Coffin King ~ Mr. Skelly

I get tons of inspiration from wandering around my local Dollar Tree, especially during this time of year.  I have been buying up the skeleton garland that they sell.  It's made up of four skeletons, 6 inches tall, attached to each other with burlap twine.  This year I also found some coffin shaped boxes and they had them in two sizes! I bought up a bunch of them since you never know if the store will get more stock, or ever carry them again.  Now, this is a fairly long post, so settle in!

What I Used to Make my Coffin King:
Coffin Box - Dollar Tree
Skeleton - Dollar Tree
Spanish Moss - Dollar Tree
Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Simple Sayings, #CMS155
Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black
Distress Ink in Tones of Brown
White Card  for Banner
Banner Cut from Silhouette Cameo
Tim Holtz/Ideology Skulls
Tim Holtz/Ideology Boneyard Bones
Tim Holtz/Ideology Wishbones
Tim Holtz/Ideology Pumpkin Pieces
Tim Holtz/Ideology Brooms
Tim Holtz/Ideology Spider Charm
Krylon Leafing Pen in Silver
Gesso

Everything else is from my stash:
Dresden, Jewelry Dangle, Gems, Masking Tape, Brads, Plastic Cats, Iridescent Black Enamel Dots, Wooden Letters, White Silk Fabric Scrap and the Checkered Black & Orange Ribbon.

Color the Tape

Before I get into the making of the actual design, I wanted to share how I made the hinges.  They aren't a huge part of this piece, but I think something like this can come in handy when looking for an unusual little something for your project or card.

How I Made the Hinges: I initially wanted to be able to open and close the coffin, but, after designing the piece, it became obvious that keeping the coffin open all the time was a better way to go.  I am proud of the hinges, so I decided to do a tutorial on how I made them.  First step is putting a strip of masking tape onto some cardstock and coloring it.  I used all kinds of brown inks to color this tape and I didn't write down exactly which ones I used (sorry!) but I did use Distress Inks in tones of brown.  As soon as the ink is dry on the tape, scrunch it up to give it the cracks like you'd find on real leather that's rather old.

I then cut the tape into strips.  The tape may naturally start to separate from the cardstock, which is perfect, since you want to have the tape be pliable.  If you have to, just grab a corner of the cardstock and pull it.  This will leave a nice backing on the tape.  Then take a nice dark brown ink and edge the strips.  This will remove any of the stark white that is left from the cardstock.  You can refer to the picture above where I laid out the basic steps.  You can also make this leather-look for a fabulous background - just don't cut the tape into strips!  Another technique is covering a piece of cardstock with ripped pieces of masking tape, then coloring it with inks to make it look like leather.  The last thing I did with the hinges was glue on some small black brads and then attached them to the painted coffin.

How I Made the Coffin King:

First, I roughly sanded the coffin since it had that shiny coating on it. After coating the coffin with gesso and having the coffin dry, I  painted it with black acrylic paint, dry brushing some brown around the outside to make it look like wood. I repeated the steps with the inside of the coffin but just used the black paint.  While the coffin was drying, I worked on the skeleton.  I glued some black gems into his eye sockets, sized his crown out of Dresden, and went into my stash for his cape.  I had gotten some fabric books from a furniture store (and some great wall paper books) filled with fabrics and patterns they no longer offered and that's where I

found his cape.  It was already cut with pinking shears  on one side, so that was perfect for the part of his cape that wrapped around his neck.  All I did was use a rubber band to keep the cape's shape and placement while the glue was drying.  I literally wrapped it around his neck but no worries since he'd already seen better days!  I colored the Dresden with a silver leafing pen (it was originally gold colored) and glued that onto his head.  Lastly, I made his staff (scepter?) out of an old jewelry 
dangle I had lying about; I colored it silver with the leafing pen and glued a clear gemstone to the top.  I adhered that to his left hand.  Every king needs a

staff; preferably both kinds {wink.}

Setting the skeleton aside, the coffin was dry so I filled the bottom with some Spanish moss.  That was one of the messiest parts, having never dealt with moss before I had NO idea that it would get everywhere.  It did.  And my four fabulous felines would have loved to help me clean it up, but I did it myself knowing they'd also be throwing it up for days!  Once the moss was dry, I set Mr. Skelly onto the moss and let him settle in.

