Hello everyone, welcome to the Witch Market and an update...

Hello everyone...it's been a while since I was last here and many of you have very kindly been sending messages to ask if I was ok and I thought now was the time to take this opportunity to update you all. If you follow me on social media, you probably already know the reasons why I've been absent from my blog, and why I've taken a break over on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge but for those who don’t follow me, I thought I'd drop by, say hello and just fill you in on what's been happening since my last post in May.

So, here we go, and this isn't the easiest post I've ever written, I don’t usually share personal things on here, but I wanted to share this and hope you don’t mind reading it…

In May, my Mum suffered a Haemorrhagic Stroke and from the very beginning, the medics told us that we should hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. My Mum was a fighter though, she always had been and she wasn't prepared to leave us without one last fight of her life. And that’s what she did, she fought so hard and so bravely, but after 9 days, my Dad and I had to say goodbye and that was the hardest thing to do, because this beautiful woman, who had a smile that would light up a room and a sense of humour that would brighten our day, was everything to us ~ she wasn't just my Mum, she was my best friend, a beloved wife and a very special lady to everyone who knew her.

For the next 9 weeks, Dad and I tried to get used to life without Mum...it was hard, and it was definitely the most difficult time we had ever faced but no matter what we were going through, we had each other, and that was how we coped with the heartbreak.

But at the end of July, after spending a lovely day together, my Dad started to feel unwell and he was rushed to hospital. After a very long 5 hours, hoping and praying that I’d be able to take him home, my wonderful Dad, my hero, passed away and once again, I had to say goodbye. In the space of 9 weeks, my world had fallen apart….

These last five months have been extremely painful and I can't tell you how much I miss both of them, it's more than words could ever describe but they are always in my heart, by my side and they will never be forgotten because every night, they are both shining bright in the sky!

So, as I begin to slowly ease myself back into a world of creativity, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has sent messages, cards, flowers and just been there for me during these last months. I especially want to say thank you to Tim, Mario, Paula, ❤️❤️❤️ and everyone at Simon Says Stamp. ❤️ You have all been so caring, and so supportive and it really has meant so much to me as I've tried to move forward and cope with all the chaos that comes with this huge loss.

*******

…and now, to the second half of this post, and if you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you will have seen a few of the makes I've created for Tim's recent Halloween Sizzix, Ranger Ink and Christmas Stampers Anonymous releases.

I also shared this piece that I was creating for the Halloween idea-ology Live Launch. I'd actually already made this project just before Dad passed away but unfortunately, it wasn't quite finished in time for Tim's YouTube Live. But for those who haven’t seen it on my socials, it’s now time to welcome you to the Witch Market....

This post is really to show you around the make, it’s not a tutorial but I wanted to share some of the close up details with you and the products I’ve used. If you do have any questions though, then please don't hesitate to message me.

Products used in this post are available at Simon Says Stamp

*************

To create this piece, I began by choosing the Square Vignette Panel as a base, using the inside to create the appearance of a box. I painted the entire box, inside and out with Black Soot Distress Paint and then adhered Design Tape Trim around the four edges of the panel.

To add texture to the sides, I used the spider's web die in the Sizzix Vaults Fright Night Thinlits set. The web is cut from black card and I just snipped into the die cut to create sections and pieces which I then attached directly onto the box using Matte Collage Medium. Once dry, I just gently rubbed some Sterling Foundry Wax over the raised areas to accentuate the detail before I heat set the wax, using a low setting on my heat tool.

To add even more texture, I used Black Opaque Distress Texture Paste to create a gnarly, vintage effect, and once that was dry, I again used the Foundry Wax to highlight the details. To complete the box, I added some Hitch Fasteners to the top of the panel, and a Machinery Head on either side.

