Halloween – iGirlZoe, Crafter & Tim Holtz Addict

‘Halloween’ Category

The Crypt

25th August, 2020 by iGirlZoe

Hello friends. I’m back again with another Halloween sample that I made for the Tim Holtz Sizzix Chapter 3 Halloween release last month. If you missed it, you can catch up on all the fun on Tim’s blog.

I love the new Tim Holtz Sizzix gate keeper thinlits die set. I immediately fell for the grungy, twisted, gothic style gates, coupled with the moon and bats and knew I was going to make a crypt. They fit perfectly on the idea-ology vignette boxes. Here’s what I did…

Covered an idea-ology vignette box with distress texture crackle paste and sprayed with distress and oxide sprays.

Using the 3D brickwork texture fades embossing folder, I tore portions of the brickwork away to make it look like exposed wall, before gluing it to the back of the vignette box with distress collage medium and rubbing walnut stain distress crayon over the top to age.

The lit up moon was a bit of a triumph for me. I got a Dremel micro for my birthday, it’s an awesome tiny tool and makes short work of drilling through the back of vignette boxes, (please wear safety glasses). I die cut the moon twice from vellum and glued together with the moon slice between. I painted an antique linen distress paint wash over the top of the moon to diffuse the light (see next pic).

Threading one tiny light in behind the moon, I added a thin layer of hot glue to the back edge of the moon which created an invisible lift. The rest of the tiny lights were threaded in through the second hole I drilled behind the idea-ology tombstone, (retired) (inserts sobbing).

I stacked idea-ology skulls either side and added some remnant rubs to the tombstone and some creepy moss. I cut bats from blackout kraft-stock from the gate keeper die set. I shaped the wings slightly and glued in the center of the bat with distress collage medium.

The gates were die cut from blackout kraft-stock and the highlighted portions from distress watercolor cardstock with an antique linen distress paint wash added and walnut stain distress crayon rubbed over the top. The gates were glued together with distress collage medium. The precision tip bottle makes it really easy. I attached the gates to the edge of the vignette box and when dry, bent the gate prongs slightly.

I pulled out an older and retired die, Pediments (658557) to create the top of the crypt. I die cut it several times, glued it together and covered with distress texture crackle paste. I added letters from the alphanumeric labels die set, cut from blackout kraft-stock and added with distress collage medium.

Attaching a small wood block at the back to stabilize the die cut. This could be covered with some die cut foliage or even have a skull mounted to the top. I wish I had added some die cut ivy to the crypt. Tim Holtz Sizzix garden greens thinlits die set (661206) has the best ivy die and wouldn’t it look nice climbing the gates…

That’s what I love about investing in craft tools, you can mix and match over the years as you build your collection. The seasonal dies are produced in limited numbers, so please pick up your must haves for your collection.

Thanks for stopping by, only 24 hours until the new Distress color is revealed and I can’t wait! See you there and don’t forget your snacks…

Zoe

Category Halloween, Ideaology, Sizzix, Tim Holtz | Tags: | 16 Comments | Views: 2,062
Specimen

23rd August, 2020 by iGirlZoe

Hello everyone. Did you catch the Tim Holtz facebook LIVE showcasing the new Stampers Anonymous Halloween stamps? If you know me, you know that stamps are my jam and Halloween is my favourite flavour, so this is always my favourite release of the year.

I love tapping into my dark side during Halloween and those dark days are coming… but I wanted to share this card first and show that these stamps are not just for Halloween…

The specimen CMS410 stamps blew me away. They are big bugs, but certainly not too big for cards. The detail is incredible and they totally have a silence of the lambs vibe… (trust me, it’s going to get really freaky in the coming weeks)!

Background stamps are so useful and this set Tapestry CMS414, can certainly be used all year, like the Specimen set.

I covered the stamp with distress embossing goo, I hate the stuff, it’s sticky and gross but it’s awesome for embossing and a baby wipe takes it off your stamp and lets face it, who isn’t washing their hands 60 times an hour?! Be gentle with it, it’s thick and if you squeeze it you’ll blow the top off and you’ll have sticky gross goo everywhere! I store mine upside down and pump the dabber top on my glass media mat to prime the dabber and then you’re ready to go. I used speckled egg distress glaze and walnut stain distress crayon, using a baby wipe to remove some of the crayon from the glaze, which acts as a resist.

