'Til Death Do us part.... for Halloween

 Hello Friends

I guess it is no secret by now that I love Halloween!  Growing up in Canada meant we celebrated Halloween every year and since moving to the UK I have seen it grow in popularity here too, albeit to a much lesser extent....

I have been avidly watching Tim Holtz's Saturday live sessions and having made some drippy candles following one of those sessions and I decided to incorporate them into a coffin vignette (as you do!!).

I did my best to photograph it in poor light but hopefully you get the idea.

  I started with one of Tim's new Coffin Vignettes and covered it with paper from one of Tim's paper pads.  The inside is decorated with Tim's Halloween Wallpaper.  This was then edged with some of the new Halloween Design Tape.

Inside the top deck I added the candles I created (adding some tiny lights for effect), some decorated bottles and a mini dome which I decorated with Clear Rock Candy Distress Paint and added an Idea-ology skull and pumpkin.

To create the middle deck I added a 'shelf' where I could display the Idea-ology Number Blocks.  These were painted with Crackling Campfire Distress Paint and then glazed with Crackling Campfire Distress Glaze.  To finish off I added a skull and a Found Relative (which I originally coloured with Distress Crayon but I preferred her plain and simple and so wiped off the crayon with a baby wipe.

In the bottom section I added some of Tim's Tiny Lights and used some of the new Halloween Vellum Haunts to cover the section.  I attached a spare Vignette shelf to the bottom of the coffin, painted it black and added the Idea-ology bat, a tombstone and skull along with some moss from my stash.

When I add tiny lights to my projects I like to contain the battery packs by creating pockets at the back of the project, you can see them here...

And here are those lights lit up!  

They both look quite spooky in the dark...

I had great fun making this project, I am almost sorry that Halloween will be over so soon.  Thanks so much for your visit, I hope to see you again soon.

Hugs, Anne xxx

Simon Says Stamp - Designer Spotlight Week 4

Hello Friends

I am here today to share another project in the Designer Spotlight for Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.

For the new 'STITCH IT' Challenge I created a Halloween project.

I love to put a 'not too scary' Halloween piece in my front window on All Hallows Eve, so that it doesn't scare the little ones too much.  

I started by preparing the tombstone base by painting all of the base elements with Black Soot Distress Paint.  I then stamped the top and bottom parts of the Tombstone Etcetera Tag with Tim Holtz Stone background stamp before heat embossing it with clear embossing powder.  Once dry, gesso was dry brushed over the the Tombstone parts to give a slate like look.

Next, I used Distress inks in Scattered Straw, Carved Pumpkin and Wilted Violet to colour a piece of  white card for the background.  Once coloured I used the Tim Holtz Swirling Stars die to cut a few stars into the background and then stitched up the sides with black cotton to add some interest. I decided last minute to add some white splats with gesso.

I die cut the witch and cat and dressed the witch with some dyed gauze and created a skirt with some netting from my stash.  I stitched the items in place onto the witch.  The die cut cauldron was dry brushed with gesso before adding some Twisted Citron Distress Paint to give the impression of the cauldron boiling over.  I added some Idea-ology bones and dried florist bits to the cauldron.  The fire was created by die cutting the fire elements from the Tim Holtz Fireplace die set.  I also added a few twigs from the garden along with some Idea-ology skulls, pumpkins and dome from my stash.

At the top of the Tombstone I added a die cut spider web, a Raven, a spider, metal word adornment, quote and skull, crossbones and Quote Chips.

So that's it for this week from me but it would be lovely to see you join in the challenge.

As always, there is a $50 voucher for one lucky winner!

The products I used that are available from Simon Says Stamp are all listed below.

Thanks so much, as always, for your visit, I really do appreciate it and I hope to see you again soon.

Hugs, Anne xx


PRODUCTS USED:
Tim Holtz Etcetera Tag - Tombstone
Tim Holtz Slate and Stone Cling Stamp
Tim Holt Bigz Cauldron die
Tim Holtz Fireside Thinlits die
Tim Holtz Thinlits Swirling Stars die
Tim Holtz Batweb Trim Thickboards
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Boneyard Findings
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Halloween Word Adornments
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Crossbones Adornment
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Halloween Adornments
Tim Holtz Halloween QuoteChips
Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Various colours
Tim Holtz Distress Paint - Black Soot
Dina Wakley Ranger White Gesso
Judikins Clear Embossing Powder

Designer Spotlight - Simon Says Stamp

Hello Friends

I feel hugely honoured and thrilled to have been asked back by Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge to be in their Designer Spotlight for the month of September!

As many of you know, there is a new challenge every Monday and the challenge theme this week is 'Use A Clear Element'.

After scratching my head for a while I got out my acetate, my new Tim Holtz fireplace die and some glass vials and of course, my mind went straight to Halloween, not that it takes very much for my thoughts to head there!  

I pondered on what Dr Bones' front parlour might look around Halloween time.  I call this Found Relative Dr Bones, he has such a sinister look about him.

I used many Tim Holtz Idea-ology pieces in this creation, all of which are listed at the foot of this post.  I also used Ranger Multi Matte Medium as glue throughout the whole project.