As we begin to walk around the market, you'll notice that I covered the back of the panel with the brand new Halloween Large Collage Strips. These are a favourite of mine and I love that you can use the strips just as they come out of the pack or like I did on this piece, where I cut them into sections so that they all fit perfectly. It’s a bit like a jigsaw and you will need to place some horizontally, and some vertically.

Inside the box, you can see that I built up the main central focal point by layering an Etcetera Facade, (with the circular piece in the centre removed), over the top of the smaller rectangular Etcetera Panel. Both of these pieces are covered with gorgeous papers from the Halloween Backdrops pack and on the centre of the Etcetera Panel, I also attached the black and white circular layer, which is from the Halloween Layers and Paper Dolls pack. You can just see this through the aperture and creates the perfect backdrop for the witches.

Now to add those Halloween Tiny Lights to create that perfect purple glow behind the witches. I attached the lights by drilling a hole through the back of the vignette panel, and continued drilling through the Etcetera Panel which I had fixed into position using Matte Collage Medium.

I then used hot glue to attach the lights to the back of the Facade, placing them around the edge of the circle. With these firmly attached, I used the risers that come in the facade pack, placed these on the back of this piece, and adhered this into position.

On either side of the facade, I used a Bat Web Etcetera Trim. Each trim is painted with Black Soot Distress Paint and then attached ~ one on the left, one on the right.. Once again, I added Black Opaque Distress Paste to each trim for added texture and accentuated this detail with Sterling Foundry Wax.

To complete this focal point, I used Spanish Moss and Mummy Cloth that I dyed with Frayed Burlap and Antique Linen Distress Sprays and tucked this in around the edge of the facade.

Now to move onto the witches...

To create support for the witches and to add some more depth to that central area, I attached "wooden planks". These realistic planks are from the Baseboards pack, and are perfect for adding to a window, or an opening to create a spooky effect.

I added two of these planks to form a cross, which as I mentioned, also doubles as the support needed for the witches heads to rest upon.

I actually used a combination of two Halloween Paper Dolls ~ one is the woman and child, and the other is the older lady, who sits on the right. I then added the eye mask and the witches hats, both of which are from the Halloween Sticker Book, before surrounding them with floral layers on either side.

At this stage, I also added the spider, painted with Distress Paint, and the Shake Well Before Using Label which I adhered directly onto the Facade. I also added the No.13 Remnant Rub, rubbed onto one of the Cello Sticker onto the left hand side, and finally some Screwheads.

Tucked into each side of the panel, and nestled amongst the floral display are some Drippy Candles and all that I did with these to add that orange glow is dab some Stickles Glitter Glue to each of the wicks.

To ensure that the figures look as if they are grounded and their feet aren't floating in mid air, I added an Etcetera Trim across the bottom section of the facade. I painted the trim with Black Soot Distress Paint, and attached it with Matte Collage Medium before adding moss, some Boneyard Findings and Mummy Cloth around their feet.

You'll also notice that I added a key from the Gothic Gates set. This key, which I altered with Distress Paints to create a rusty effect, hangs down on a chain which is attached to a Nail Tack, hammered into the facade.

Now to add some details and on either side of this panel, I attached the gothic gates which I made to look rusty using Transluscent Grit Paste and Distress Paints. I then added a spider along the very bottom, just crawling out of the gate....

...and on the opposite side, I attached a lock, which hangs from this open gate. Once again, Distress paints did their job of creating the look of a patina on the metal.

Now, no Witch Market is complete without bottles full of potions, poison and other elixirs, and this market is no exception because these three witches have been busy and as the 31st October draws near, they are obviously working their magic ~ ready and waiting to cast a spell or two....

I used a combination of Corked Vials and Tiny Corked Vials for this. You can read all about how I alter these clear glass vials on a previous post, and you can also see more of this technique HERE.

Once all my tiny vials were ready and all the little Curator labels were attached to the fronts, I just positioned them across the bottom of the panel, adding moss in and around each bottle.

