TFJB Challenge #22 P, O, G, Eek! It's Halloween/ Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge; Movie Inspired... Bell, Book, & Candle Box!

 I'm "Back Home Again in Indiana", which means I am also back to my normal photo editing and computer layouts. We left Minnesota on Oct 18th- my 55th Birthday- just in time, as it became MinneSNOWta the next day with over 6 inches. Yikes! Not that it's not cold here at home. Yay. The leaves were still on the trees, so that means I am fighting Leaf War 2020. But frankly- with the rain AND I slipped the belt on my brand new mower (new belt ordered), I gave up...temporarily. Besides, other things needed my attention at the moment. I had a wonderful birthday up in Red Wing as the younger set baked up a gourmet Chocolate Cherry Cake that was to die for, and just Saturday the 24th, the older set brought Chinese takeout to have some time with me also. Having my ChiefHubby, our 4 Kids, and 3 Grandbabies...it doesn't matter where I am; they are HOME to me wherever we are. 

The things that needed my attention- besides my family, that is- just happened at the same time I was obsessed with them: CANDLES! I had finally gotten some Tim Holtz Embossing Glaze and was having too much fun with it looking like melted candle wax! So my fingers were on their way to making another set of candles with a candlestick holder, when what to my wandering eyes should appear? Tim Holtz showing a new technique on making little tiny candles that look too realistic to be fake! Well, that changed my direction like a horse called in for oats. Of course, I had to do just ONE MORE Halloween make.

                          So let's see where I took this new technique...

I began this make just like the last project with a candlestick 

CLICK HERE for more details.

(My posts got out of order somehow and it caused a problem with my links-

hopefully, it's all cleared up now.)

I left off the Embossing Glazes and simply went with a plain gold again on the holder.

The 'candle' was snipped off the next day- after I saw TIM'S CANDLES!!

"Skelly" (purchased up in Minnesota) became fodder for my newest thing: Modeling Clay.

After making all those gravestones, I wondered;

could I make molds from this clay of Skelly's head and hands, and

then use those molds to form exact head and hands?

Obviously- it was something I needed to know. So I tried...

And this clay- after baking- is easily scraped, sanded, and cut so that the

shape can be molded yet hard for what you want.

Here, I shaded the pieces after being done finishing them.

And then came TIM'S CANDLES...

If you missed his Demo;

Tim Holtz Facebook Live

and click on Halloween Tips and Tricks Part 2

I posted the next 3 pics on Tim Holtz Addicts (Facebook group)

after practicing a couple of candles.

I was now into platter 3-wick candles, tapers, and the sky is the limit here!

Once I got the hang of it a bit- I made more for practice.

Since I cannot hear Tim (nor Mario) talking on the Demos, and they don't

have CC for the deaf yet, I have to rely on watching what he does.

So I do my best to look closely at LOTS of people's makes to see what they also did.

Next, I wondered if I could put a bit of scariness in there- a knife.

Tim already has a knife in his IdeaOlogy, which I've used for

~a Baby Spoon with a keychain photo

~ a Thanksgiving Tag

~ a set of tableware for a Cruise ship tag.

Wondered if I could get a Halloween SHARP knife from this??

It WORKED!

Then I decided the Skelly not only would pop out of the wall,

but he was going to pop out of a FRAME...

then it came to me Skelly could pop out of an Ephemera PHOTO!

I painted the IdeaOlogy Foundry Frame with Distress Paint in Black Soot. 

Let dry then rubbed a bit off for the metal to show through.

Then I needed a couple of books... easily made by stacking paper and sewing together,

then adding a cover. Some IdeaOlogy Remnant Rubs (Numbers) on the covers.

THEN I needed a crystal ball.

We couldn't let the rest of Tim's Demo go without trying it ALL, right?! lol

This is the result of those little things put together...

Skelly.....PULEEEEEEASE.

I needed to show the back of the book- I added more hot glue (as Tim did) and 

folded a firm cardstock piece- that closely matched the outside box's color- 

and glued it into place that tucked the edges in and covered up the excess wiring/battery.

Skelly! Enough already! We KNOW you enjoy looking at YOURSELF.

And here's the full inside... 