It wouldn’t be Halloween without Blackout kraft-stock from the idea-ology range. There’a truly nothing else like this and I’m beyond happy that it comes in paper pads of 24 sheets of just black. I sanded the edges and blended in walnut stain distress ink. I cut the banner frame using the retired sizzix banner die set. I can’t wait to share this years Halloween banner with you…

I used sizzix square frames die set to create a faux slide. I stamped “Identification Check” from the new Examination CMS412 stamp set and flicked ground espresso distress paint at the slide to give it an aged look.

These are my background pieces ready to be assembled. I use dimensional adhesive foam on some layers to give some height. I also use scor-tape and distress collage medium as my go to adhesives.

I love this die from the Tim Holtz mixed media thinlits die set. It reminds me of bubble wrap and adds a little texture.

I added the small “refer to” stamp from the Examination CMS412 stamp set and the “collection of specimens” stamp from the Specimen CMS410 stamp set and of course that beautiful moth. I stamped with distress archival ink onto distress watercolor cardstock and fussy cut, bending the wings up to give some dimension.

I stitched the base layers using my Singer Heavy duty sewing machine. My stitching is getting better and I’m going to try stitching fabric next month with some fabric that’s “winging” it’s way t0 me… I’m nervous-excited.

Seriously, how awesome are these stamps?!

Thanks for stopping by, enjoy your weekend and I’ll be back next week with some more Halloween makes.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Zoe

Category Halloween, Stampers Anonymous, Tim Holtz | Tags: | 22 Comments | Views: 4,438
Dapper Arthur

13th August, 2020 by iGirlZoe

Hello everyone. I’m still buzzing with creative inspiration from Saturday’s Tim Holtz halloween idea-ology facebook LIVE. It was so nice having Tim and Mario back on our screens after being spoiled with 16 weeks of demos.

Even though it’s too hot for hats here, I’m sharing a sample I made for the Tim Holtz Sizzix Chapter 3 Halloween release. If you missed this LIVE, you can catch up and see all the samples on Tim’s blog.

Meet Arthur, the grumpiest owl you never hope to meet and he’s definitely reached the edge of his branch, so to speak! He’s not really an owls owl and if you do see him, it’s probably better if you don’t make eye contact!

If you know me, you know that hats are my jam and as soon as my dies arrived I grabbed Arthur and the Winter Wardrobe die and cut the hat. The winter wardrobe dies are part of the Tim Holtz Sizzix Chapter 3 holiday release, and perfectly sized for the colorize dies, including Arthur. Mixy matchy for the win. This hat will be used all year for me. It’s a hat thing! <3

I like to make a prototype of the dies using scrap paper first. It helps me to have a visual and decide if there are some bits I don’t want to include, you can do that you know, it’s totally allowed. 😉

I covered a mini etcetera thickboard tag with distress texture crackle paste and set aside to dry. I rubbed walnut stain distress crayon into the crackle and wiped some of the surface crayon away with a baby wipe. The ‘Arthur & Co’ is cut using the alphanumeric labels thinlits dies. These are probably one of my favourite alpha sets.

I added an idea-ology vignette frame sprayed with walnut stain distress spray, over the top of the tangled twigs die cut also dyed with walnut stain distress. Mixy matchy again, it’s so fun to use old dies with new ones as you add to your collection.

Arthur’s tree branch was die cut and run through my machine in the lumbar 3D folder to give a nice wood effect. When I mounted Arthur, I tucked his tail behind the branch as I thought he looked properly perched and he is a dapper owl after all, being proper is of the upmost importance.

I added a stamped sentiment from the stamper anonymous field notes stamp set CMS396, which I attached using mini fasteners.

