17turtles Juliana Michaels

The Witching Hour

Hello friends and welcome back! I want to thank all of you who stopped by to check out my last post! Today I'm back with another Halloween Mixed Media project, because well...it's that time of the year! At least for me anyway! I recently got my hands on some of the new Tim Holtz Halloween Idea-ology and I couldn't help but grab the paper doll witches and use them as the focal point for this Halloween project. The day after I got the new goodies, I went to a friend's house for a crafty weekend and created this project. I'm excited that I've finally found the time to share it with you. This project is a Halloween themed Etcetera Tag called The Witching Hour!

Small Etcetera Tag Base

To get started, I used a Small Etcetera Tag as my base. I covered it with a piece of paper from the 8x8 Paper Stash Abandoned. I lined up the paper with the top of the tag and trimmed off the excess. Because the paper is smaller than the tag, I used a scrap from what I trimmed off the top and adhered it to the bottom of the tag. Later on when I added the shelf, I was able to cover up the seam. This paper is already so wonderfully distressed, but I did ink the edges a bit and then added some Crackle Paste to grunge it up a little more. Once the paste was dry, I inked over it with some Distress Ink.

One thing I wanted to share with you that I've learned after working with a couple of these tags, is that it really helps to cover the backside of the tag with paper too. My first two tags warped quite a bit from all the stuff on the front side, so I decided to see what would happen if I put some paper on the back side of this tag. I had absolutely no warping, so I will definitely be using that trick on future projects. For this one, I used a piece of paper from one of the past Halloween Paper Pads. In my mind it was a great way to use up some of my stash too!

The Witching Hour Halloween Mixed Media Tag featuring Tim Holtz Halloween products

Metal Adornments & Findings

Before I continue on, let me share about the metal pieces on this project. This includes the following: Metal Gate, bat from the Halloween Adornments, small Pocket Watch, metal spiders, chain (which was from my friends stash), keys and Vintage Clip. With all of these, I painted them first with Collage Medium using my finger. Once this was dry, I used either my finger or a bit of paper towel to dab on Distress Paint in Black Soot, Hickory Smoke, Walnut Stain and a tiny bit of Rusty Hinge. I still find this to be trial and error, but if you just keep adding paint, let it dry and add some more it will build up the layers and eventually it starts to take on a nice grungy look!

Lace Baseboard Frame

Next I began working on the Lace Baseboard Frame. I sprayed it with some Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain Distress Oxide Spray and some water to give the frame an aged look. I then backed it with a piece of Halloween Worn Wallpaper. I felt like it still needed something, so I grabbed the Falling Stars Stencil, placed it on top of the frame and inked over it with Ranger Embossing Ink. I then removed the stencil and sprinkled it with Liquid Platinum Embossing Powder and heat set it with a heat gun. Now the frame was making me happy!

Paper Doll Witches

The Baseboard Frame was of course created to frame those awesome paper doll witches. I hate to admit this, but this is my first time to make something using the paper dolls and I'm afraid I'm now a bit addicted to them! I added some color to it using a finger dauber and Distress Oxide Ink. I tried several other methods of adding color, including a technique Paula Cheney shared that uses Distress Crayons. I however, found this option to be the easiest for me.

Etcetera Scallop Trims Shelf

Below the frame, I created a shelf using one of the Etcetera Scallop Trims. I painted it with Black Soot Distress Paint and adhered it to the Tag. I then added some Crackle Paste and then inked over it once the paste was dry.

Next, I began gathering the items I wanted to sit on the shelf. They of course, needed to fit the witch theme, so I grabbed a Broomstick, skull, pumpkin and a mix of Corked and Apothecary Vials. I also made a set of keys using a jump ring and some of the small keys from the Keys Adornments. For everything, except the keys, I used similar techniques to distress them as I did on The Witches' Kitchen project I recently shared. Feel free to jump over there to check that out.

Once I had all the metal pieces and the shelf items ready to go, I adhered them to the shelf, along with a piece of inked cheesecloth. Tim makes Mummy Cloth which looks very similar. I can't speak to the differences between these since I don't have any Mummy Cloth, but I have tons of cheesecloth on hand and sometimes you just have to make do with what you do have on hand.

The final touch on this project was the addition of the swirl green die cut from the Sizzix Thinlits Twisted Edge. I cut it from watercolor paper and then inked it with a combination of Distress Oxide in Peeled Paint, Shabby Shutters and Forest Moss.

