Halloween Mummy Wreath - Video Tutorial

I have been having a spooktacular time this weekend!!!!  I have long wanted to make some Halloween Door Decor and this year I may actually get around to it.  It was the perfect excuse to share what I did with you on a You Tube video too.  I recently learned how to do voiceovers which helps edit out all the ummmmms and pauses for thinking that seem to happen when I try to talk as I make on video!!!

So first up - my inspiration - I love looking at all those pictures of homes with owners that seem to be able to get their act together, whatever the season, and dress up their doorways to welcome visitors.  I just about manage it a Christmas and in past years I have been adding to my collection of Halloween decor.  I was flicking through a scrap book of mine and came across this layout and I knew what I wanted to make.

I created the Mummy flap on my layout to bring a fun element to my layout.  My little spook is not so little anymore!  He is thirteen now and taller than me.  I wanted to make a Mummy wreath and here she is in all her ghoulish loveliness!  I had a great time coming up with this as you can imagine.  I can't wait for the Trick or Treat visitors to start arriving!

If you fancy having a go at this I have put together an edited highlights video of its construction.  Please please let me see if you decide make her (or it could be a him if you take off the bow, spider lashes and glitter lippy!)

I will be slowly adding to my newly created You Tube Channel so if you want to be sure not to miss anything then please follow the link and subscribe.

I have decided to enter this glamorous lady into a beauty contest (challenge) over at the Inspiration Emporium.  Spider lashes, Stickles lippy and faint odour of eau d'crypt and all!

Happy Halloween x

Tag Tuesday - Rust

I really wanted to try out making a tag look rusty and I hope you think I managed it!!  I started out by creating the layout of my tag with raised elements ready to get painty.  I glued everything in place with a hot glue gun.

Next step was to give everything a good coating of black acrylic paint.  I had trouble with the roses so I ended up giving them a spray with some black delusions ink. I think I almost got everywhere - I can see three tiny specks of red remaining in this photo!

Next I stippled on brown and black paint with some sand added to give the piece some texture.  I quite like this wet look picture here!

 Stippling on brown and orange paint next and suddenly the rust appears.  I like that my roses have lost a bit of shape because of all the wet paint as they now look like they really are rusting away.

The final step was to add what I hope looks like the remains of a layer of turquoise paint.  I added a few metallic highlights and some orange embroidery thread to tie the two tags together.

I really enjoyed trying to make this tag look rusty and it came together quite quickly as I used my heat gun to dry the paint layers as I worked.

The sand really help make it look like bits of metal are falling away and my roses look like petals are disintegrating.

I am in the middle of uploading a Halloween video tutorial for the second time as it turned out to be 20 seconds too long for You Tube - I won't make that mistake again!!!!  See you tomorrow and thank you for popping by. x  If you want to see more rusty tags then follow this link to Tag Tuesday.

WOYWW 176

Good Morning my fellow desk hoppers!

Well initially on my desk this morning I had this little lot up for your viewing pleasure!  Just look at that bin!

But as it is not halloween just yet......... a little while and a huge bag of rubbish later it was like this!

I feel so virtuous now!  The halloween stuff is starting to gather but If I don't pull my finger out I will be putting it away again for next year!  Not unlike the next thing on my desk.  I do not care to admit how long I have been sitting on it (not literally!).  I have a strange habit of getting to the 'almost done' part of really important projects and then I procrastinate.  I have worked out it is the final part when I really see if I have what it takes - and I guess I don't want to see if I do because I don't take that step.  So this week is going to see me break that habit.

My goals are to get my first video and template on line and up for sale and my second is to do something with this children's book I wrote and illustrated .......years ago!

So today I am going to spend the day talking to myself .....I have discovered how to do voice overs on iMovie.  Unfortunately I am still perfecting the art of doing it in one take.  Who knew it would be so difficult to finish a sentence without an 'ummmm' or a 'So' or a ................(complete silence!)  

But by the end of today I hope to have my video tutorial complete and have at least half of the photo downloadable instructions finished - then there is one more decision and learning curve to make and that is how to sell it!!  I feel another procrastination coming on!  Snap out of it girly!!!

So here is my little character who has been hovering on my shelf getting dusty and he is goal number 2.  I have decided to do a video with 'voice over' of my book and I am going to send him off to a publishing house and I will grit my teeth........for what is the worst that can happen - I will put him back on my shelf and wait for Grandchildren!!!!

Ooops better go and make my son's sandwiches or the poor lad will starve today.  Back in a bit to post this and to have a wander around your desks for a good old nosey - funny I never, ever seem to put that off ;-)  Glad to see that a fab time was had by all at Julia's and I was surprised to see that work actually went on!!!  Well done WOYWWers.  Follow this link to find out why I have been cleansing both my desk and my ethos today!!

Big Hugs to anyone that pops by.

Tag Tuesday - Rainy Day

 21 minutes to go and this week will be next in the Tag Tuesday Challenge!  So by the skin of my teeth here are my tags.

I wrote a poem about the rain.  We seem to get a lot of it where I live so I try to look on the bright side and that is what my poem and tags are all about this week - hope you like them.