I love the idea-ology mini fasteners because they have tiny screw heads on top and they’re just so tiny! And the distress texture crackle paste is the boss! Look at that crackley goodness!! If you love the crackle look but don’t want to play with the paste, check out my previous post, I used paper from the new idea-ology Halloween departed paper stash. If you love it, grab a pad before it departs forever *inserts SOBBING

Once I had fully assembled Arthur, I carefully curled him and then glued the edges to the vignette frame which gave him some extra depth… and he needed it, he’s pretty shallow to be honest! 😉

Thanks for stopping by.
Zoe

Category Halloween, Sizzix, Tim Holtz | Tags: | 7 Comments | Views: 1,506
An Uninvited Guest

8th August, 2020 by iGirlZoe

Hello friends, it’s been a minute! Did you just catch the spooktacular Tim Holtz seasonal idea-ology LIVE on facebook? Holy Halloween, the products and samples were frightfully good.

Even though I haven’t been posting like crazy, I’ve been making like mad and wanted to share this creepy clipboard using the new idea-ology entomology.

The detail on these entomology bugs is phenomenal! There’s some great techniques on Tim’s blog using distress embossing glaze and distress crayons on metal adornments. Here I used distress paints to alter my bugs. I wanted a nice deep red so I mixed candied apple with ground espresso distress paints and added it to the beetles back with a detail paint brush and set aside to dry.

I used the same paint for the clipboard clip and idea-ology hardware heads, (still my favourite in the idea-ology range). I added “identification check” with remnant rubs from the specimen set to the clip. I painted the bug and this time, rubbed the paint off the raised detail to expose the metal and leave the paint only in the recessed areas.

I covered the clipboard base in the new departed paper. I’m so head over heels for this paper pad and will be stocking up like crazy because it’s limited and it’s amazing!! That crackle is just… YUM! I added walnut stain distress ink to the edges.

I have been obsessed with the idea-ology pocket watches and date dials since they were launched and I never use them, because they’re too precious! Yes really, I know it’s nuts but I had to force myself to use this one. So far I’ve only ever used one in a special handmade gift. I added the distress paint I mixed to the pocket watch and the chain from a swivel clasp. The beetle had to be shackled to stop him crawling away… naughty bugs!!

I rubbed more of the remnant rubs from the specimen set onto the clipboard. They are perfectly matched for the entomology bugs and work so well with Halloween, they are part of the non seasonal line.

I used pieces from the idea-ology halloween baseboards, ephemera, layers and snippets packs under the pocket watch. I added the “specimen” remnant rub to the bug chart from the halloween layers pack. I’m going to stock up on these for sure. I love this years ephemera and a lot of it is perfect even if you’re not into halloween. There’s an apothecary themed project in my future for certain!

Thanks for stopping by. If you missed the facebook LIVE you can catch the replay on Tim’s facebook page and blog.

I will be back next week with more Halloween makes.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Zoe

Category Halloween, Ideaology, Tim Holtz | Tags: | 11 Comments | Views: 1,711
Tim Holtz Sizzix Chapter 3

1st July, 2020 by iGirlZoe

Hello friends! Happy Holtz Halloween!! Did you just see Tim Holtz Sizzix chapter 3 Halloween reveal on facebook?! Oh my skulls it was SO GOOD!!

Halloween is my absolute favourite season and I was lucky enough to be asked to make some samples which I will be sharing throughout the season, including the serious looking dapper Arthur below.

Don’t forget to join Tim for the Sizzix chapter 3 holiday release tomorrow on his facebook page at 10AM PT.

Thanks for stopping by.
Zoe

Category Halloween, Sizzix, Tim Holtz | Tags: | 11 Comments | Views: 1,040
Blackout Banner 2019

7th November, 2019 by iGirlZoe

Hello friends! Hope you had a hauntingly happy halloween and you’re still enjoying your candy hauls. I love this time of year so much, the cool crisp weather, cosy candlelight, pumpkins as far as the eye can see, (and not just in my apartment)! It’s also time for my annual Halloween banner, which is a little late this year, but this witch had to stitch…

You may have heard (me screaming) about the newly released BLACKOUT kraft-stock. I’ve burned through so many pads of classic kraft-stock taking the black sheets out and this year I had none left, so I am eternally grateful for this little pad of black only!