Finally, I added the Witch Market sticker onto one of the "wooden planks" and used Nail Tacks to attach this to the bottom edge of the panel.

Thanks so much for stopping by today and I hope to be back full time with you very soon but before I go, this post is dedicated to my parents because without them, and without their encouragement to dip my toe into the craft world ~ I wouldn't be here! My Mum bought me my very first kit because she believed that I'd be quite good at making something!

So, with this in mind ~ I hope I made you both so proud of me and I hope you'll always be looking down to see the next part of my journey!

Love you both and shine bright!

xxx

A Fine Romance...

Hello everyone and Happy Monday!

Hope you've all had a wonderful weekend and as we start the brand new week, it's time for a new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge! This week our theme is all about Romance, and whether you want to celebrate upcoming weddings, anniversaries or just feel the love in the air, then we are excited to see what you will be creating and hope you'll join us for this fun challenge.

For my make, I chose to make an Etcetera Tag and used some of my favourite Sizzix Vault Dies from Tim Holtz to create a project celebrating LOVE and I combined these amazing dies with Foundry Wax, an idea-ology photo and the Palette Collage Paper.

So, let's begin and hope you enjoy how I made this piece.

For this make I used a Mini Etcetera Tag and primed the surface with a coat of white Gesso, which I allowed to dry and I also used a Size 8 Mixed Media Heavystock Tag, that is layered over the top.

DOUBLE LAYERED TAGS

Once the gesso is completely dry, I began to cover the background of the tag using the Palette Collage Paper. You will need to do this in two sections, and I began by adhering the first section of collage paper along the top of the tag using Matte Collage Medium to attach it into position.

I carefully applied a coat of the medium over the top of the paper, making sure that I didn't tear it and then cut another panel which I attached to cover the remaining part of the tag, again applying a coat of the medium over the top.

I allowed for the medium to dry, and then used Design Tape Trims around the outside edge of tag itself.

Setting the etcetera tag to one side, I then prepped the Size 8 tag.

Once again, I covered the card tag using the Collage Paper, and applying it exactly the same as I did on the etcetera tag. I then allowed for this to dry before machine stitching a border around the outside.

To knock back the whiteness of both tags, I ran the Walnut Stain Distress Crayon around the outside edges and then blended the colour with my fingertip.

After attaching the smaller tag in the centrally onto the Etcetera Tag using foam pads, I splattered white gesso across the surface and set them to one side to dry.

In each of the four corners of the Etcetera Tag, I attached Hardware Heads, which I painted with a combination of Antiqued Bronze and Ground Espresso Distress Paint.

PHOTO WREATH

Moving on to the wreath and the photo and for this I used the Sizzix Vault Funky Wreath Die Set by Tim and an idea-ology photomatic image.

To begin with I took a panel of black heavystock card and cut all my pieces using a selection of the dies from the Vault Funky Wreath Die Set by Tim. With my die cut pieces in front of me, I wanted to create this brushed metallic effect, aged bronze effect and for this I used Statue and Sterling Foundry Waxes.

I began by squeezing a little of the Statue Foundry wax onto my glass mat and then taking a brush, I picked up a little of the wax on the brush, wiped away the excess onto a tissue and then dry brushed the wax across the surface.

I then heat set the wax with my heat tool before adding another layer, this time using the Sterling Foundry Wax.

You can keep alternating and building up the intensity as you go, heat drying between applications but always allow some of the black card to show through.

I then layered the wreath to create the dimension ~ I cut three layers of the wreath which I layered over the top of one another, slightly offsetting them to form more of a fluffy, layered look to the finished piece.

I then took all the tiny pieces of foliage and flowers and layered these onto the wreath. To stick these into position, I just add a dab of collage medium to the ends of then tuck each piece into the main wreath itself.

I then added the beautiful die cut flowers, layering them and shaping them to create more dimension, and once again just tucking them in and placing them amongst the foliage.

Once I was happy with the wreath itself, I added pearls to the centres of the flowers.

