Metamorphosis - Idea-ology

Metamorphosis is a piece that shows three moments in the progression of Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde. I was inspired by the new Test Tubes from the Tim Holtz Halloween Idea-ology 2021 release, and so manhy of the other new bits of the release just fit in so perfectly.

This YouTube  walk through will hopefully be helpful in pointing out some of the things I might miss in this blog post. I hope together the video and post will help or inspire you as you make a project of your own.

I began by removing one wall from a Divided Box so you end up with three long thin sections, then cover each one with Halloween Backdrop Papers or Halloween Wallpaper Scraps. I chose the elements Backdrop paper for the lab section, a masculine feeling Wallpaper for the study section, and the eroded metal Backdrop for the cell door section. I covered the outside of the box and the edges with the black and while speckled Backdrop.

In the laboratory section I wanted some books and test tubes that Dr. Jekyll would use to make his potion.

I began by covering some Pinked Etcetera Trims with Backdrop paper using the Sizzix Decorative Trims dies, and then cutting the trims down to fit in the section. I put a tinhy label from the Snippets Ephemera pack onto a Tiny Vial, shredded some Mummy Cloth colored with Distress Ink, and then added some mini books and a skull to the shelf.

I did a mini tutorial on making these books on my Instagram. But I'll post it again here. Pull the mini book covers out of the Halloween 2021 Ephemera pack. Score the covers about where the spine should be. You can see some are thicker books than others and the books are different shapes too. Love the variety.

Next, I took an old book I have and I cut strips of paper from the pages the width of a book cover (again these vary so you have to measure each cover as you do this.) Then once the strips are cut, you trim the strips the the height of each book. You need to make a stack of these mini pages that is equal to the width of the spine.

Once you have a stack thick enough, rough up the edges. If your book is old like mine, you can do this with your finger nail, or that metal wire tool Tim Holtz used to have through Tonic. Then ink the edges of the pages and the book cover. Add a good amount of Collage Medium along the spine and press the pages into the adhesive.

 

I ran my bonefolder along the spine to be sure I had good contact with all the pages. Hold them together until the glue dries enough that it stays together on its own.

 

As you can see, I added the Gallic Acid baseboard to the back of the section. Then I started making the Test Tubes and Vials into something that looked a little vintage.

 

 I chose some more of the labels from the Snippets Ephemera for each Test Tube and one of the Laboratory flasks.

I also made some holders for the Test Tubes and the Laboratory flask out of some soft, easy to shape thick floral wire I found in the floral section at the Dollar Tree, but I've also seen it in some craft stores. Once it is shaped as you see above, paint them black and then add Crypt Grit paste or Transluscent Grit Paste. Once it is dry, add a little Walnut Stain and  Rusty Hinge Distress Crayon so it ages the holders.

To make the little cabinet, cut a Matchbox in half, adhere a piece of chipboard to the front of the "drawer" and cover it with a piece of Baseboard paper. then add a Hitch Fastener to each "drawer" as a pull. Add a piece of chipboard between the "drawers" and adhere them together, one on top of the other. I added two pieces of chipboard on each side and then adhered a couple of pieces together to form the top and I covered the outside with Baseboard paper.

 

Add some scraps in the bottom of each "drawer" and adhere the whole cabinet in place. Put a key from the Locks and Keys in the top drawer.

Drill a hole from the back just above the top of the cabinet to use to light up the flask. Thread the green Halloween Tiny Lights through the hole and into the Flask. Cover the lights with some of the smallest Bubbles colored with a light green alcohol ink.

 

Add another Tiny Vial in the bottom drawer. This one has some Hocus Pocus purple mica stain and Glossy Accents in it and the cork is glued in place with Glossy Accents so there will be no leaks. the Remnant Rub is an older one that had some of these little skulls and crossbones. In my version of this story, both the Key and the Vial and foreshadowing that Dr. Jekyll was worried something might go wrong so he set in place to imprison himself or end it with poison.

In the test tubes for this piece I added Glossy Accents and various colors of Distress Mica Stains in the Halloween Seasonal colors, These take days to dry, so don't put too much Glossy Accents or they won't dry. Just a little at a time.

