The Palm Reader...

Hello friends...

Today, I'm sharing another of the projects that I created for the Tim Holtz idea-ology FB Live ~ I will be sharing all of the projects that I made for Tim's Lives, which will include the Christmas Chapter 3 Sizzix projects, together with the idea-ology samples and many more, so if there's a project that you've seen of mine, then please just keep checking back here as they will be shared, asap!

So, back to today's project and this one was all about the Palm Reader. I instantly fell in love with this paper doll as soon as I saw her and when I looked at the Quote Chips and some of the ephemera pieces, they were a match made in heaven and I knew exactly what I wanted to create and here it is...a piece of home decor that can be displayed for Halloween.

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

To begin with I took a medium sized Etcetera Tag and covered it with paper from the Abandoned Paper Stash. This one is actually my favourite design from the stash, if I could get multiple sheets, I would ~ I just love it so much!

The size of paper doesn't actually fit the size of tag but the way around this was to cover the top section with one section of the paper and then with the offcut, place that along the bottom section of the tag and once everything is added to this piece, you won't even notice the join ~ it will be seamless!

Now to add some texture and for this I used Grit Paste and applied the paste with a palette knife around the edges of the covered tag. Once the paste is dry, I took the Black Soot and the Rusty Hinge Distress Crayons and applied the crayon to the paste, blending out the colour with a water brush and my fingertip.

Moving onto the frame, and I used one of the Mini Framed Panels and took just the frame, setting aside the back panel which will be perfect for using in another project. After prepping the frame with gesso, I then applied my paint layers starting with Ground Espresso Distress Paint, which I carefully heat dried before dry brushing Antiqued Bronze over the surface and then a layer of Black Soot, each time drying the previous layer of paint. When you use the dry brush technique, always use a separate brush for each colour of paint and after picking up the paint from the craft sheet, wipe away the majority onto a kitchen towel or cloth, leaving you with the minimal amount of paint on the brush before applying it to the surface and if you need to add more of any colour, just apply more to the areas you think needs it. Once I was happy, I dried the painted frame thoroughly and then added some Aged Brass Alchemy Wax directly onto the surface to accentuate the beadwork on the frame.

To build up the scene and create a background for the little gypsy girl, I took one of the Baseboard Frames from the Baseboard Frames and Layers set. The frame that I used, sits perfectly inside the larger wooden frame and after distressing the baseboard frame slightly to create more of a vintage, worn feel, I adhered it to my wooden frame using Matte Collage Medium and clamping it into place until it was attached.

Attach the layered frame with collage Medium, adhering it onto the tag and once again, clamping it into place so that you ensure it really does hold and whilst this is drying I took the Gypsy Fortune Telling Card from the Halloween ephemera pieces, mounted this onto a piece of gold metallic kraft stash card, leaving a narrow border of gold showing around the outside. After adding Mini Fasteners to each corner of the ephemera piece, I then placed this inside the framed panels, attaching it directly onto the tag on the right hand side of the frame. 

The final layer of this frame is the curtain and this is just one of the fabulous pieces you get in the Baseboard Frames and Layers set. I attached the curtain to the baseboard frame but wanted to create a bit of texture, so for this I then took some Mummy Cloth which I dyed with Pumice Stone and Antique Linen Distress Spray Stains before arranging onto the top section of the red curtain. To complete the curtain, I added a Hitch Fastener on either side and wrapped the cloth around each fastener.

Now all you need to do before creating all those embellishments is create the shelf that you can see running along the bottom of the frame and for this I used one of the Bracket Etcetera Trims which i painted with the same colours of Distress Paint as the frame itself and then I attached it by adding a line of Matte Collage Medium to the back of the trim and attaching it directly along the bottom of the frame to create a ledge.

Now to make those embellishments which sit on the shelf, surrounded by some more of the dyed mummy cloth, tiny Hematite Quarry stones and moss.

...and we'll start with the Crystal Ball. For this I took the largest size of in the Bauble Adornments pack and coloured it with a combination of Smolder and Alcohol Pearls and Mushroom Alcohol Ink. I used a generous dome of Matte Collage Medium to attach the 'crystal ball' to an upturned thimble which I altered with a little Rust, Patina and Pitch Black Alcohol Inks to create a more vintage look to the thimble. I attached the Crystal Ball to the shelf, placing it next to the Gypsy Girl paper doll, that I colour tinted with Distress Marker Pens.

On the opposite side of the shelf, I added an egg timer...

I actually made this from two tiny different sizes of corked vials that I attached to one another using some Glossy Accents to seal them together, but before you do this, I began by crackling the corked vials, covering them with Matte Collage Medium which I allowed to dry. I then applied a good layer of Rock Candy Crackle over the top of each bottle and set them aside to do their thing. Once the medium is dry and the crackles have appeared, I dropped a blend of alcohol inks, gold mixative, smolder and mushroom, dribbling them over the top and allowing the ink to drip down the bottles. I attached one of the creepy eyes onto the larger sized bottle and then placed some glitter inside the bottle. Now, you can seal the bottles together to create the egg timer.

I placed the egg timer onto the shelf, attaching some more ephemera pieces, the palmistry hand and ticket stub behind it. I added some Bouquet Findings flowers to complete the arrangement.

At the top of the tag, I attached the gorgeous owl, again altered with a combination of the Rust, Pitch Black and Patina Alcohol Inks with just a touch of Mineral Alcohol Pearl. I attached the owl to the tag, placing it to slightly overlap the top edge and then added the Palm Reader Quote Chip underneath, adding a Hex Fastener to either side.

So, that's my tag finished and all that's left is to add the hanging spider on the side...

...which is just one of the amazing Spider Adornments but I coloured the pearl with Gold Mixative and Mushroom Alcohol Inks and then attached it to a Hinge Clip, altered with Evergreen Bough, Antiqued Bronze and Picket Fence Distress Paints.

Hope you've enjoyed today's post and all the techniques and ideas that I've shared for you to use as inspiration! Thank you so much for visiting today and see you again very soon!

Love Emma xxx

Recipe for project:

Stampers Anonymous: Bracket Etcetera Trims, Medium Etcetera Tag

Distress Paint: Black Soot, Antiqued Bronze, Ground Espresso, Evergreen Bough, Picket Fence

Distress Crayons: Rusty Hinge, Black Soot
Distress Spray Stain: Antique Linen, Pumice Stone

Idea-ology: Bouquet Findings, Mummy Cloth, Thimbles, Paper Dolls, Spider Adornments,  Tiny Corked Vials, Halloween Baseboard Frames and Layers, Halloween Ephemera, Mini Fasteners Brads Screws Hardware, Halloween Accents, hitch Fasteners, Large Hinge Clip, Mini Framed Panels, Creepy Eyes
Alcohol Ink: Mushroom, Smolder, Mineral, Gold Mixative, Pitch Black, Rust, Patina

Mediums: Matte Collage Medium, Grit Paste, Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint
Surfaces: Abandoned Paper Stash
Hematite Quarry Gemstones
Tim Holtz Media Glass Mat

Heat Gun
Palette Knife
Moss