This years banner celebrates the blackout kraft-stock and gave me chance to use the halloween dies one more time. Of course the banner would be incomplete without a hat and I had to mix it with the bat crazy dies, which were my favourite of 2 sets this year, frightful things being the other, those ghosts are just epic! I am going to use them every year, I know it. I highly recommend investing in a few of your favourite dies from the seasonal collections because they will serve you year after year and I had a lot of fun mixing and matching from older years too.

To start off I cut the banner panels, see my 2017 banner post for the measurements. I sprayed mixed media heavystock with black soot distress spray and antique linen oxide spray. I love this combination of inks and I’m on my second bottle of antique linen oxide spray! Thanks to Stacy Hutchinson for the colour combo inspiration.

Prepare the other banner layers using the blackout kraft-stock. Sand and fray the edges and blend in distress ink, I used frayed burlap.

This years banner started with a creepy eye. I love these eyes and I really hope they return next year, but I stocked up just to be on the safe side. I love the cobweb die, it appeared on my 2017 banner but this time I made it more dimensional by only adhering at the edges. It’s cool to look back at the different techniques you use with the same products over time. Another reason I enjoy making something annually.

This is the first time I’ve used one of the dimensional domes and I’m hooked. I added some mushroom alcohol ink and distress rock candy crackle paint to make it grungy. I placed it over some creepy eyes and added the woodland branches die cut over the top, another die from last year and one that I just keep using.

The next piece I had in my head from the moment I saw the creepy eyes. Really simple and one of the easiest pieces to make. I added black soot distress crayon to the eyes. The iris pops out with a pin to make it easy to alter and then a dot of collage medium to secure back into place.

These ghosts are one of my favourite halloween die pieces from all the sets. I just love how they look like they’re howling. I love them in every project I’ve seen them used in. Super cool!! I decided to die cut mine from blackout kraft-stock and sanded back a little to give some dimension. I mounted the mouths over creepy eyes and added a cobweb from the same die set with the iris of a creepy eye in the center. Love love love these dies!!

Of course there had to be a hat from my favourite stamp set Distinguished (CMS371). I paired it with the very awesome bat crazy thinlits die set! I die cut from blackout kraft-stock and blended in vintage photo distress ink to match the pop of rusty hinge distress ink added to the hat and coat. I curled the bat wings and adhered by the body only to give some dimension. I added the iris from the creepy eyes to the center. Those eyes really are super creepy!

If creepy eyes grew on creepy trees how frightful would that be… I used a leftover bat from the bat crazy die and the tree from the ghost town die, along with a sentiment from the vintage spirits thinlits die set, all cut from blackout kraft-stock.

I told you that this witch had to stitch and I did with orange thread which popped against the awesome blackout kraft-stock and abandaoned paper pad, my favourite paper pads of all time! I use a Singer heavy duty sewing machine.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you have enjoyed this years banner and it has inspired you to make your own. There are more details on 2017 and 2018 banners if you’re interested.
Zoe

Category Banner, Halloween, Ideaology, Ranger Ink, Sizzix, Stampers Anonymous, Tim Holtz | Tags: | 14 Comments | Views: 2,380
Collector of Curiosities

18th September, 2019 by iGirlZoe

Hello friends! Today I’m sharing my final sample made for the Tim Holtz Halloween idea-ology. Longer than usual post alert, in case you want to get snacks…

This entire project is built around those awesome new creepy eyes. When I first saw them, my eyes nearly popped out of my head!

The artificial eyes ephemera from the layers and baseboard frames pack was the perfect match! That’s where I began…

Using distress markers I coloured the iris in different colours and once dry, dabbed a little distress mirco glaze over each and buffed off with a cloth. This allowed me to blend in some distress ink and handle the card without smudging the distress marker. It also made the colours pop a little.

I covered the outside of a vignette tray from the vignette set with paper from the abandoned paper stash. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love this paper. It’s hands down my favourite of all the paper Tim Holtz has ever released!

To create the creepy weeds that are growing around the vignette tray, I dyed mummy cloth with brushed corduroy distress spray and adhered it using vintage distress collage medium. You can see the example above where I practiced before adding it to my vignette tray.

