A RAVENSCAPE - THE RAVENS CHALLENGE AT GINGERSNAP CREATIONS

I haven't entered a challenge for ages and when I saw the Rogue Redhead Ravens Challenge over at Gingersnap Creations  (http://gingersnapcreations.blogspot.com) well I just had to play!  Do go and check out the marvelous creations!

I admire my crafty friends who can sit down and plan out their projects ahead of time..sigh  I never quite know what I am going to do until I spread out a good pile of stuff and just dig in!  My friend Marilyn split a paper mache witches hat with me so that is where I started...along with the silhouette of a raven that she sent me.  That woman can cut a template or stencil like no ones business!  I took the easy route printed the silhouette out on card stock, backed that with another piece of black card stock and fussy cut it.

I painted the hat orange, mostly covered it with some Soot Crackle Paint and then all of that with Rock Candy Crackle Paint.  Considering how the raven would show against the dark background is how I came to the idea of cutting out a witchy Halloween tree (MME) and using that as a major part of the background.  Added subtle texture with lots of opaque black glitter on globs of Glossy Accents, some Straw Distress Ink and then dimension with bits of Halloween floral trim.

I built up the forest floor first with a ragged strip of cheesecloth misted a pale orange and dabbed with Orange Crackle Paint and some green acrylic paint, then topped that with a row of grey Bloomers (these came on a card with other colours, honestly I never thought I would use grey! and it a mouldery mummy grey to boot), dabbed a bright lime green acrylic paint here and there which I topped with green glitter (MS) while wet and finally a bit more of the Orange Crackle Paint.  I also used that green (with glitter) to sponge in a bit of foliage around the tree.

The raven has one foot upon a tiny pine cone.  Behind that I layered together a big orange flower - really just to create some contrast. The glittery net, paper flowers and button were part of the Bella Creations Halloween Embellishment kit.  I couldn't resist cutting out a crescent moon, adding a bat and wiring that above!  I didn't set out to do a Ravenscape but I do think it is fun!  A bit of a diorama on a hat - who would have thought LOL

BLUE MOON - 6X6 PRIM CANVASS

Ok,  well it was blue moon I had in mind when I started...Midnight Blue Sky just doesn't have the same panache!  Halloween seems the perfect holiday to grab a paint brush, work out a little idea and just have some fun.  There are many truly gifted primitive artists but the folkish, naive nature of the genre just lends itself to letting any of us brave enough to wield a paint brush giving it a try, even if it is just to do a background.  Which is good place to start.
I have really mixed it up here...the moon is a die cut from the Bella Creations Halloween Embellishment kit (created by Heather), I've stroked the blue sky with Glossy Accents and covered that with a lot of black opaque glitter, added lime green glitter to the foreground and faux stitched with a Pigma Pen around my curious jack-o-lantern and moon!

FRANKEN TAG! - MY TAKE ON A TIM HALLOWEEN TAG

One of the challenges in a group I moderate at Bella Creations (Celebrer La Fete) is to do a Halloween tag inspired by anything Tim Holtz!  I used a challenge Tim offered from 2008 at this link to create mine;
http://timholtz.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/10/october-techniq.html 

A plastic spider done up with several colours of Stickles adds the final perfect touch!  Do come and have some fun with us..

A NIGHT AT THE MOVIES WITH DRACULA! (A Halloween Banner)

I really have neglected one of my favourite sites Gingersnap Creations for quite some time.  They of course are doing Halloween up right!  This will be my submission to the "Horror Story" Challenge!  Whether you adore Halloween or not do go and see what is creepy and dark!

I really have no answer as to why I haven't followed the latest vampire craze as I have been fascinated with vampires since I was a child.  But I am looking forward to the whole renewal of "Dark Shadows"!  I remember getting quite anxious if the school bus was a few minutes late getting me home worried that I might miss the first few minutes of the show!  Barnabas was my favourite character, who was yours?

I found a few images of old movie posters online earlier this year and knew they would be the focus of a new Halloween banner for me.  I have hung this across a small mirror in my stairwell and yes I can still see my reflection in the mirror! LOL

Some yellow and black poisonous flowers and spray from the Bella Creations Halloween Embellishment kit (check out the kit and the domino book tutorial) , some silver bat peel offs (you really can't see these in the photo), a sparkly black bat (K&Co) edged with White Enamel Accents (love that stuff), the center medallion is MS on all three pieces and some fabulous black paper which I picked up at DeSerres backs the image.  The creepy bat hanging at the bottom LOL  found at a local thrift store and is one of those glow in the dark things which I inked up with StaZon in black and glued on with Glossy Accents.

I folded some white crepe streamer in half, sewed a running stitch along the folded edge and used that to frame the central image.  A line of chunky black glitter on top of the stitching line, lots of black ink to add some decay (and red in the appropriate place!)  I used the same orange and black smudged pp with bats on all three pieces as the background (GCD).  Can you make out the "Slayer's Kit" on the bottom right corner?  The slaying sword (some sort of key thingie that the DH sharpened for me!), a cross and a vial of Holy water.  The hanging piece is a metal mold (which I have been hoarding, so it was good to actually use one!) that I inked with a number of different inks, embossed and then glittered!

The third pennant has some of the same basic elements but then stands out with the addition of the fangs!  My favourite piece LOL  A set of rubbery fangs found in the thrift store package of Halloween odds and ends.  Made over with a bit of red ink and glitter...with a bit of drippy, glittery blood below.  All in all a totally blood thirsty project!

