Pumkin Jack in the Windowbox!

I had a lot of fun creating this spooky Halloween window box!  I pulled out some older Tim Holtz dies, as well as my newer Eileen Hull Window Box die.

I have a couple of photos of how I started work on this.  I die cut Pumpkin Jack out of watercolor paper and pulled it through Distress Spray Stains Tea Dye, Wild Honey and Spiced Marmalade) and water that I had spritzed onto my craft mat.  I kept pressing the paper into the colors until it was the way I wanted it.

I did the same thing with the stem using Tea Dye and Mowed Lawn Spray Stains.

I die cut the Gothic Boo and 31 out of black Coredinations paper then brushed Clear Rock Candy Distress Crackle paint over them.

Then I got so into creating my project that I neglected to take any more 'process' photos!  I die cut the Window Box out of black matboard and put it together.  Then I adhered a piece of Sunset Vellum behind the window pane.  I brushed more Clear Rock Candy Crackle over the entire Window Box.  I die cut the face out of Pumpkin Jack using the Scary Jack O Lantern Movers and Shapers dies.  I decided not to put any paper behind the face as I liked the look of seeing the window right through Pumpkin Jack.   I adhered the Gothic BOO along the top of the window and the die cut spider from Candlelight Fright die off the B.  I added Tiny Twinkles for the spider's eyes.

I die cut the foliage using Garden Greens die cutting two out of tan and two out of green Core-dinations paper.  I sponged the edges with Ground Espresso Distress Ink - then brushed Clear Rock Candy Crackle paint over them.  When dry, I adhered them to the inside of the window box. I adhered the 31 from Gothic Boo on the front of the box with more foam tape.

 

 I adhered Pumpkin Jack to the window using layered pieces of black foam tape so he was held away from the window in back and away from the foliage in front!

 Here you can see the vellum adhered over the window panes from the back.

 The window box measures 4 3/4" x 6" (not including the extended Boo or foliage!) so it's a great size decoration for a shelf or window sill or even a table centerpiece!-  I really love how it came out!

I'm linking my Pumpkin Jack in the Windowbox to the following challenges:

Anything but Cute -  31 days of Halloween (must include the #31)

The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge - Word Search - I used the words pumpkin, black, orange

Eileen Hull October challenge - Hauntings and Holidays

 Thanks so much for stopping by today!   I hope you enjoyed seeing my Halloween Windowbox!

Paper:  White Watercolor Cardstock, Core-dinations Black, Tan and Green, Little Sizzles Black Matboard - Sizzix, Sunset Vellum - Making Memories.
Accessories:  Alteration/Tim Holtz Dies - Pumpkin Jack, Gothic Boo, Garden Greens, Scary Jack O Lantern Movers and Shapers, Candlelight Fright;  Window Box - Eileen Hull Sizzix, Ranger Distress Spray Stains - Tea Dye, Spiced Marmalade, Wild Honey and Mowed Lawn, Ranger Distress Crackle Paint Clear Rock Candy, Tiny Twinkles - Taylored Expressions, foam tape.

Art with Heart - August Challenge - Frank's Shoe

Today I have a fun project to share - that I made for Eileen Hull's August Art with Heart  challenge - Old is New.  Use one of her older dies for your creation.   Eileen designs for Sizzix and I just LOVE all of her dies!

I decided to use her - Shoe 3D die - and I had all intentions of making a sweet little baby boy shoe for a friend who is having a baby boy in a few months.   But something dark and ugly came over me and this is how my shoe ended up!  

Kent says it looks like Frankenstein's shoe and, yes, I guess that is the look I was going for!  I left the ribbon hanging instead of tying a bow as it looked more sinister somehow......

 I have several step by step photos to share just how this all came about!  First I die cut the shoe out of Little Sizzles Cream Matboard.  Then I assembled it.  Next I covered the outside with Graphite Texture Paste using my palette knife.  It has a rough sandy texture and a little glitter  in it.  I poked a wooden barbecue skewer through the lacing holes to clear the paste out of them.  I left the shoe overnight to dry.

