Hope...

Hello friends and Happy Monday!

Thank you so much for all the visits to my blog last week and for all your lovely comments ~ they really are appreciated and mean the world to me! I also want to say thank you for the comments you leave me over on Instagram, I promise you I do read them all but they keep throwing me into Insta Jail every time I try to reply to everyone...so, I just wanted to let you know!

Now back to today's post and this week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. This week our theme is ALL THINGS PINK and we are supporting Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I'm sure that we have all been touched or know someone who has been affected by this horrible disease and it is something very dear to my heart. So we urge you to always check yourself and get yourself screened on a regular basis ~ don't be embarrassed, it's better to be safe, than sorry!

For my project, I wanted to make something from my heart, to yours ~ showing my support by designing a card that is all about the sentiment.

So, let's get started and here's how I made this project...

To begin with I created a kraft card blank measuring, 15.5 x 20cm and inked the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink

To create the inky background of this card, I used a panel of Mixed Media Heavystock Card, 12.5 x 17cm. I then applied Pumice Stone Distress Ink to my glass mat, spritzed it with water and picked up the ink with the card panel. After heat drying the ink, I started to layer some more colour but this time used Old Paper Oxide Ink, again spritzed with water and once again, I dipped my card into the inks. I repeated this process with Pumice Stone Oxide Ink, followed by another dipping of Pumice Stone Distress Ink. Once I was happy, I dried my card panel thoroughly before moving onto the next layer ~ stamping!

For this I used the Stampers Anonymous Lace Background stamp and inked the stamp with Frayed Burlap Oxide Ink. I then stamped the lace onto random areas of my background ~ I didn't want the pattern to cover the entire card panel, just show hints of it here and there.

After giving it a blast of heat to set the ink, I then took the script stamp from the Ledger stamp set and inked it with Hickory Smoke Archival Ink and again, stamped randomly over the background.

To complete the background I used the Gradient Dot Mini Layering Stencil from Set 39 and using a blending tool, I applied Frayed Burlap Distress Ink through the stencil, again placing it onto random areas of the background. Now that I have my inky panel, I added a machine stitched border using pink thread around the outside before matting it onto a layer of Rose Gold Metallic Kraft Card.

I added some more layers by matting the inking panel onto a piece of card that I covered with a rose pattern Design Tape taken from the Remnants set and just place the tape along each of the four edges to create a patterned background layer. Finally, I matted the layered panels onto pink kraft card before mounting them onto my card blank.

In the corner of the card panel, I stamped the numbers in black ink using one of the stamps from the Correspondence Stamp Set.

Now we can start making that heart and I started by cutting the image using Faceted Heart die by Tim Holtz. I then painted the die cut with a combination of pink paint ~ Victorian Velvet and Spun Sugar. Starting with the darker paint, followed by a dry brushed layer of the paler colour. Heat dry the surface and then assemble the heart to create the dimensional piece. To create the rusty effect along the edges of the heart, I used Vintage Photo Distress Crayon and just run it along each edge, blending out the harsh lines with my fingertip. I then applied a small touch of Black Soot Distress Crayon, focusing on the points of the heart and again blended out any harsh colour.

I added some Hex Fasteners to the heart before placing a Clippings Sticker 'courage strong' onto one of the facets and attached a star adornment beneath the wording.

Behind the heart, I created a circle and for this I used the Steampunk Parts and cut the circle from chipboard. I then painted the board with a combination of Distress Paints, layering the paints onto the surface starting with Walnut Stain, followed by Antiqued Bronze and heat drying the surface between each layer. Take a paint brush and add a touch of Black Soot Distress Paint, by dry brushing a minimal amount of paint over the surface. Heat dry once more and then add a final dry brushed layer of Antiqued Bronze paint. Matt the painted chipboard circle onto a layer of Rose Gold Metallic Kraft stash, leaving a narrow border of the gold showing and then mount the entire circle onto the top section of the card.

