Book of Spells

Hi everyone, Bobbi here!  Today I'm sharing a spooky book of spells!  A new month means a new challenge over at Inspiration Emporium (challenge closed).  October's theme for the month is "In Disguise",  it's going to be a lot of fun and I'm gonna have to get my thinking cap on and think outside the box!  Now for my fun spooky book for all accounts it looks like a book on the outside but when you open it, something quite different is on the inside!

  Potions, spells and spooky goodness!!!

  I will have a complete list of all the products I used at the bottom of the page.  To start with I took a plain papier-mâché book and painted the outside with a pitch black Dabber,  making sure not to paint the pages portion.  Then I added a little bit of snow white to the pitch black paint to make a gray and then taking a very dry brush barely skimming across the book to create some layers and any portion you would like to highlight including parts of the raised spine.

  Then I took some gathered twigs distress paint  and colored the pages portion of the outside of the book.   After the paint was dried I took the gathered twigs and the antique linen distressed paint mixed together and using a drybrush skimmed a crossed the "pages" portion to create highlights.

  I took black soot distress paint and a little water and mixed on my nonstick craft sheet with my paint brush.  Splattered mixture all over the book, everywhere that you want black speckles to be.

  I mixed brushed pewter, black soot distress paint and water on my craft sheet.  Using a very, very dry brush I lightly skimmed across the book to create more highlights.   Using the same mixture I also created more splatters all over the book then dried with a heat tool.

 Up close pictures.

 Another one.  So it's up to you how grungy you want your book to be,  I like mine very grungy!

  For the inside of the book, I painted any seam or outer edge with black soot distress paint.

  I took a piece of orange distressed paper from my Tim Holtz crowded attic paper stash and stamped a damask pattern with the Tim Holtz distress damask stamp set CMS190 using jet black archival ink.  The paper was already wonderfully distressed for me, before I started stamping.   I also added some cobwebs and spiders with the Mini Halloween 3 stamp set CMS140.  When you go to measure the inside of your box make sure that you measure top to bottom and up the sides as well.  It doesn't have to be perfect and it's a very forgiving when you paint the seams a dark color.  I didn't glue it in just yet, I set it aside for now.

  I took a small styrofoam pumpkin, pulled out the stem and cut it in half.  I wanted it to fit inside my box and still be able to close the lid.

  I painted my pumpkin with black soot distress paint and let dry.

  Then, I added a layer of black stood distress crackle paint.

  I think I got almost as much on me as I did on my pumpkin, LOL :)

  After it air dried, it looked like this!!!  I almost stopped at that... but then I didn't! :)

  I added some brushed pewter distress paint, to accentuate the cracks.

 I took one of the bare mini burlap canvas and added texture paste using the Gothic Tim Holtz stencil.

  After that was dried I painted the burlap canvas with peeled paint distress paint and let dry.  I brushed on some rock candy distress cracked paint and let dry.   Then I went behind with Black soot, seedless preserves and brushed pewter distress paint over the raised portion of texture paste and let dry.

  I added screw hinges to the top.  I stamped Happy Halloween with black archival ink  using the Apothecary stamp set CMS138  on Tim Holtz watercolor paper.   I also stamp a couple of spiderwebs and a spider with same stamp set from the orange paper.  I splattered with seedless preserves and brushed pewter distress paints.

  I attached ring fasteners through the paper but not through the papier-mâché cardboard,  I didn't want the prongs to show.  Once I did, that I glued my paper to the inside of the box with strong adhesive.

  I used Tim Holtz's crackle technique found on page 54 of his Compendium of Curiosities 3 Book on my glass vial and glass dome.  I have loved this technique ever since the first time I saw it done!  I did, use some purple twilight alcohol ink to color one of the vials.  I stamped one of my file labels which a black ink and the spiderweb then used a rub on from the Tim Holtz remnant rubs.

  I used pebble alcohol ink on the #31 Plaquettes to dingy it up a little. The small photo and the small paper are both from the laboratories paper stash.  The large paper to the left is also from the laboratories paper stash as well.

  I attached a clock key.

  I then attached several idea-logy pieces.  I attached a remnant rub to a plaquette that no longer had its number as well.  That plaquette was an experiment that didn't quite turn out a few months ago but, I didn't throw it away.  I knew I could use it for something and this was that something! :)

 For the front cover I attached some dyed cheesecloth and several papers from the laboratories paper stash.  I stamped the crow from the Halloween Blueprints 2 and the skull from the Apothecary stamp set CMS138 with jet black archival ink.  I colored and shaded both the crow and skull with pumice stone, black soot, antique linen distress ink and a water brush.  I added more idea-logy pieces with the clock and spider at the top of the book.

Thanks so much for the visit.  I really appreciate it, have a wonderful day!  xx

Bobbi

I've listed the products below, used to create this project.  I am part of various affiliate programs including Simon Says Stamp.  When you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase thru that link (at no extra cost to you), I receive a small commission.  Thank you, I genuinely appreciate your support!