First, I gathered together some of the items I wanted to use in my project.

I covered the whole tag with some of the Tim Holtz worn wallpaper, sanding the edges and then finishing the edges with Black Soot Distress Ink.

Apart from the fireplace, the picture of Dr Bones was important.  I prepared a couple of Tim Holtz's baseboard frames, in the end I just used the black one.  I cut a piece of acetate to size and painted Matte Medium on the back of the acetate to give it an aged feel.  I stamped the cobweb from Tim's new Life of the Party stamp set, using archival ink.  Once dry I assembled the picture and frame.

Next, I prepared the fireplace using Tim's new fireplace die.  After die cutting some black card, I used the 3D Texture Fades Woodgrain embossing folder to add some texture before dry brushing lightly with white gesso.  I built up the fireplace in layers to give it 3D appearance  and then added a mantlepiece to the top so that I could display some items.

For the fire itself, I due cut two pieces from acetate and one piece from Metallic Jewels Kraft cardstock.  I coloured the acetate with Alcohol Inks and then layered all three pieces in the grate of the fireplace.  I think the coloured acetate makes the fire look quite realistic as it gives it some 'movement'.  The swag is part of the fireplace die.

I added an old Idea-ology piece to the top of the frame.  Next I added some gauze to the mantle piece before adding a couple of Idea-ology bottles, a skull, some bones and a thimble decorated with a rolled rose (an early Tim Holtz die).

Here is another close up view of the mantlepiece and also the hearth.

So, we hope you will join in the 'Use A Clear Element' challenge this week at:


One lucky person will be chosen to receive:

The products I used are listed below and available from:

As always, thanks so much for your visit, I hope to see you again soon.

Hugs, Anne xx

Simon Says Products Used:

Tim Holtz Etcetera Small Tag Thickboard

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Halloween Worn Wallpaper
Tim Holtz Sizzix Fireside Thinlits
Tim Holtz Cling Rubber Stamps 2019 Life of the Party
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Skull Fragments
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Boneyard Findings
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Broomsticks
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Pumpkins Pieces
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Metallic Jewels Kraft Cardstock
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Found Relatives
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Thimbles
Tim Holtz Etcetera Bracket Trims
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Baseboard Frames
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Corked Vials
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Tiny Vials Corked Glass Bottles
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Wicked Metal Ornaments
Hero Arts Acetate Sheets 5 x 6
Tim Holtz Distress Ink Black Soot Ranger
Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink Flamingo Ranger
Tim Holtz Distress Paint Picket Fence Ranger
Ranger Multi Matte Medium 4 oz

The Monster Mash, it was a Graveyard smash ...

Hello Friends

Does anyone remember the Monster Mash by Bobby 'Boris' Pickett?  I really only remember it nearer to Halloween and I can't get it out of my head.  I love Halloween and I usually make just one large project but this year I have done three!  If you missed them, you can see the others HERE and HERE, using the latest Tim Holtz Halloween products.

I also said I was not going to buy any more Tim Holtz Halloween stuff, but as you will see, I broke down and bought quite a few things.... but what the heck, we only live once!

I am not going to go through the details because I think it is fairly self explanatory, but I will say, it was an absolute nightmare to photograph!!  It definitely looks much better in real life...

Count Dracula is showing Mr and Mrs Bones the way - Mrs Bones has a blood stained shawl with a black rose to hold it together.  Mr Zombie is making his way on his own, who knows where Mrs Z is..

I decided to add some lights behind the glittery sky and at the bottom to show the monsters the way to the party.

A couple of close-ups.

Thanks for your visit.  If you are visiting today, Happy Halloween or, if afterwards I hope you had a great Halloween!

I hope to see you again tomorrow when I will be sharing not one, but two new projects.

Hugs, Anne xx

Fall-O-Ween (2) for Eileen Hull

Hello Friends!

This is my second post this month for Eileen Hull, this time using two of Eileen's journal dies and Halloween papers from DCWV (Die Cuts with a View).

Sadly, this is my last post as part of Eileen's Inspiration Team, I have taken the difficult decision to step down from the Team after four and half wonderful years.  I will miss my Teamies a lot but I will still be using Eileen's dies and inks as often as possible, I do believe that Eileen designs some of the best dies in the industry.  My grateful thanks to Eileen and the whole team!

I have two projects to share with you, one using Eileen's Wrapped Journal and one with Eileen's Passport die along with papers from DCWV (thank you DCWV!).

I am not going to take you through step by step this time, but I have some photos to share of the cover and inside of each album.  This one is made with Eileen's Wrapped Journal (Sizzix 662816).  It will hold four signatures, with plenty of room for more.

The papers are wonderful for creating the signatures, I have used a whole range of them - although choosing was quite difficult.  I always like to add a tag/ticket holder in my journals and I love to add pockets to the inside front and back.

Journal Number 2

For this journal I used Eileen's Passport die (Sizzix 660331), which is my favourite (currently) of Eileen's journal dies.  It is such a handy size.

Again, my signatures were made with the beautiful DCWV Halloween papers, the paper pad comes with stickers and elements that can be used as tags.  Some of the papers are beautifully foiled too.