I added a vignette frame over the eye chart and adhered that with some 3D foam inside the vignette tray. The vignette frame is covered with more of the paper from the abandoned paper stash, vintage distress collage medium and the creeping mummy cloth.

I love the way the idea-ology pieces sometimes fit together, like these memo pins that fit inside the back of the large creepy eyes! This made it so simple to add them to the corked domes.

I cut the memo pin down and added a creepy eye to the cork from the smaller corked dome, which I covered in mummy cloth. I added some cool creepy spaghetti (I have no idea what it’s really called). I popped the iris out of the creepy eye with a pin, added a little mushroom alcohol ink to the surround and then popped the iris back into place with a dot of distress collage medium.

I added brushed corduroy distress spray to the corks from the corked domes and corked vials.

Added distress collage medium, distress clear rock candy crackle paint and mushroom alcohol ink to a corked dome, drying between applications.

I scraped the front of the glass with a kraft knife, added a little paint to the front with my finger and once dry, added halloween remnant rubs.

I added both creepy eye displays to the top of a vignette box.

I altered a corked vial by covering with a layer of distress grit-paste. Once dry painting a frayed burlap distress paint wash over the top.

Adding labels from the halloween ephemera pack and halloween remnant rubs and wrapping with twine.

I altered one of the new halloween skull fragments skulls with distress crayons and added to the top of the corked vial.

I added another skull fragments skull to the base of the vignette box, as well as a tiny vial with a label from the halloween ephemera pack and more halloween remnant rubs. Using the same technique as the corked dome, I altered a corked vial and mounted behind a tiny vial. Adding the hand from the cryptic pack and adhering a tiny vial into the hand with distress collage medium.

To create the eye chart frame I added distress grit-paste to a deco frame adornment.

Once dry I added distress crayon.

I mounted the altered deco frame adornment over an eye chart and wrapped with wire, tucking a creepy eye into the wire.

I added halloween design tape to the edges of the vignette box with vintage distress collage medium.

I also added a mini hardware pull which I altered by adding distress grit-paste and distress crayon.

Finally I added a mini hardware pull with hardware heads added and a halloween quote chip without hardware heads added… funny story: Tim made the quote chips longer this year so that hardware heads could be added. Hardware heads are one of my favourite lines in idea-ology and I completely forgot to add them!!

However… enter Stacy Hutchinson who kindly agreed to sneak a couple on when she attended the Stampaway show! Stacy even went to the trouble of weathering them! Cool right?! Thanks Stacy!!

With hardware heads added! (Photo Credit: Stacy Hutchinson)

Thanks for stopping by and thank you for your kind comments here and on social media. Your encouragement means a lot to me, so thank you for taking the time. As always, let me know if you have any questions.

Zoe

Category Halloween, Ideaology, Mixed Media, Tim Holtz | Tags: | 11 Comments | Views: 2,612
Stargazer

6th September, 2019 by iGirlZoe

Hello friends and happy friyay! I’m so looking forward to the weekend, I have a date with some new distress oxide sprays. But first I want to share a card that I made using the new Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous stamps.

Mixing old and new stamp sets is my favourite thing to do. With so many stamps packed onto a sheet, sometimes you don’t get to use them all the first round. I definitely have favourites though and the inventor 2 (CMS41) is one of them. I LOVE that the inventor 2 traveler helmet perfectly fits the cadaverous (CMS378) stamp set and it wasn’t even an on purpose!! It was written in the stars…

To create my galactic background, I sprayed distress watercolor cardstock with vintage distress spray stain, spiced marmalade and broken china distress oxide spray.

Using a palette knife, I spread opaque crackle texture paste through the new hocus pocus (THS131) stencil. Once dry, I rubbed distress crayon into the cracks.

The traveler from the inventor 2 (CMS341) stamp set, stamped with black soot distress archival ink and watercoloured with distress inks.

Fussy cutting is something else I love to do, I find it so relaxing. I fussy cut the helmet with glasses and adhered over the body from the cadaverous (CMS378) stamp set.

