The House has Eyes.......

Ever notice that some houses seem to have an extra something? How often times one can walk into a house and feel the age it has, the personality it has developed over years of inhabitants, events, lives passing through it? Who loved it and who never noticed it was present?
I love imagining what stories a house holds, what shaped it over the years.
I made this House Room Box with 4 Cubbies with that thought in mind.

Back view....

I started with the House Room Box with 4 Cubbies.

 I cut the intereior paper for the back, remembering to cut out the slots!

I painted the the rest of the interior black and glued the pieces in, starting with the inside, center 'shelves' and then the exterior walls.

 After everything dried, I papered the outside of the box and began to glue the shingles on.
I used the Chipboard Shingles-Pointed and worked my way from the bottom to the top.
It took 12 pieces to cover one side - 6 bits with four points and six with five points. I cut them using a sharp pair of scissors. Centering the fist piece with four points and using that as a measurement for trimming the long (five points) after the glue dries.

One side completed and ready to trim.

To trim the shingles, I flipped the house upside down and using a sharp pair of scissors I cut along the edge of the short row of shingles (the four point). It gives you a bit of eaves.
I have tried using a sharp craft knife, but scissors seemed to work best for me.

I painted the roof black and added some Dresden Trim detail.....

I added more Dresden trim on the back and these great silhouettes from the Black Creepy Critters Set (coming soon)

I also painted a wooden candles stick holder black and glued it on the bottom of the house and added more trims for extra details, melted some white birthday candles and glued them on brass findings and stuck them in the house.
after that, it was me just adding lots of little things I have made or collected.
I used Graphic 45 scrapbook papers from the 'Olde Curiosity Shoppe' collection, including the great pair of eyes with the spectacles.

Little stamped brass flowers were added to the places were I didn't want raw trim edges showing. A book I made with a polymer clay cover was placed in the lower right cubby along with some fun bits and pieces including a polymer clay pumpkin. Fun!

SUPPLIES:
House Room Box with 4 Cubbies
Chipboard Shingles-Pointed
Black Creepy Critters Set (coming soon)

Additional supplies
Candlestick Holder (you can get HERE)
Dresden Trim (HERE)
Graphic 45 Olde Curiosity Shoppe Scrapbook Paper
Various brass findings and wee objects
Birthday Candles
Black acrylic paint
polymer clay

Thank you for stopping by!

She Lost Her Mind Halloween Card

Hi everyone!  I hope you all have had a wonderful Summer!  Where I live, we are finally experiencing some cooler weather, which makes me look forward to Fall, and with that comes my favorite holiday, Halloween!!  Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts has a wonderful selection of Halloween chippies, as well as chippies that can be used together with Halloween.  Today, I want to share a fast and easy card that can be enlarged to make a scrapbook layout or art journal page, or even a home decor canvas to display for your next Halloween gathering.

Make a black card base to measure 5" x 6-1/2" when folded in half.  Cut a piece of black stripe paper just slightly smaller than the card front and adhere.  Center and adhere a scrap of oddities print paper. Tear scraps of harlequin paper to fit along edges of card, adhere as shown.

Cut a piece of the Chainlink panel to fit on front edge of card, as shown.

Color chainlink with silver leafing pen and let dry.  Then swipe black soot distress ink pad over chainlink to get an aged look.

Paint black bird with black acrylic paint, let dry.  Spray bird with Sapphire Tattered Angels mist, let dry.

Adhere black bird with foam dot to front of card over chainlink, as shown.

Add white dot for eye with gel pen.  I later added a black dot to make more realistic.

Paint middle size Bat Wings Miniatures and corner web with spider with black acrylic paint, let dry. Paint pumpkin with orange acrylic paint, and use same color to add an hourglass image to body of spider.  Edge pumpkin with black acrylic paint to add a spooky look.

Color paper doll with frayed burlap distress ink and add to front of card with foam dots.    Add miniature bat wings behind the image.  Paint bat wings with Sea Kelp glimmer glaze paint.

