Halloween 24/7

Yep. You know how you get a little itchy when you haven't done something Halloween related in a while?
No? Really?
Well, okay. But just to mix things up a bit, it's Halloween in May at my house.
Here's a fun thing I made using Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts super-sturdy-do-anything-on-'em Chunky ATC Blanks. I love these things. They are just about indestructible and put up with a lot of mixed media, sanding, painting over and general artsy masochism.
This is a straightforward project, so I wasn't so hard on the poor things this time, but I like the visual effect.

  They are fairly simple but I like the stark contrast of the black trees (I used the 3D Chip Board Tree-3inch and just a little black silhouette of a Halloween critter (which I just drew in with a good black marker) with some borders I cut from the Graphic 45 Rare Oddities Ephemera Cards.
Easy, but effective.
Here's where it began...

I then covered the fronts of the ATC's with my chosen papers.

I cut the borders from the G45 papers and cut the trees in half. I painted them black (some are white in the photo, but later I changed them to all black).

Please note that the borders are larger than the ATC's and that is okay.

Setting aside the trees to dry, I flipped the ATC's over, lined them up and glued a ribbon down the center of the ATC's, leaving enough ribbon at the top to loop over as a hanger.
Do a dry run of the frames on the ATC's with the frames and ribbon to make sure you've left enough space for you to glue the frames on to the ATC's and not have them overlap.
I chose to have very little space between each piece, but you might like more of the ribbon to show between each one. Your choice!

After the ribbon dried, I glued the frames and the trees on the front, making sure the frames were centered as best I could make them on the ATC's. 

After the trees dried I drew in some simple Halloween shapes with a pencil and went over them with a very black marker.
I chose a bat, a cat and a spider, but you can let your creepy critter flag wave here and choose whatever you like.

Not to waste, I finished off the backs with the center pieces I cut out of the G45 ephemera cards.

Simple but effective.
Going for the simple design that has visual impact.
Hope you like it!
Thanks for dropping by.

SUPPLIES:
Chunky ATC Blanks
3D Chip Board Tree-3inch 
Graphic 45 Rare Oddities Ephemera Cards
Ribbon
Black paint
Black marker

A Sugar Skull House for Halloween

I know it's only June, but I am all about Halloween lately, and most everybody knows how much I love doing houses, so here is a Sugar Skull in a house.
With bats.
And some scary tree bits.
Here it is lit up with glowing eyes.

 And unlit, but still looks pretty cool in the daylight.

  I started out with the Mini House Room Box 4x4 Open. I took away the attic floor to make room for the Sugar Skull 1.

I laid the skull on top of the large center piece and marked where I wanted to drill holes for my glowing eyes.

I drilled the holes to the size of the tea light flames, NOT the whole tea light. I'm going to glue the body of the tea light in place on the back of the house, but we'll do that in a later step. For now, I dry fit the tea light to make sure the flame fits through the holes I drilled.

I cut papers for the main body of the house, back, front and sides (outside only). I glued the sides and the roof on, painted the inside of the house walls, ceiling and floor and then glued all the papers on.

 Next, I painted almost everything else black. Sugar Skull, Creepy Tree (I used bits and  pieces of the 8-inch Creepy Tree and the 5-inch Creepy Tree) Chipboard Bats Set (you can get them HERE) and the ridge ornament, which is the Chipboard Fleur Border. (Get it HERE)

I shingled the roof and painted most of it brown, adding a few rows of black to accent the pattern. I glued the ridge ornament on as well. You can see some of the roof and ridge in the picture below. I apologize for not getting a WIP shot. I was all into the groove and forgot.

when all the glue and paint dried, I added the trees and the bats on the back. I used black double stick foam tape to stick the trees on and mounted the bats on wires and then glued them on to the tree and added some black roses to pretty up the joined bits. I got the roses from Alpha Stamps, the same place I got the bats and the ridge ornament and the Dresden trim, which I glued on to the base of the ridge ornament and the gable edge of the house front.

Last but not least, I added some corks to the sugar skull and glued into place and turned on the lights!

That's a good start on Halloween!

SUPPLIES:
Mini House Room Box 4x4 Open
Sugar Skull 1
Creepy Tree (8inch)
Creepy Tree 5inch
Chipboard Shingles-Pointed

From Alpha Stamps:
Chipboard Bat Set
Black Zig Zag Dresden Borders
Chipboard Fleur Border

Additional:
BoBunny Double Dot Vintage Chiffon
Graphic 45 Olde Curiosity Shoppe Genuine Article
Two tea lights
Black Paint
Thank you for stopping by!

The House has Eyes.....

Ever notice that some houses seem to have an extra something? How often times one can walk into a house and feel the age it has, the personality it has developed over years of inhabitants, events, lives passing through it? Who loved it and who never noticed it was present?
I love imagining what stories a house holds, what shaped it over the years.
I made this House Room Box with 4 Cubbies with that thought in mind.

Back view....

I started with the House Room Box with 4 Cubbies.

 I cut the intereior paper for the back, remembering to cut out the slots!

I painted the the rest of the interior black and glued the pieces in, starting with the inside, center 'shelves' and then the exterior walls.