REQUIREMENT 1A: for THE FUNKIE JUNKIE BOUTIQUE CHALLENGE BLOG;

Purple, Orange, and Green, Eek! It's Halloween!- 

Purple, orange, green, AND Halloween...it's all in here!

REQUIREMENT 2A for SIMON SAYS STAMP MONDAY CHALLENGE;

MOVIE INSPIRATION...

"Bell Book, and Candle" with James Stewart and Kim Novak!

(I also loved "Rear Window" and "Vertigo" with Jimmy Stewart- who DIDN'T?!)

Just so you can see the stand I made from jTH Thinlits Die Circle Play 

by cutting two sets of the gumball machine stand and stacking the 2 cuts- 

leaving out all the detail pieces save for the top and bottom to form a crystal ball stand. 

"Then, the lights went out!

Candles were lit..."

Skelly sure is scared- biting his...fingers??

Not too shabby for a first try.

But in my own critique: the hand holding the righthand side candle-

the lights didn't go up far enough and show too much inside the HAND.

The globe (TH Dimensional Domes from Sizzix) fit neatly inside here,

and trying to get that wire into a HALF ball wasn't too hard,

It was trying to resituate the FILLING after getting it glued on

( I adhered it using Glossy Accents and set it aside to dry overnight with

heavy dies weighting it down. I was afraid glue from a glue gun would just rip out

from the force inside.)

BUT- getting the filling to rearrange to hide the bulbs was much harder.

In all; it turned out VERY WELL, I think.

REQUIREMENT 1B for THE FUNKIE JUNKIE BOUTIQUE CHALLENGE BLOG:

Purple, Orange, and Green, Eek! It's Halloween!

Colors and Halloween- LIT UP!

REQUIREMENT 2B: SIMON SAYS STAMP MONDAY CHALLENGE:

Movie Inspiration

"Bell, Book, and Candle"... LIT UP!

This make can be seen on 2 sites:

The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge Blog; Purple, Orange, Green, Eek! It's Halloween!

where EVERYONE is welcome to join in, and EVERYONE has a chance for the

random drawing Sponsored by: The Funkie Junkie Boutique

and

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Movie Inspired

where, once again; EVERYONE is welcome to join in and have a chance for a

random drawing Sponsored by: Simon Says Stamp

Once again, I send a SHOUTOUT of "THANKS!" to everyone

stopping by to check in on my makes- both old and new!

And "THANK YOU!" for the sweet comments!

(A special "THANKS!" to Sara for seeing my URL misposting,

and to Jenny, for fixing the link! I had quite a time without my usual setup,

and it was a 'dry run' for the near future when we are in Florida part time.)

Since the ChiefHubby officially filed his intent to RETIRE...

his last day is December 23rd (the 37th Anniversary of our Engagement),

with the signing to take place on January 4th. 

Yikes: it's getting REAL! Lol

I have more projects that are finished but yet to have blogged,

as well as a couple more projects in various stages of 'made' to finish.

So, stay tuned!

Meanwhile... It's TIME FOR DODGER BASEBALL!

Let's GOOOO, Los Angeles DODGERS!!!

(World Series Game 6 RIGHT NOW!)

Stay SAFE, Wear the MASK, Wash the HANDS, &

HAPPY BLOGGING!!

TFJB Challenge #21 Fall Foliage and Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge SPOOKY...A Lighted Haunted House- for the Grandbabies, of course!

    Fall is officially looking like Fall, up here in Minnesota. The leaves seem to take a long time to turn, because it 'spreads' from bottom (Mississippi River level) to top (bluff levels) with very intense coloring. Indiana colors always last a full week or less, happening almost all at once- if you blink; you'll miss it. While the warmer seasons up here are vibrant throughout the growth, the warmth itself is short-lived, since Winter takes up most of Minnesota's time. I can definitely feel the chill in the air this past weekend, even while the sunshine is still strong. And the sun itself is still much larger-looking than it is in Indiana- a sight which has me captivated! I've managed to get a couple of photo shoots done, without the usual big equipment;