Meanwhile, I decided what I was going to use to decorate the 

inside of the coffin lid.  I used a bunch of Tim Holtz' new and old Idea-ology products, as well as a bunch from my stash.  Here are some close ups of the coffin lid {remember if you want to see these pictures bigger, just right click on them with your mouse}.

I had both the small Scrabble-like tiles and the grey kitten in my stash.  You can also see one of the iridescent black dots.






This cute little black kitty was also a stash item.  She resides at the top of the coffin, atop the banner that reads Happy Halloween.

In this picture of the bottom of the coffin you can see Mr. Skelly standing on one of Tim's pumpkins, and along side him is an Idea-ology skull, spider and broom.  This is also a good picture of the hinges.  Above and next to the broom is where the wishbone and boneyard bone are intertwined.


Here is another look at the finished product.  I always make at least one 3D Halloween project.  This year has been a bit busier than usual for me but, who knows? Halloween isn't here yet!

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial.  Have you made anything 3D for Halloween or the upcoming holiday?  I have SO many ideas for ornaments I have to start writing them down; I can't sleep through all the noise my brain makes putting them together in my head!

I also wanted to mention a small giveaway I am having on my blog:

Art~Without~Anxiety

presents

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I’m having a small drawing on my blog.  All you need to do is click onto this post, chose the costume you like best & when I get 75 costume comments, I’ll draw a random winner.  Open Internationally! Please feel free to share!

EXPIRES Nov, 1. 2017

Thanks for reading this far down; I know it was a long post! Hope to see you at my giveaway! Happy Halloween! Christi

I am thrilled to add Coffin King to the following challenges:
Altered Eclectics - Oct. Challenge, Anything Goes
Frilly & Funkie - 'Tis Near Halloween (#2)
Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Oct. Challenge
Craft-DeeBowz - Anything Goes w/ Handmade Bow
Eclectic Ellapu - Oct. Challenge, Dark/Scary 
Naughty or Nice - #44, Something Spooky
An Inky Mess - #14, Just For Fun

It's irritating when. . .

A good blogland friend of mine has been struggling with some health issues so I decided to make her a get well card.  I recently bought this Newton's Nook Designs set from another blogger who was getting rid of it and ever since I got it, I've had this type of card in the back of my head.  It feels good to get it out and my head appreciates the room I've made :) 

What I Used to Make my Card:
Kraft Card Base
Tim Holtz Ideaology Motif Paper - wood grain (discontinued but available)
DCWV Chalk Stack
Ellison LetterEase Helvetica Medium White Letter Stickers (discontinued)
Distress Paint in Gathered Twigs
Computer Generated Text
Newton's Nook Naughty Newton Stamp Set
Newton's Nook Naughty Newton Die Set
Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black
DCWV Le Tres Chic Stack 12 x 12 (Amazon link but available elsewhere)
Clean Color Markers in Mid Brown, Beige and Oatmeal
White Gel Pen

The best thing about this card, aside from the fact that it is a get well card is that I got to use something old (very. very old) and something brand new to me in making it.  The white letter stickers have got to be at least 11 years old and as I said prior, the Naughty Newton set is new to me.  I love when I can use up some old stash to make room for some new stuff.  I started this card by

Another look 

stamping the kitties on cardstock in Jet Black ink.  I set them aside and started to brainstorm how I was going to make the chalkboard; I knew there was no way I was going to write on it as I definitely would have messed up somehow, so I computer generated the front and the saying on the inside.  I don't typically write on the inside of my cards but this one kinda needed a bit more explanation.  I used the DCWV Chalk stack for the actual board and wrote the lead part of the sentiment with the Ellison stickers.  I attached the second half at the bottom ensuring I had plenty of room for the scratches.  I wanted the chalk board to look like a chalk board so I dug out the wood grain pattern from the Motif paper and colored it with the Gathered Twigs paint.  I stuck it under my trusty tile to dry and stay flat.  

