Tag Tuesday - Halloween Tag

Happy Halloween!

I promise this started out life tag shaped!  As usual it measures 3" x 6".

But I think you know me by now - it kind of took on a life of its own - or should I say death of its own!!!!

I made this 'Tag' the night the clocks went back and you can be sure I needed the extra hour in bed by the time I got there!  I just could not stop with the details - It took me back to playing with my dolls house only this one is definitely haunted!

I started by making my coffin out of card.

Testing for fit!  Have to make sure it is comfortable for my prospective tenant.  As you can see this is a bachelor pad.

The top proved to be a little tricky and is not as neat as I would like but as I intend to paint it.  I think I can live with the imperfections.

As I was going out to wash my paint brushes to get ready to paint the outside of my coffin I espied this - My eldest tried his hand as a spot of marquetry and this roll of veneer was waiting to find a storage spot.  Could I cover my coffin in real wood I wonder?????

Some bits were easy.  The veneer has a tendency to split so you have to be careful.  But so far so good.

Still fits and is looking much more upmarket!!

Now for the impossible!  As you can see I used my hot glue gun to stick each piece in place and I trimmed to fit with my scissors as I worked.  You have to remember on the arched sections to make sure the grain allows you to carefully glue the curve shape in place.

Once again not quite as neat as I would like but I have a plan!  All crafters develop the skill of developing a Plan B and passing it off as Plan A!!!  So keep watching!

Coffin covered and looking rather splendid I decided that my skeleton really would need to look dapper too.....so I added diamond jewels for eyes, a ribbon cravat and cuffs and more gems for that opulent look I am going with.

It was at this point in the wee small hours that I forgot to take photos but I can talk you through what I did.  The bottle of strong spirits is courtesy of a Tim Holtz bottle and some water tinted with distress stain.  I sealed the cork in place with hot glue to prevent any escaping spirits as we wouldn't want that!  Tiny label finished it off.  I made books from scraps of grunge paper coloured to look like old leather this time with distress inks and a Pilot gold leaf pen for the gilding.  As you can see from this photo I have added hinges to the top of the coffin and the lid has become a bedside table!  I varnished my coffin by rubbing in Glossy Accents which bought out the woodgrain a treat!  I felt quite the carpenter at this point.

I made the candlestick by gluing together various sizes of buttons and a couple of rolls of grunge paper.  The base of the candlestick was gilded with the Pilot pen again and a little gold Stickles  and the candle was covered and dripped in PVA that dries white!  It was my little brainwave.  Initially I was going to paint it and as I reached for the white paint I spotted the white glue I had bought in error actually - well now I am glad I did as it looks fab and I recommend it.  It dries with a waxy sheen and was perfect to bring my candle to life.  I made a flame from a drip of hardened hot glue and some orange Stickles.  You can see in this photo that I upholstered this swanky pad with black satin ribbon and even made a cushion for comfort!  I really got carried away by all the details and had such fun.  I made a vase from a pen lid and button which I coloured with black permanent marker and added Stickles to glam it up a bit.  The paper roses were coloured with Black Soot distress stains.  This works well but just be careful not to saturate the flowers too much or they will loose their shape.

I was thinking of adding a flat screen TV but it was an after thought and I didn't leave myself enough room so my Skeleton Gent will have to make do with a good book by candle light!

Zooming in for the details!  You can see I had a whole heap of fun with this.  I love halloween and am looking forward to decorating my house - adding the cobwebs rather than hoovering them up and some spooky baking on the cards too.  Cookie severed fingers, cheese string witches brooms, and mummy wrapped hotdogs!

Oh.... I almost forgot - the Plan B I mentioned earlier.

A couple of gorgeous metal corners from Creative Expressions and a cross charm and some red bling later and all hints of bad finishing banished by the fabulous filigree details!  Success!

Have a Spooktacular time tomorrow!  If you are not a Halloween fan then I wish you a quiet night!!

If you want to see more Halloween inspired tags then follow the link to Tag Tuesday.

BOO!