Curious Things

Hello friends,

Hope your week is going well! I have been as busy as ever working on many behind the scenes projects for the holiday season, as well as 2022.

I wanted to share one last project specifically for Halloween, and that is my stacked windows project. It truly is a fun project to put together. My tutorial is not all-encompassing, but it will give you some needed details and information to build your own if you choose.

Backdrops Halloween was used for all paper on base and boxes.

The base is the largest Vignette Panel with Etcetera Trims glued to the sides.  I used the new Trims die to cut the paper to match the Trim.  That made easy work to get them covered with paper before adding to the base.

You can see here that the die cut matches the trim perfectly!  SO MUCH EASIER!

Use Collage Medium to adhere Backdrops paper to five different Vignette Boxes.

Please note, I used 2 sets of Vignette boxes.  One complete set + the smallest box from the second set.

The Baseboard Windows fit many of the Vignette boxes perfectly.  I used Collage Medium to adhere the windows to the Vignette boxes and blue painters tape to hold it in place while I wait for it to dry.

Some boxes have to be filled before you add the window to the front, like this small box with the skull and bird inside. I also put a foam square under the skull to raise it up since the frame is wide at the bottom.  

This window is shorter than the box so I cut a piece of chipboard to fill in the open space at the top.

For the horizontal box, the frame is longer than the box, so I just cut it and glued it back together.  I bet you can barely see where I cut it.

And my trick with the Toadstool...How do you get a Toadstool to stand up (and be very stable)?  Double up thick chipboard, then punch a hole with a Cropadile. 

Add glue around the bottom of the Toadstool and push it into the hole, creating a base.  Use moss to cover the base once the Toadstool is glued to the project.

So on to the project photos...

This box has a large Bubble that I have covered in Lettuce Alcohol Ink (you will see it lit up later).  Candlestick with a Drippy Candle that I painted Black and added black glitter to the top.  The Snippet Labels come into play in this project and you will see them repeatedly on the books, stuffed into corners, on the birdcage, etc

This vignette is filled with books (the book covers are in the Ephemera pack). I used the snippets pack to add tiny labels to the spines. 

You can see there is a bottle on the left and a pumpkin sitting on the stack of books on the right.  Of course the vignette was filled before the windows were added.

The levitating boys are my favorite. To create this magic, just use a 1/2" wood block to hold them in place.  It's just that easy.

Hardware Heads were used on the Window Frame to make it look like they were locked inside.  That adornment spider is going to crawl right in where the "glass" is broken.  The glass is a thin, thin layer of Mica.

A combination of a Machinery Head and Hitch Fastener make up the door knob. The little key is from the new Locks and Keys.

For this box, I filled it with a few random things, like a Mini Pocket Watch, Drippy Candle and more of the Snippets labels.  They really come to life when you spread Collage Medium on both sides, then wrinkle them up.  Once dry, they remain in the wrinkled state and you can prop them up easily.  

The top box was set in place before I added the Toadstool on the little ledge to the left.  I used a dot of Flickering Candle Mica Spray to give the raven a watchful eye.

I love this new cage we did for Halloween. Personally I can see it used on so many things throughout the year! I stuffed it with mummy cloth and eyeballs, added the label on the cage and a chain to attach the big lock (which is actually really small) from the Locks and Keys pack.

I wanted to add a Halloween Word Plaques to the front of the base. 

1. Wipe Antique Linen Distress Paint over the entire plaque and 2 Hardware Heads. Wipe away most of the paint, just leaving it around the words and in the corners. Let the paint dry completely. 
2. Pounce Mushroom Alcohol Ink over the white paint but don't cover it all.
3. Scribble Distress Crayon in Peeled Paint and Mowed Lawn over the raised areas.
4. Add the Hardware Heads with Collage Medium.

Now just add the plaque to the base - you can use Collage Medium or THIN foam squares.

Oh and that tiny Toadstool is darling (notice how you don't see the chipboard base?)

Let me address the lights - I am not showing exactly how to light the project, but I will tell you that only three boxes are lit - the two at the bottom and the levitating boys.  

I drilled a hole at the back to thread the lights into the box with the books but the light is only on the right side and just glows INTO the right end of the box.

From the back you can see where the lights were added.  I attached the light pack with two thin foam squares.