While that was drying I went back to the kitties.  The kitties that I chose to use already have scratches attached to their claws but I wanted to make sure the

The inside of the card

marks were visible against the black board so after I die cut them, I carefully trimmed the scratches off.  I colored the kitties using Clear Color Markers, but, since I cut them out of regular cardstock and not watercolor paper I just colored them lightly. 

Once the Distress Paint was dry, I used my CAMEO to cut a square in a piece of the wood grain paper so it would frame the chalkboard. I attached the chalk paper behind the frame and set it aside to cut the background paper out of the Le Tres Chic paper stack.  I wanted something that would give the card some interest but not overwhelm the elements.  I think the Kraft colored flowers on the light blue is a perfect fit.  I trimmed two pieces of the background paper and adhered one to the front of the card and one to the inside of the card.  I put the chalkboard and kitties on the front of the card and used a white gel pen to ink in the scratches.  

I hope you enjoyed my little "feel better" card and I hope my friend enjoys it when she gets it :) Fondly, Christi 

I would like to enter my card in the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
Rubber Dance - Layers
Die Cuttin' Divas - #305, Animals
Cuttlebug Mania - It's a Zoo Out There
OLLCB - #222, Die Cuts

If the Broom Fits. . .

I am so sad that Halloween is over for another year, but, I take heart in knowing I can create Halloween stuff all year round!  Don't be surprised if you see a card or a project pop up here on occasion. So, here is my last hurrah for Halloween 2015:

How I Made this Card:
Square (5 1/4 x 5 1/4) Card Base
Tim Holtz Bird Crazy Stamps
Tim Holtz Sizzix Bird Crazy Dies, 660954
Tim Holtz Crazy Things Stamps
Graphic 45 Rare Oddities Paper
Carta Bella All Hallows Eve, 6 x 6 pad
DCWV Dark Romance Paper Stack (discontinued?)
Tim Holtz Idea-Ology Small Talk, Occasions
Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black
Distress Markers
Purple Paper
Brown Paper (for the broom)
Pop Dots

This tutorial is going to be a bit different. Since this card is busier than my typical creation, I am going to move from the focal point, the bird, out.  So, I stamped the bird from Bird Crazy using Jet Black ink and colored it in using Distress Markers and a watercolor brush. Unfortunately, I made this bird so long ago, I can't remember which colors I used and I didn't make note of them. In fact, I didn't even like the way this bird came out and wasn't going to use it at all.  But, she hung around my desk and grew on me.  And once I added the witches hat and broom, well, I fell in love with image.  I made her when I first got the Bird Crazy die set, so I pop dotted the wings, since I could. I fussy cut the hat and the broom before the Crazy Things die set even came out, so that gives you a sense of how long ago I made the bird. And, note to Santa, I still need the Crazy Things Die Set - got my eyes peeled for a good bargain.

I cut the frame the bird rests on out of Rare Oddities Paper (the hat also was cut out of this paper) and then backed the frame with paper from All Hallows Eve from Carta Bella.  I had originally put the bird and the frame on a dark purple card, but the next day realized it was completely crooked - that's what I get for trying to create in the dark! So the purple card was turned into another layer.  I made my square card out of a paper from Dark Romance (which I could not find on DCWV's website, but it is available in ton's of places), and I edged the card using Ripe Permission Distress Marker 'cause the inside of the card is white and I hate those white edges!

Lastly, I used a Small Talk Sticker, from the Occasions set, as my sentiment.  I lightly colored the sticker with Shaded Lilac Distress Ink; smushed a bit on my

craft mat and watered it down to death, I didn't want the purple ink to overwhelm the saying. I almost had to use another sticker since this one got so wet, but I salvaged it, who doesn't like distressed a bit more distressed? Since it's difficult to read in most of the card pictures, here is a close up of the sentiment sticker.