In the study we see that the metamorphosis is very violent and difficult to go through. You can see the study is in complete disarray. Let's talk about of few of the details in this section.

First, the clock is set at 10:31 for Halloween. Secondly, notice the two areas where the wallpaper has been torn and "burned" (the burn is Black Soot Distress Crayon.

The clock is found in the Baseboards pack. I used Clock Hands, Long Fastener, and the fluted part of a Ring Fastener, to make the clock face.

I painted the metal pieces with Black Soot Distress Paint and then added bit a shine with some Tarnished Brass Distress Crayon.

Attach one of the portraits from the Paper Dolls pack to the Ornate Frame. I added a bit of chipboard to the back and made four scratches that would make it look like Mr. Hyde scratched it in his metamorphosis. Also one of the books was tossed and landed on top of the Baroque Frame.

On this side of the shelf, two drippy candles are tossed askew, and a raven from the Ephemera pack has been sprayed with Distress Resist Spray to stiffen it, and it is sitting on one of the Drippy Candles.

Here you can see I used two of the Bracket Trims, again covered with Baseboard paper that was cut with the Sizzix Decorative Trim dies. Then I cut it wide enough that it could be crooked like this so it looks like the shelf broke. Then cover the bottom of this section with lots of the Snippets Ephemera that are crumpled up.

I used some pliers to kind of destroy one side of the Birdcage. I adhered the birdcage too a small Candle Stand and roughly painted some Black Soot Distress Paint on both, then I rubbed a bit of Tarnished Brass Distres Painton the nigh spots with my finger. Add some of the shredded Mummy cloth in the bottom of the cage and a couple the teeny tiny Snippets Ephemera.

The birdcage needs to look like it was bent open and the raven escaped. I added a butterfly just to symbolized a metamorphosis, albeit a completely opposite from the one Dr. Jekyll is making.

I have another Drippy Candle leaning against the wall with more burnt.torn wallpaper. and an almost empty Test Tube.

 

Unlike the other two, this Test Tube dried on its side so it would look like the little bit of potion that is left is settled on the side of the test tube.

 

The last section is the dungeon or cell that holds the mean, violent, crazed Mr. Hyde. 

 

I began by adhering two small Vignette panels together. 

Do them end to end, not side by side. Then cover the piece with Baseboard paper.

Add a couple of pieces of chipboard just thinner than the panels, to the back center of the section as seen in this photo. Drill a hole from the back and thread the purple Halloween lights through the hole and attach them around the outside of the chipboard. Then attach the panel door on top.

 Locate the moon Layer and the round Window Frame. They look like this. And that happy moon doesn't look like Mr. Hyde.

 

Use some Distress Crayons to transform the happy moon into the creepy looking face of Mr. Hyde.

 

 Cover his smile with the bottom of the round Window Frame. Adhere the window to the Layer and trim the excess when it is dry, Adhere to the center top of the cell/dungeon door.

 I used a hinge to cover the window with a Tin Top and a Hitch Fastener to act as a pull.

 

I layered some Industrial Gears on the cell door and used the "steering wheel" from the Odds and Ends pack to make a very impressive door lock. Attach them all with Collage Medium. Once it was completely dry (over night) then add the Hook Clasps and attach the chain end to areas of the door with the nails from the Vignette Hardware pack. Use one of the clasps to attach a lock.

 I covered the back of the piece with this cool backdrop paper and used some scraps to fillin here and there as well as to make the light battery pack holders.

Wow! That was a lot of detail to take in with just one blog post. As always, if you need any clarification on this piece, please contact me through the form in the column at the right.

 

Have a creative day!

Tami

I am an affiliate with Simon Says Stamp and Scrapbook.com so the links below send you to one of those stores depending on which logo you choose.  If you wish to purchase something from either store and use one of my links below, I get a small percentage of your order, at no additional cost to you. This helps me to defray the costs of this blog, the time, the ideas and tutorials I post here. Your help is greatly appreciated! Thank you

A Study in Grief - Halloween Idea-ology

A Study in Grief was made for the Tim Holtz Halloween Idea-ology 2021 release. It was made in August which is when I often relive or think about grief as it is the month when my sister died. This year it was a particularly difficult month because we were also grieving over four family members who died. So as we often do, I poured some of that into my art.

