It's done! Halloween Junk Journal

BE ADVISED: TONS OF PICTURES!

I am so proud of this project,  I can't even tell you!! And fun.....I don't remember having this much fun creating a paper project in forever. HUGE thanks to Crafty.by.Toni (youtube and etsy) for sharing her Halloween Every Day videos for the whole month of October. I just love love love it! And in case  you couldn't tell, I have become a HUGE fan (hopefully not in a creepy stalker kind of way LOL). As you will see, I used sooooo many products, I can't possibly list them all, so if there is something specific you have questions about, please do not hesitate to email me (be sure to include your email address in your comment or email so I can reply.) Just a few of the products used in this book are Tim Holtz, Heidi Swapp, digital papers from Art Whimsy on Etsy, papers from my vast scrapbook paper stash, papers and cheesecloth I dyed using Distress inks and sprays, and lots of washi tapes and stickers.

Cover. We have a magnetic closure for the book. I used this brown paper, which I thought gave it a look of leather sort of. In hindsight, if I had crinkled and inked it, it possibly would've looked even more realistic, but I didn't think of it till just now. Oh well. 

 

Inside the front flap. I love the paper. It's one of many digitals I purchased on Etsy while creating this book. 

Under the front flap.

back cover with pocket for very important papers (you see mine is empty right now - I'm not that important really LOL).

First page is a full page insert with flap and pocket. 

Behind the flap is a photo of the abandoned asylum I imagined so many of the people of my story were committed to. Caption reads, "I heard a strange noise". Come with me as I share the tragic tale...

This is the dark, creepy hallway into which I will never step foot. Can you blame me?! Caption reads, "A strong chill came over me." 

It may or may not be true, I don't know, but these ladies were accused of being witches, which is why I think they ended up in the asylum. Was it truly witchcraft that caused their unexplained behavior?? (or was it just menopause?! I must say, I felt like a witch at times dealing with that myself. LOL) It's hard to say, but it was Salem, after all. 

Open this page, and here are more family secrets! Check out the portrait and the strange boy tucked into the pocket below. Caption on the family photo reads, "almost lost his head". 

Behind the family photo is space for photos or journaling, and in the pocket below is a little book for more journaling....if you wish to share your secrets. To the right, in the blue pocket, is a letter to dear cousin Rosalie, pictured below. 

Poor Rosalie couldn't take another day in the asylum and, as the caption of this photo reads, "Rosalie ultimately lost her mind." I think the fact her mind was gone was the only thing that kept her alive as long as it did. She was such a pretty girl, it's very sad she spent her last days in such a dreadful place. 

Next page we have some of the children. Who knows what happened to them after the orphanage burned down. First losing so many of their family members to the asylum, then the fire at the orphanage. Whispers around town say it was started by a toxic combination of the medications in the infirmary, but we'll never know for sure as the doctor perished in the blaze. Did the children ever find happiness? One can only hope.

Here is another full page insert with pocket and flaps, as well as a large pocket on the other side with another family photo that is also flap.

On the tag we have another look at the asylum that housed so many of people of my story. Captions read, "vanishing visitors", and "haunted house" "caution, keep out". When you remove the tag from inside the door, there is a photo of a visitor nobody wants coming to call! Beware!

The flaps below the pocket give us more intriguing views into the strange people and things going on behind those scary hospital walls. Yikes!

In the large pocket is the ID wallet I made on the first day I found this fabulous project. The first day I found Crafty.by.toni's youtube channel, and fell in love with this lovely and wondrously creative lady. As well as a medical record we made for one of our Halloween Every Day projects. 

I don't know much about this Edwards guy. though I heard he was a suspect in the orphanage fire and spent a short time in the jailhouse until he was cleared of suspicion. He left town shortly after and who can blame him. And poor Edith looks pretty unstable if you ask me. She was a school teacher before she lost her mental capacity, and from the look of her, I'd say she swung a mean yardstick back in her day.

Here we have more family members...or are they criminals? Both? I don't know but I'm willing to bet they were somehow connected to the asylum from the looks of them. I wouldn't want to cross any of them in a dark alley. Although, I might be able to hold my own against grandpa George and maybe the kid, but I wouldn't care to find out. LOL

The last page is a full pocket page with labels, tickets and tags. These were so much fun to create. I love them all (and they really having nothing to do with the tragic events of my aforementioned story. LOL

The many labels, tickets and tags in the pocket page that were just super fun to create. 

Behind the pocket page we have another large pocket where the insect specimen slides are kept. The bugs were a huge part of the investigation into the orphanage fire when toxins were first discovered. As we now know. it turned out the bugs got a bad wrap.

Whew! That was a lot. I really hope you like it. I had such a fun time creating it. My poor craft room got a MAJOR and much needed clean up today when I finished, and wow. It looks bigger in here now. Hahaha! Thanks for coming by and checking out my work. It means so much to me. See you on FB and IG with Christmas projects coming soon. 

Love you all

Ghost Stories, Heidi Swapp class, Pt 2 of 2

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, SPOOKY FRIENDS!
💀👻💀👻💀

Yesterday I shared the projects we made in the Ghost Stories class, all but the actual album we put together from scratch. Heidi's creative brain is always on the mark with her creations and it's fun to work along with her class videos and create these amazing paper pieces. I always feel so accomplished when I finish one of her classes. :) Thanks, Heidi!