I hope this tutorial was easy to understand. I couldn't think of a better way to write it up for you and I am under a time crunch as I will be away when this posts.  Please, feel free to ask me any questions by leaving a comment or using the contact me form on the side. Thanks for flying stopping by and I hope you have a frightfully fantastic All Hallow's Eve! Fondly, Christi

Another Look

I am entering my "If the Broom Fits" card in the following challenges:
Fussy & Fancy Challenge - (October) #150, Orange, Black and/or Purple
Morgan's Art World - #10, Halloween
Vintage Stamping (Flonzcraft) - #37, Use a Die/Dies
Fusion Card Challenge - All Hallow's Eve (used photo inspiration)

Deep Ocean Challenges - Halloween

Eureka Stamps - Halloween

Lawnscaping Challenge - Too Cute to Spook

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Monster Mash

Animal Friends Challenge - (October) Halloween - 2nd Entry

That's Crafty! - Haunted Halloween

My Take on Tim's October 2015 Tag

As some of my followers know Halloween is my FAVORITE time of year and I am bummed that October is almost over - yeah, we still have 2 weeks or so left, but it feels like the month is flying by. This month, Tim used a newly released die by Sizzix and shows how the die creates dimension on his tag:

The only thing I had that was used this month is the paper pad Regions Beyond (which I bought as quick as I could since it is so perfect for Halloween), so I decided to wing it once again (like last month) and make a card.

What I Used to Make my Card:
Square White Base, 5 1/4" x 5 1/4"
Tim Holtz Regions Beyond Mini Paper Stash, #TH93226
Sizzix Framelits Skull Blueprint, #659375
Black Soot Distress Ink
Mini Blending Tool
Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black
White Cardstock
Black Cardstock
Pop Dots
Embossing Ink & Custom Blend Black & Silver Embossing Powder
Silver Brads

The very first thing I did was I stamped the skull 3 times on white card, using the Jet Black ink and cut it out using the dies in the set.  I added some googly eyes to the fellow so perhaps he isn't so scary and then I popped out the main skull and the jaw using pop dots (truthfully I used some waste from some already used pop dots).

I set the skull aside and cut out the designer paper from the Regions Beyond pad and edged it using the Mini Blending Tool - funny, I resisted buying this for SO long and I use it SO much. Once the ink from the edging dried, I glued it onto my square card. 

I set about figuring out how I was going to make the band (like the word band on Tim's tag) and I decided to use the Trick or Treat stamp included in the set. I stamped the saying on white card in embossing ink, then heat embossed it with a blend of embossing powder I had already made - it's just some black powder with a hint of silver-  then I  used the frame die to cut it out.  The final step was cutting a band of black cardstock and attaching the Trick or Treat cut out to it - I used both glue and 2 silver brads to mimic the Word Band on Tim's tag.

Another look

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial and my interpretation of Tim's October 2015 Tag.  I have to say how proud I am of myself that I have actually made a project for every month in 2015, so far anyway.  I actually intend on continuing to join the 12 Tags of 2016 as well. Participating has definitely stretched my imagination and I love trying the new techniques every month.  Thank you for stopping by & I hope to see you again soon ~ Christi

I would like to enter my card in the following challenges:
Tim's 12 Tags of 2015 - October
Eileen Hull Art With Heart (October) - Hauntings & Holidays
Try it on Tuesday - It's Frightening/Halloween 
Retro Rubber - #25, Get Your Spook On (I have had the Framelits set for over a year)
Vintage Stamping by Flonzcraft (October) - #37, Use a Die/Dies
The Corrosive Challenge Blog - #234, The Dark Side
Fantasy Stampers - #47, Fright Night
Crafty Catz - #296, Embossing
Wags 'n Whiskers - #163, Use a Die Cut
DRS Designs - Spooky or Cutesy (I went with spooky)
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Work it Wednesday, Use a Stamp

Tim's 12 of 2015 Tags - August 2015

Before I get into the Tag I want to shout out to all my followers & friends that we need a bit of help over at Challenges for Days.  We are looking for someone to handle the management of the Monday list and all you need is about an hour a week, a computer and a Blogger account.  If you are interested, please email Zoe at zoechaos@icloud.com if you can help ~ Thanks! Now, on with the show!