Inside the wreath, I inlaid the photo. I used an image of a couple from the Photomatic set and to inlay the image, I used the large wreath die to cut the photo. It won't look perfect at this stage, but don't worry, all that is hidden by the wreath itself.

With my photo cut. I then applied a coat of Matte Collage Medium over the top, and colour tinted the image with Distress Crayons and a waterbrush.

Taking the dimensional wreath, I placed this over the top of the die cut photo, lining up the two pieces so that the wreath will seamlessly fit into the cuts on the photo, therefore creating an inlaid appearance.

I then attached the finished wreath onto my smaller tag, placing it over the top of a piece of Mica tile from my stash.

On the Mica Tile, I placed a Clippings Sticker, "in my heart", attaching it to the bottom right of the wreath itself.

LOVE PLAQUE

Now for the plaque...

For this I used the alphanumeric letters from the Vault World Travel die set and cut three layers of each of the four letters.

After layering them over the top of one another to form the thickness of chipboard, I attached each of the letters onto a strip of black card.

I then created the aged bronze effect on this strip of black card using the same technique with the Foundry Waxes as I used on the wreath, highlighting the lettering with a touch of Gilded Foundry Wax.

On either side of the card strip, I punched two holes using the Crop-A-Dile Tool and fixed eyelets into the position.

I attached the plaque using foam pads, and placing it across the bottom section of the smaller tag.

In the centre of the 'O', I placed a small heart which I die cut from some inky red card that I had in my stash box, using the Falling Hearts die. Once again, I cut three layers to form one heart, which I then attached inside the 'O'. 

I also placed two further hearts just to the top left of the plaque.

We're nearly there and all that's left is the final detail...the clip!

CLIP

The clip is from Tim's idea-ology range and they come in a set of 3. Using one of these Vintage Clips, I wanted to continue with the aged bronze effect on the clip and again, I used Foundry Wax to achieve this.

Before applying the wax, I applied a small amount of Translucent Grit Paste over the surface of the clip, and allowed for this to dry.

Once dry, I applied the waxes but this time I used my fingertip to create a heavier coverage. You can use a brush if you have allergies or sensitivities to the waxes, please always check before using.

I heat set the wax between applications and then wrapped some twine around the neck of the clip itself.

From the twine, I hung a Heart Adornment which I painted using Distress Paint. I used Candied Apple on the heart itself and then dry brushed Black Soot over the top to give more of an aged effect. I attached the adornment to a ring fastener and then hung it from the twine.

I then clipped it to the top of my tag.

Finally, I added a small torn piece of linen from my stash. I dyed the linen with some Brushed Corduroy Distress Stain, added some stitching and then placed a tiny stitch die cut, that I had left over from a previous project in the centre. I attached the linen with Matte Collage Medium, placing it on the left hand side of the tag.

That final touch, completes my project for this week and I hope you love my interpretation of the challenge theme and the techniques I've used to create an aged bronze finish to the pieces on this tag, and how I created the dimension on the photo wreath.

As always, if you make anything, or if you've been inspired by anything that you've seen here on my blog ~ then please, let me know by tagging me on social media or leaving a comment here and I will be right over to take a look!

Don't forget that every week, one lucky random participant has the chance to win a $25 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp and you can join in up to 5 times, which means you could have 5 chances to win. You have until next Monday at 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in and good luck....

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by today...Love Emma xxx

Recipe for project:

Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous: Etcetera Tag

Tim Holtz/Sizzix: Tim Holtz Big Shot Foldaway, Vault Funky Floral Wreath, World Travel, Falling Hearts

Distress Ink: Walnut Stain

Distress Crayons

Distress Paint: Candied Apple, Black Soot

Brushed Corduroy Distress Stain

Foundry Wax

Tim Holtz Idea-ology: Palette Collage Paper, Hardware Heads, Photomatic, Vintage clips, Design Tape Trim

Mediums: Matte Collage Medium, Foam Pads, Translucent Grit Paste

Surfaces: Black Card, Size 8 Mixed Media Tag

Adhesive Pearls

Glass Media Mat

Blending Tool

Crop-A-Dile and eyelets

Heat Gun

Hot Glue Gun

Twine and Mica Tile from my own stash

****These are not affiliate links****

Stay Curious for Simon Says Stamp

Happy Sunday everyone!