I used the shoe die to cut out pieces to line the shoe with - I just had to cut them down a little bit to fit inside.  I trimmed the side pieces along the bottom edge so I didn't mess up the lacing holes.

I painted around the inside seams and along all the edges of the shoe and any other parts that the cream matboard showed through.

and then I fit the lining pieces inside - being sure to match up the lacing holes.  On my finished shoe - you can't even see the lining! (but I know it's there!!??!)  The papers are from Paper Stash - Regions Beyond.

I colored a piece of Crinkle Ribbon with Black Soot and Spiced Marmalade Distress Markers.  Tim showed us this technique on his July Tag.  Then I spritzed it with water so the colors blended.

I crunched up the ribbon and dried it with my heat tool.

I threaded the ribbon through a large eye needle (that I made sure would fit through the hole before forcing it!) and laced up the shoe - being careful when I pulled the ribbon through the holes that they didn't tear.

Then I started preparing things I wanted to put on my shoe.  I colored the Crossbones and Oddities Spider by dropping Espresso Alcohol Ink on them - purposely not covering them completely so some of the silver still showed.

I dabbed Espresso and Butterscotch Alcohol ink along with Blending Solution on this Oddities word tag.

I filled the shoe with orange/black/white basket shred to hold the tongue of the shoe up.  I folded a piece of cool spider web ribbon in half and stuck it into the shoe against the back,  I added the spider to the web with a jump ring (see it there?!)  I backed the ephemera moon to a piece of black card stock and stuck it into the back of the shoe on a Memo Pin. I glued the web to the back of the moon to help keep the web up.  The ephemera skeleton is just sitting on the edge of the shoe.

I used Alpha Parts/Newsprint to spell out BOO on one side of my shoe.  I adhered it with Multi Medium.

and with a 'nod' to the fact it's supposed to be a baby shoe -  I spelled out 'mummy' on the other side (a little double entendre!)  Since the letters are black - I rubbed some Brushed Pewter Distress Spray Stain over them with my finger so they stood out a bit better against the black shoe.

I attached the Oddities word charm to the lacing with a Loop Pin and adhered the Crossbones and Ephemera 31 with Multi Medium.

I really love how my Halloween shoe came out - I think it will be a fun decoration for my kitchen windowsill!  My little shoe measures approx. 1 3/4w"x4d"x2h" - perfect size for a little party favor.

This month we can win a Sizzix Prize Pack!  Check out all the details at the Art with Heart Blog.

I'm also linking my creation to:

The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge - Get Texty

Paper:  Little Sizzles Cream Matboard - Sizzix, Paper Stash/Regions Beyond - Tim Holtz
Ink:  Ranger Distress Vintage Photo
Accessories:  ScorTape,  Shoe 3D die - Eileen Hull/Sizzix, Adirondack Alcohol Inks - Espresso, Butterscotch and Blending Solution, Brushed Pewter Ranger Distress Spray Stain, Idea-ology - Alpha Parts/Newsprint, Adornments/Crossbones, Oddities, Crinkle Ribbon, Loop Pins, Frightful Ephemera, Jump Rings, Memo Pin,  Ranger Distress Markers Black Soot and Spiced Marmalade, Multi Medium - Ranger, Graphite Texture Paste - Prima, Spider Web Ribbon - May Arts, Umber Acrylic Paint - Dina Wakley.

Welcome Baby - Jar

A young co-worker is having her first baby (a girl) in August and we are having a baby shower for her next week.  I'm contributing something to the joint gift we are giving her but I also wanted to give her something just from me. So I made this sweet little Baby Food Jar box.  How cute is this??!!  It measures about 2 1/4" wide x 2 3/4" high by 1" deep.  The perfect size to slip in a gift card, a roll of cash, or a small gift!

The die is called Food Jar 3D and Spoon - designed by Eileen Hull for Sizzix and I cut it out of  Cream Little Sizzles Matboard so it's really sturdy.  I also die cut the pieces out of pink gingham patterned paper from Amuse, adhered it to the matboard pieces and sponged the edges with Ranger Distress Tea Dye Ink.  Here you can see the inside space with the basket shred taken out.

