a hallowed haunt

Welcome to Skelly's shed,
 a place to rest her weary head...

I can hardly believe that the hallowed month of October is upon us...this means that holiday preparations are in full swing. I love decorating for Halloween; the spookier, the better! I am really excited to share this project that I created for the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts blog using the GSLC house shrine box. The chipboard shrine was the perfect base for this spooky haunt.

The house shrine box is made up of seven pieces. It arrives flat and requires assembly. 

I always like to test how the pieces fit together before adding any finishes to the chipboard. This way I know the correct direction for any patterned paper that I will be using, as well as which areas of the pieces will remain unseen. Viewing the piece in its 3D form also allows me to envision how I hope the finished project will look. 

Once I have a good idea of the direction the project will be taking, I invade my paper stash to find the perfect surface coverings. I paint all of the exposed chipboard edges with black soot distress paint and allow to dry before starting the assembly. By painting the edges, it allows for some margin of error and presents a finished appearance when I when I add papers.

The exterior of the shed is covered in a Tim Holtz wood plank patterned paper. Using the chipboard blanks as templates, I cut the paper into pieces that fit each of the exterior surfaces. I apply crackle paint to random planks on each section. When dry, this will create an aged wood look. Once the crackle has cured, I apply hickory smoke and black soot distress ink over the paper, paying special attention to the crackled areas. I then cut solid black cardstock pieces to match the shape of each patterned piece. The planks are cut apart all edges are inked, and then each plank is put back in its place onto the solid black card. Some planks have multiple layers of double sided adhesive to raise them sightly while others are glued directly to the card. This gives the exterior surfaces an authentic plank siding appearance. When I have completed this technique on each of the exterior templates, I set them aside and cut the papers for the interior. 

I use a halloween worn wallpaper for the interior surfaces. The wallpaper is distressed with ink and I do a test fit to ensure proper alignment. Collage medium is applied to the interior walls, and the papers are adhered and set aside to dry. Once dry, the box is constructed. I often use clamps to hold everything in place while the glue is drying. Depending on the project, sometimes I assemble the box and then apply paper; however, on this piece I attach all of the interior

surface papers prior to assembly. Either way that you prefer to work is fine.

The sloped roof pieces are covered with shingles cut from copper metallic kraft paper that has been die cut, sanded and inked. Each layer of shingles is attached to the roof slab beginning at the bottom edge and working up towards the peak so that the shingles layer on top of one another, like an actual roof shingle would be laid. 

After the roof is installed, I add the topmost row of shingles and then lift random pieces to give the roof even more dimension.  

When the exterior finishes have all been applied, I add embellishments to the shed. A die cut spiderweb is located at the internal roof apex, set away from the rear wall for added dimension. A lone spider dangles from his web awaiting its next prey. 

 Skelly holds her prized pumpkin, while a riotous raven stakes his claim on one of the castaways. 

The raven is a Gypsy Soul Laser Cut piece from the creepy critters set that has been embossed. 

 This set is fabulous for all of your spooky creations; it contains various critters, ranging from bats to cats, rats and birds. There are eight moderately sized critters on the sheet. I coat the piece with embossing ink, sprinkle on black embossing powder and melt it with a heat tool. After the first layer has cooled, I coat with a second layer of ink and sprinkle small amounts of Emerald Creek java embossing powder, then heat set. I cut a small wedge out of the pumpkin so that it fits snugly against the corner. The pumpkin is attached to the base/leg of the shed, and then the raven is secured to the pumpkin's stem with hot glue.

A skull and crossbones "jolly roger" adornment declares this is Skelly's shed. It has been painted with distress paint in areas to give it an aged look. 

Lastly, a quote token dangles from the roof:

 "here in the silence dark & deep, i offer you eternal sleep."

Wishing you a month full of halloween creativity. 

These holiday seasons allow an opportunity to bring new and different ideas to life. 

I hope you are inspired to create something spooktacular! 

~Ann 

Supplies used:

artificial butterfly wings

DecoArt one step crackle

dollar store skeleton

distress collage medium

distress ink: black soot, hickory smoke, ground expresso

Emerald Creek embossing powder: black, java

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts: 

creepy critters, house shrine box

Tim Holtz idea-ology:

 adornments halloween, adornments jolly roger, adornments treasures, paper stash halloween, paper stash metallic kraft, quote tokens halloween, worn wallpaper halloween, jump rings, pumpkin pieces, 

Tim Holtz Sizzix alterations:

 mixed media halloween, village rooftops