Today, I'm so happy to be back on the Simon Says Stamp Store blog to share my latest project with you all and if you love the sneak peek below and would love to see more of this piece, then you can head over to their blog, CLICK HERE to check out the step by step process of how I created my make!

Thanks so much for stopping by today and see you soon with some more creative inspirations!

Have a great Sunday!

xx

Shake Your Tail Feathers....

Hello friends and welcome to the brand new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge!

This week out challenge theme is called LIGHT AND AIRY, and we would love for you to use pastel colours within your makes and alongside this theme, the DT are also showcasing the products of Studio Light...

Now, I will admit that when I saw this challenge, I did panic just a little bit because pastel colours are not my thing, lol but I rose to the occasion and because I had chosen to use these funky tags from Studio Light, I thought how I could complement them and also incorporate these soft, gelato colours into my make, and with summer just around the corner, I thought it would be perfect to say hello to Gladys and take her to carnival!

So, with this in mind, I hope you'll join Gladys at the Copacabana...

For this make I used the smaller sized Rectangular Etcetera Panel and covered the panel with a piece of Backdrops Vol 1 paper. The paper is cut to size and I machine stitched a border around the edge before adhering to the panel with Matte Collage Medium.

To complete the panel and create a nice finish, I always add some Design Trim Tape along the sides of the board.

I finally added Hardware Heads to each of the four corners of the board, which I altered with a little Crackling Campfire and Ground Espresso Distress Paint.

ROSETTES

You might have noticed that the theme for this make is all about ~ dots, and both the rosettes that sit on the panel, and the tag have the same stencilled dots, in the same colours, so there is continuity throughout the piece.

I'll begin with the rosettes, and for these I cut two panels of Mixed Media Heavystock card. Using the Spots Mini Layering Stencil from Set 59, I placed this at the top of the first panel and then used separate blending tools to apply Speckled Egg, Fossilized Amber, and Kitsch Flamingo Distress Inks through the stencil. To cover the entire panel, just keep moving the stencil down the card until you're happy with the coverage. I repeated the stencilling on the second panel.

To knock back the 'clean' look of the cardstock, I lightly spritzed Antique Linen Distress Spray Stain over the top of the stencilled panel, dabbing away any excess ink before heat drying the card.

Using the rosette die from the Vault Rosettes Die Set, I cut three individual pieces for each of the two rosettes and after folding each die cut along the scorelines, I assembled them. I then cut the circles that are also in the die set and using hot glue I secured these circles to each rosette.

After inking the edges with Pumice Stone Distress Ink, I attached the rosettes to the panel using collage Medium and placing them so that the overlap the edges and form a fan shape on either side.

TAG

Now to create the background on the Studio Light Tag and to begin with I used the numbers strip from the Curiosity Shop stamp set and stamped the numbers 1 -5 down the right hand side of the tag.

I then applied the stencilling, and as I mentioned before I used the same stencil and the same colours as I used on the Rosettes, and then spritzed with the Antique Linen Distress Spray Stain to knock back the whiteness of the surface before I inked the edges with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink.

Once I'd finished covering the surface of the tag, I applied Speckled Egg Distress Paint to the top section and the funky edge along the bottom. 

After I had heat dried the paint, I added the small dots using a white pen and some tiny pearls.

To add some more layers to my tag, I used stamps from the Eccentric stamp set, stamping *TAG NO. onto the tab...

....the three stars at the top...

