Gonna start easing back into a less craft-centric posting schedule.
Halloween
Spent yesterday cleaning, so today I thought I’d post a flashback to the my first Month of Spookdays, in 2011.
These Felted Pumpkins were a blast to make. I gave them away just last year as part of my October raffle. The post includes step-by-step photos. I love needle felting, but mostly I do pictures, not 3D modeling, so this was a nice change.
The bonus on that post is good, too. Think I’ll share it again:
I’ve been wanting to play with my Gelli Plate for ages, so I finally got it out. Then I remembered why it had been a while. For some reason, I get stuck when I’m trying to use it. I’m rarely happy with my results, and just feel like I’m burning through prodigious amounts of paper. So I did what I often do when I’m stuck: follow directions. Gelli Arts is one of my favorite Youtube channels. They have a hell of a designer, and I always find their videos inspiring. I decided this video on making transfer film with packing tape looked like fun (seriously, go watch–it’s cool), so I followed along, copying as closely as I could. I loved the results, so naturally, I had to do it again–with skulls.
I used my Dyan Reavely Skulls stencil, and followed the video again. I used all mica powder on the background of these. You can’t see it well here, but they have a great shimmer. I think the bottom strip is my favorite–the yellow bits are the mica powder.
So what to do with this sparkly largesse? Just so happens, I have a ton of pre-cut ATC paper. I even have some that is leftover from other sets, so it already has pretty backing.
I started by cutting the strips and attaching them with some gel medium. Of course I goobed–see that one with the smudge? I actually put that on sticky-side UP. Which is the wrong way. So I had to cover it with gel so I wouldn’t get mica powder everywhere. We’ll see how it turns out.
Next, I used light molding paste to apply a spooky stencil.
The paste and paper areas get a light wash of color. I love how this brings out the texture of the paste.
Shimmery paint, either Lumiere or Silks, is added just to the stenciled shapes. Because I didn’t want to lose the texture, I blotted the paint back.
Here’s the set, and I’m pretty pleased with them! I like the contrast of the slick Gelli Plate art and the organic molding paste.
Here is the last of the series, with a thoroughly gruesome poem snippet. Heh.
Supplies:
- Golden Soft Gel, Matte
- Docrafts Lace Paper, Midnight Blush
- Golden Gesso
- Golden Acrylic, Red Oxide
- Golden Acrylic Glazing Medium, Satin
- Dylusions Ink Spray, Black Marble
- Lumiere Paint, Pearl White, Halo Violet-Gold
- Golden Acrylic, Carbon Black
- Dyan Reavely Skulls Stencil
I lovelovelove the way the lace paper turned out. I may have to go looking for more of that.
I spent yesterday taping three videos at once. I would put the first card aside to dry, then film a bit on the next one. I thought editing would be a nightmare, but it ended up being pretty easy to separate them, and it was a lot of fun.
This is the first card I worked on, and also the last, because it gave me problems. So at the very end, you get to see what my work table looked like after I’d finished all three.
These are made with the extra board from the Raven card. Other than the lace, which is from my stash, here are the supplies:
- Golden Gesso
- Golden Fluid Matte Medium
- Fab Lab Autumn Craft Decoupage Papers
- Golden Light Molding Paste
- Dritz Longarm Allover Crackle
- Golden Acrylic Glazing Liquid (Satin)
- Golden Acrylic Payne’s Gray
- Dylusions Ink Spray, Black Marble
- Silks Acrylic Glazes, Golden Monarch, Persimmon
- Golden Soft Gel, Matte
- Golden Acrylic, Carbon Black
- Inkadinkado, Nevermore stamp set
- Versafine, Onyx Black
Once it finally got unmuddied, I really liked this card. Hope y’all enjoy my little series.
It’s done! And I was really bad about taking pics of the process on the last two. Boo.
Here’s the “haunted” flag. Stamp by Rubber Stamps of America.
Now that I think of it, the doodles should have been windy and snakey. But oh well, I like it as is.
Here’s the “eerie” flag, stamp by Hampton Art, from Rare Oddities 2:
I started out wanting to match the charms to the flag, but the only owl charm I have is cartoony, so no dice. I really wanted to use the wolf, anyway.
And there they are together:
I think it looks pretty impressive. I puzzled over what to use to connect them. I didn’t have any ribbon that worked well enough. Finally, I used some of the fabric from the “Scary” flag. I think it’s just right. This may be one of my favorite projects ever.
Next I started on the adorable batty, using an old Studio G stamp.
Oh, these doodles are so much better. The bat gets a little Lumiere. I’ll be spreading that love around.
A gold moon, and little purple dots on the doodling.
Blue-violet beads go on many of the little buds.
Scary goes on, then some bugle beads. Yeah, they’re crooked. I’m okay with that.
And naturally, a little bat charm from my stash. This one went pretty quickly, and I felt like I had a clearer direction than usual. Two more to go!
Mistakes were made.
So I figured I could do the rest of the flags in a production line.
Don’t worry. That’s not the part that went wrong.
I started on the candle flag (Inkadinkado, Nevermore). It was the doodle. It had boxes and colored dots of different sizes and it was obnoxious and clown-like. I hated it, and I’m only a little sorry I didn’t take pictures. I knew it had gone horribly wrong, and I forgot about the camera as I got involved in fixing things.
Lots of paint followed. At first, I put in blocks of black, covering some of the dots. Nope, that was worse. Then I covered almost everything in black, then added a layer of pearl (this is all Lumiere). That was better. Then three more coats of pearl covered everything. Then more paint. More! More!
I even re-painted the lace because the contrast was off. Some of the blocks and dots are still visible, but now they add texture rather than making me think of tiny, overcrowded cars.
This one is a bit different from the others. Lots more shimmer with the paint. I skipped adding beads, because it had enough shine, and parts of the lace are bead-like. It went from something I hated to something I loved. I think I need more Lumiere paints, because they are a blast.