I cut a strip of Mummy Cloth and coloured it with Antique Linen Distress Spray Stain, followed by Tattered Rose Oxide Spray. Once the cloth is thoroughly dry, I arranged it across the centre of the circle. Using foam pads, I placed the heart in the centre of the circle, over the top of the cloth and then ruched the ends of the cloth either side of the heart, attaching it with small dots of Matte Collage Medium.

At the top of the heart, I added a Memo Pin, securing it into the foam pads.

To create the HOPE wording, I used the AlphaNumeric Classic Upper die set and cut each individual letter four times from Mixed Media card. I then layered them over the top of one another to create thick chipboard style letters.

To colour them, I used the same paints as I used on the circle. Once the painted letters are dry, I attached them to my card front, using Matte Collage Medium and added a few gems around the outside.

Underneath the HOPE wording, I added a quote ~ this is taken from the Nature's Wonder Stamp Set and stamped onto a piece of card, inked in the same colours as the background. I then matted the card onto foam pads and mounted it onto my card, adding Hardware Heads to either side of the quote.

To complete the card, I added Tonic Dusty Rose Vintage Nuvo Drops to each corner of the stamped background panel.

So, that completes my project for this week and thank you so much for popping by to take a look! I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and I hope my ideas have inspired you!

Have fun creating your projects and don't forget, you can find more inspiration from my talented teamies over on the challenge blog and every week, one lucky random participant has the chance to win a $50 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp. You have until Monday 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 and hope to see you again soon, love Emma xxx

Recipe for project:

Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous: Ledger Script, Ornate and Lace, Mini Layering Stencils Set 39, Nature's Wonder
Tim Holtz/Sizzix: Faceted Heart, AlphaNumeric Upper, Steampunk Parts
Distress Ink: Pumice Stone, Walnut Stain
Distress Oxide Inks: Old Paper, Pumice Stone, Frayed Burlap

Distress Spray Stain: Antique Linen
Distress Oxide Spray: Tattered Rose

Idea-ology: Mummy Cloth, Hardware Heads, Remnants Design Tape, Star Adornments, Clippings Sticker, Hex Fasteners, Memo Pins

Mediums: Matte Collage Medium, Archival Ink Set 3, Tonic Nuvo Drops Dusty Rose
Surfaces: Mixed Media Heavystock, Classic Kraft Stash, Metallic Kraft Stash 2
Tim Holtz Media Glass Mat

Heat Gun
Big Shot

Cheer and Joy Simon Says Stamp Blog Hop ~ Day 2

Hello everyone and welcome to

Today, is the second day of the Simon Says Stamp Cheer and Joy Blog Hop and I'm really excited to be joining so many talented designers as one of the stops on this hop! If you'd like to see this fabulous new release in full, then just pop over to Simon Says Stamp and if you've been hopping along, you'll have arrived here from the very talented Bibi's blog but if you've just popped by and would like to join us for this fun hop, then just head back to the beginning and Simon Says Stamp's Blog. Also, we would love to see your creations using any of the products from this release, so don't forget to share them with us in the Cheer and Joy Gallery.

So, let's get started and here's how I created my card...

To begin with I'll start by building up the background layers and I created a kraft card blank measuring 20 x 16.5cm and applied a white ink pad direct to the edges of the card blank, allowing the ink to just kiss the card and transfer a little of the colour.

I then cut a panel of decorative paper from the Tim Holtz Christmas Paperie Stash to measure, 18.5 x 15cm and matted onto a panel of kraft card, followed by Midnight Green card before mounting it onto my card blank.

For the smaller inner panel, I cut a piece of the woodgrain design paper from the paper stash, 17 x 13cm and to create the look of snow, I placed the Falling Snow stencil onto the top section of the paper and applied Grit Paste through the stencil using a palette knife.

Carefully remove the stencil and allow the paste to dry before machine stitching a border around the edge using ivory coloured thread, leaving some of the threads hanging loose. 