...and the word "Perfection" along the bottom left corner.

I also added some stamped layers using the Botanical Collage stamp set, which is visible down the left hand side.

Finally, I machine stitched a border around the edge of the tag....

...before I completed the tag with a yellow eyelet from my stash, that I secured with the Crop-A-Dile tool.

GLADYS and FOLIAGE

So the tag is ready for the star of the show, Gladys and for this piece, I chose to have her seated on a bed of die cut foliage, and just used her upper body, not her standing leg.

I cut all the pieces I needed to make Gladys from Mixed Media Heavystock Card using the Colorize die set from Tim Holtz and Sizzix. All the card I used for each layers has been coloured with Distress Spray Stains:

SPUN SUGAR, KITSCH FLAMINGO, SALTWATER TAFFY, FOSSILIZED AMBER

I also used black and white cardstock for the eyes, beak and wing feathers.

After assembling my image, I then added a bow, which was cut from a piece of cardstock found in my stash box, leftover from a previous project. For this piece I used a die from the Winter Wardrobe die set. 

This die set is actually discontinued but I'm sure that many of you have it in your collections and if not, there are plenty of Tim's dies that you can use to create small bows.

Setting Gladys to one side until she's ready to position on the tag, I moved onto the foliage and cut all my pieces from cardstock that I coloured with Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint and Rustic Wilderness Spray Stain.

I used a selection of foliage from the Bloom and Funky Florals 3 die sets.

I attached Gladys using foam pads to add some dimension and placed her to sit in the foliage. I also added some fibres to create texture. I then used a few Bouquet Findings Flowers, that I snipped from the stems to create individual flowers and spritzed with Antique Linen Distress Spray Stain before arranging them in amongst the foliage.

To complete the tag, I added the Snarky Quote, "Don't Judge Me" which is from the idea-ology Snarky Stickers Book. I cut the quote down a little and then added some white pen detail around the edge.

We're nearly there and all that's left is to add some twine through the hole at the top of the tag....

...and then mount my tag over the top of the rosettes, placing it centrally onto the board. Where the tag doesn't sit on the rosettes, it didn't have any support...so for this, I used some small wooden blocks and placed these underneath. You can also use foam pads.

So, that's my project finished and I hope you love the piece I've made and will be inspired by my interpretation of the challenge theme!

As always, if you make anything, or if you've been inspired by anything that you've seen here on my blog ~ then please, let me know by tagging me on social media or leaving a comment here and I will be right over to take a look!

Don't forget that every week, one lucky random participant has the chance to win a $25 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp and you can join in up to 5 times, which means you could have 5 chances to win. You have until next Monday at 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in and good luck....

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by today...Love Emma xxx

Recipe for project:

Studio Light Funky Die Cut Paper Tags

Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous: Etcetera Panel, Mini Layering Stencil 59, Curiosity Shop, Eccentric, Botanical Collage

Tim Holtz/Sizzix: Tim Holtz Big Shot Foldaway, Gladys, Vault Rosettes, Bloom Colorize, Funky florals 3

Distress Ink: Walnut Stain, Speckled Egg, Fossilized Amber, Kitsch Flamingo

Distress Paint: Speckled Egg, Crackling Campfire, Ground Espresso

Distress Spray Stains: Antique Linen, Saltwater Taffy, Kitsch Flamingo, Fossilized Amber, Spun Sugar, Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint and Rustic Wilderness 

Tim Holtz Idea-ology: Backdrops Vol 1, Hardware Heads, Bouquet Findings, Snarky Small Talk Stickers, Design Trim

Mediums: Matte Collage Medium, Foam Pads,Versafine Black Onyx

Surfaces: Black Kraft Stash, Mixed Media Heavystock Card

Glass Media Mat

Blending Tool

White Gel Pen

Crop A Dile Tool

Heat Gun

Hot Glue Gun

Eyelet and twine from my own stash

****These are not affiliate links****