I explain much of my process and details in this youtube video.

I started by painting the base and edges of a Vignette Shrine with the Blackk Soot Distress Paint. Then I covered the back with the Backdrop paper that is a remembrance card. Attach it with Distress Collage Medium and work out any air pockets.

Next, cover the outside and inside side panels with Worn Wallpaper Scraps, as well as the back inside panel.

 

 Adhere one of the Vignette Accents over the peak of the shrine roof. Then attach the The Silence clipping from the Curiosities Sticker Book.

 

Next attach the Remembrance card found in the Halloween Layers pack to a Vignette Panel or a few layers of chipboard to make it stick out away from the back of the shrine. Attach some dimensional adhesive to the back of a Halloween Paper Doll and attach in the middle of the card. Then choose some clippings from the Curiosities Halloween Sticker Book to tell your story.

 

 Now you want to gather some things that symbolize grieving to you. I stuck with things mostly from this release because they told the story I was telling.

I tool one of the Urns and painted it black with Black Soot Distress Paint. Then put a tiny bit of Tarnished Brass Distress Paint onto my finger and ran it along the raised details of the urn. I did the same thing to two Candle Stands.

The flowers were the Idea-ology Bouquet that I colored with Empty Tomb Mica Stain. I also sprayed some Black Kraftstock paper with the Empty Tomb Mica Stain before cutting the "greenery" out using the Funky Nature dies.

I attached the Drippy Candles to the candle stands and the bottom of the shrine.Then Put the "greenery" die cuts and the Bouquet flowers around the Candle Stands and in the urn.

I spent a little time painting the oval Gothic Frame with Black Soot Distress Paint. Especially the ribbon at the top because this piece was based on Victorian Mourning Customs and black ribbons or drapings were common during mourning.

The floral piece is part of an undertaker ad card in the Halloween Ephemera Pack. And the braided lock of hair is from a Dollar Tree Barbie Doll.

Although this piece is meaningful to me, I really kept it fairly simple. This would be a simple one to make for someone just starting off with Idea-ology and you could make changes that fit your creative style.

Thank you so very much for stopping by and for your support. I always mean that from the bottom of my heart!
 Now let's keep creating!

Tami

I am an affiliate with Simon Says Stamp and Scrapbook.com so the links below send you to one of those stores depending on which logo you choose.  If you wish to purchase something from either store and use one of my links below, I get a small percentage of your order, at no additional cost to you. This helps me to defray the costs of this blog, the time, the ideas and tutorials I post here. Your help is greatly appreciated! Thank you

In Pace Requiescat - Tim Holtz Idea-ology

 The Tim Holtz Idea-ology Release 2021 is perhaps one of my favorite Idea-ology releases ever. I wanted to just keep making with it. 

Halloween makes are a bit different for me., and what some may see as a bit morbid, I see as a world view. I look at October and Halloween time as my Month of Mortality. This came about after touring many Puritan cemeteries in Boston years ago. I really appreciated their ability to be realistic and open about our mortality...they believed that since all of our lives are going to come to an end at some point, not only should we be reminded of that, but it should shape the way we live. So my thanks to the Puritans for that view point because it is the basis for many of my makes, whether I mention it or not.

This particular make was inspired by the a tour I took of the Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia with my sister, the Edgar Allan Poe short story The Cask of Amontillado, and a bit of the Haunted Mansion thrown in.

There is just so very much to this project that I have to share with you all that I am not doing a formal tutorial on it. It was a make that I just poured myself into and thoroughly enjoyed the creative process. But that means that I didn't take step out photos and didn't plan a tutorial. So I hope the walk through video above will help to tell the story of this piece and that it will answer a bunch of your questions.

The base is a large Vignette Tray, and I used a  #8 Etcetera Tombstone, the mini Etcetera Tombstone, a large and two medium-large Vignette boxes, and two of the Baseboard Windows.

I added texture to them with the Grave and Crypt Texture Pastes through the mini Layering stencils Brick from THMST003, Slate and Cobblestone from THMST028. Both are linked below.