Then I drilled another hole at the back of the front box (right behind the Bubble) so I could add just one light, to light up the Bubble.  The green light contributes to the eerie vibe and makes the Bubble glow like a crystal ball. 

Then the light string travels up through another hole I drilled in the bottom of the next box to the levitating boys. It runs up the wall and top of this box (held in place with hot glue).

The lighting may sound complicated, but the light path was thought out BEFORE anything was added to the boxes - no paper, no windows, no glue...nothing but a stack of Vignette Boxes and one string of Tiny Lights. When you have it worked out at the beginning, it makes it MUCH easier to make decisions later.

If you don't know already, I have taken this idea and made it into a Christmas themed stack (just a bit bigger).  There will be kits available for the Christmas stack, not for the Halloween shown here.  I would have loved to have created this as a kit, however the supply chain issues for Halloween were challenging and I could not get enough product in time to make that happen.  

If you are interested in getting an email about the Christmas version (as seen on Tim's LIVE) please email me [email protected] to get on the mailing list.  If you are already on the mailing list - then no worries - you will get an email.  

I am crossing my fingers kits will be ready for shipping by November 10th.

now carry on,
paula

Miss Amelia Hardy

 Hello Friends!

Time is getting away from me so I better get in the last few Halloween projects before the 31st arrives! Today I am sharing an idea-ology Shrine project I created using the Halloween Paper Dolls, Baseboard Windows and Layers Ephemera.  Follow along and I'll show you how I did it!

I covered the inside and the front lip edge of the Shrine with Worn Wallpaper Halloween - you don't see much of it once the frame goes in, but it does look like old ripped wallpaper. The outside was covered with a woodgrain from the Backdrops Halloween pack (you will see that later in the making process).
I drilled a hold in the back of the Shrine (or you could use an awl and hammer) for the Halloween Tiny Lights. I pulled the lights all the way through to the front and loosely wound them in an oval shape. You will need to use hot glue to keep the wire in place.

You know I LOVE the Halloween Window Frames!  This one with the curved top is a favorite, not only because of the shape, but that bit of gold going around the inside edge.  I used Scor-Tape to add the spiderweb transparency to the frame. It may not look transparent, but the purple light will show through perfectly.

I wanted the frame to sit out, away from the lights, so I added a double stack of tiny wood blocks.  You could also cut a dowel to use instead of the blocks.  I glued the blocks together with Collage Medium and then to the frame.  Let it sit to dry for at least 30 minutes.

Adhere the frame to the shrine with more Collage Medium.  You will need to leave it laying on its back till the frame is securely in set in place.

The Paper Dolls from the Halloween pack are so wonderful!  So many new people to tell stories about!  Some are a little creepy, but most are just regular people...it's just the setting you put them in that makes them what they are.

I chose this civil war era lady because of the full skirt.  I colored her dress with a Peeled Paint Distress Crayon, then rubbed away the excess till I could see the details of the dress.  I added a bit of Dusty Concord which made the "stripes" in her skirt, then used my Detailer Water Brush to remove some crayon to let the dark dress underneath come through.

To add the note to her hand, I took a sharp cutting knife and cut around the hand so I could slip the tiny paper up underneath.  That tiny paper comes from the Halloween Snippets pack - this is a must have product in my world.  Love all the different sizes, shapes and colors of the tiny labels.  It is the same pack of labels I used on the idea-ology Test Tube HERE.

NOTE: there is a 1/2" wood block at the bottom back of her skirt to stand her up. Her skirt is also glued to the left side of the Shrine, yet she appears to be standing freely. 

For the spider, add thread to the loop in the spider.  Even up the thread ends.  Thread the two cut ends through a large needle and push the needle through the hand (from the back).  The two cuts ends are tied in a bow and a dot of glue is placed on the string on the back to keep it secure.  When I was completely done with the shrine, I glued the spider to her dress.

One the right side I added Drippy Candles, Candlesticks and pumpkins that I painted Iced Spruce. The shredded Mummy Cloth helps disguise the fact that I only had one Candlestick left once I got to the project!  A girls gotta do, what a girls gotta do!

I wanted to talk about the Distress Texture Paste - Crackle I added to the sides of the Shrine.  Once I added the woodgrain Backdrops paper, I used a small Palette knife to add the paste.  I let the Crackle Paste dry for 30-40 minutes then added Walnut Stain Distress Crayon over the top with a damp paint brush.  What I like about using the Palette Knife is that you can add the paste as thick or thin as you want to.  I also think using the Palette Knife creates a more realistic look, like real crackle that has highs and lows.