Thanks so much for stopping by today and I hope you enjoyed learning more about how I created The Witching Hour Halloween Mixed Media Project.

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This post contains affiliate links to Scrapbook.com and Simon Says Stamp. If you buy anything through my links, it adds no extra cost to you, but it does help me keep my blog up and running and allows me to share this content with you! I truly appreciate and thank you for your support! (If you're interested, you can see my full disclosure statement here.)

The Witches' Kitchen

Hey friends! I'm back in Halloween mode and sharing a project I started on nearly a year ago. Yes, you read that correctly. Last year I had gathered all my Tim Holtz Halloween goodies from the 2018 release to play with them at a weekend crop. I finished one project and started on this one as the crop was coming to an end. I knew I wouldn't have time to finish it, but assumed I'd find some time to do so once I got home. Well...that never happened, so it stayed packed up until a few weeks ago when I went to another weekend crop. However at this point, I had more new Tim Holtz Halloween goodies to play with so I knew I had to add them in. This adding in, ended up causing me to redo a bit of the original piece, but in the end, I really love how it turned out. Welcome to The Witches' Kitchen!

I will say, the final piece kept the original witch theme. That happens to be one of my favorite themes for Halloween and when I saw the new Sizzix Bigz Cauldron Die, I KNEW it would be perfect for this piece. Now that you've entered The Witches' Kitchen, let's take a look around!

The base of the piece is a Stampers Anonymous Tombstone Overlay Small that was released last year. They have released some new ones for this year, that I know I will be adding to my stash for future Halloween projects! I covered the pieces with patterned paper from past Halloween paper pads. The top and base pieces were inked up with a mix of Distress Ink and Distress Oxide to give them a worn wood look. For the inlaided section of the top, I also covered with patterned paper and then inked with a mix of Distress Ink and Distress Oxide. I did this part nearly a year ago, so I can't remember all of the details, but I think I used Vintage Photo, Black Soot, and Peeled Paint to get the colors you see. Next, I stamped the spider web from the Tangled Web Stamp Set with embossing ink and heat embossed it with white embossing powder. I then covered the entire area with Collage Medium Crazing to give it a bit more distressed look.

I'm going to continue on with the base of the piece. I love how these pieces are all separate so you can work on each piece separately before putting them together. I again adhered another piece of Halloween paper to the background and inked the edges with Distress Ink. Make sure to allow the ink to dry before continuing on to the next step. Embossing powder will sticker to Distress Ink when it's still wet. Ask me how I know! LOL Once the ink was dry, I took the Falling Stars Stencil and used a palette knife to add Opaque Crackle Texture Paste. I then removed the stencil and sprinkled the stars with Liquid Platinum Embossing Powder, let the paste dry and then heat embossed them to give them a super crackly effect!

For the bottom part of the tombstone, I actually built out a ledge to make a shelf for the witches' cauldron and other goodies. I cut foam core board to the size of the larger piece, covered it with scrap patterned paper and adhered it to the bottom of the tag base and then added the other parts to complete the tombstone. All of these were covered with patterned paper from past Halloween paper pads. I then added the cool metal bat and used the same technique on it that I used on the metal tag, and also added in some Pitch Black Alcohol Ink. I have personally found that I just keep playing with adding the media to the piece until I like the look of it!

Once the base was completed, I adhered all the pieces together. I then added some Opaque Crackle Texture Paste to random areas and once it was dry, I inked it with Walnut Stain and Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

Now that the base is complete, let's continue with all the little details. On the top, I added the Webb Co. metal tag from the Tim Holtz Idea-ology Adornment Foundry and a spider (from last years Halloween Wicked Metal) hanging from a bit of twine. All of the metal pieces where first painted with Collage Medium. Once this was dry, I added Alcohol Inks in Mushroom and Butterscotch to give them the look of aged metal. I also rubbed over it with some Black Soot Distress Crayon using my finger. For the spider here at the top, as well as the one I the broom, I painted them with Black Soot Distress Paint.

To give the broom, I used feel, I applied Distress Stain in Black Soot to the bristles and scrunched it up a bit while it was wet. I then dried it with my heat gun. I thought the handle needed some distressing as well, so I applied some Opaque Crackle Texture Paste, allowed it to dry and then inked it with Walnut Stain and Vintage Photo Distress Ink. I finished it off by tying another metal spider to it using a bit of twine.