After matting the panel onto a further piece of Midnight Green card, I mounted it onto my covered card blank using foam
pads.

Add Hex Fasteners to the top left and right hand corners of the woodgrain background.

To create the crochet border that sits just underneath the foliage and snowflake, I used one of Tim Holtz's Crochet Dies and cut the decorative strip from a piece of Mixed Media Heavystock card and ink the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. Attach the strip across the bottom section of the card layers.

I now have the base layers for the card and we can move onto the embellishments...

To begin with I'll start with the snowflake.

Cut three layers of the Mixed Media Heavystock card using Marie Snowflake die and layer each of them over the top of one another to create a substantial, thick snowflake embellishment. Paint the snowflake with Picket Fence Distress Paint and once it's dry, I applied a layer of Matte Collage Medium over the top and then sprinkled some Rock Candy Distress Glitter over the top, tapping away the excess. Allow the glittered snowflake to dry before adding a gumdrop to the centre.

For the foliage I used the Christmas Foliage die to cut a selection of leaves from green Classic Kraft Stash. I then used a paint brush to dry brush the tips of the foliage with Picket Fence Distress Paint and once the paint is dry, I used my fingertip to apply a smear of Matte Collage Medium to the tips of each piece before dipping the foliage die cuts into the Rock Candy Distress Glitter to create a frosty feel.

To make the foliage just a little more festive, I added some berries and used Tonic Nuvo Autumn Red Crystal Drops to create the gorgeous little domed berries.

Moving onto the circular window, I began by creating the frame and used the two largest dies from the Tim Holtz Stitched Circles Die set. Place the smaller die centrally inside the larger die and then cut a piece of kraft card. Repeat to cut a further two pieces of kraft card before layering them to create a solid circular frame.

Using a clear embossing ink, I dabbed the ink pad over the random areas of the kraft card frame and then sprinkled Stampendous Shabby white Embossing Powder over the top. Heat emboss until molten.

Cut a circular piece of heat resistant acetate and a circular piece of vellum, the same size as the frame. Using Picket Fence Distress Paint, splatter some paint across the acetate to create the look of falling snow and then gently heat the painted surface until it's dry. Attach the acetate to the back of the frame, followed by the vellum, attaching both pieces to the narrow border using Matte Collage Medium.

Add foam pads to the frame and place this directly onto the background layers.

Using the Merry Christmas die, die cut the wording from red Classic Kraft Card and then cut a second set of wording from gold glitter card. Layer the red wording over the top of the gold glitter wording, slightly offsetting the lettering and then attach the Merry Christmas onto the centre of the circular frame.

Arrange the snowflake, together with the frosty, glittered foliage in the bottom right hand corner of the card.

You can see how I've built up the foliage to create the dimension in the photo below.

For the finishing touch to complete the card, add some Metallic Droplets around the edge of the frame.

Thanks so much for hopping by today, hope to see you again soon!

Emma xx

HOP DETAILS:

Simon Says Stamp is giving away a $25 coupon to every stop on the blog hop! This means you can leave a comment here and on every stop along the way to increase your chances. Winners will be posted on the Simon Says Stamp blog on Wednesday, 16th October. 

Also, last but by no means least ~ we are giving away a free gift with any purchase, the Simon Exclusive Post Office enamel pin! This offer is valid until 13th October or while supplies last and to claim your gift just add HPYML9 at checkout!

