Curious Things

Hello friends,

Hope your week is going well! I have been as busy as ever working on many behind the scenes projects for the holiday season, as well as 2022.

I wanted to share one last project specifically for Halloween, and that is my stacked windows project. It truly is a fun project to put together. My tutorial is not all-encompassing, but it will give you some needed details and information to build your own if you choose.

Backdrops Halloween was used for all paper on base and boxes.

The base is the largest Vignette Panel with Etcetera Trims glued to the sides.  I used the new Trims die to cut the paper to match the Trim.  That made easy work to get them covered with paper before adding to the base.

You can see here that the die cut matches the trim perfectly!  SO MUCH EASIER!

Use Collage Medium to adhere Backdrops paper to five different Vignette Boxes.

Please note, I used 2 sets of Vignette boxes.  One complete set + the smallest box from the second set.

The Baseboard Windows fit many of the Vignette boxes perfectly.  I used Collage Medium to adhere the windows to the Vignette boxes and blue painters tape to hold it in place while I wait for it to dry.

Some boxes have to be filled before you add the window to the front, like this small box with the skull and bird inside. I also put a foam square under the skull to raise it up since the frame is wide at the bottom.  

This window is shorter than the box so I cut a piece of chipboard to fill in the open space at the top.

For the horizontal box, the frame is longer than the box, so I just cut it and glued it back together.  I bet you can barely see where I cut it.

And my trick with the Toadstool...How do you get a Toadstool to stand up (and be very stable)?  Double up thick chipboard, then punch a hole with a Cropadile. 

Add glue around the bottom of the Toadstool and push it into the hole, creating a base.  Use moss to cover the base once the Toadstool is glued to the project.

So on to the project photos...

This box has a large Bubble that I have covered in Lettuce Alcohol Ink (you will see it lit up later).  Candlestick with a Drippy Candle that I painted Black and added black glitter to the top.  The Snippet Labels come into play in this project and you will see them repeatedly on the books, stuffed into corners, on the birdcage, etc

This vignette is filled with books (the book covers are in the Ephemera pack). I used the snippets pack to add tiny labels to the spines. 

You can see there is a bottle on the left and a pumpkin sitting on the stack of books on the right.  Of course the vignette was filled before the windows were added.

The levitating boys are my favorite. To create this magic, just use a 1/2" wood block to hold them in place.  It's just that easy.

Hardware Heads were used on the Window Frame to make it look like they were locked inside.  That adornment spider is going to crawl right in where the "glass" is broken.  The glass is a thin, thin layer of Mica.

A combination of a Machinery Head and Hitch Fastener make up the door knob. The little key is from the new Locks and Keys.

For this box, I filled it with a few random things, like a Mini Pocket Watch, Drippy Candle and more of the Snippets labels.  They really come to life when you spread Collage Medium on both sides, then wrinkle them up.  Once dry, they remain in the wrinkled state and you can prop them up easily.  

The top box was set in place before I added the Toadstool on the little ledge to the left.  I used a dot of Flickering Candle Mica Spray to give the raven a watchful eye.

I love this new cage we did for Halloween. Personally I can see it used on so many things throughout the year! I stuffed it with mummy cloth and eyeballs, added the label on the cage and a chain to attach the big lock (which is actually really small) from the Locks and Keys pack.

I wanted to add a Halloween Word Plaques to the front of the base. 

1. Wipe Antique Linen Distress Paint over the entire plaque and 2 Hardware Heads. Wipe away most of the paint, just leaving it around the words and in the corners. Let the paint dry completely. 
2. Pounce Mushroom Alcohol Ink over the white paint but don't cover it all.
3. Scribble Distress Crayon in Peeled Paint and Mowed Lawn over the raised areas.
4. Add the Hardware Heads with Collage Medium.

Now just add the plaque to the base - you can use Collage Medium or THIN foam squares.

Oh and that tiny Toadstool is darling (notice how you don't see the chipboard base?)

Let me address the lights - I am not showing exactly how to light the project, but I will tell you that only three boxes are lit - the two at the bottom and the levitating boys.  

I drilled a hole at the back to thread the lights into the box with the books but the light is only on the right side and just glows INTO the right end of the box.

From the back you can see where the lights were added.  I attached the light pack with two thin foam squares.

Then I drilled another hole at the back of the front box (right behind the Bubble) so I could add just one light, to light up the Bubble.  The green light contributes to the eerie vibe and makes the Bubble glow like a crystal ball. 

Then the light string travels up through another hole I drilled in the bottom of the next box to the levitating boys. It runs up the wall and top of this box (held in place with hot glue).

The lighting may sound complicated, but the light path was thought out BEFORE anything was added to the boxes - no paper, no windows, no glue...nothing but a stack of Vignette Boxes and one string of Tiny Lights. When you have it worked out at the beginning, it makes it MUCH easier to make decisions later.

If you don't know already, I have taken this idea and made it into a Christmas themed stack (just a bit bigger).  There will be kits available for the Christmas stack, not for the Halloween shown here.  I would have loved to have created this as a kit, however the supply chain issues for Halloween were challenging and I could not get enough product in time to make that happen.  

If you are interested in getting an email about the Christmas version (as seen on Tim's LIVE) please email me paula@oneluckyday.net to get on the mailing list.  If you are already on the mailing list - then no worries - you will get an email.  

I am crossing my fingers kits will be ready for shipping by November 10th.

now carry on,
paula

Prize Ribbon Project: Be Curious

Hello friends,

I am here today sharing another project featuring the new kid in town, Prize Ribbon! You can find all the details (including a step-out tutorial) for this project, on the Ranger Projects Page.  

Thank you for stopping by!

now carry on,
paula

Do Your Best Vignette box

Hello Friends,
I'm excited to be here today sharing another project from the Salvaged Patina launch. This time I created a Vignette Box project filled with idea-ology trinkets, all with a nature theme.

