That's Life: corked vials

Showing posts with label corked vials. Show all posts

Monday, 28 September 2026

Somebody's Watching Me....

Hello everyone...

Hope you've all had a fabulous weekend and you're ready for a new week if adventures and crafting!

As always, the start of a new week means we have a new challenge over on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog, and we want you to USE MORE THAN ONE STENCIL on your makes and hope you'll join us and play along with this fun theme.

For my project, I created a spooky tag and used products from Tim Holtz, Stampers Anonymous and SSS to create this project all about the Bone Collector...

So, let's get started, it's time to get for me to share all the details of this tag....

To begin with I used a Mini Etcetera Tag as my base, together with Mosaic Etcetera Tiles ~ all by Stampers Anonymous.

TAG and TILES BACKGROUND

To create my background for this piece, I cut two pieces of Mixed Media Heavystock Card. Taking one of the pieces of the card, I used a palette knife to apply Black Opaque Texture Paste through the Stampers Anonymous/Tim Holtz Crossed Layering Stencil and on the second piece, I applied the same paste through the Script stencil. Allow for each piece to dry and make sure to wash the stencil and palette knife immediately.

Once the paste was dry, I added the colour using a combination of Unravelled, Decayed, Ominous Mica Spray Stains.

At this stage, I also spritzed a third piece of the cardstock with the Mica Sprays but didn't apply paste to this piece.

Once I was happy with the colour, and the card was dry, I cut the Script stencilled card into pieces to fit four of the tiles measuring 1.5 x 3 inches and then cut the remaining card, stencilled with the Crossed design into four 1.5 x 1.5 inches pieces. Adhere each of these pieces onto the Etcetera Tiles with Matte Collage Medium.

Taking the tiles, I placed these a Mini Etcetera Tag, attaching them to the centre of the tag, starting with the square tile in the top left, followed by the rectangular tile, next to it and then working down the tag, alternating the tiles each time to complete the four rows.

At the top and bottom of the tag, I added the plain pieces of Mica stained card, placing them to cover the bare areas of the tag itself and trimming away the excess.

Apply Walnut Stain Distress Crayon along the edges and between the joins of the tiles to complete the background and in the top right corner, I added an October 31 Ephemera label from the Halloween Ephemera Pack, attached with Matte Collage Medium and with a small ripped piece of Cello Sticker Tape.

FOCAL POINT

Now we move onto the focal point of this tag, the part that tells the story of the Bone Collector.

For this I used the Tim Holtz and Simon Says Stamp Co-Ordinating Anatomy Chart stamp and die bundle.

I stamped the images of the hand and the femur bone onto a piece of Mixed Media Heavystock card and coloured them with Distress Watercolor Pencils before die cutting them with the co-ordinating dies.

After inking the edges of each die cut with Walnut Stain Distress Ink, I shaped the hand into a curve and together with the bone die cut, I attached them to my background using foam pads.

To the left of the stamped images, I placed an Ephemera Piece. This was actually from an older set of idea-ology Baseboards but it can also be found in the Halloween Ephemera Pack but if you use this piece, I would mount it onto a piece of chipboard or cardstock before attaching it to the project.

To complete this section, I used the "Bone Collector" Word Plaque from the Halloween Word Plaques and Tags set and altered the silver metal with Distress Paint; Black Soot, Antiqued Bronze, Crackling Campfire. I then accentuated the raised lettering with a coverage of Treasure Gold gilding wax that I have in my stash.

I attached the plaque to the background using foam pads to add dimension and then added a screw head onto either side, again altered with the same Distress Paints to match the rest of the plaque.

LEDGE

Along the bottom of the tag, I added a ledge that is filled with haunted treasures.

To create the ledge, I used two Pinked Etcetera Trims and stuck these together to form one thick ledge which I then attached along the bottom edge of my raised Etcetera Tile panel.

Now, all I need to do is fill the ledge with all these treasures using the following products from Tim's idea-ology range:

Drippy Candles, Corked Vials, tiny Corked Vials, mini books made using the covers from the Halloween Ephemera pack and labels on the spine from the Curator Snippets pack, Halloween Skulls and bones from the Boneyard pack

There are lots of tutorials on my blog showing how I alter and create these tiny pieces, and these techniques can be searched for in the search engine, which is just on the left hand side of my blog...

But for now, once all my little trinkets were made, I attached them to the ledge using Matte Collage Medium.

Tiny Books and Skulls

Corked Vials and Drippy Candles

FINISHING DETAILS

We're nearly there and all that's left is to add those all important finishing touches.

I added some drippy wax around the bases of the candles by using my hot glue gun and just allowing the glue to ooze out and then drip. Once this is dry, I painted the glue with a layer of Antique linen Distress Paint, allowed this to dry, then dabbed on a light coverage of Ground Espresso Distress Paint.