Glue spider web corner to upper left corner.  Add green Stickles glitter glue over web.  Adhere spider over web with foam dot.

Glue pumpkin to card beneath dress of paper doll, as shown.

Choose a Halloween clippings sticker, adhere to a scrap piece of black paper, cut a small border around it and adhere to card front. as shown.

Computer generate "HAPPY HALLOWEEN" and print onto cream paper for inside of card.  Use scraps of the same paper used on the card front to bring it all together.

Supplies Used:

GSL Bat Wings Miniatures 
GSL Spiders & Webs (coming soon)

GSL Creepy Critters
GSL Spooky Shape Set
GSL Chainlink 8 x 8 Inch Panel
Graphic 45 Olde Curiosity Shoppe paper
10" x 6-1/2" black card stock
Tim Holtz Halloween Clippings Stickers
Tim Holtz Halloween Ancestors Paper Dolls
Tattered Angels - Sea Kelp glitter glaze, Sapphire mist
Distress Ink - Frayed Burlap, Black Soot
Ranger green Stickles
Black, Orange acrylic paint
Makeup sponge
Foam dots
Krylon silver leafing pen

I hope you enjoyed my card tutorial today and that perhaps I've inspired you to get busy making some fun Halloween cards or projects, too.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a wonderful week!

Barbara

Deco Front Shadow Box

Hi everyone!  Today I want to share a peculiar shadow box with you using Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts
Deco Front Shadow Box and Graphic 45's Olde Curiosity Shoppe Collection.  Of course, this is just my jumping off point.  Who knows where this will lead me.

Back of Box

Here is a diagram of the parts of a dovetail joint.  It's really easy, just pins and tails.

Cut paper to 6-3/4" square for the back of the shadow box, and four strips 1-1/4" by 6-3/4" for the inside of each side piece.  Glue each piece to the respective chipboard, leaving the dovetail pins and tails uncovered so they can be inserted into their respective openings, as shown.

Glue chipboard pieces together to form the box.

Ink up front of shadow box with Patina ink and heat emboss with Patina Oxide embossing powder.  Work in sections so you always have a part to hold onto.  

Repeat process for back side of frame.

Put glue on inside and outside of box pins and inside each of the tail openings.

Lay frame over them and push down on the pins to adhere frame to box.

When the glue dries, ink up the box pins showing through on the front and emboss with the Patina Oxide embossing powder.  I happened to have a reinker for my ink pad, and it made it easier to just ink and emboss the pins, but is totally optional.

You will still see the pins, but you could always continue adding embossing powder until it levels out.  However, I chose to leave it because most of it will be covered up by embellishments, and I kind of liked the texture and design it gave to the front.

Cut two  pieces print paper to 1-¾"x 7-¾" and cover two sides opposite each other, mitering corners, as shown.

 Cut two more pieces 1-3/4" x 7", glue to remaining sides of box, turning edges only, as shown.

Cut a piece of print paper to 7" square and adhere to back, as shown.  Edge box with Black Mixed Media ink pad.  Use heat tool to dry ink.

Use Glossy Accents on the bottles and clock bezels in and on the cabinet to bring them to life and add a bit of dimension.

Cut out the words "the Olde Curiosity Shoppe of Unusual Oddities" and layer it onto a slightly larger piece of black cardstock.  Adhere to inside along top edge with pop dots, as shown.

Fussy cut some images from the Graphic 45 paper.  I used Ultra Matte Varnish on the pieces because it adds strength to the paper and dries completely invisible.  I also added a layer of glossy accents to the legs in the jar at upper right in the photo.

Fussy cut a second shoe skate, curve it outward with your fingers and pop it up on top of the printed one using black foam squares or pop dots.  It's hard to tell in the photo, but I think you can see a shadow on the right side because I was shining a light inside the box from the left.  There is also a cut line showing on the right side of the skate because the paper is elevated by the foam dots.

To disguise the join between the two skate images, I fussy cut some additional leafy flourishes from the paper and edged each one with a Sepia Big Brush pen.