I added idea-ology gears covered in distress grit-paste and distress crayons. The idea-ology gears are one of my favourites in the line and I love that the different sets have different sizes. I often add some of the gears from the assemblage line too as they’re smaller. Stacked and adhered with distress collage medium.

I had the theories (CMS329) stamp set out from making my ‘lost in the darkness’ card and used this sentiment, which I love and was perfect for this card. I added idea-ology hardware heads, covered in distress crayon.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you make some time to make…

Zoe

Category Card, Halloween, Ideaology, Ranger Ink, Stampers Anonymous, Tim Holtz | Tags: | 10 Comments | Views: 744
The Blood Bank

5th September, 2019 by iGirlZoe

Hello friends. I am back today to share a halloween wall hanging I made with the new Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous halloween stamps and bat web trims.

Using a retired idea-ology framed panel (I cried a little too), I covered the chipboard panel with opaque crackle texture paste and set aside to dry. Adding a layer of vintage distress collage medium and once dry, rubbing distress crayon into the cracks.

Stamping the heart from the cadaverous (CMS378) stamp set onto plain collage paper in black soot distress archival ink and brushing onto a piece of linen with distress collage medium. I dyed the edges with distress inks. I hand stitched a nail from the idea-ology vignette hardware set onto the linen. The scissors and that beautiful tin in the background are Tim Holtz haberdashery scissors from Tonic Studios.

The fig stamp from tiny toadstools (CMS377) stamp set was a perfect fit.

Adding two frames cut from the stitched rectangles thinlits die set. The outer frame I stamped with the arterial branches of the heart stamp. The inner frame I covered with distress grit-paste and distress crayon.

I adhered the linen over a piece of vintage dictionary paper splashed with distress paint.

Using the new bat web trims, I created a dimensional shelf for the blood vials to sit on by turning the bat trim upside down. I stamped it with the cool scientific stamp from weird science (CMS379) stamp set in black soot distress archival ink and covered in vintage distress collage medium. I added mummy cloth dyed with distress spray stain.

To raise the trim and create a stand for the tiny vials, I added one of the straight trims that comes with the set, along the bottom and the off cuts I attached to the back of the bat trim. These trims are perfect for building up the decorative trims to create shelves etc.

Finally, to create the blood vials I poured distress paint and a spritz of water into the idea-ology tiny vials, shook, poured out the excess and allowed to dry. I added labels stamped from mini halloween (CMS140) stamp set. In truth I had to look up the stamp set as the stamp never makes it back onto the sheet. I use it a lot… I added twine and remnant rubs, which I hacked up until I had the letters I needed.

Thanks for stopping by and let me know if you have any questions. Hope you get some time to make and take time to give blood if you can.

Zoe

Category Halloween, Ideaology, Mixed Media, Ranger Ink, Stampers Anonymous, Tim Holtz | Tags: | 9 Comments | Views: 833
Lost in the Darkness

3rd September, 2019 by iGirlZoe

Hello friends. I’m back today with a really simple card using the new Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Halloween stamps and a little water brush trick to give you a ghostly effect…

I absolutely love this Halloween stamp release from Tim Holtz. Every year you don’t think it can get any better, and every year it does!! I love the way Tim’s stamps work so well together and one of my favourite things is to mix the old with the new. Stampers Anonymous never retire their stamp sets, so I am continually adding to my collection.

With black soot distress archival ink, I stamped the tightrope walker from the theories (CMS329) stamp set and the cobwebs from the new life of the party (CMS380) stamp set. The stamp platform makes this easy peasy. Using a circle die cut from the stitched circles thinlits die set, to mask the tightrope walker, I blended wild honey and black soot distress ink over the background.

I stamped skeleton arms and hands from the cadaverous (CMS378) stamp set. Using a water brush, I carefully painted the hands and arms with water and dabbed with a paper towel, picking up the distress ink and leaving a ghostly effect.

I added some of the halloween quote chips which I cut, lightly sanded and inked.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you make some time to make…

Zoe

Category Card, Halloween, Stampers Anonymous, Tim Holtz | Tags: | 7 Comments | Views: 687

Older Entries

Newer Entries