HOP ORDER:

Simon Says Stamp Blog   

Debby Hughes

Laura Bassen

Yana Smakula

Nichol Spohr

Yoonsun Hur

Heather Hoffman

Amanda Korotkova

Cheiron Brandon

Bibi Cameron

Emma Williams

Vicky Papaioannou

Anna-Karin Evaldsson

Bobbi Lemanski

Preeti Chandran

RECIPE FOR CARD:
(Where items have sold out due to popularity, then I have listed suitable alternatives and hope that helps)

Simon Says Stamp Cheer and Joy Release: Marie Snowflake, Christmas Foliage
Simon Says Stamp: Falling Snow Stencil, Merry Christmas Die, Vellum

Tim Holtz/Sizzix: Stitched Circles, Crochet
Tim Holtz idea-ology: Christmas Paperie, Metallic Droplets, Hex Fasteners, Gumdrops
Distress Paint: Picket Fence
Tim Holtz Ranger Ink Grit Paste

Rock Candy Distress Glitter
Nuvo Crystal Drops Autumn Red (or Red Berry)
Hero Arts Pigment Ink Pad Unicorn White
Stampendous Shabby White Embossing Powder (or Eggnog Creme Embossing Powder)

Surfaces: Classic Kraft Card, Mixed Media Heavystock Card, Kraft Card, Midnight Green Card, Crafters Companion Heat Resistant Acetate, Gold Glitter Card from my own stash
Foam Pads
Big Shot

Tim Holtz Glass Media Mat

Heat Gun

Santa's Helper....

Hello everyone...

It's been a busy week here on my blog and thank you so much to everyone who's visited ~ it's always nice to read your comments and I'd like to take the opportunity to welcome all my new followers and say a big hello! Today, I'm back to share another of the projects that I made using the Chapter 3 dies and this particular project is more than just a card because it opens out into a gift card wallet. So, I hope you'll enjoy the process of how I created this piece and I hope it inspires you with some ideas to create similar projects of your own!

Creating the wallet:

To begin with, cut three pieces of Mixed Media Heavystock card to measure:

23 x 18cm ~ Card Folder

8.5 x 10cm ~ Present Pocket

Take the card folder and with the longest edge placed horizontal in front of you and measuring from the left hand side, score two lines vertically at 11cm and 12cm. Fold along scorelines to create your folder. Ink the edges of the cardstock with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink.

Cut two panels of decorative patterned paper and matt onto kraft card before mounting each panel onto the inside of the wallet.

Cut two further panels of patterned paper and attach these to the front and back on the outside of the wallet.

Place the present pocket in front of you, longest side horizontal and score the panel of card at 1cm, 9cm. Measure and score at 1cm from the bottom edge of the card. Fold along the score-lines.

To form the present pocket, cut away and remove an angled corner section on the bottom left and right hand corners, across the scorelines and then fold them in before placing adhesive tape along the flaps. Ink the edges of the present holder with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink.

Attach the present pocket to the right hand side on the inside of the wallet. You'll notice that I added a trim at the top and bottom of the pocket and these were cut using the Star Trim 3D Impressilits Embossing Folder. This folder is fantastic for creating finishing trims that just give a professional look to the project and after cutting the trim from Mixed Media card, I lightly inked over the embossing with Walnut Stain ink, before accentuating the raised areas with a little Vintage Gold Alchemy Wax that I applied with my finger. I then attached the trim to the top and bottom of the pocket.

On the front of the pocket, I added a panel of mixed media cardstock, which was slightly smaller in size than the pocket and which I'd coloured with a combination of Antique Linen, Walnut Stain and Frayed Burlap Distress Inks. I applied the inks to my glass mat and spritzed them with water, before dragging the card panel through the inks to pick up the colour. Once happy, and you can always double dip if you think it needs more colour ~ I then heat dried the card, inked the edges with a little more Walnut Stain and then adhered it to the front of the pocket, adding small brad fasteners to each corner.

Using the Alphanumeric Die to die cut black kraft card, I cut out the letters to spell out 'A Gift For You At Christmas' and attached these to the panel on the front of the pocket.

I used the Christmas ribbon die set to die cut the bow which I cut from watercolour card coloured with Candied Apple Distress Inks and then using the embellishing dies of presents, sweets and candy canes, I cut a selection of these pieces to fill up my pocket, so that they appear to be spilling out.