Next on the tour, you'll see the witches' shelf with her cook books and other ingredients. I created the shelf from foam core, covered it with patterned paper and inked it until it was distressed to match the other wood looking sections. I then adhered it to the base to create a shelf. While this was drying, I worked on creating the books. They are made from scraps of cardboard that I wrapped in patterned paper and added titles to the spines using Halloween Remnant Rubs. I then inked the edges with Black Soot Distress Ink. The pumpkins and skull where distressed with Distress Crayons...mostly Walnut Stain and Peeled Paint. I then glued on a bit of moss to the pumpkins.

One other small detail, that was actually one of the last things I added is the Beware sign. It's a Halloween Quote Chip, distressed a bit with sand paper and then inked with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. I wanted it to be a hanging sign, so I attached it using hooks from the Vignette Hardware. I was able to carefully screw them into the Quote Chip and then into a the space between the top of the tombstone and the tag portion.

Now onto the bottles! I'll be talking about those at the top and bottom of the piece. Some of them were already amber and others started out clear. To give them all a similar look, I painted them with Collage Medium, let that dry, then added Clear Rock Candy Crackle Paint and let that dry. I then added some Grit Paste to the tops and let that dry. Once all that was dry, I applied a mix of Alcohol Ink in Mushroom and Butterscotch and even a touch of Pitch Black. I also inked the corks using Walnut Stain and Black Soot Distress Ink. Once the bottles were all grunged up, I began adding labels and other details to them. Some of these are stickers from the Tim Holtz Idea-ology Apothecary Vials and others are from past Halloween Ephemera. I also distressed the edges of the paper with the back side of an X-acto Knife and then inked them up with some Walnut Stain Distress Ink. Now, I want you to look closer at some of the bottles....see anything?! Yes, there are eye balls in that one jar! They are googlie eyes from my stash, but don't they add a fun touch?! I also filled the other large bottle with some bones!

Last but not least is the witches' Cauldron! With this being a Bigz die, I was able to cut it from chipboard. I cut two layers for the cauldron and glued them together. I then painted it with Black Soot Distress Paint. Once the paint was dry, I applied Collage Medium Crazing to give it a little texture. For the handle, I cut if from chipboard and then again from Silver Metallic Kraft Stock. And finally for the smoke tendrils, I cut them from chipboard and painted them with Peeled Paint and Frayed Burlap Distress Paint. I then filled the cauldron with the smoke, bones and some funky moss!

Phew! I think that's it! Hopefully I covered enough of the details on how I created The Witches' Kitchen to give you some ideas of your own. And as always, if you any questions, don't hesitate to ask! I'm more than happy to answer them.

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Embrace The Journey

Hello crafty friends! Today I'm sharing a mixed media birthday card that features a fun background technique that tried recently. It incorporates the 3D Botanical Texture Fade Embossing Folder with Distress Ink for a fun way to add color to your embossed paper.

I began with the 3D Botanical Texture Fade Embossing Folder and applied Faded Jeans Distress Ink directly to the folder. I then spritzed a piece of water color paper trimmed to size and placed it inside the embossing folder. Following the instructions that come with these folders, I then ran the piece through my Sizzix Big Shot three times. I just love how the ink pooled in and around the edges of the embossed areas to bring out their shape and texture. I then inked the edge with Frayed Burlap and layered this onto a piece of watercolor paper with the same inked edges.

I then took a piece of watercolor paper and ink smooshed a mix of Distress Oxides onto it. Unfortunately, I don't recall what mix of colors I used, but it definitely included Walnut Stain and Vintage Photo! I then die cut this piece using the Stacked Baroque dies to create a base for my flowers and butterfly.

Now onto the main embellishments...Here I used the Wildflower Stems 2 and the Tattered Butterfly dies and cut them from watercolor paper. I inked up the flowers with Fossilized Amber Distress Oxide and the stems with Peeled Paint and Shabby Shutters.

To give the butterfly some interest, I stamped it with the script stamp from the Ledger Script Stamp Set using Espresso Archival Ink. Next, I inked the layers with Mustard Seed, Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain Distress Ink. I then adhered all the layers together and gave it some antenna using a bit of wire from my stash.

Once this main piece was complete, I added the Small Talk Stickers for the sentiment. Since I was making this as a birthday card for a dear friend, I thought "use your wings" and "embrace the journey" were a perfect fit!

After all that, I still felt like it needed a little something, so I cut a piece of watercolor paper using the Mini Scallop 3D Impresslits Embossing Folder. I inked it lightly with some Frayed Burlap Distress Ink and adhered it along the left hand side of the card.

