Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Halloween/Spooky

Undertaker! The bugs are coming for you!

EEK! Well it is edging closer and closer to Halloween which is a time of year that I love. I have mentioned before in these posts that I have managed to always live in a country that doesn't do much about it though. I grew up in Australia, from German stock and now I live in England. You would think that one of those countries would do something!

'Blood' splattered flowers and great dimension

Well no they don't so at this time of the year, I am pretending that I am in America and I am not going to be persuaded otherwise!

Shadowy creepy crawlies.

The great thing about it is that, since the advent of the internet, America can come to me and bring with it these wonderful festivals that we should all be having. Simon Says Stamp is celebrating the season with their fabulous Monday Challenge which since I started partaking a short few weeks ago has hooked me completely. I have had a couple of successes too with the DT choosing two of my entries for the designer spotlight. You can see them here and here.

The ghost in the mirror is not safe from a bug either

I am so pleased with this! Better then winning the main prize to be honest!

All the elements of Victoriana Gothic!

So to spooky.....I decided to fly the flag for Britain and instead of witches and zombies which although they are popular here, they are not really part of the Halloween ideology over here. In Britain, we celebrate the Victorian villain, the poisoner, the undertaker who seems to be doing very brisk business. That is partly why the Harry Potter imagery is like it is. That is the British Halloween jam.

Like any good ghost, he is hard to see - yet you know that he is there watching you!

My card started out with a piece of plain black card (as many successful Halloween cards do). I embossed black cobwebs onto it to give it a bit of texture.

Shiny black cobwebs on plain black card are a winner.

Next came one of the focal points. I wanted an antique mirror with an ornate frame but it was to be the sign for the undertaker. So I sanded some silver card stock and went back for more embossing.

Heat embossing onto silver is not easy if you are after crispness! I wasn't so I am embracing the flaws. This is an old sign after all.

But there MUST be a ghost (I am sure that it is the law or something). I started by using the smaller of the skulls in top hats from last year's Stampers Anonymous set Undertaker. This was embossed onto the silver in white as the ghost in the mirror. Then I came back in with another from the stamp set and heat embossed the details of the undertaker over the top.

I love the different textures that are happening here.

I cut a mirror frame from sanded silver kraft core and then embossed that with the TH Botanical 3D folder and then rubbed it with a couple of DecoArt Metallic Lustres to give it an old shine.

The mirror and the frame are cut from the same sanded silver kraft core. The application of Metallic Lustre makes all the difference.

But I still wasn't happy with the background - not complicated enough for me! So time to add Oxides!

These four Oxides are perfect for a slightly seedy and misty effect.

Iced spruce and hickory smoke first and then old paper and antique linen. This has given a dreamy and endless look to the cobwebs.

Give the webs a bit of a polish to make them shine. The Oxides are a bit milky.

Layer several lots and blot with paper towel. The cobwebs will still be there.

I love to stitch on cards!

Next it was time to layer the embellished card front onto another piece of plain black and stitch it twice round with black thread. I made no attempt at neatness! I curled the top back slightly to give it texture and then rubbed the curled edge and the plain black with picket fence Distress Ink to give it some texture.

Looking timeworn and distressed. just like any good ghost!

Gluing next and the mirror went into its frame and onto the top third of the card. Love that ghost!

Curling the edge of the top panel back over the stitching really adds to the depth.

No self respecting Victorian funeral parlour would be without flowers! I wanted a wreath for this bit and one with some dimension. I started out with a circle base to glue the flowers onto

Always have chip board in the house!

This would be too visible so another smaller circle cut the centre out and I could put the bow on...

The glue will disappear when it dries. I cut the ends of the ribbon to a point to discourage fraying and to make it look more authentic.

Then I made some flowers from black card stock. But of course, that isn't complicated enough either! I sprayed the card with Resist Spray and then sprinkled it with scarlet Mixed Media Powder which I bought for Christmas (!) but then realised that combined with the Resist Spray would look like blood splatters

These dies are a must for your kit! They are super versatile and can be used all year round. I will bring them out again for Christmas!

The resist spray means that the Multi Media Powder embosses in drops rather than flat colour.

I used a cute Sizzix die to cut and layer some flowers from my black and red paper and some sanded silver kraft core left over from the mirror. My Paper Sculpting kit gave them some topography and shape....

Even the most minimal detail makes all the difference.

And the flowers too...

I love watching the flat flowers come to life with this simple tool.

I used some of my favourite DecoArt Metallic Lustre to the leaves to stop them being so flat black....

Devil is in the details - no matter how small, the embellishment deserves attention.

Then I glued them to the wreath

They need centres!

They are better with Nuvo drop centres...

The glue will be invisible when it is dry - best invention ever!

And then I heat embossed some bugs from the Entomology set (TH for Stampers Anonymous) and glued them around heading for the wreath...

A small amount of black acrylic paint gives the silver bug a bit more dimension.

How am I doing for spookiness!?

Scuttle, scuttle!

Use the bugs to fill in and provide movement.

And the whole thing again....

If only my camera could decide on the light setting! Anyway, I think that you get the point!

Well that was another long one - it seems that I am unable to do anything simply. But never mind, there is a lot going on here.
Off to put my entry in! Thank you for stopping by.

Love a bit of Victorian melodrama!

Love and hugs
Debbie
xx