Insert Evil Witch Laugh Here

Sorry....I couldn't help myself!  Although there isn't much evil in me, all that know me understand that I am crazy about Halloween.  Work schedules and busy weekends in the fall somehow keep me from overdoing my own home in scary displays.  I know, I know...if it's important enough I'd find the time and I have in the past..just not much over the last couple of years.  Last year I had my gall bladder removed and even though it was suppose to be simple it kept out of work for almost 10 days and down for a good 6 weeks! Ugh.  I hope to have a better display this year.  A lot of people have sent me this photo on Facebook of skeletons crawling up the side of a house.  Ah...they know me so well!

Last week I attended Ghoul's Night Out at my favorite Stampin Up consultants home.  It had been a week at work and I started on the project but was actually enjoying visiting with the wonderful girls and my sister who also attended.  So, instead I took the projects home and completed them on my own and with my usual Kharen flair.  I knew it would have to have a few extra details other than what was in the kit and I have to say I'm pretty happy with it.  No offense Michelle T.  I love spending time with you and having you as my Stampin Up consultant!  I really did enjoy the time.  So, here is my completed Witch's Hat.  I should have bought another one!  I had so much fun with it!
Most of the product is on the front and sides of the hat.  I didn't go all the way around but I did use almost all of the leaves in the kit.  I also made the acorns dimensional by taking 3 of them, folding them in half and attaching them side to side and strung twine through each of them.  It's hard to see them in the photos but love how they came out.  I did ink the front sides of every leaf and just kept placing them until I was happy with the layout.  I hot glued everything!  I wanted to make sure it was secured for a long time.  I even maneuvered the burlap into the position that you see by tacking it in place with the glue gun.  I added the skulls, sunflower and orange daisies, additional orange and tulle ribbons, spider and spider web and some green leaves.  I had to stop myself there!  I also made a little burlap bow wrapped with twine...no waste! Until the next blog post Ghouls!

Honey Hues

I love that the Tim Holtz tag challenges have given me a good reason to get back into my craftroom with a purpose.  Not only am I participating in the challenge but working on other projects.  There's a reason my blog is called Kharen's Khreations....I can never seem to land on one project or medium to work in!  If you scroll to some of my earlier blogs you will see some wall hangings that I did a couple of years ago.  I had a wonderful instructor in KC Willis to learn how to make these.  Sadly, she doesn't do them any longer but her heart has taken her to more important and heartful adventures. You can find out more about her and her "pet" project, although much, much more than that, you can find her at https://www.facebook.com/lightshinelakota?fref=ts.  I miss creating with her. 

So, at the request of a co-worker I created a wall hanging of his brides father, centered around a photo he provided.  For the sake of lack of time and a better picture (for now) I am posting a quick photo of the wall hanging.  Ugh...I promise to replace it with a better picture of the final product plus maaaaybe a step by step of how I did it.  I'm not much on tutorials....at least not yet.

 So, the wall hanging took me all day!  But I was bound and determined to create my second Tim Holtz tag (September challenge), so here it is!  I didn't have the type of modeling paste that dried clear so I improvised and although you can't see it in the photo it the honeycombs do shimmer a bit.  I also really struggled with the swirling of colors...it just never worked for me.  It didn't help that I don't have the blending solution or the specified type of paper but I did ultimately like the color that I ended up with.  Getting into that fall feeling and here's my tag!

 

OK....a much better photo(s) and a finished product.  Very happy with the results! I did reign that wayward leaf back in.

 A little closer view.

 Don't you just love the leather on this?!  It came off of a piece that I found at a flea market.  My husband said it was a corn husker.  It wrapped around your hand and wrist but doesn't it look like a little fisherman's bag?  And the upper right hand piece came off the same apparatus. It has a metal piece on the underside of it which makes it very sturdy but the leather on it is yummy!  The organics on the left were the final piece.  It was exactly what it needed!

A close up of the "jewelry" near the bottom of the hanging.  I call it jewelry because it's kind of like the necklace on the piece. The little fish was a find by my husband while he was fishing. Perfect! And then the little ruler...a nod to the size of the fish caught.  I had some copper wire that I wrapped around the ends to give a little more somethin' somethin'.  Enjoy!