 Tag two opens up to reveal the poem and the silver lining!

Mmmm - the poem might not win any prizes but it was fun illustrating it in tags.  Looking forward to trying the rust technique for tomorrows theme.  What to rust though - that is the question!  She writes one poem and then starts talking like Shakespeare!! ;-)

Night Night x

WOYWW 175

Summer has truly gone and it is still dark outside!  It is always so much harder to get up when it is cold and dark outside.  Still here I am in pink fluffy socks and dressing gown looking very much like a marshmallow about to give a guided tour of my desk!

All is tidy on this desk - the tidy up elves must have visited last night!  Front left is a little shopping from yesterday.  A nice pile of Halloween ribbons, black alcohol ink to try Tim Holtz colour your own glitter technique and some new blades, a treat for my hardworking paper trimmer.

On the right is the set of stamps I will be using at my class on Friday.  Moving up to photo frames still without photos and my guillotine which had steam coming off it yesterday - how calm it looks now!

At the top of the shot are some gift tags awaiting some inspiration this morning.  All the cards I am teaching this week have a gift tag with them using up the waste card - great idea for this time of year.

On my other desk - no filming going on this week just cards and tags waiting to be parcelled up for Friday.  As you can see I have made lots of samples again so my pile of cards to send for Christmas is growing!  I have decided to make a video of the purple card at the back to give myself some more practice at filming and I hope to get my first ever template online and ready to sell next week.  I am getting quite nervous about it now and I do have a tendency to stall a bit then.  I am saying next week but next WOYWW I will tell if I do!

Keeping it short as I have to go shout - 'Get out of the shower now please!'  How polite is that?  Self preservation dictates it or I will be having a cold shower this morning!!

Welcome to all my visitors - so nice to see you again.  I will get dressed and be over to see what marvels you have on your desks for me to rummage through.  I do love Wednesdays - if you want to know why then follow this link!

Have loads of fun at the crop this weekend everyone.  I really wish I could make it but I was already booked as the crop I go to is running a weekend of scrapbooking and Cricut lessons from the lovely Mel (Create and Craft).  I am hoping you all want to do it again so I can come along too and meet you all in person - how excited you must all be.  I'll be there in spirit and look forward to seeing some photos!!!!

Tag Tuesday - Autumn Leaves, Acorns and Conkers

I couldn't keep my eyes open a moment longer last night and went to bed admitting defeat - I missed the deadline for Tag Tuesday - in fact I couldn't believe it was Tuesday again already!  I started out thinking I wanted to depict a memory of taking my eldest, then my youngest to visit my Gran many years ago.  He was about two and we in a 'proud parent' moment asked him to tell his Gran a joke and we nearly fell off our chairs when he, instead of starting with 'knock, knock'....repeated parrot fashion a joke about a squirrel swimming on his back that has a punch line that is some what risqué!  No matter as when we quickly took a look at my Gran who was smiling indulgently and we knew as much as Damian had no idea why the joke was funny neither did my Gran....Phew!

Unfortunately I could not think how to make a backstroking squirrel so here is as far as I got last night......

Then my hand was yawning as well as my head so this morning I got back to it and.......late I know but I didn't want to miss a week completely!

This tag opts for a somewhat less risqué use of the word 'Nuts!'  Though I should confess the acorns at the bottom of the tag had to be hastily rearranged before the silicone glue dried when I took a step back to view my composition!!

If you are wondering why I am making a tag that features leaves and acorns and you love tag art then follow this link to see what the Tag Tuesday team have been up to.

Thank you for stopping by my blog today. x

WOYWW 174

I can't believe it is Wednesday again already - well actually yes I suppose I can.  This week I can actually account for why the time has seemed to whizz by in an instant.  I took a massive step towards my goal of setting up an online crafting business.  Which incase you haven't guessed from reading my blog is very much about designing and tutorials.  I posted my first online tutorial - not my first video as you all saw that here first on WOYWW!

So on my desks this week are the remnants of the chaos that ensued as I embark on putting my first tutorial and pattern combo together.

What a lot of mess!  Gotta love that Basic Grey Christmas Paper though!  I am using it for the photo tutorial part of my project.  I still have a couple of samples to make so I think I will be tidying up a bit first!  I have just noticed all the sweetie wrappers in my bin - my son was the culprit not me - he was revising in here this week - he just about managed to find a spot!  He is very  much looking forward to his cast coming off tomorrow.  Unfortunately he has an Art exam today!

Photo tutorial almost finished - well the photo part anyway - the words are still to be written!  I think you can see what I have chosen to work on as my first template and pattern combo with video tutorial.  I have filmed it already so only have the editing to go.  I promise that all the mess you see before you was not included in any of the photos I took!  I have created the illusion I am very organised ha ha - so you all know the whole truth!

I also waived bye bye to my eldest yesterday as he headed back to Gibraltar to live so I am a bit sad today so it is just as well I have a busy day ahead to keep me from thinking of him too much.  Oh and a good dose of desk hopping too I hope.

If you want to join in then follow this link to Julia's desk and discover a whole new crafting experience.