I'm entering this project into the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Midsummer Blues.

SUPPLIES
This post contains affiliate links to Scrapbook.com and Simon Says Stamp. If you buy anything through my links, it adds no extra cost to you, but it does help me keep my blog up and running and allows me to share this content with you! I truly appreciate and thank you for your support! (If you're interested, you can see my full disclosure statement here.)

Halloween Haunted House | Tim Holtz

As a bit of a Tim Holtz fan, this time of year has me doing the happy dance. All the new Tim Holtz Halloween products are being released, so I thought it would be a great time to start some Halloween crafting. I was greatly inspired by a recent project created by Emma Williams, but I hope I put a bit of my own twist on it. I combined a mix of old and new Tim Holtz Halloween Sizzix dies to create a Halloween Haunted House Frame with a touch of spooky and scary!

Haunted House Halloween Frame by Juliana Michaels featuring Tim Holtz and Sizzix

(A full list of supplies with afflilate links is located below.)

To get started, I die cut all the pieces for my scene from watercolor paper. The skeleton is from the Ghoulish Die Set and I inked him with Ranger Embossing Ink and then sprinkled him with a custom mix of White and and just a tiny bit of Liquid Platinum Embossing Powder. I then heat set this with my heat gun. I repeated this same embossing technique on the ghost which is from the Village Graveyard Die Set (which unfortunately has been retired). The gate (which is also from this Village Graveyard Die Set) I die cut this from black cardstock, inked it with embossing ink and used Black Embossing Powder on it. And on the tombstones (again from that same set) I cut from watercolor paper and inked them lightly with Black Soot Distress Ink.

Those spooky looking houses are from the new Ghost Town Die Set and are die cut from watercolor paper and inked them with Black Soot Distress Oxide Ink. I then sprinkled them with a bit of water and dabbed them dry. I then die cut them again from Gold Metallic Kraft Stock.

When I removed the Gold Kraft Stock from the die, I made sure to keep all the little pieces with each die cut. I then adhered pieces of Therm O Web Purple tape to the backside to hold them in place. This allowed me to adhere this entire piece to the back side of the houses which makes it look like the lights are shining through the windows. I then finished off the houses by dry brushing each one with Black Soot Distress Paint. To dry brush, you simply wipe off any excess paint from your brush and then wipe the brush onto your die cut. This gives you that wonderful distressed look! If you get too much in the window area, just wipe it away with a paper towel.

I then finished off the houses by adding the smoke from the chimneys using Silver Metallic Kraft Stock. I distressed these by lightly sanding each piece with some sand paper.

For the background of my scene, I used patterned paper from past Halloween Paper Pads. I tore the paper that I used to create the ground to give it a rough edge and inked it with a bit of Distress Ink. For the sky, I again used a piece of patterned paper and inked edges once it was trimmed to size. I also added some ink splatters using watered down Black Soot Distress Paint and a small paint brush. For the moon, I die cut a piece of watercolor paper using a circle die and then inked it with Antique Linen Distress Ink and very lightly with Pumice Stone. I also splattered it with a bit of paint as well. I then finished off the scene by adding some bats die cut using the Bat Crazy Die Set. These are cut from watercolor paper as well and inked with Black Soot Distress Oxide and very lightly splattered with water and dabbed dry.

Once I had all of the pieces cut out, I began assembling them to create my Haunted House scene. I used double sided foam adhesive to pop up the skeleton, bats, tombstones, and middle house to give the scene a bit of dimension.

The title piece was created using the Alphanumeric Label Die. I cut the letters from Gold Metallic Kraft Stock and then adhered them to a piece of Gold Metallic Kraft Stock using a small tip glue pen. Once they were in place, I dry brushed the piece with Black Soot Distress Paint to grunge it up a bit and then added some Hardware Heads to each end that I colored with Alcohol Ink.

And last but not least, the frame is an Ideology Framed Panel. I dry brushed this with Black Soot Distress Paint as well which allowed some of the original wood color to peak through and add to the distressed look.

Thanks so much for stopping by today to check out my Halloween Haunted House! See you next time!

HAUNTED HOUSE SUPPLIES

This post contains affiliate links to Scrapbook.com. If you buy anything through my links, it adds no extra cost to you, but it does help me keep my blog up and running. I truly appreciate and thank you for your support! (You can see my full disclosure statement here.)