I added tabs to the signature covers to add some interest.

Here are the DCWV paper pads that I used, one is pattered and one is plain - the plain one is full of gorgeous Halloween coloured papers.

To finish off both journals, I added some handmade charm hangings, a few die cuts and Sari ribbon, sparkly twine and yarn.  I had such a lot of fun making these!

So there we have it, two more Halloween journals finished, I seem to be building up quite the collection!  I may even be back with more before Halloween.

Thanks so much for all your support whilst I have been part of Eileen's team, I hope to see you in Eileen's Fan Club (there are over 3,000 members now!) or here in the future!

Hugs, Anne  xxx

A Zombie Halloween ...

Hello Everyone

A quick post from me, if you don't like Zombies then look away now!  

When Tim brought out his three new monster dies, there was only one for me - the Zombie.  During my blog break last month I took the opportunity to make some Halloween cards for friends and family (well, the ones who appreciate the darker side of Halloween anyway - lol), 

I was thrilled when Tim's October tag featured the Zombie die, but I haven't got round to creating mine yet, but thought I would share a couple of cards.

I decided to stick to black and white.  I cut some of the elements in white and some in black, the die pieces are small but they are scored and incredibly easy to put together.  The card is bound together with Regions Beyond Design Tape.

I also used Tim's cabinet card dies and the new cobweb embossing folder.  Once embossed I highlighted the embossing with a white pigment ink.

The second card is very similar, just a different background and I used Tim's Idea-ology spider charms.  The bodies have been covered with  Distress Glitter, an idea I picked up from a project that Zoe Hillman (igirlzoe) did here, A simple but effective way to give the spiders a lovely 'glow'.  I hate spiders in real life though ...

I hope I haven't frightened you too much with my spooky makes...  DH had to stop me from buying a life sized plastic skeleton at the weekend.... yes, really...

Thanks for looking, hope to see you soon 

Hugs, Anne xx

Tim Holtz Configurations Book - a labour of love

I am sharing something today that I have been working on for several weeks.  The very talented Richele Christensen shared a Tim Holtz Configurations Book HERE and invited people to make one along with her.  Since I love Halloween and I loved what she had created I decided to join in and I have had so much fun making this.  As ever, I did not have all of the elements that Richele used so I had to improvise on quite a few things but I am thrilled with the result and will be displaying it in my window on All Hallows Eve.

Richele has been doing the tutorial in stages but has been ill recently so I have taken the liberty of finishing the box off myself by following the photo on her blog.  I needed to get it finished because, as I will not be around much over the next week.

There are quite a few photos but not too much by way of explanation because Richele has gone into great detail, so if you want to make one you can follow her brilliant tutorial.  It does look much better in real life, but to see it better just click on the photos.

This is the front of the closed box.  Tim Holtz very kindly gave Richele permission to scale up the scary house die onto a template which was used to cut the house shape from the box cover - that was the hardest part because the configurations boxes are very strong.  The moon, bats, wrought iron fence and tree are all die cuts, all TH with the exception of the fence.

This is the inside of the whole box, each box has been trimmed with tissue tape.

The skeleton is holding a lighted lamp, the battery pack is threaded through and I'll show you where later.

These are my favourite sections, I love Tim's new Movers and Shapers clock die.  It was hard to photograph the bone dust but this section is actually a working shaker box and is filled with broken up Tim's Idea-ology wishbones.

For the bottom half of the box, my friend Mo helped me out with the owl (a new die that I do not have) and she created a melt pot one which I have coloured.  She also gave me the wonderful dome bottles at the top of the box and the fence on the front - thank you Mo!

This is a view of the back of the box.  The wire from the light has been threaded across the top and down the right side, hidden by Tim's Laboratorie papers and the battery pack is hidden behind that die cut bottle.

This is just a view from the inside of the box, looking out, to give you an idea of the shape of the house.  The box itself is approx 12 inches by 9 inches so there is lots of space to work in.

I hope you have enjoyed the tour of my little spooky house!  I am entering this into Simon Says Stamp/Monday Challenge this week, which is 'Spooky'.

Edited: In my haste to post this I forgot to mention that I would like to enter this into Country View Crafts Challenge which is 'Something Spooky'.

I am also including it in Richele's blogpost linky HERE.


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Finally - NOT FOR THOSE OF A NERVOUS DISPOSITION - please look away now if you have!



I was so inspired by Lynne's recent spooky skeleton creation (Mr and Mrs Bones) that I created one of my own.  I did this for my soon to be Son-in-Law, who is a History Teacher and loves skulls, a bit like me.  Lynne, these photos are just for you!

Mr and Mrs Skeleton are decked out in Graphic 45 Steampunk papers and Mr Skeleton is sitting in a Tando Creative coffin........... his top hat is handmade.  Mrs S wears a skirt of lace, coloured with Black Soot Distress Paint.  They are ready to go to the Halloween ball.......


I am entering this piece into Anything But a Card Challenge which is Colours of the Season - Orange and Black

Thanks for looking, hope to visit you all soon, but please forgive me if I miss a few posts over the next week or so.  Hugs, Anne xx