just me and my iPhone having a bit of fun. But most of my time has been spent getting to know youngest Grandson, Jamie. We've had a ball together; taking walks, playing in the tub, and generally being blessed to be present during some big milestones that I was previously missing out on; three upper teeth came in, his first Chocolate Chip Cookie (Memaw's recipie), going from creeping to full crawling, standing up against furniture on his own, and his first Pumpkin Patch trip. Then there's the teaching of: blowing *waspberwies*, using a wetnap to wipe off his own mouth and hands (he's a quick learner & mastered this already!), and horsey-riding songs. I also did the make-a-house-from-a-box thing like I've done with the older 2 Grandbabies. Jamie's had both a "front neighborhood playground" and a backyard gym. And a JEEP parked in the driveway- a Minnesota Life necessity. It wasn't all smooth sailing; Jamie developed a high fever and was tested for COVID19 during his Dr visit. A negative result with typical cold remedies for both of us resulted- those kisses and hugs meant I got his cold, too. But it meant he had to stay home from DayCare and poor Wittle Baby was teething during the entire thing. He's back to normal as of this typing. My older 2 Grandbabies were on a 4th Wedding Anniversary trip to St.Joseph, Michigan (a fave destination for our entire family since our own boys were babies), and I was able to get lots of photos, thanks to Mommy who took some awesome shots!

    Finding the time to meet deadlines doing my craftwork has been a bit daunting, but here I am: this particular make was pre-thought for a couple of months, since getting the Tim Holtz Haunted Mansion Alterations Die from a huge Sizzix sale. So the main things I needed specifically for this project, I was able to pack and bring with. There were still a few things I was able to pick up from stores nearby, luckily. But having the time was the biggest factor, since helping with Baby Jamie filled most of my time- not a complaint! I did miss the last Challenge for 2 sites, so making my usual contribution to The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge, Fall Foliage was important to me- especially after all the photos of Red Wing! I'm also lucky to just be able to fit this project into Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge, Spooky!

                          So let's hit the gas pedal on this...

              Finished Project as 2 Gifts for the Grandbabies...

The younger kids' downstairs family room wood stove area made a cool backdrop

for these Haunted Houses. Since I am without my main editing program (*head slap*)

this iPhone 'watermark' LLL will do for now. 

Haunted Mansion #1 for Baby Pecan (Jamie)-

the pumpkin looked less scary than #2 house.

Perspective of House #1

House #2 for Peanut (Cole) and Princess Pistachio (Chloe)

House #2 Perspective

House #2 Backside

(Backside of House #1 shown in lit photos later down).

The Kitty Cats are my Grandbabies- so House #1 has a cat up in the tree on the backside-

 same as House #2.

But House #2 also has another cat in front of the tree.

Left Side View of House #2

Closeup of House #2 Pumpkin

Closeup of button Ghosts in window- House #2.

REQUIREMENT: TFJB CHALLENGE: FALL FOLIAGE

House #2 Cemetery stones and leaves- the raking is in the process, I guess...lol!

House #2 Closeup of Kitty in tree.

Don't call the Fire Department; Cats go up and Cats can come down ALONE.

Have you ever seen a cat's skeleton up in a tree?

REQUIREMENT- TFJB CHALLENGE: FALL FOLIAGE

Closeup of button Ghost-

I think it fits the 

REQUIREMENTS: SIMON SAYS STAMP; SPOOKY

Spooky enough for my Littles! 

Closeup: SSS MONDAY CHALLENGE: SPOOKY...

Dare you come into the opened doors?!

REQUIREMENT: SSS MONDAY CHALLENGE; SPOOKY;

If this Ghost peeking out the window doesn't SPOOK you....

      I hope you've enjoyed looking through these photos, almost as much as I enjoyed seeing the look on the younger set of Kids' faces when I turned on the lights! They are HUGE fans of Halloween- as if the photo of Baby Jamie doesn't tell you that, lol!

                                 Please take a few minutes to check into:

                 The Funkie Junkie Challenge Blog   Sponsored By:  The Funkie Junkie Boutique

                                                                             AND

                 Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog  Sponsored By: Simon Says Stamp

                                             to see all the amazing takes on paper crafting !!!             

                                                      And PLEASE join in on the FUN!!

               I'll have more to come for Halloween, to be sure!

                                       So, until next time...

        STAY SAFE,  Wear the MASK, WASH the Hands, and

                                   HAPPY BLOGGING!!