Halloween Crafts

Hi friends! It has been a while since I've checked in here. I have been working on alot of Halloween decor for my house. Some of the things i made last year and i just added to them. I hope you enjoy my share today & feel free to comment with questions!

 Steampunk skeleton guy with orange lights for guts!

Hand painted with pencil then paint pens plaster sugar skull.

Happy Haunting!

Tuesday Night Music Club & The Monday Blues

Hi friends! The page I am sharing today was inspired by the mood  board challenge we have going on right now over at Frosted Designs. The challenge was to use the colors, photos or overall theme from our mood board to inspire your project! Here's a a peak at the board, entitled " winter blues"

I was mostly inspired by the overall color scheme of the board, the dark blues, the greenish blues, the teal-greenish blues in the blue bird and leaves, the brown from the branches, the warm pinkish hue from the latern, and the white for my background from the snow. I also really don't have alot of 'snow' pictures yet since we really haven't gotten any this year and I took the idea of the coffee cup and was inspired to use a pic of another type of drink. You could pretty much say I loosely intrpreted the mood board but it immediatley made me think of these very funny pictures that bring back alot of memories for me from August 2013. Here is a little sneak of me in mid-process... cup of cammomile tea on my desk! I took this one on instagram last night, I would love it if you'd follow me @khhollister

So here is a pic of how the overall layout turned out. I didnt originally intend to be so 'messy' last night but I was feeling inspired and had fun with some inks, mists, gelatos, and masks. I also didnt want to cover up my 'white' background too much so I ended up cutting up the other paper I wanted to use into hexagons and distressing all the edges.

I also covered the Um wow chipboards with dylusions spray in white linen. After I had them in place I doodled my rain drops. I added a few random embellies from my stash and to finish off my clusters some mini pearls and Prima Everyday Vintage Sugar Dots.

This lovely little lady was made with modge- podgeable shapes and some G45 paper. Ive had her in my stash for a while along with about 40 other shapes I decorated to sell at a convention I was working 2 years ago. I thought she was just perfect for this page & fit my blueish-green color scheme.

Well everyone, that is it for today! I hope you have enjoyed my messy page. It was alot of fun to make, sometimes going into something without a plan is actually better. I can't wait to get back in the studio and start a new art journal page as well as some other projects. I hope to have another share for you soon, maybe some birthday cards!!! Enjoy your day & don't forget you have plenty of time to join in our 'winter blues' challenge over at frosted designs. Link up your layout, project or card for a chance to be in our Top 3 or win a fabulous prize from our sponsor, which is a gift card to the fabulous frosted designs store!!!. Until next time, peace y'all~ VV

Products Used from the Frosted Designs Store: Fab Scraps 'shabby chairs' striped background paper, Bella Blvd Snapshots- dark blue cloud paper, Um Wow Chipboard layered clouds, Dylusions ink spray- white linen & calypso teal, Faber Castel Gelatos- teal & white, Faber Castel Gesso, Heidi Swapp Honeycomb stencil, Mini misters, Prima Everyday Vintage Sugar Dots, stickers from Carte Bella Wildflower collection pack.

Other: Tim Holtz distress ink in broken china, Crate paper- blue scalloped paper, mod podgeable shapes, mini crochet doilies Michael's, mini pearls Michaels 2 styles of Thickers by American Crafts, Tim Holtz distress stickles faded jeans.

Tim Holtz: 12 Tags of 2013: November

This month, we were challenged to copy Tim's unique 'chalkboard' technique for our tag. It was a lot of fun playing around and trying to get the same effect. This was Tim's tag, our inspiration:

I didn't have a black tag, so I cut one from cardstock. I also didn't have timestamps or chalk so I tried to recreate the effect using my picket fence distress marker and some black distress embossing powder. In the end I found that it wasn't 'chalky' enough so I went over some of the leaves with clear tinsel glitter. Overall I like it, but I definitely want some new Tim Holtz stuff for Christmas!!

Wishing you a happy Thanksgiving! Last thing I'll share is some fun stamping I did on cork pieces while I was experimenting with my tag. Until next time, keep scrapping friends!! ~VV

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2013: September

Hi everyone! I am popping in quickly this morning to share my take on Tim's tag for September. I finally got a few minutes to sit down and give it a try the other morning before a closing shift at work- it was nice to get a little mini crafty session in before work and I found that it really put me in a better mood for the rest of the day...thinking about all the stuff I want to try when I get back home! I tried to mimic his tag by using gesso instead of embossing paste on my background, then I stamped several images in layers of different distress ink colors. I am pretty happy with how it turned out! Here's our inspiration, Tim's September tag:

And this is my take:

I used distress inks to create my rainbow background after my gesso'd layer had dried. Over that I stamped in jet black archival ink several ornate squares, then reinked the same stamp with embossing ink and covered with UTEE. I heated with my heat tool and then started adding embellishments.