I do need to say that some of the textures I was painting over, so I used plain texture and grit paste in those instances because I didn't want to waste "the good stuff!"

Here are the parts all textured and sitting in place. You can see the vignette tray is sitting on a set of Vignette Foundations (corner feet.)

This is the #8 tombstone, with the medium-large Vignette Box, the Baseboard window and a set of older Halloween Remnant Rubs. Remember, use what you have, even the old stuff! I have them linked below if you want to grab them.

I put the slate texture on the middle Small Etcetera tombstone and then on some black cardstock for inside of the medium-large vignette box, and on a small piece that I put behind the top of the Baseboard Window arch. It's a little wonky but that's ok. Everything doesn't have to be perfect...it adds to the old, aged falling apart stuff.  I was so happy that the Gothic Gates fit perfectly within this arch.

The last tomb is a Large Vignette box. I put Grave Texture Paste through the mini Brick layering stencil just on the sides of the box. Then I put some on a piece of chipboard that I covered the front of the box with. Then I added the base of the #8 tombstone on the bottom and the punched out leftover bit of the small tombstone top and the #8 tombstone top to make the top of this tomb.

I added some cobblestones on the front and sides of the Vignette Tray by putting Crypt Grit Paste through the mini cobblestone layering stencil. Then I added the Vignette Foundations (metal feet).

 

The title for this one is an older Sizzix Thin Strip called Spooktacular. It is long retired, but if you have it, remember, use your stuff! Just because it's older, doesn't mean it isn't still cool!

Here is a quick view of the back side so you can see how I attached the tombstones on the back of the tray.

I started adding some of the Crypt Paste to each of the tombs to add more texture and color. This multi-tomb was inspired by the older Remnant Rubs...

... and this area of the Haunted Mansion queue.

Then I added a boatload of grit paste to the top of the Vignette tray. This can be opaque or transparent. It really doesn't matter. You care going to be adding paint and Distress Crayon over it. It's quite simple to make actually. Just pile up some grit paste in the middle of the vignette tray leaving a depression in the center and more "dirt" piled around the sides. Then press the bones and skull into the paste and let it dry overnight or for a few hours.

The unearthed grave was inspired by this archaeology magazine photo above that I mistakenly thought was an epic sneak peek from Zoe Hillman or Vicki Evans. They are masters of grunge. When I thought about adding it to this piece, it also reminded me of a time I encountered a groundhog living under the mausoleums at the Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia. I had this strange fear as I watched him peek out of his hole, that he was going to dig up a grave or topple a mausoleum.  So I took those two things as inspiration for this unearthed grave.

The little pillars are just square blocks of wood you get at the hobby store. Then put grit paste through the cobblestone stencil on each side. The trick to this is to do one side on each square, then let it dry, do another side, let it dry, and so on. You age them with Distress Paints and Distress Crayons in greys, greens, browns and black soot.

Here you can see I am just adding layers of color with the watered down paints and Distress Crayons. I just touch a brick or stone with a little color and let it dry and then keep layering.

The crown is just a metal Regal Adornment covered in layers of grit paste, paint and Distress Crayon. 

And the name Xavier is from one of my favorite Disney Imagineers Xavier "X" Atencio. He worked on Pirates and the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland and penned most of the narration and the two main songs for both of those attractions. This is also cut from the Spooktacular font.

I'm just trying to show how adding layers of color from paint and Distress Crayons really starts to change the look.

Here you can see that I used a craft knife and cut away a few of the bricks with an opening into the box behind it. Remember I put texture paste through the brick layering stencil onto chipboard just so I could do this.

It was a last minute idea to add the metal Numeric numbers for the year that the Cask of Amontillado was published since it was my inspiration for this tomb, and it is also where I got the title for this piece. It's one of my favorite Edgar Allan Poe short stories. Montressor is the narrator and he was insulted many times by Fortunato. So to exact his revenge, he lures him down into his family catacombs and tricks him to one of the little tombs with the promise of a rare cask of Amontillado wine. When before he realizes it, Montressor has him chained to the wall where he bricks up the front of the tomb and leaves. 

