One Lucky Day: seasonal mini paper stash

HI everyone! I am here today with my tutorial for the Tim Holtz Media Team.
You knew Halloween could not pass by without using THIS group of kids in a Halloween project, right?
It is no secret that I LOVE using Found Relatives! I find them easy to work with (nice heavy paper) and even easier to make up a story about.

Today is no exception.
I hope you will follow along as I show you how to combine something new (Tim Holtz product) with something old (ephemera) to create a project for Halloween.

I started with the Found Relative card of course, since that gives me a direction (or story) for the entire project. I cut out the kids using small fussy cut scissors. No matter how careful you are, there are always places that will show the cut edge. I have found that Pumice Stone Distress Ink will NOT “color” the photo, but it will hide the white edge (works really great around the faces). I can always go back in with a brown Distress Ink later if I want to age the photo.

The House

I wanted to create a little “house” for the Found Relatives. I thought about what I could use: Altoids Tin (too small), make a box from scratch (doable, but not enough time today), a very small gift box (didn’t have one). So I sat for a minute and thought. Then I glanced into a small bin of new Christmas stuff and there was the answer. The Found Relatives box itself.

I taped the box together, then cut off the "hanger" leaving the rectangle box.

I pierced the center of the box and cut out the entire top.

I added Tissue Tape - Laboratorie to the sides of the box (inside and outside).

For the background, I created a monoprint on a #8 manila tag using the Shatter Layering Stencil and Crushed Olive, Dusty Concord and Ripe Persimmon Distress Ink (the perfect Halloween combination). I was apprehensive about using Shatter, as I thought the lines of this Layering Stencil would be too thin. But really, it could not have come out any better.
Once it was dry, I added a little Vintage Photo over the top of the tag to age it just a bit.

If you need a refresher on Monoprinting- see this post.

Trim the top and bottom to fit into the box, just make sure the spiderweb is in the left corner.

Once the tag was the right size to fit the small box, I used the children as a guide to gauge the placement of the spider stamp (love that spider!) which I stamped with Archival Ink.

Now just glue the tag into the box.
I wanted to add something dimensional to the bottom to "ground" the children so they don’t look like they are floating in the house (although, that might had been another interesting Halloween idea...floating children!)
I added some Multi Medium to the lower half of the box.

Then added the last of the Distress Stain dyed cheescloth. I love the texture of the raw edges that hang over the edge.

You can use Distress Markers to “color” the Found Relatives. Here I used Wild Honey to color the dress. This may seem like I’ve lost my mind - Wild Honey looks like School Bus Yellow! But the cards have a slick surface which works as a resist to the Distress Ink. I find that by starting strong....

Then using a very small piece of paper towel or even lightweight fabric (my friend mr. cheesecloth works beautifully) you can work the ink around. What I never use is my fingertip...way to easy to leave a fingerprint right in the middle of your ink work and surprisingly hard to control because it does not soak up the ink, it just moves it around. In the end, the color should be very subtle. Let it dry and then go over it again later to add another layer of color.

Next, I die cut a piece of Grungeboard using the Pediments die. I couldn’t decide which of the 3 Pediment shapes to use, so I cut a couple then painted them with Black Soot Distress Ink.

Sand away some of the Distress Paint, then ink the Pediment with Vintage Photo. I usually do this step multiple times...sanding, inking, sanding, inking, to get a really good aged effect.

I used another stamp from the same set as the spider that looks like a old pharmacy sign. I colored it with Distress ink and used black embossing powder on the edges.

I used MM to add the Pediment to the top of the box. Then added the Pharmacy sign with foam tape.

I needed a surface for the house of children. I could have used a Burlap Panel but I wanted something larger so I could add words from the Paper Stash. I used one of my favorite wood panels from Michaels - You might remember it from these two past projects - Big Top and Found.

The paper in from the stash is 8 x 8" but the board is about 9 x 7", so I cut off the excess paper at the bottom as well as the spot where the "house" will go.

I used Multi Medium to adhere the paper to the board.

Then filled in the empty space on the side with the previously cut pieces.

Now just trim off the excess paper and sand all the edges with the Sanding Grip. Again, the blank spot will be covered by the house.

I painted a layer of Multi Medium over the paper to seal it. After it was dry, I added Black Soot Distress Paint to the edges.
I liked the Halloween paper as it was, but I didn't want the brighter colors to compete with the letters I plan to use. Adding the paint will allow me to tone it down just a bit.

Use a wet wipe to move the paint around until you are happy with the result. Remember, because I added the MM to the surface I can always remove the paint until it is dry. Then it becomes permanent.

Once the black paint was dry, I sprayed the parts of the surface with Distress Stain Tarnished Brass (no added water and no blotting away), then dried it with the Heat Tool. Love how the splatter looks across the vintage look paper!

Okay, so the surface is done.
I decided to use some vintage paper to cut out a couple paper hats for the children. When I was cutting, I realized the paper had tiny little names on it.

I just couldn't help myself...I added a name to each child (I am saving Jumbo, Jr for another project). You could easily repeat this step by typing out names on your computer.

I decided to change up the boys hat so the hats would be different and add some pen work to the girl's.

I prepared a Timepiece and Game Spinner with a mixture of Iced Spruce and Black Soot to age it. Then set it aside to dry while I worked on the letters.

The Letters
I glued the Halloween words from the Mini Stash to a piece of chipboard using a Collage Glue Stick.

Cut out the word or words that will fit the space. I chose Trick or Treat. The word "or" was not included on the sheet, so I just cut an O and R from other words on the page.

Use the Sanding Grip to sand the edges of each tile.

Then ink the edges with your favorite Distress Ink.

Add foam squares to the back of each tile.

Add the letters tiles to the board along with the Timepiece. Can you see all the Tarnished Brass splatter in the background?

I added the House to the board but it needed a little something. I noticed out my window that the roses in my front yard needed to be deadheaded, so I got my clippers and made a few extractions (now to find the time to do the rest!).

Perfect for a little texture in the corner of the house. Yes, I realize that the dried rose is very delicate and it may only last for this year, but if I pack it right it may last longer.

please click on photo to see the entire project

I had a great time making this project. Love how the background turned out...just dark enough so the letters stand out, yet still show the Halloween images.