I finished with some small clumps of moss and hammered some Nail Tacks into the tag.

Finally, I added the final creepy touch, a small spider. This is from the Halloween Adornments pack and I painted it black. I then attached it to my project, placing it so it appears to be held in place with the finger on the stamped hand.

So, that's my project complete and I hope you love what I've created and the techniques I've used.

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:

SSS/Tim Holtz Stamps and Dies Bundles: Anatomy Chart

Stampers Anonymous/Tim Holtz: Etcetera Tiles, Mini Etcetera Tag, Script Layering Stencil, Crossed Layering Stencil, Etcetera Pinked Trims

Sizzix: Big Shot

Distress Ink: Walnut Stain

Mica Spray: Unravelled, Decayed, Ominous

Distress Watercolour Pencils

idea-ology: Halloween Ephemera, Halloween Word Plaques and Tags, Drippy Candles, Corked Vials, Tiny Corked Vials, Halloween Skulls, Boneyard, Cello Sticker Tape, Curator Labels, Halloween Adornments, Nail Tacks

Mediums: Matte Collage Medium, Foam Pads, Black Soot Archival Ink,

Surfaces: Mixed Media Heavystock Card

Glass Media Mat

Heat Gun

Moss

Wednesday, 16 October 2024

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

Monday, 14 August 2023

Web of Dreams...

Hello friends...

Hope you are all having a great Monday and enjoyed Tim's Saturday Live, it sure was fun and if you're a Sizzix fan, then there was so much inspiration from all the makers!

So, as we start a brand new week, it's time for a new challenge over on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge blog and this week our theme is all about using our FAVOURITE TECHNIQUES and with so many interpretations of this theme, I'm sure if you play along you will be spoilt for choice of what you will be making!

For my make, I chose to get my spook on and as my favourite time of year has started, I used my favourite technique which is all about stencils and spritzing to make a textured background for my Halloween Panel and used Tim's amazing new Black Texture Paste and the beautiful new Halloween Mica Stains to add some amazing sparkle and shine. I also thought this was a perfect backdrop to use with some of the new Halloween ideology pieces, because they are too good not to use.... 🖤

So, let's begin ~ it's time to introduce you to Regions Beyond!

For this make, I used the smallest sized of the rectangular Etcetera Panels as my base and I covered the edges with Halloween Design Tape.

BACKGROUND

Now first of all, I am going to give a shout out to Tim and Ranger Ink for the brand new Black Texture Paste, because I don't know where this has been all my life ~ it is incredible but you have to get it whilst you can as it won't be around for long and I've already stockpiled it!

So to create this background, I cut a panel of Mixed Media Heavystock card the same size as the panel and then using my new favourite product, I applied the black paste through the Crossed Layering Stencil to cover the entire panel.

Let the paste dry thoroughly before applying the Mica Stains and I used a combination of Unravelled, Fallen Acorn and Ominous, spraying each colour individually and misting a small amount of water over the top to blend them. Once happy, I dried the panel and machine stitched a border around the outside before I adhered this onto the Etcetera Panel.

We're now ready to start work on the embellishments...

SHELF LEDGE

To begin with I made the ledge for all my embellishments to sit on and used a medium sized Pinked Etcetera Trims and a Bat Trim. I painted each trim with Black Soot Distress Paint and then once dry, I lightly spritzed them with Phantom Mist Mica Stain.

I then placed the pinked trim, attaching it at a 90° angle so that it formed the shelf and attached the bat web underneath. I then adhered a strip of Halloween Design Tape along the top of the web trim and placed a Curator Snippet Ephemera piece in the centre.

Beneath the ledge, I added the "From Regions Beyond" Quote Chip from the Baseboards pack. I sanded the edges and inked them with Walnut Stain before I attached it to my panel with Matte Collage Medium and added two Hardware Heads either side.

FRAME

Now we're ready to move onto the frame and for this I used the larger sized idea-ology Photo Frame and altered it by first applying some foundry Wax over the metal surface. I used Statue, which I heat set and then applied a lighter layer of Sterling over the top, not applying a complete coverage and making sure the previous layer showed through in random areas. After I heat set the wax, I then applied some Black Texture Paste using my finger to spread the paste over the metal. Allow for this to dry and to create the look of rust, I smeared Burnt Sienna Acrylic Paint over the surface, again just applying it with my fingertip.

For the 'broken glass' effect that I used in the frame, I cut a piece of the shattered windows, (another new 'must have' idea-ology product from Tim), and I attached this to the metal frame with a strong adhesive tape. To add the 'oldy worldy' effect to the acetate, I flipped the frame over, so that I worked from the back and dribbled Mushroom Alcohol ink onto the acetate. I then added flicks of Black Soot Distress Paint and allowed this to dry.