If you are unfamiliar with the story and would like to see my favorite short film rendition from 1995 starring John Heard and Rene Aberjonois, you can see it here although the quality is lacking, their acting is still masterful...and lets face it, it's probably copied from a 1995 VHS tape. hahaha

There was also a mausoleum in the Laurel Hill Cemetery that reminded me of Cask of Amontillado, so I took this picture of it.

I worked on this center tomb in two pieces. This back piece was like the base.

Then added the front piece with the gates attached. the chain is from the Ideaology Hook Clasps and the end jump rings on the chain were attached to the lock.

I love the dimension of the piece when you look from afar. the brick behind the gates, the unearthed grave, the pilllars and urns....

A late addition to this tomb was the Vignette Adornment at the top. I again added layers of grit paste and paint to try and make it look like sculpted rock.

The new tombstone are so cool, I left one plain because often in old cemeteries you can no longer even read the names. On the second I added just the skull from the skull and crossbones. This is a nod to the Puritan headstones in cemeteries all over New England. The skull, sometimes with wings, were not to be morbid , but to be a reminder of our mortality. That is why I often add skulls and bones to many makes. It's part of my Month of Mortality.

I wish I had come up with this idea on my own, but one of my package of urns had a broken one in it, and I thought that it would be just the perfect touch for a decrepit old cemetery.

Going along with the groundhog cemetery destruction, I made a bone collector wheel barrow out of a small Vignette Box, a small pulley wheel and two Mini Foundations for the back legs. I added a handle from the Mini Hardware set, and covered it all in more grit paste and paint.

To get the old rusted look on these pieces, you pounce grit paste on them with your finger in various areas where you think grungy rust would start to appear. Let the grit paste dry. Then paint with Black Soot Distress Paint. Let it dry. Then run over the high points with a Rusty Hinge and/or Vintage Photo Distress Crayon. I rub it off lightly just enough to soften the crayon so it doesn't look like crayon.

Here is an overall view of the left side of this piece. I added some moss from the Hobby Store floral department that I sprayed with Forest Moss Distress Stain. It can be put here and there since you often see moss growing in lots of places at a cemetery, as you see below.

If you look closely you can see missing bricks, plants and moss growing on these mausoleums at the Laurel Hill Cemetery that I used for my inspiration.

I wanted to give you this side view so you could see that I paid attention to the back of the tombstones, the sides of all the crypts, and the sides of the Vignette Tray. Details are important.

Here is the other end, including a few of the bricks that fell out of the crypt. That is a detail you really need to look at to notice.

I added some moss to the bottoms of the metal gates that make the fence.

I even added grit paste, paint and Distress Crayons to the metal Vignette Foundations. I wanted them to mimic stone as well.

If you look carefully, you can see some of the Sizzix Funky Nature dies cut out of the black Kraftstock and creeping up the back of the center crypt. It is great to pair these with a bit of moss to add to the neglected air of the cemetery and to cover any unsightly areas or mistakes. It's always good to have those things that help disguise the mistakes we make right?

Here is how the top of the end crypt looks finished. The layers of grit paste, paint and Distress Crayons really work wonders. You couldn't even guess that those numbers and skull were metal. They look like stone. Again Note the tiny bits of moss.

Lastly, a quick note about the dead plants. For the last couple of years I have added these to my makes. It is the end of a broomstick. I remove the handle, crumple up the stringy bits, spray them with Forest Moss Distress Stain and then trim the ends all over to add different lengths and texture. Then stick them in an urn or a corner of a piece and voila! Dead plant.

Wow! This was a really long one for not being a tutorial. Hahahaha! Thank you for sticking with me if you got this far. I hope you found something in this post that sparked an idea or inspired you to make something. Either something like this or something from your own experiences and imagination.

Tami

I am an affiliate with Simon Says Stamp and Scrapbook.com so the links below send you to one of those stores depending on which logo you choose.  If you wish to purchase something from either store and use one of my links below, I get a small percentage of your order, at no additional cost to you. This helps me to defray the costs of this blog, the time, the ideas and tutorials I post here. Your help is greatly appreciated! Thank you!