You will need two Vignette Boxes from the package, the largest, and the middle size from the remaining boxes (see stars).

Paint the outside of each box with Salvaged Patina. Set it aside to dry.

Adhere idea-ology Ball Chain to the lip edge of the box with Collage Medium. Let dry completely then brush more paint the top. Randomly wipe away the paint in spots to reveal the metal of the chain. Let dry completely.

Use a stencil and Texture Paste Crackle to add the pattern on three sides of each box - no need to add it to the bottom since one long side will become the bottom of the box and you will never see the texture.

Once the Crackle has dried completely, scribble Distress Crayon over the raised paste. You can rub it or use a damp paint brush to move the crayon over the surface.

Adhere paper to the inside of each box (I used 3 or 4 papers from Backdrops 1). Add a layer of Collage Medium over the surface of the paper and let dry.  Again, use the Walnut Stain Crayon over the sealed paper to age.

I decided to add the handle from the Mini Hardware Set to the right side of the smaller box before the two boxes are glued together so the small box could stand on end while the handle is drying in place.  Here is how I did it: 

1. Add Hardware Heads to the the handle with Collage Medium so it will looked like the handle is screwed into the box.  
2. Paint the entire handle with Salvaged Patina Distress Paint. 
3. Once dry, pounce Rust Alcohol Ink over random parts of the surface. 
4. Add the handle to the box with Collage Medium.  Let dry.
5. Add a tiny tag with a number from the Remnant Rubs sheet.

Start the bottom compartment (while the handle is drying) 

Coat the top of each Toadstool with Salvaged Patina Distress Paint. Pounce with a wet wipe to take away some of the color in the lower half to reveal some of the tan color underneath. Let dry.

Lower right section:

Cut the smaller Toadstool so it will fit under the larger one.  Use Collage Medium to adhere the Toadstools to the box (the larger Toadstool also has glue at the back where the blue part touches the back of the box).  Let dry while you work on other pieces like the small bottles.

I used two of the small bottles from the Tiny Vials as well as a larger bottle from the Corked Bottles pack.  I treated all bottles with the same technique: 

1. Rub a layer of Collage Medium over the glass.  Let dry.  
2. Rub a layer of Distress Paint Clear Rock Candy over the glass.  Let dry.  
3. Drip Mushroom Alcohol Ink over the cracked surface to color.

Shred some cheesecloth.  Paint a little Collage Medium around the Toadstools, then wrap them with the shredded cheesecloth.  Keep it very light and airy - do not push it into the glue.

I treated each of the metal pieces (Metal Gate, Mini Pocket Watch, Hook Clasp and Thimble) in the exact same manner. 

1. Wipe a bit of white paint onto the surface. Let dry.
2. Pounce surface with Mushroom Alcohol Ink.
3. Drip or rub Rust Alcohol Ink sparingly over surface, taking care not to cover all the paint.

Pull the ephemera you will need for the project from the Keepsakes Ephemera Pack.  Add the flower basket and written card to a piece of chipboard for strength.  Adhere flower card to the background with foam squares. The word LOVE comes from the Clippings Sticker book. The written card and other pieces will be saved for the top compartment. 

Add Remnant Rubs 78 to the larger bottle and glue to the right side of the box.

Add a Quote Flair to a Mini Pocket Watch (it fits perfectly) and close up the back.

Use Collage Medium to glue a small wood block to the back of the Mini Pocket Watch (this will allow the Pocket Watch to stand upright).

Once the wood block is secure, add the Hook Clasp to the top of the Mini Pocket Watch.  Let the chain naturally drop to the surface of the box.  I used a small paint brush to add Collage Medium to the chain so it would stay in place.  It dries clear so you can't even tell there is glue under the chain.  24 hours later it will be solid as a rock.

Add the Thimble in the space between the watch and the gate. 

Adhere the Metal Gate piece to left side behind the Toadstools (I slowly curved the gate till it broke, otherwise the gate is too long to fit).

Glue the two boxes together with Collage Medium and leave to dry. The back of the top box is flush with the back of the bottom box.

The top compartment is an easy one. Add the ephemera card to the compartment with Collage Medium (remember the chipboard we added previously will help the card maintain its shape.  Make sure you test how far out the card comes on the left so the Corked Dome will fit against the back on the right.  To be honest, I believe I cut off about 1/2" on the card on the right so it would fit better and not push the dome out more.  Once the card is secure, add the green seal to the top (text is from the Remnant Rub sheet).  The butterfly was obviously cut out and then glued to the card with the wings slightly pulled forward.

To create the Corked Dome, I sprays one bunch of Bouquet flowers with Salvaged Patina and Antique linen Spray Stain.  Once dry, I pushed the stem into the cork and added moss to make is stand up in the dome.  I added some very tiny faux pearls (colored with Mushroom Alcohol Ink on a previous occasion) to the dome then added the cork.  Once the dome is turned over the pearl cascade into the flowers.  The label here is very tiny.  It is from the Field Notes Snippets pack (lots of tiny labels in that pack!).  The label has been simple tied on with a string.

The last thing to add is the tiny bottle that was colored earlier.  I guess I should also mention that the tiny label here, and on the bottle with the 78, came from an old pack of brown Apothecary bottles.  I had a sheet of leftover labels that come with that pack in my stash so I used them here.

This was a fun piece to create. I worked on it a little each day for about 3 days to complete it. Once I finished the outside and had the boxes glued together is was easy to come up with the nature theme of project. Really, this set up could be any theme you want and that is what makes it so interesting. Thank you for stopping by to see my work. I really appreciate the time it takes to go to a blog and read the tutorial. That is not lost on me.

now carry on,
paula