Carey Burns

Ahhhh....it is August and that Halloween itch is getting harder to ignore. Perhaps it is my peeling skin from my recent sunburn? Where has the time gone, dear blog? I've been wrapped up in so many things and then the summer was taken up by 10-hour workdays leaving not much time for you. But, I've been busy crafting and will share some of my completed and in-process projects. First off, let's talk about this year's Halloween theme at home. It is once a witch's apothecary with some new pieces. This is just one corner of the living room so far. There will be creepy black cheesecloth and more goodies but, it is a start!

I decided that this year I will "make do" with the crafty supplies I already have. There's only so much space in the Pit of Despair! This project came together really quickly and while I used a vintage plastic reindeer, a new version can be substituted. Supplies: Tim Holtz Vignette Panel (largest size with backer board) Tim Holtz Christmas Stack golden star paper Tim Holtz Typography letters 'FLY' Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink Gold Mixative Tim Holtz Distress Stain in Walnut Stain Tim Holtz Matte Medium Glossy Accents Red acrylic paint Dark green acrylic paint Vintage plastic reindeer Sophisticated Finishes Rust paint Four felt adhesive dots Tools: Scissors Paint brushes Cotton swab Months ago, I nabbed a bag of vintage plastic reindeer at an antique shop and decided to rust one to see how it would look. I coated it in two layers of iron paint and then added the rusting agent. I liked how it looked and set it aside for later. While organizing my...

It's the day before Christmas and I've been a little crafty making this one-of-a-kind Christmas Tree! Supplies: Wooden finial that looks like a tree Small film canister Tim Holtz gold ribbon from Metallic Trimmings Tim Holtz gold tinsel garland from Metallic Trimmings Tim Holtz Christmas word band Tim Holtz brads Tim Holtz Distress Crayon in Candied Apple Tim Holtz Mirrored Stars (two smallest sizes and one of the largest) String of LED lights Glossy Accents Tools: Saw Rotary tool with drill bit Hammer and nail Bracelet forming tool I first spied the wooden finial in a bin at a funky antique shop and I thought "That looks like a tree" but kept walking. Before we left, I found a small, dingy film canister and wanted it but wasn't sure what to do with it. That's when I remembered the tree. After a couple weeks of it sitting around, I finally tried to trim the base of the finial off, but didn't have the right tools. The hubby came ...

I've had this project in my mind for weeks now but just couldn't figure out the execution. When this week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge called for snow, I knew I had to finish it in time. Supplies: Antique wooden kitchen utensil tray Wooden Coats & Clark spool Tim Holtz Woodlands trees (two small and one large) Tim Holtz Christmas Transparent Tiles Tim Holtz Assemblage Diamonds and Pearls Charms Tim Holtz Vignette Hardware - Hooks Ranger Glossy Accents White acrylic paint Clear glitter Mini wooden moulding with a channel 2 Sheets of paper (I used printer paper) Tools: Chain nose pliers for jewelry Craft scissors Awl Paint brush I found this green painted tray at an antique mall quite a while ago and wasn't sure what I'd make with it. A few months ago, I set a large Woodlands tree in it and knew. My first thought was to use old letter stamps to spell out something wintry, but stamps are getting more expensive as they're becomin...

Today was my last day of "vacation" and this week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Halloween/Spooky got me excited to make something dark ! Funny how an idea can go sideways from the beginning yet turn out just right! I had grand ideas for a very spooky make using an old printer's block but ... it morphed into something else. Being rested, I was able to make this piece and finish another blog post. Oh, to have this energy all week long ... This started off with alcohol ink on Yupo paper. I used Pitch Black and Purple Twilight. I added dabs of the Purple Twilight to a felt round on my blending tool then added dabs of Pitch Black.  I pounced and swirled the ink all over the Yupo sheet (I use a large pad of Yupo). Once the ink was dry, I added Archival Ink in Watering Can to a cool vintage printer's block, but it didn't hold the ink and wouldn't transfer to the Yupo. It was a bummer, but I decided to use an older Tim Holtz block stamp of...

This project turned out better than I imagined it would! You can see how I made the bulk of it here along with a detailed supply list and now I'll bore you with the fireplace details! Be warned: there aren't a lot of in-process photos again because I was really in the process ... Supplies: ***All of these supplies are Tim Holtz except for the E-6000 glue, acrylic paint and LED light string*** Specialty Stamping Paper Distress Inks in Candied Apple, Aged Mahogany, Walnut Stain, Wilted Violet, and Black Soot Harlequin Stencil Glossy Accents Collage Medium Vintage Cardboard from Idea-ology package Boneyard E-6000 glue LED Halloween lights Acrylic paint in black, white, and orange Hook and loop tape Batteries Tools: Scissors Round Blending Tool Metal Probe Small hole punch First thing I did for this portion was to paint the larger Boneyard pieces with black acrylic paint. While they dried, I cut a piece of cardboard from an Idea-ology package down to a li...