I used a piece of film strip ribbon, a vintage button, resin rose, staples, distress stickles, chit chat stickers and some flowers to bring the bottom of the tag together.

I am pretty happy with how it turned out. I debated about adding something else to the top but I left it as is. I still have to go back and do the tag for June but after that I will be up to date for the tags of 2013!! So proud of myself for playing along all year! 

Ok, well I am lucky enough to be off this Sunday. I'm going to grab some hot tea, as it's low 60s and misty rain here today- the perfect stay inside scrappy weather! We are expecting thunderstorms this afternoon, but I will be happily tucked away in my downstairs studio...tunes cranked, hoping to get some stuff done! Hubby is working until 6pm then it's Sunday night football and homemade burgers!! Looking forward to creative time today, it's been much needed and far and few between these last few weeks. Hope to back soon with more scrappy creations and goodies to share :)

until next time y'all~ VV

(product list)

Tim Holtz: 12 Tags of 2013 August

Good evenin' folks! I am so excited to share with you some tags that my good friend, Crystal and I made today! She happened to be in town for a short visit, so we were able to get a little crafty time in today since there wasn't much else going on! It was such a perfect Monday. We slept in, got up and went down to the coffee shop by my house for a mid morning snack and iced lattes. We chilled there for a while and got to read the local papers for a bit, then planned our day! Making homemade horchata, doing her laundry from the 2 week road trip, and an afternoon of crafting! It was so nice to take a break and just spend most of the day at home. It was a break I think we both needed and it was so good to scrap together again after a very long time!!! So I am really happy with how our tags turned out- we each did 2 tags, and they are each individually unique but fit with the TH theme this month which is 'travel' of all kinds! 

Here are Tim's inspirational tags:

I also really had alot of fun showing her some new techniques and new products. It was cool to feel like a teacher for the afternoon! We each did 2 tags and then went out on to my little mini yard/patio area at my new place and took some great pictures. It was right before the sun went down so we were able to capture some great shots on the slate rock pieces. Enjoy the photos!

 And from instagram earlier this evening...

Thanks so much for stopping by tonight! I had so much fun spending some crafty time with one of my best friends...so glad they stayed with us for 2 nights and we got to catch up...it was alot of fun and a great start to my long 7-day stretch ahead. Next I will be tackling my 2nd CSI Case file and then my next DT project, but I feel energized and inspired from my mini weekend with my girl! It was so great and so much fun, Thanks CJB!!! ;) 

Until next time, Peace Yall~ VV

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2013: July

So I've been a bit behind on doing the tags, I missed June because of the move but I stayed up late tonight just in the nick of time to finish the tag for July! I will probably go back and make the June one, even though I know I'm out of the running for the top 12. It's been so fun making these tags every month and trying to emulate the styles and techniques that Tim uses. This time around I didn't have alot to go with from the original tag, so I cut up some paper from one of his collections, used tissue tape, some old star stickers, gesso, cherry ice smooch spritz, distress ink, and lots of other goodies. 

Here are a few shots of how it turned out:

 I started with a #8 manila tag and stuck down a bunch of old metallic star stickers to the base. After that, I spritzed and smudged with my hand the entire top portion with smooch spritz in cherry ice. I heated it a little, then over top of that I used some gesso with my fingers to smudge it out a little. I found that after heating it for a while, some of the star stickers started to curl and peel up on the edges, which I really liked the look of! Near the bottom, I used Glimmer Mist chalkboard in grey over the bottom where I had already glued down 2 pieces of TH paper. I did another layer of star stickers and gesso, then heated it all again. Over that I did some tissue tape, then distress stickles in faded blue jeans. I distressed and inked all the edges and crevices with vintage photo. 

For the title, I used a scrap piece of cardboard that I inked with salted ocean distress ink, then glued down some TH chipboard alphas. Then for the top I did a bit of lace, twine, and a vintage button. I also added some mini pearls near the top and bottom for a finishing touch. 

The other elements I used were a ticket that I inked and colored with a distress marker in broken china, a elements sticker from TH crowded attic collection, a metal piece, some more pearls and tissue tape, and some felt stars that I ended up melting a little with my heat gun too. 

Really happy with how it turned out! I like the peeling up stars and the pictures of Washington and Eisenhower that poke out underneath everything. So I am off to submit right before the deadline! Wish me luck, hope you are joining in for the #12tags. I can't wait to see what he does for August!!

Until next time, Peace Yall~ VV