MY "SPOOKY" SHADOW BOX

Bella Creations Design Team member, Cathy B's  Halloween Shadow Box inspiration for her group Nuances De Couleur was the push I needed to haul one of the Maya Road Shadow Boxes I have been saving (read hoarding) out the closet!  That and a day of scrapping planned with my Halloween Stash and scrap pals Marilyn and Marlene at Scrapbook Parade.

I started by spray misting the entire box with LuminArte Shimmering Mist in Key Lime.  I used scraps to pop dot a background in each frame, the images I used around the outside, Lisa's Altered Art, were matted in black and then pop dotted on top of the scraps. Added a bit of Stickles and a little bling here and there to the frames.  The central frame contains a fuzzy, red eyed spidey and web corners from MS.  The felt ghost and word "trick" are Making Memories, the glitter cat is K&Co.  The velvet scalloped ribbon ..can't recall.  If it's mine I almost always have a bit of vintage something on it!  Digging through my Scrabble games for tiles and realized I could use a rack!  Some black paint and a shine with Goosebumps.  I used Glossy Accents to adhere the rack to the box and tiles to the rack.  I recently talked to someone who wasn't aware that Glossy Accents is an excellent "glue" so hence the mention.   I am making progress on my Halloween gifties..:)

Check out Cathy's group Nuances de Couleur at Bella Creations!  There is a lot of Halloween fun happening!

BELLA CREATIONS VINTAGE HALLOWEEN EMBELLISHMENT KIT

Lacee has revealed her Vintage Halloween Embellishment Kit and what fun it is to work with!  Mine has just arrived and already I've used it on two small prim canvasses I had under way!

The moon with verse is an exclusive die cut created by our Ms Heather and the ribbons and jack o lantern button on the BOO piece are from Lacee's sweet little kit.   The cat is an image offered in my group  Images d'Autrefois.

This sweet Halloween tryptic is the work of our Ms Starr!  She has done a wonderful job of showcasing many of the elements included in the kit!

For details on the Vintage Halloween Embellishment Kit click on the title of this post!  Happy Haunting!

OCTOBER CHALLENGES AT BELLA CREATIONS!

On the 5th of each month the details of the three main challenges and sponsors for each are announced (see my sidebar), along with the reveal of the Design Team projects.  So here are my three;

The Bella Unique Challenge is all about trying techniques.  This month it is making and embellishing crepe paper ruffles.  Lacee always provides a tutorial that you can follow.  The "crystal ball" belonged to my grandmother and I believe dates from the 1960s.  This would have been used to present your flower(s) in a competition or perhaps used for a table centerpiece when the Garden Club came for luncheon.

The Tres Chic Challenge is about using a certain style.  This month it is Romantic Grunge.  I have reworked a piece that I wasn't happy with from last year and I now think it works.

The third main challenge is the Bella Muse.  This month you have the choice of two images to use in your project which again are provided by Lacee.  I've used one of them to create my Halloween cards.   The patterned papers are Memory Box and MME.  I've used a bit of ribbon, black fringe, an MS dimensional sticker and Stickles.  I adore using chocolate foils and cupcake papers to create borders, medallions, toppers or swags. Here I sprayed a yellowed paper liner to set the Raven on.  The "Bella Witch Hat" is from Lacee's October Vintage Halloween Embellishment kit (also revealed today) to identify the mysterious Ms Gulch!

Why don't you come and join us for the fun!  Click on the title of this post to go directly to Bella Creations!

BOO BELLA! An October Challenge - HALLOWEEN CRACKERS!

It`s time for some new challenges at Bella Creations!  Why don't you join me in one of the groups I moderate, Celebrer la Fete, and have some fun making Halloween Crackers!

Here in Canada many of us follow the English tradition of having decorated  "crackers" at Christmas dinner.   These have paper poppers in them that you and someone sitting next to you pull, this sounds like the noise from a cap gun! They are typically filled with a tissue paper crown (which is worn throughout dinner), a riddle or joke, a small candy and gift.

Doing a Halloween version has been on my list for awhile.  I have taken the idea of a Halloween countdown and done seven.  Each one is filled with 3 tiny treats (keep it simple!) and are meant to be opened one every day on each of the 7 days before Halloween.  These are for my daughter`s three children who are 5, 3 and 18 months - I think winding them up towards Halloween for 7 days before is enough! 

I have used toilet paper tubes (these are 4 inches), sheets of crepe paper (cut 10 inches long and wrapped 3 times around for fullness), scraps of patterned paper (cut this a quarter inch or so short of 4 inches wide so it is not right on the edge of the tube) , narrow ribbons, Stickles, I made the rosettes using the Tim Holtz die and chipboard numbers.

I think these will look great in a big bowl!  As these are meant for children, I made them as simple as possible; no inking, inexpensive ribbons, scraps of paper and went for a mix of colours instead of trying to match everything up.

I am still using Christmas Crackers that I made with fabric about 15 years ago.  You can use tissue paper, gift wrap, fabric etc instead of crepe paper.  I know my daughter will let the kids open one end of these to tip out the candies and then they will be whipped out of sight and saved for next year!

Your challenge is to make at least one Halloween Cracker by October 31st.  The prize determined by draw will be a fall themed RAK from me.  Come along and have some fun with us!