Then I carefully placed them over the edge of the skate to cover that cut line and add some cool dimension at the same time.

Cut apart the wrought iron border piece, as shown.  I used only two portions of what was left of my border piece.  Click on this link to see the entire Wrought Iron Set.

 Ink pieces with Black Mixed Media ink and heat emboss with Oil Rubbed Bronze embossing powder.  Repeat this process for the two corner pieces in the  set.

 

Put dots of glue onto the right side of the border piece, as shown below.

Place border piece under lip of box frame and sides.

Repeat embossing process for the two corner pieces in the Wrought Iron Set and adhere them to the inside edge of the frame, as shown.

Use a distressor tool to rough up the edges of the Olde Curiosity Shoppe sign.  Add Walnut Stain DS to the edges, then "water down" the color using the Antique Linen DS.

Use your fingers to shape the sign and glue it to the top of the frame, centering it over the opening.  I used clamps to hold the paper in place while it dried.

 Color some small ivory feathers with Peeled Paint and Antique Linen DS.  Use water to actually lighten the color.  The feathers will look like a hot mess, but they will dry back to their normal "fluffy" state.

See, I told you so!  LOL

Insert the feathers inside the shoe skate, as shown below.

I layered all the bottles and clock bezels in and on the cabin with Glossy Accents.  I recommend you do this just before bedtime or when you are taking a break to let the Glossy Accents dry.  I tend to forget it's there and inevitably stick my finger or arm or something into it.

I started adhering my remaining fussy cut pieces, as well as that last piece from the Wrought Iron Set which I placed just behind the lady.  I used a tiny wooden spool to elevate the larger flying pig, and a piece of a paper straw to elevate the smaller pig.  I also adhered the legs in glass piece to the right side of the frame (lower corner).

 To make the lamp that I placed above the jar with legs, I cut apart the sconce piece from the Fancy Lamp Post & Sconce Set Small.  The bottom of that is still useable as a corner piece.

I also chose four propeller pieces (one is hidden beneath the pile of embossing powder).  I inked all pieces, both sides, with Adobe Mixed Media ink and heat embossed them with the Chunky Rust embossing powder.  

To finish the lamp, I traced the lamp area onto a small piece of mica with a black sharpie marker.

I cut the mica out and glued it to the back of the lamp with Glossy Accents.  Then I glued it just above the jar with legs, as mentioned before,

The propellers were layered with small metal beads glued between them.  I found it was easier to glue a bead to the back of  each propeller and let it dry.  Then I would stack them on top of each other.  This photo also shows how I glued the tiny wooden spool to the back of the larger pig.

Here is what I mean.  I used a rusty screw piece from Prima on the very top propeller.

As you can see, the propellers were glued on either side of the Olde Curiosity Shoppe sign.

I fussy cut some butterflies from the paper and placed them randomly over the shadow box.  

Supplies Used:

GSL Deco Front Shadow Box
GSL ATC Stand
GSL Fancy Lamp Post & Sconce Set Small
GSL Wrought Iron Set
Graphic 45 Olde Curiosity Shoppe paper collection
DecoArt Media Ultra Matte Varnish
ColorBox Mixed Media Ink Pad (Patina) (Black) (Adobe)
Patina Oxide Baked Texture embossing powder (Seth Apter)
Chunky Rust Baked Texture embossing powder (Seth Apter)
Oil Rubbed Bronze embossing powder (Allure)
Tim Holtz Distress Stains (Peeled Paint, Antique Linen, Walnut Stain)
Mini Mica Tiles (USArtQuest)
DIY Shop Paper Straws (American Crafts)
Mini wooden spool
Glossy Accents (Ranger)
3D Foam Squares (black optional)
Aleene's Fast Grab Tacky Glue
Distressed Tool

Well, I hope you enjoyed all the photos and step-outs today.  Be sure to check out the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts shop to see what fun things you will be inspired to make.  And don't forget to share your projects with us on our Facebook Group Page.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a wonderful day!

Barbara