Good Monday morning! I’m saying good now, but we’ll see later in the day. The first thing I need to tell you . . . I’m having my morning coffee without cigarettes! Yes, this is the start of day 2 for me going smoke-free! I truly don’t have an option. As much I like to smoke and haven’t wanted to give it up entirely, the time has come that I must for health reasons. I have for years carried the nicotine gum with me when I was at places I could not smoke or were smoke free. This time I have decided that I absolutely need to kick the nicotine (and trust me, I am totally addicted and I know it) and started on my first patch Sunday morning. I have quit twice before for over 5 years both times; but now it’s a must . . . there’s no sneaking and there’s not starting up again! My saving grace yesterday was a drinking straw. I cut it into thirds and each time I felt the need to light a cigarette, I drew threw the straw instead. This gave me the sensation of filling my lungs with the smoke, which for me is the hardest part of all of it right now. I will periodically update you on my progress and don’t be surprised if I come yelling a loud HELP and ask for your support.
Okay enough of all that! It’s time to move on and talk about something else. How about Halloween?
I love Halloween! I think it’s the time of year which leads me into the Holiday Season. When my girls were small, I decorated the house from top to bottom and would sit outside in my own costume when the kiddos came Trick or Treating. I can’t remember when it all started, but I would put on a big pot of chili and both my girls would have their friends in for chili before going out on Halloween night. It became quite the tradition and my daughters’ friends looked forward to it every year as much as I did. Now I’m lucky if I put one pumpkin out . . . with the girls gone and the neighborhood kids all grown up and gone . . . well, its just not the same for me. Mallory will be home this coming weekend, and in my state of mind to keep busy so I won’t have the temptation to puff away, I’m going to crawl up in the attic and find the Halloween decorations. Which brings me to today’s project!
On Friday while mom and I were out running around, one of our stops was Michaels. I was browsing in the seasonal $1 area and saw little coffins, masks, etc., but deep in the back and almost hidden, was this . . .
a headstone. It’s hinged and even opens.
I painted both the outside and inside black before I started doing anything else to the headstone.
Because I am so intriqued by old cemeteries and headstones, I wanted this one to look old. I painted the outside with Milled Lavender Distress Crackle Paint, brushed on some Green Patina Perfect Pearls and then sponged on some Black Soot. Unfortunately you can’t see the green patina in the photo, but trust me . . . it looks so cool in real life!
To highlight the cross, I dabbed on some gold acrylic paint and then added some more Black Soot ink. Just look at all those cracks . . .
When I first saw the headstone, I knew immediately that the Spellbinders Graveyard Scene would be perfect for this . . . you know how I love the play on play thing!
I die cut the graveyard border and one extra headstone from GrungePaper, inked them with Pumice Stone and then stenciled with Black Soot. There’s also a little Green Patina Perfect Pearls added on those pieces. All the paper and images is from Crafty Secrets. While at CHA Sandy gave me this sheet, Halloween Greetings, and it worked perfect for this project. I had a couple of little miniature bottles in my stash. One I filled with Tea Dye re-inker and Matte Accents, stirred it up, and it became “Brew.” I filled a second one with gold and purple microbeads, topped it off Matte Accents, and stuck a memo pin in it. I forgot to add anything to the outside, but quite frankly, I like that purple popping out in the photo.
- Images: Heartwarming Vintage Scraps – Halloween Greetings from Crafty Secrets
- Ink: Ranger Gold and Black Acrylic Paint Dabbers, Milled Lavender Distress Crackle, Black Soot and Pumice Stone Distress Ink
- Accessories: Spellbinders™ S4-279 Graveyard Scene and Shapes; Balsa Wood Headstone from Michaels; Miniature Glass Bottles; Ranger Glossy Accents, Ink Blending Tool with Foam, Green Patina Perfect Pearls and Tea Dye Distress Re-Inker; Miscellaneous Micro Beads; Tim Holtz idea-ology Long Fastener, Game Spinner, Memo Pins, GrungePaper and Sprocket Gear; Bamboo Skewers; 1/2” Black May Arts Wrinkle Ribbon from Stamp Simply Ribbon Store
I’ve debated the front over and over and finally decided not to add anything. At first I thought it would be cool to add some dead flowers, but the more I looked at it . . . well here’s what I thought. It looks rather plain and you don’t really expect anything on the inside . . . and then you open it and find a surprise! This thought made me leave the front alone.
That’s all I have for today . . . I have my first therapy session for my wrist today, so I’m out the door. Thanks for stopping by and remember . . . life is short, make each moment count and take advantage of the adventures that come your way today!