Today's post I'm sharing the album. I think creating albums is my favorite - taking papers and making a book or album just seems like a task for a smart person. I guess I mean it makes ME feel smart. Maybe. Hahaha! Well, let's get to the album, shall we. 

Super fun dressing up the cover once we finished the album. I added some stamping, the vellum ghosts, ribbon, and spooky letters on the enclosure flap. 

Inside I've added another skeleton. She is standing on a jumbo tag accordion album we also made with this fun flap closure. 

I had a piece of dyed cheesecloth just sitting there looking at me and I knew it had to adorn Miss Skellie. It makes the perfect ginger wig to which I added a headband and some stickles, and she's ready to go.

Our first page is a large frame with scratched up acetate window. It turned out so cool! We used corrugated cardboard for the frame so there is some depth to it. Looks really neat. 

Behind the frame is another super cool, 3D haunted house. For this one, I also added a bit of stamping for extra fun spookiness. 

This one has a pull out tag behind it with a spooky Halloween night scene. 

In addition to the stamping, I also added some Distress Foundry Wax in the color Gilded. It takes such a teensy amount but the affect is so cool! The bits of gold along the rooflines, fence and door turned out so awesome over the dark ink. Heidi used a product called Rub and Buff, which I had not heard of, but when she showed what it does, I knew the foundry wax was the perfect substitute!

Remaining pages ready for pictures or whatever. This was so much fun, I can't even tell you!

Bat book and ribbon/acetate closure. 

and back cover. The end. :)

Ghost Stories, Heidi Swapp class, Pt 1 of 2

Warning: picture overload!!!

This class was amazing. So much fun, so much work, so much imagination, and I just loved it. I love when we make an album from scratch, and we did that in this class, along with several other projects. I've shared links to products we used for the class throughout the post. There is a lot, so I'll do all the other pieces first, and share the album in a separate post. 

To begin, we used the Ghost Stories kit from Heidi Swapp. Papers, dies, stamps, shapes and lots more come in the kit, so check that out before purchasing other pieces I have linked below. You may just want some of the pieces, or may already have some of them. Just a note: the kit comes with black and white mini brads, but you'll want to order more for the class as we did so many skeletons for the banner and other projects.

This project is a 3D haunted mansion spinner card. If you love paper piecing, you'll love putting this one together. If you've never done paper piecing, you'll love it when you finish this card. Starting with a die cut of the house, you'll create your own house with bits and pieces of other die cut houses by cutting, stacking and popping up for a super cool look. I really had fun with this one. Honestly, it was hard to stop adding to it!

Here we have a "stacked" skeleton (skeleton stamp set) openable card. This was fun. Position the skeleton so the doors can open. There are four 'doors' that tuck under a tab at the left and each opens up individually to your message, photo, or whatever you choose to put inside. (Mine is currently blank inside.)

Banner! I love a banner and this was such a great one with the skeletons all dancing and having good Halloween fun. Check out the last one - skeleton couple at the Halloween Dance. So cute!!! 

Fun little ribbon on his top hat, and his matching sunnies and bow tie. The ghosts and black/white ribbon are also part of the kit.

She's adorable, doing a funky mashed potato dance. These jumbo tags can be purchased in Heidi's store, or purchase the jumbo tag die and make your own from the papers in the kit, which is what I did here. 

This guy with this hat on backwards and his sunnies, wooping it up in time for Halloween. I added glossy accents to the bats. The bats are a die which is part of the haunted house die set. The hat (as well as the cowboy boots and a few other pieces) is included on a printout that is provided with the purchase of the class. 

Cowboy skeleton?! Why not! I love the cowboy hat and boots. He's hilarious. Use your own spider web die or purchase one from Heidi's store that also includes a spider and ghosts. 

How cute is this witch on her handmade broom?! Ribbon scarf, green hair and funky hat, she's having a good time!

And now for the Halloween King and Queen. How fun is this dancing skeleton couple?! Their accessories (hat, crown flowers, bows, wig, mustache and sunnies) are all part of the Ghost Stories Dancing Skeleton stamp set. You may want to order banner dies if you don't already have some. 

The bat book. This bat shaped accordion book is part of the kit. Super cute and the wing span is nearly 24 inches wide when its opened up. 👀

First we stamped a collage on the cover we cut, using the template. I love the look of the cover!

After we finished the bat book, we made this ribbon and acetate closure for the book, should you want to keep the book separate from the album. It does fit into the back of the album, but with the ribbon band closure it's too thick to close the album around it, so I'll keep the bat book separate or just keep the closure separate and keep the book in the album. We'll see. As of now, my bat book is empty, so there's nothing to show. 

If you wanted, you could secure/glue the back of the bat book, without the closure, to the inside back cover of the album and it would work just fine that way as well. 

There you go! As you can see, it's quite a project heavy class, so if you haven't taken it already, you can get ready for next Halloween. :) It's well worth it if you enjoy lots of hands on and interactive makes. Stay tuned tomorrow for the actual Ghost Stories album we made from scratch!