When witches go riding,

And black cats are seen,

The moon laughs and whispers,

‘Tis, near Halloween!

Hello my lovelies, I have a spooky surprise for you today!   When decorating for fall I like to keep it fun and memorable.  Today I am sharing a halloween centerpiece for your table decor using a collection of the September release stamp sets and companion dies as well as a couple of last years halloween stamp and die sets.  I’ve had a paper mache house sitting on the shelf of my craft room for a while (she smiles), timing is everything!  The September release was just to cute not to provide a spooky house for the Little Haunters to trick or treat and so I gave them life in paper form!   So let’s take a look shall we!

What did I use?

  • One paper mache house (local Hobby Lobby or Michaels)
  • Round styrofoam circle
  • polka dot ribbon (1.5 inch), black glitter ribbon (3/8 in)
  • Assortment of artificial moss from the garden department or your local garden store
  • Straight pins
  • toothpicks
  • Hot glue
  • 1 inch foam brush
  • Distress Paint (black soot and brushed pewter)
  • Distress Grit Paste
  • Stamp sets: Little Haunters, Tabitha, Pumpkin Time, Fall Banner Buddies, and the Boo to You Words die from the September 2019 release; Ghostly Greetings and Halloween Tree from 2018 fall release
  • All images were colored with Copic Markers

*Note:  I always keep a variety of ribbon and styrofoam in different sizes and shapes.

How did I create this?

Start by building your foundation using a styrofoam circle and wrapping your widest ribbon around the edge.  You can adhere it by either using a little hot glue or straight pins.  *If you have littles at your house please be careful using straight pins – it’s so hard for them not to touch, and we wouldn’t want any little fingers pricked.   Next, use some newspaper because this part can get messy.  Place your paper mache house on newspaper and begin spreading a thin layer of grit paste (this is an optional step).  I only put it on the bottom of the house — let dry.   Then, begin painting with your distress paint or any other type of acrylic paint found in your craft store.  I used a foam throw away brush and just rinsed it well before changing colors.  Once I had both top and bottom of the house painted with black, I switched to brushed pewter paint and swiped and swished across both the bottom and roof top to give a ghostly look.   Set the house aside to dry.   Once it has dried to your satisfaction, place a dollop of hot glue in the middle of your styrofoam base (on top of your artificial moss) and place the house on it.  Again, give it a few minutes to dry.   Now take your smallest sparkling ribbon and run it around the top edge of the styrofoam to provide a nice contrast and more interest.  And now the fun begins!   The best part of creating a centerpiece for your home is deciding how you want to decorate it and with what.   Hello Bluebird Stamps has a plethora of choices in the new September release.   I stamped out and die cut all the above stamp sets and dies and colored them with Copic markers.

My Copic color choices:

Bat: BV11, 13, 20 and 25

Pumpkins: Y17, YR04, and YR07

Fox: Y21, E97, and E23

Foxy’s hat: YG01, 06, 07

Hedgie: E30, 31

Tabitha: Your choice of skin tone and hair color, Y21, YR04, YR07 for dress and hat; trim: V04, 05, 06 and Black 100 for polka dots

Repeating the color palette throughout the vignettes keeps a nice balance.  Here’s the back of the house.  I’ve even kept my spooky love potions to the same yellow-greens and purples.  This photo gives you an idea on how you can streak your roof with the brushed pewter paint.  You can also see how I’ve incorporated a real small tree limb with leaves still attached to become my “live oak tree” and for the haystack on the right side; choose some colored card stock and trim thinly – bring them together and tie a piece of embroidery thread around the middle.  I stamped and die-cut several of the leafy stalks from Fall Banner Buddies to stick inside.  The back of the house was the perfect area for a greeting, and I used the new Boo to You Words die cut from Orange card stock and covered with gloss for addition dimension (don’t be impatient – let it dry and you won’t be disappointed).  I hung Tabitha’s hat, boom and added the kitties for a final touch.  The large full moon is die cut from two circles and adhered with liquid glue.  I rubbed a little distress oxide ink around the edges and across for that autumnal effect.   My favorite part?  Hanging those ever so cute spiders from embroidery thread from the roof tops -ack!!  Actually, I loved creating the entire project and hope you’ll consider creating one too.

Shadows mutter, mist replies; darkness purrs and midnight sighs!  Whether you decorate with tags, swags, cards, or projects, the Hello Bluebird September release has a stamp and die set just waiting for you.  Don’t be late my lovelies!

I hope you’ve enjoyed my post and project today.  I’ll see you next time.

Sincerely,

Susie ~