To create the gift card that sits on the left hand side, I used the Gift Card Bag die from Tim Holtz and cut some more of the Mixed Media Heavystock card, which I coloured with the same inks as I used on the pocket on the right hand side. After assembling the pocket and inking the edges, I attached it to my wallet holder and then adhered a stitched panel of decorative patterned paper and another of those gorgeous star trims onto the front.

Now that the wallet is all finished inside and ready to decorate on the outside...

Start by cutting a panel of watercolour card, slightly smaller in size than the cover of the wallet and after applying Tumbled Glass, Antique Linen and Evergreen Bough to my glass mat, spritzed the inks with water and then dragged the card through to pick up the colours. Heat dry the card and when it is thoroughly dry, I then placed the Starry Layering Stencil over the top of the card panel and applied a layer of Grit Paste through the stencil. Whilst the paste is still wet, sprinkle some Rock Candy Glitter over the top and set aside to allow for the glittery paste to dry.

I added a border of machine stitching around the outside of the glittery card panel, inked the edges with a little Frayed Burlap DI and then matted this onto a second panel of card, that I coloured using the same Distress Inks combination as I used on the glittery background. I then attached this to the front of my wallet.

To create Santa's Helper, cut him twice from black card and then layer the pieces over the top of one another to make one solid die cut. I added some shading to my little man using a white pencil before attaching him to the cover with foam pads, placing him on a border of the star trim to ground him.

Now for the presents and all the presents are cut using dies in Santa's Helper Die set and use a layering system of die cutting ~ everything you need to create one present comes on one singular die. All you need to do is choose your colours and die cut the pieces. I chose to use patterned papers from the 2018 Christmas Paper Stash and then cut some of the bows from Metallic Kraft Stash and some from Classic Kraft Stash.

Once I had my selection of presents, I used four in total, I added three for my little man to carry, complete with Jingle Bell topper...

...but added one that had been put in his way and just about to trip over! This present also had a little jingle bell attached to the bow.

We're nearly there and all that's left is to add the lettering. I used the Handmade Die to die cut the word 'JOY' cut from chipboard three times and layered over one another to create solid chipboard lettering. To glitter the letters, I applied a good layer of Matte Collage Medium over each letter and then sprinkled them with a dusting of Vintage Platinum Dust. Set these aside to dry, probably overnight and once they are, all I did to complete them was create a shadow using black card. Cut each letter from the card and then layer the glittered lettering over the top, slightly offsetting each letter to create the drop shadow. Attach the letters to the front of the wallet.

Finally, add two mirrored stars onto the background...

...and some red twine, wrapped around the spine and tied into a bow.

So, that's it for this project and I hope you've loved the creative journey of how this piece was created ~ it's such a fun project to work on and is just a little different from sending a Christmas card to loved ones!

Thanks so much for stopping by and hope you'll visit again very soon! xxx

Recipe for project:

Tim Holtz/Sizzix: Santa's Helper, Christmas Ribbon, Handmade, Alphanumeric Label, Star Trim 3D Impresslits Embossing Folder
Tim Holtz Layering Stencil: Starry
Distress Inks: Frayed Burlap, Walnut Stain, Festive Berries, Candied Apple, Antique Linen, Tumbled Glass and Evergreen Bough

Idea-ology: Tiny Bells, Mini Screw Fasteners

Mediums: Matte Collage Medium, Grit Paste, Rock Candy Glitter, Vintage Platinum Glitter Dust
Surfaces: Mixed Media Heavystock, Watercolour Card, Black Card, Metallic Kraft Stash
Foam Pads, 2018 Tim Holtz Christmas Paper Stash, Distress Watercolour Card, Black Chipboard
Vintage Gold Alchemy Wax
Tim Holtz Media Glass Mat

Heat Gun
Big Shot

White pencil and red twine from my own stash

Boo...I have some exciting news to share!

Hello all and welcome to today's post...