I decorated the back of the jar as well, personalizing it with the new baby's name, Alanna, a sweet sentiment from the Beautiful Baby stamp set by MFT and a Movers and Shapers star cut from the matboard and embossed with Frantage Shabby Pink embossing powder.

Back again to the front - the die includes a cute little spoon that I embossed with Frantage embossing powders -  Aged Silver on the handle and Shabby Pink on the bowl of the spoon to make it look like those little baby spoons with the rubber on the bowl.  I die cut the labels on front and back using Thinlets Labels.  The heart is from the same Movers and Shapers die set as the star.  I also embossed the 'lid' of the jar with the Frantage Aged Silver embossing powder.  To finish off my cute little jar, I knotted pink and magenta wrinkled seam tape around the tops on both sides and put a little basket shred inside it.

I made one of these for a baby boy last winter - you can see it here.

I'm linking my little jar to the following challenge:

July Art with Heart - Make it 3D

Stamps:  Beautiful Baby - My Favorite Things, name made with Snap Stamps by Karen Foster- Retired.

 Paper:  gingham DP - Amuse, Cream Little Sizzles Matboard - Sizzix

Ink:  Ranger Distress Tea Dye, Versamark

Accessories:  Food Jar 3D and Spoon - Eileen Hull/Sizzix, Star and Heart from Small Movers and Shapers - Alterations/Sizzix, ScorTape, Frantage Embossing Powders Aged Silver and Shabby Pink - Stampendous, Labels dies - Alterations Thinlets.

What do you do when you are 3?

I always make special cards for my grandnephews and grandnieces - and this weekend we are celebrating Mila's 3rd birthday (her b'day is in August but her mum is having her party a little early as they hired a "Music Man" to come and entertain the kids and this is when he was available!)

I decided to make a little photo book for Mila.  I've been wanting to use my Sizzix die -  Album, Mini designed by Eileen Hull and this was the perfect opportunity! I cut it out of Little Sizzles Mat board so it's nice and sturdy.  It measures 5 1/2" wide by 5" tall when folded.

 I cut 3 pieces of Vintage Cream card stock 10 1/4" x 4 3/4" and folded each piece in half - giving me 6 pages to put photos on.  I stenciled the Wendy Vecchi Stencil - Check Mate on the covers (inside and out) using Archival Inks Tiger Lily, Violet and Pink Peony.

After printing the photos I wanted to use I picked out coordinating DP for each page - cutting the paper 4 1/2" x 4 5/8".  

I die cut each photo with Stitched Edge Rectangle dies from Waltzingmouse.  I printed the sentiments on my computer and cut them into banners.

Here is the center of the book - and you can see how I punched holes in the center of the pages, matching them to the holes already die cut on the cover binding and looped a piece of wrinkled seam tape through to tie on the outside (see photo below).

My niece, Katie, puts all her photos of Mila and Landon on Snap Fish - so I had tons of recent photos to choose from.

I just love these sweet pics of Landon and Mila walking together..brother and sister.  Landon will be 5 in Sept.

This photo of Mila eating a cupcake from cousin James' recent birthday was perfect for the last page in her birthday book.

I couldn't resist adding one more photo - the only spot left was on the back cover. When I babysit for them I usually bring a craft to do.  They both enjoy them!  (that's the remnants of a wash off tattoo on her hand and a piece of paper towel protecting her outfit!)

Here's a side view showing the binding. 

The black plastic numbers are Alpha Parts.  The sparkly green letters are Thickers (remember those!!?? I have a drawer full!) The little chipboard Mini Doll is Julie Nutting/Prima colored with Copics and the 'is' are Idea-ology Label Letters.

I think this will be a nice keepsake for Mila to remember when she was a sweet beautiful 3 year old!
I'm linking my photo album to the July Art with Heart Challenge - Make it 3D