots of red alcohol ink and glued the cork lid in - a bottle of blood of course.  Micro beads, and glitter in another bottle.  Bits of twine and handmade tatty labels.  One bottle has tipped over and lost its cork stopper and that pesky fly is about. 

Is it an Angel, A Cherub or a nightmare?! I added wings which are actually a die cut angel wings but were the perfect size for the Tim Holtz doll, i also added black ink to tone down the white.  

The bats are sleeping peacefully while the spooky hand carries away an eyeball to its hidden lair.  Not another fly!  My eye balls are digital images, printed out and covered with glossy accents.  The hand reminds me of 'thing' in the Addams Family.

The Witches Lair -  2 Witches over seeing their latest potion.  The cauldron is chipboard - i painted it with black gesso, adding the gesso thick in places to give it texture.  In the backgound a pale whispy girl - Is it a ghost?!  More spiders and cobwebs.  Label in the front.  I added a metal bat at the top of this room too, being too shiny i again added black gesso to dull it down. 

More potions, i used sequins for my mermaid scales bottle, another spider and a little key...... maybe the key unlocks the attic...... time will tell....

This shows the outside wall of the house.  I added sand texture paste through a brick stencil, the sand texture gives a more realistic look to the bricks i think.  Once dry covered with black gesso and dry brushed on red and orange imagination crafts starlight paints and then just a light touch of silver acrylic paint. 

Items Used:

Tim Holtz idea'logy range

Mini bottles and various metal, chipboard charms & ephemera

spider & web die

Daisytrail 'steampunk emporium' digikit

Serif craft artist

Imagination crafts starlight paints

Brick stencil

Sand texture paste

Black gesso