I'm so excited to be sharing this latest post with you all and today is finally the day I get to let you in on my little secret ~ I'm now contributing Tim Holtz projects and tutorials over on the Sizzix Blog and even though I made this quite a few weeks ago, I'm thrilled to be sharing my first project today!

As many of you probably already know, I have always loved designing with Sizzix products, and of course you all know I love everything Tim Holtz ~ so, this is definitely a huge honour for me and I can't thank everyone enough for giving me the opportunity to bring my two loves together and I hope you will all enjoy the projects that I create!

So, it's time to share a little sneak peek of my first project, featuring Chapter 3 dies from Tim and of course, indulging my love of all things Halloween. So, if you would love to join me and see the project in it's full entirety and check out all the details, plus step by step instructions, then just pop over to the Sizzix blog and please say hello!

Thank you so much for stopping by today and I'll see you soon with another project!
Love Emma x

In Memory Of Lost Souls....

Happy Monday friends and welcome to another week here on my blog and a brand new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. This week the DT are showcasing Tim Holtz products and combining them with our Autumn/Fall challenge theme. So, if you love all things Autumn as much as I do, then this is the challenge for you and we hope you'll join us and play along.

When I think of autumn, which is my favourite time of year, my thoughts turned to walks in my local park, bundled up against the chill in the air and watching how the leaves start changing colour from their vibrant green to a gorgeous, burnt orange and I was going to do a something to celebrate this but then I started thinking, and my second favourite thing about this time of year is Halloween. So, with this in mind, I combined the two things and created a Halloween home decor piece, complete with die cut leaves as decoration and voilà, my Lost Souls wreath was created.

So, let's get started and here's how I made this Halloween Home Decor project...

To begin with I wanted to create a base and originally, I did think about using a twisted willow wreath but then remembered I had some embroidery hoops in my stash and decided to use these instead ~ an 8" and 5" hoop.

I applied a layer of black gesso to the surface of both hoops, back and front and allowed this to dry.

Once they were both completely dry, I added some Grit Paste ~ I usually apply it with my finger to ensure I get a really good application of the paste but you can use a palette knife and apply the it directly to both hoops, inside and outside, back and front, placing it at random intervals on the surface and varying the thicknesses.

The paste will take a little time to dry, so be patient as it really does need to be rock hard before adding the paint over the top. Once it is, I began with a layer of Black Soot, heat dried the painted surface and then using a clean paint brush, I dipped the brush into Brushed Pewter Distress Paint but brushed away the excess onto a towel, leaving a minimal amount of paint on the brush. I then dry brushed this over the surface of the textured hoop. The paint will accentuate the raised areas of grit paste. If you need to add more, just repeat and if you feel you've added too much silver, then pick up a second brush and repeat the dry brush technique using Black Soot Distress Paint.

Once I was happy and the painted hoops were thoroughly dry, I attached the smaller hoop inside the larger one, using Matte Collage Medium as my chosen adhesive, slightly offsetting it and placing it in the bottom left hand corner of the large hoop.

I left the hoops overnight to dry but if you don't want to ~ just lay them down on a flat surface and be careful when you begin to decorate.

...and for these decorations I began by creating the gorgeous webs that sit behind the frames.

I used a combination of old and new Tim Holtz dies for this, which I'm sure many TH addicts will own. The larger die that sits at the back of the small hoop is cut from black card using the older Cobweb die. I cut the image and then embossed it by pouncing clear embossing powder over the top and sprinkling with Liquid Platinum Embossing Powder. Heat emboss the powder until molten.

I then attached this large cobweb behind my smaller hoop, placing the Matte Collage Medium along the edge of the hoop to adhere it.

The smaller webs that sit around the top of the small hoop are taken from the Frightful Things die set and cut from black card. I spritzed the two die cut webs with Antique Linen Oxide Ink and allowed it to dry before attaching these two pieces to my hoop.