Tim's Tag

This month I decided to capture the essence of Tim's tag and go completely out on a limb and just let pure inspiration guide me.  I actually love the way this tag came out! As always, you can go to Tim's blog and see how he created his August tag by clicking here.  Here is my take on Tim's August 2015 tag:

What I Used to Make my Tag:

Tag, 8" x 4" (I needed a big one for this!)
Tim Holtz Sizzix Alterations Alphanumerics  #660056
Tim Holtz Sizzix ShadowPress Debossing Folders, Documented Set, #659856
Tim Holtz Stamp Set, Time Travelers, #CMS157
Tim Holtz Stamp Set, Playful Journey, CSS27812 (small clock)
Tim Holtz Stamp Set, Life's Possibilities, CSS25870, (large clock)
Tim Holtz Idea-Ology Small Talk Stickers, TH93193
Tim Holtz Idea-Ology Loop Pins, TH93200
Distress Markers in Blueprint Sketch, Broken China, Salty Ocean, Pumice Stone, Tumbled Glass, Walnut Stain & Vintage Photo
Glue 'n Seal
Distress Ink in Faded Jeans
Distress Crackle Paint in Rock Candy, TDC26686
Embossing Ink & Black Embossing Powder
Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black
Marker Spritzer
Maya Road Chipboard Circle
Water Brush
Old Map
Other Trinkets & Lace from my stash

(I am not sure why this text is darker than the rest of the blog. Well, I have an idea why, but I have no idea how to fix it.Sorry!)

OK, I am going to try to remember how I made this, step by step (yes, it's been a while!).  If something in my description doesn't seem clear, or you have any questions, feel free to contact me or leave me a comment.

Step 1

The first thing I did was cut the words, I decided on adventure & time travel, out of the tag using the Alphanumerics dies - this is fabulous set of Sizzix dies. There is 121 pieces and at 3/4" tall there are tons of possibilities!  I was able to cut out all of the words at once. I used the word "Remember" out of the debossing folders set Documented along the side of the tag.  Then I took pieces of an old map I and adhered that behind the word cut outs. 

Crackled Clock

I stamped the large clock, using Faded Jeans distress ink, above the time travel cut out.  I stamped one of the men from the Time Travelers' set on vanilla card and embossed him with black embossing powder.  I painted him using distress markers and a water brush then fussy cut him out.  Set him aside. 

I stamped the small clock onto the chipboard circle using Jet Black ink and I dotted some other colors around the clock since it was so drab. Then I crackled it using the distress crackle paint in Rock Candy, set that aside.  While my clock was crackling, I tore bits of the map and glued them onto the background where there was no stamping.  

Close-Up

I used the marker spritz tool to spritz some of the blue markers on the background and 
then I outlined the debossed word with Pumice Stone.  Didn't exactly come out as I intended, but I like the fuzzy quality of the word.  I covered the tag with Glue 'n Seal.

Close-Up

Once everything was done drying, I glued the man where I wanted him and chose two phrases, that I felt fit the theme of my tag, from the Small Talk Stickers to adhere over him.  I then adhered my crackled clock and a few other clocks I had in my stash.  I finished the tag off using some lace that I had colored with Walnut Stain distress marker and hung another clock a using Loop Pin. I'm thinking this is quite a manly tag, don't you agree?

Another month down! I have to say, I am very impressed with myself that I have stuck with this challenge.  It's a great excuse for me to buy more Tim Holtz goodies <grin>.  I hope you enjoyed my short tutorial & I hope you'll consider joining me on Tim's Tags journey ~ fondly, Christi  

Another look :)

I would like to enter my tag in the following challenges:
Tim's 12 Tags of 2015 - August
Use Your Stuff - (runs until 9/5) #189, Anything Goes, entry 2
Oh La La Creations - #187, One for the Boys
Vintage Stamping Challenge - #35, Anything Goes
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - #16, Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp - Work it Wednesday - Die Cuts