And here is the Shrine all lit up in purple!  The purple lights look amazing at night.  I also love how the lights look like stars in the window!  The Shrine just glows!

Thanks for stopping by to read my tutorial.  I hope you will try making something with Tiny Lights - they really add a magic feeling to any project!

Now carry on,

paula

Oxide Technique with Villainous Potion

Hello friends!

I have a new post on the Ranger Projects Page today using the FABULOUS Villainous Potion!

I repeated the Oxide technique I used to color the background in my last posted project.  So if you are wondering how I did it, click the link HERE to see the step-out tutorial.  It's easy and it made a huge impact on the finished piece!

now carry on,
paula

 

Villainous Potion

 Hello Friends!

Well, what did you think of the new color?  I am not a huge purple fan, but VILLAINOUS POTION may have just changed my mind! To me, this is the perfect color of purple and was needed in the Distress line!

I created 3 projects for the LIVE using the new color. I thought I would share this one first since it has a Halloween Vibe!
Follow along and I will show you how I put it together....

My substrate is a large Vignette Tray.  I wanted to create a patchwork background and I know if you cut the squares at 1 1/2" or multiples of that number, the squares fit perfectly.  

I used three types of "paper" for the squares:

1. Mixed Media Heavystock - colored with Distress Ink in Villainous Potion, Peeled Paint and Salvaged Patina.
2. Worn Wallpaper Halloween
3. Metal Foil Tape - Mini Lumber 3D Folder + Black Soot Distress Paint rubbed over the embossed foil.

Once my pieces were cut, I adhered to the tray surface with Collage Medium.  You might notice that my foil pieces are double wide, at 3" long and I have some pieces that are shorter.  Really, anything goes.  As I added the squares with the Collage Medium, I also added a thin layer over the top of the paper pieces to seal.

The Worn Wallpaper pack had the perfect complementing pattern for the patchwork.  The color is perfect with Villainous Potion, so even though I could have stamped a pattern, I decided to use it not only for the color but the texture of the Wallpaper.

Since I sealed the paper pieces I was able to use Crayon over the seam lines and rub it in with a damp fingertip.

I had extra pieces of foil and paper so I matched up the patterns and added to the edge of the tray.  If you don't want to do that or you have run out of paper, just paint the tray edges black.

I chose a photo from the Halloween Paper Dolls pack and used Villainous Potion Oxide ink to color the background.  Her face was colored with Crushed Olive Distress Crayon and the background was painted with Oxide.  The frame and word strip are from the Baseboard Halloween pack.  I clipped one end of the word strip and added a idea-ology Tiny Clip to the other.

NOTE: I will have a tutorial on Monday to show how I created the Oxide Background.

The Test Tubes were one of my favorite additions to the Halloween release this year.  I added Bubbles (another brilliant idea from Mr Holtz) colored with Alcohol Ink to the Test Tube and glued the cork in place.  I wrapped wire around the Test Tube and added the tiny label from my favorite Snippets pack.  A little white paint on the wire finished it off.  I added the Test Tube to the collage with Collage medium, leaving it overnight to cure.

Spray the Bouquet Flowers with Villainous Potion Spray Stain and dry with a heat tool.  Once dry, I rubbed Collage Medium inside and outside each flower and formed each flower into a cup shape (sometimes the shape is lost when adding the stain).  Each flower form is different...the Collage Medium allows that shape to last.  When the flowers were still drying, I used a small spoon to sprinkle black glitter from the Halloween Sparkle set over the flowers.  Do not add so much glitter that it covers the purple...it should be very random.

The 13 comes from the Baseboards Halloween pack.  I added Distress Crayon, then poked holes in each corner to add the Mini Fasteners.

Shake Well from the Ephemera pack, seemed like the perfect sentiment to go with the Test Tube! I added it with 3D foam squares.

I kept the left side very simple.  Just a small collage of flowers, Ephemera and Snippets.

I left much of the background plain - I just didn't want to cover it up.  Can you see why I have fallen in love with this new color? 

If you missed the new color Live today, please be sure to check out Tim's blog for the link to the re-play.  
Thank you for stopping by! I really appreciate it!

now carry on,
paula