Tags of 2013 - October

I read this month’s 12 tag's post with a sinking heart because I don’t have distress paints or distress glitter. I’m going to have to think outside the box, round the corner and into the wardrobe for this one. But hang on a minute, what really are the techniques? Make something glittery on a grungy background – yeah, I can do that!!
I decided I’d do a pumpkin for my centrepiece. I have been cutting out three layer pumpkins at work today for a Halloween make and take with the kids next week so I did the same using smaller circles and grungepaper. Then I coloured with ripe persimmon, added glossy accents and some stellar flash which I’ve had lying around for a while – well it may not be distress but it’s a bit different to ordinary glitter!!
Similarly I cut out a frame using a decorative spellbinder die along with one of the standard circles. Just to be different I covered one in black embossing powder, then silver tinsel glitter.


  But somehow it wasn’t glittery enough so I heated it again and dropped in ordinary black glitter. I quite liked it but I did the second one with just glue and glitter. Then I realised I did in fact have some black glitter paper and I could have die cut it straight out. Never mind, that wouldn’t have been messy enough would it?
I looked through my dies to find one I could use to make the ‘stalk’ bit for the pumpkin and I confess this time I used the glittered paper!!
OK, now to smoosh that background - my favourite and most successful technique (NOT!). I used inks as I don’t have the paints.
Oh well, at least they aren’t complete mud.
A little better after some extra inking and stamping??
And here are the final tags (two each month, because there will be a complete set to give away in January), I used a nylon ribbon and gave it a blast with the heat gun to get a really crinkly effect.Do you like my purple bats? They are the cut out bits from the frame!!

And now everything is covered in glitter. Oh well, it is only 60 days till Christmas!!
 Happy Halloween!!
ps OCTOBER GIVEAWAY CLOSES SUNDAY ‘ 9.00 PM.

Something wicked this way comes……Halloween at TioT

I am not a big fan of halloween challenges. It’s not that I dislike it, quite the opposite, In fact some of the greatest things I see are quite ‘dark’ (Check out Laura Carsons blog for starters!!) but I just don’t really get it, it’s not the kind of stuff I buy and I never know what to make. So I was wondering what on earth I could do as my DT entry for this fortnight’s challenge at Try it on Tuesday that would pass muster. And then ………
…….I fell in love with Graphic 45’s Steampunk Spells papers. Serious, serious, obsession. So although I wouldn’t call my project overly halloweenly, it will have to do. (Warning: Picture heavy post follows!!)
Having bought some of the papers and stickers etc, I resolved that for once I would actually USE them rather than stroke them. It’s actually quite liberating to take the plunge and cut into those papers!! After looking around the Graphic 45 blog I came across this gorgeous mini tag book ‘tutorial’ by Annette Green. There are two parts to the tutorial – watch them both BEFORE you start if you want to follow all of Anne’s instructions, especially regarding construction – believe me it does make a difference!! (From that I guess you can work out I didn’t do that!!)

I recycled a damaged children’s board book for my project – I can usually lay my hands on these quite easily at work and it makes for a very substantial base. I copied Anne’s staggered look – the board book was already this shape so that was quite easy. The front cover is quite simple, I used one of the topper cards, made up a flower and added a ‘Halloween’ embellishment I had in my stash (so now it qualifies – so  there!!).

The next page we have a kind of double spread. The little book is a removeable accordian book and   uses some of the small elements in the papers. I cut some other bits from the papers and did a little stamping. There was supposed to be a removeable tag tucked in the other side but guess who glued the ‘love potion’ plate on all four sides? (No, there are no prizes.)

The next double spread has a little pocket with some removeable tags, and an extra page with a photo or journal block. Turn this over and and we reveal another tag and a journaling block folded over and secured with a metal spinner. This is something that Annette had in her mini and I just had to try it out – fantastic!!
Here are the next pages – another insert attached to the right hand side tag.

Are you still with me? Turn it over and discover a little pocket and tag on the reverse.

The final spread has some bunting and another journal block.

Sometimes I have a hard time just making things if I don’t have an idea who they are to go to, or what their purpose is. I have no idea what this is for, and although there are journaling spots and places where one could add photos I doubt I ever will - but I don’t care. One of the things Annette said in her video when explaining one of the delightful little details on her project was ‘it’s just fun… there’s no purpose, it’s just fun’. It really struck a chord with me and I think I need to adopt this mantra and not worry about why I am doing things so much!!
So there we have it, it certainly was fun to make and I am really pleased with it - I hope that maybe it will inspire someone else to just create for the fun of it. But whatever your Halloween make is, we’d love to see it over at Try It On Tuesday so go on over and join in!!

Challenges:
Dream Valley Challenges - Halloween
Country View Crafts  - Something SpookyMake my Monday  -Halloween

Try it On Tuesday - HALLOWEEN and DT Call

Image from Flickr Group

Well I guess it has to be done. Maybe one day I'll give in and buy a lot of halloween stuff but not this year!!

Here is my DT piece for the current Try it on Tuesday challenge, a stamped and collaged ATC.

I was going to make a spooky altered bottle as I have been much inspired by the ghoulish goings on at Laura Carson's blog, Artfully Musing but I couldn't even find a decent bottle!! If you have a few minutes to spare go over and have a look if halloween is your thing - there is some gorgeous eye candy. I can never believe people find so much 'stuff' to put on their altered art - I certainly wouldn't know where to look for it.

So I'm sure you've all got a little halloween project you can share with us at TioT. It can be any type of project that fits the theme, but you must remember not to link to more than 5 challenges if you want to be considered for Top 5.

We also have a design team call out until 20th November so whether you are a newbie or an experienced crafter why not have a go? Just add DT after your TioT entry so we know you are interested.

I'm happy to gift or trade this ATC if anyone would like it - first one to say so in the comment box. and, err, .....
 HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!
 

Tags of 2012 - October

Halloween tags. I'm not a great fan of Halloween and I don't have many Halloween bits n bobs. So what I shuld have done is take the technique and do something different. Doh. But instead I tried to copy Tim's and I'm not overly enamoured of the results. Pop over to see Tim's original tag and instructions here.

Could have cropped the photo as well but didn't LOL. Loved the background effect, although I did use a very fine book old page and following Tim's warning was careful not to be too over enthusiastic with the baby wipe wiping. The stamping and the shimmer made it yummy.  I didn't have black glitter or black alcohol ink so I tried my Staz-on re-inker to re-colour my white glitter. Ve-ry messy, and it didn't 'de-clump' once the ink had dried as Tim says the alcohol inks do and went absolutely everywhere. It also comes out rather purple, which fortunately went OK with the background. Frankly I think I'll just  put black glitter on my shopping list, at least if I brush it off my clothes there won't be a risk of ink stains. Anyhow used it to cover an old grungeboard skull and words and spider I cut out myself. Quite pleased with the way they turned out it's just all the other bits, nothing seems to look quite right so it looks rather unfinished to me. I also bizarrely chose a different sized tag to the ones I have been using so my tag book will have different sized tags. I worried about that for exactly 5 seconds.

And on the subject of that book, some of you may think OK, so this is October's tag where are July through September? They are coming along, and will be here shortly!!

October giveaway

This will be a quick turnaround as it's a topical - well halloween - theme and it would make sense to get it in the post to the 'winner' before it's all over.

It's actually designed to be a photo frame (I think) so you could easily replace the image I've used with one of the kids (or yourself!!) in appropriate Halloween mode.

All I have to do now is find a box to post it in!!

Usual 'rules' apply, leave a comment on this post before 9.00 pm on Sunday 16th October. International players welcome, feel free to link from your own blogs. Thanks for looking!!