 After everything dried, I papered the outside of the box and began to glue the shingles on.
I used the Chipboard Shingles-Pointed and worked my way from the bottom to the top.
It took 12 pieces to cover one side - 6 bits with four points and six with five points. I cut them using a sharp pair of scissors. Centering the fist piece with four points and using that as a measurement for trimming the long (five points) after the glue dries.

One side completed and ready to trim.

To trim the shingles, I flipped the house upside down and using a sharp pair of scissors I cut along the edge of the short row of shingles (the four point). It gives you a bit of eaves.
I have tried using a sharp craft knife, but scissors seemed to work best for me.

I painted the roof black and added some Dresden Trim detail.....

I added more Dresden trim on the back and these great silhouettes from the Black Creepy Critters Set (coming soon)

I also painted a wooden candles stick holder black and glued it on the bottom of the house and added more trims for extra details, melted some white birthday candles and glued them on brass findings and stuck them in the house.
after that, it was me just adding lots of little things I have made or collected.
I used Graphic 45 scrapbook papers from the 'Olde Curiosity Shoppe' collection, including the great pair of eyes with the spectacles.

Little stamped brass flowers were added to the places were I didn't want raw trim edges showing. A book I made with a polymer clay cover was placed in the lower right cubby along with some fun bits and pieces including a polymer clay pumpkin. Fun!

SUPPLIES:
House Room Box with 4 Cubbies
Chipboard Shingles-Pointed
Black Creepy Critters Set (coming soon)

Additional supplies
Candlestick Holder (you can get HERE)
Dresden Trim (HERE)
Graphic 45 Olde Curiosity Shoppe Scrapbook Paper
Various brass findings and wee objects
Birthday Candles
Black acrylic paint
polymer clay

Thank you for stopping by!

Skellie ATC Shrine Boxes

Huzzah! More Halloween!
Lora here creating more fun Halloween-y stuff for the awesomeness that is Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts. Here are my two slightly creepy but fun Halloween Skeleton ATC Shrine Boxes.

Super fun, easy to make and great to display!

To create some depth, I stacked images from G45's Rare Oddities Collection. You can see an example of this in the image below.....

I started out by gluing the Shrine together, painting the sides (inside and out) black and cutting out the images I wanted to use, all from the 8x8 pad.

The background paper and the paper I used on the back side of the shrine is my favorite Bo Bunny Vintage Double Dot paper in Citrus (inside) and Green (outside back). Glue those in first.
I cut four pieces of chipboard 1/2 inches wide, painted them black and glued them to the sides of the shrine to support the 'frame' that will be the middle layer...you can see the frame in the above photo.
A pic of the supports...

I glue the frame onto the supports.

After that dried, I then glued in the skeleton, which has four widths of chipboard glued to its back to bring it up off of the background paper.
It would seem simpler to glue the skeleton in and then the frame, but I found that it's best to do the frame first and then center the interior piece to the frame, rather than the other way around.

I glued the outside border paper to the edge of the shrine, added some Dresden trim (which you can get HERE) and a few extra details like some brass findings, a few discreet sparklies and little white dots.

Don't forget to decorate the bag and sign your work!

SUPPLIES
 ATC Shrine Boxes

Additional Supplies;
Black Dresden Trim
G45 Rare Oddities Scrapbook Paper
Bo Bunny Vintage Double Dot Papers
Flat bck Crystals
Brass Findings
White Acrylic paint

Thank you for stopping by!

Halloween ATC Ticket Journal

Hello everyone, my turn to show a fun project for the awesome Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts!
At this time of year I am all about Halloween.
Well, most of the year I am all about Halloween, but this time of year is full throttle and I transform into a Halloween locomotive, whistle blowing cheerfully and whooshing along.
Today, I've got a little Alice inspired ATC Ticket Journal to show you.
I really like this fun little thing. It's like an accordion book and I do love making books.

Here we go....
I started out with the ATC Ticket Journal.

I cut ten 2x3 inch pieces of scrapbook paper in colors I like and made a little template on graph paper from the curve on the corners of the Ticket Journal, traced them on to my scrapbook paper, cut them out and set them aside.

 I reinforced the fold lines of the Journal with linen hinging tape (you don't have to do this if you choose not to) and painted the whole thing front and back, black.

I glued my papers on the Journal, being mindful about making sure they are centered.

Working on the 'back' of the piece first, I cut a strip of ribbon about 18 inches, drew a bead of glue across the center of the end panel (on the left.... that folds naturally so that it is on top when the journal is completely folded).

I centered the ribbon, so that an equal length is on both sides and glued it down, let it dry a bit and then glued down my chosen image on top of it.

I continued gluing down my images on each panel of the back side......

I kept the design simple and clean, let it dry and started working on the front panels,
repeating the process of gluing the images on to each panel, but I added more detail, like strips of pattern and Dresden trim before attaching the actual images on top.
You can see some of the layering in these detail shots.....

And of course, after everything was dry, I went back and added dots for a bit more detail!

SUPPLIES:
ATC Ticket Journal 

Graphic 45 Halloween In Wonderland
Bo Bunny Double Dot Vintage Paper in Orange Citrus, Shadow and Bright Green.
Dresden Black Zig Zag Trim (you can get it HERE)
Sharpie White Poster Paint Marker
Black Acrylic paint
Ribbon
Linen Hinging Tape

Thank you for stopping by!