Now to add even more spookiness to this piece and add some more webs and for this I used black cotton thread and wrapped the thread around the hoop to give the effect of cobwebs that have been spun all over the surface.

We now have the hoops ready for my autumn leaves...

...and for these, I used the Tim Holtz Skeleton Leaves Die from Sizzix to cut Mixed Media Heavyweight card. To create the colour on this card I began by inking with Pumice Stone Distress Ink, then misted the inked card with a light spray of water. I then spritzed the card with a combination of Crushed Olive and Frayed Burlap Distress Ink before heat drying the inky surface. To add even more depth of colour to the card, I applied some Pumice Stone Distress Ink to my glass mat, spritzed with water and dipped the coloured card into the inks. Heat dry between layers and repeat this process by using Walnut Stain,  Forest Moss and Wild Honey Distress Inks, in that order.

I now have my perfectly coloured card and cut a selection of skeleton leaves from it ~ I used 9 in total for this project.

I adhered my leaves using hot glue and placed some Spanish Moss from my stash amongst them, arranging the flourish on the left hand side of the embroidery hoop wreath.

You can see how much dimension there is to the leaves in the photo below.

I then created a bow and for this I used Mummy Cloth, dyed with Peeled Paint and Iced Spruce Distress Spray Stains. Just spritz the stains directly onto a strip of the cloth and heat it gently to dry before tying the cloth into a bow.

Attach the bow to the leaf arrangement before adding some Boneyard Findings to stick out of the centre.

To complete the arrangement, I used three Baubles, coloured with Cranberry and Pitch Black Alcohol Inks and just adhered these in the centre of the cluster of bones...

I attached a Halloween Token, Lost Souls the bow using a loop pin.

Now we move onto the right hand side of the wreath and those creepy hands...

I stamped a pair of hands onto Mixed Media Heavystock card using the image from Tim's Cadaverous stamp set and fussy cut both hands before colouring them with Distress Marker Pens. I then attached these to either side of a Halloween Quote Chip before I adhered the chip and hands onto the right hand side of my hoops, carefully balancing the arrangement between the hoops.

I added some moss around the hands and then placed a skull fragment, again carefully balanced on top of the quote chip, stuck into place using Matte Collage Medium.

For the final touch, I used the spider from the Frightful Things die set to die cut 5 spiders. I coloured the bodies of each one very lightly with a white pencil before attaching them to my project, placing them on the hands and webs.

To complete my wreath I added a hanger and used a mini book ring and some chain which I attached at the top of the hoop.

So, that's it for today and hope you've enjoyed the creative process behind this piece and loved and been inspired by all the techniques I've used to create it.

Have fun creating your projects and don't forget, if you would like to see more inspiration from my talented teamies over on the challenge blog and every week, one lucky random participant has the chance to win a $50 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp. You have until Monday 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 and hope to see you again soon, love Emma xxx

Recipe for project:

Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous: Cadaverous

Tim Holtz/Sizzix: Frightful Things, Skeleton Leaves, Cobwebs from my own stash
Distress Paint: Black Soot, Brushed Pewter
Distress Inks: Pumice Stone, Walnut Stain, Forest Moss and Wild Honey
Distress Oxide Sprays: Crushed Olive, Frayed Burlap

Distress Spray Stain: Iced Spruce, Peeled Paint

Idea-ology:Mummy Cloth, Bauble Findings, Halloween Tokens, Halloween Quote Chips, Boneyard Findings, Loop Pins, Mini book Rings, Skull Fragments

Mediums: Matte Collage Medium, Grit Paste, black Gesso, Liquid Platinum Embossing Powder, Clear Embossing Ink
Surfaces: Mixed Media Heavystock Card, Black Card
Alcohol Inks: Pitch Black, Cranberry
Tim Holtz Media Glass Mat

Heat Gun
Big Shot
Moss

Spanish Moss, chain and hoops from my own stash