Setting the frame to one side, I moved onto colour tinting the photo. I love this photo from the new idea-ology Halloween Layers pack which this year, contains a selection of paper dolls, photos, portraits and ephemera pieces ~ you have everything you need in one single pack.

I cut the photo so that it would fit inside the frame and then I coloured tinted it with Distress Crayons and a waterbrush and then using foam pads on the back of the metal frame, I placed the frame over the top of the photo and attached it to my ledge, leaning it against the panel.

EMBELLISHMENTS

CANDLE:

To make the drippy candle that sits to the right of the frame, I began by attaching the candle to the shelf using Matte Collage Medium and then taking my hot glue gun, I formed the drips around the base.

Once the glue was rock hard, I then painted it with a combination of Old Paper and Frayed Burlap Distress Paints before adding some moss around the base and a Bouquet Finding, that I tucked behind the candle.

BOOKS:

The books are so easy to make, and so addictive and I have already made an entire library ready for my Halloween makes. The covers are from the Halloween Ephemera Pack and to build these three books that I used on this make, you will need either old book pages, or you can use some of Tim's idea-ology papers ~ I do tend to use book pages, because they are easier to manipulate when building the pages, but the choice is yours and both work ok!

Taking the book covers from the Halloween Ephemera Pack, I scored the book to create the back and front and a spine and folded along the scorelines. I then cut my book pages to size ~ for this you will need to measure the front cover, width and height and then double the measurement to give you the pages that fit inside the book cover.

Once you've cut enough pages to fill the book and you do want to make sure it's really full, then fold each of them in half and then start adhering them inside the cover. I used Matte Collage Medium.

When the pages are all fixed into place and the secure, I scuffed the edges of the book pages, and then dipped my finger into some paint, and with the book closed, I rubbed the paint along the scuffed edges to add that gorgeous look of an old book.

I tied some twine around one of the books and added a Clippings Sticker to the spine to complete it.

I attached the books on the left hand side of the shelf, lying two of them on top of one another and then leaning the third against the other two.

Hanging down from the two books, I attached a spider from the Spiders and Branches Adornments set, and altered this with a little Mushroom Alcohol Ink and a touch of Gilded Foundry Wax.

SKULLS:

Now for the skulls and I used my finger to add a fine layer of Grit Paste over the skull's head to create more of a lumpy bumpy texture and then once it was dry, I rubbed the Black Soot Crayon over the surface, blending it out so it still shows the original colour in places. I placed the skull on top of the books, attaching him with Matte Collage Medium.

BOTTLE:

I have featured tutorials for these bottles many times on my blog but it always helps to recap and it's such an easy process. I used a Tiny Corked Vial for this make and applied a layer of Matte Collage Medium over the surface of the glass.

After allowing it to dry thoroughly, I then applied Sterling Foundry Wax over the top and gently heat set the wax until it was set.

The label that I used on the bottle is from Curator Snippets Ephemera pieces and I adhered it to the glass using Matte Collage Medium and then rubbing some Walnut Stain Crayon over the top to age it.

Cut a length of twine and after spritzing it with Walnut Stain Distress Spray Stain, I wrapped it around the necks of each bottle. For the corks, I actually burnt these by holding them over a naked flame ~ please be careful when you do this, as they do tend to catch fire quite quickly and I don't want to cause any accidents. You literally need to show them the flame and blow it out quickly.

Pop the corks into the bottles, and seal them with collage medium.

Finally, I used my hot glue gun and in exactly the same way as I did with the drips on the candle, I applied the glue to drip down the side of the bottle.

Once dry, I used some Envy Alcohol Pearls, applying this down the hot glue to colour it and then a smear of Sterling Foundry Wax over the top.

Attach the bottle to the shelf and finally, I placed moss all around the embellishments, adding a couple of Bouquet Findings and a small die cut leaf that was on my desk to complete the arrangement.

I also added a touch of the moss to the top of the frame.

We're nearly there and all that's left is the finishing touches...

Using foam pads, I attached the Poison Ephemera piece to left of the photo frame...

...and then added the flying bats, from the Halloween Baseboards and Transparencies set. I shaped the wings by gently heating the plastic and just moulding them into shape before attaching them to my panel with Matte Collage Medium.

The final embellishment was to add the three studs at the top of the panel and I used Long Fasteners. I cut the backs away from the fasteners and then attached them directly onto the panel, placing them at equal distances along the top. I then painted them with a combination of Crackling Campfire and Black Soot Distress Paint to add a rusty finish, before applying a touch of Gilding Wax from my stash.

So that's my project finished and I hope you love the first of many of my Halloween makes and shares for 2023 ~ it's going to be a spooktacular season!