Sep30

Creeping up my Halloween–Part Two

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Betsy Skagen

I’m back with Part Two of my Creepy Creaky China Cabinet. Please hop over to the Robin’s Nest today to see the rest of the tutorial.

Fabulous stuff used in this project

Gina’s Design China Cabinet
Plum Fleur (and stripes on reverse side)
Plum Purple Glitter Cardstock
Purple Bats Glitter Cardstock
Black Bats Glitter Cardstock
Spiderweb Glitter Cardstock
Purple Crackle Glitter Cardstock
Light purple cardstock
Black cardstock
Glitter Mask
Halloween decorative ribbon
Curio Knobs by Tim Holtz Idea-ology, 3 per Pack, 1 x 7/8 Inches, White and Clear, Metal and Plastic, TH92840Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad, Vintage Photo
Alpha Stamps Small Amber Bottles with Corks Alpha Stamps Stitched Leaf Ribbon Alpha Stamps Miniature Rustic Broom Alpha Stamps Long Antique Bronze Skull Spider Pendant Alpha Stamps Ceramic Gargoyle Bead Alpha Stamps Skull Charm AlphaStamps Corked Dome Spooky Labels Miniature glitter book Miniature Black Hinges Black paper ribbon Plastic fern Vintage Halloween images from personal collection Halloween skeletons, spiders and doo-dads from personal collection Wooden spool Black acrylic paint Red permanent marker Black permanent marker Assorted adhesives

Sep29

Creeping up my Halloween–Part One

Posted on September 29, 2015 by Betsy Skagen

Creeping up my Halloween–Part One

Soon I will be pulling out the Halloween decorations. In my kitchen I have a floor-to-ceiling distressed white hutch that I religiously decorate for each season.

For Halloween I fill it with fun mid-century Halloween items. The only problem is, the decorations, along with the painted white cabinet, are so darn-tootin’ cheerful, that they are not a bit scary.

To create something a little more spooky, I made the Creepy Creaky Halloween China Cabinet–a miniature hutch that includes spooky Halloween colors and creepy crawly doo-dads, yet still sport some fun mid-century graphics. To see the tutorial for this project, please visit my post at the Robin’s Nest.

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Sep23

The final say in altered tags

Posted on September 23, 2015 by Betsy Skagen

The final say in altered tags

How do you finish off the perfect Halloween gift? With a toe tag of course! Today, my tutorial featuring these macabre altered tags is at Altered Pages.

The tutorial shows you how to create the kind of hair-raising tags hung on bodies at the morgue (or at least a spooked up version of them). In addition to a skeletal foot, each tag features a picture of the deceased, as well as hints about the creepy cause of death–whether it be zombie, werewolf, vampire or…you get the picture. Read the rest of this entry →

Sep15

When altered art turns deadly–your number is up

Posted on September 15, 2015 by Betsy Skagen

When altered art turns deadly–your number is up

I was making Halloween tags out of bingo cards the other day when my husband quipped “my number is up”. Being that I’m the wordsmith, I don’t know why it is that he remembered this expression and I didn’t. Maybe because he causes me so much stress. I certainly know that even if my number isn’t up, my memory certainly is.

Now where was I?…Oh yes, well he may have remembered the phrase, but I was the one who realized that I could have a lot of altered art fun with it.

Your Number is Up is actually a combination of altered art and mixed media. It plays upon the themes of numbers and bones. Please visit ColourArte to see more details about how I made it.

Sep9

Trick out your treats with this altered art coffin

Posted on September 9, 2015 by Betsy Skagen

Trick out your treats with this altered art coffin

The theme at Altered Pages this month is gift wraps, tags and containers. Give some treats in this altered art container and you are certain to make a memorable Halloween.

Please check out the full tutorial over at Altered Pages and feel free to leave the folks there some love.

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Sep1

Tune into the NETwork for an important announcement

Posted on September 1, 2015 by Betsy Skagen

Tune into the NETwork for an important announcement

Time to tune in to your retro televisions because today is the big day!

A few weeks back I announced that I “made the cut” and was named to the ColourArte Design Team. Today my inaugural project is featured on the ColourArte blog.

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Aug31

Baby-snatching tornadoes and altered art–no really

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Betsy Skagen

Baby-snatching tornadoes and altered art–no really

Today the Robin’s Nest is featuring Part Two of the tutorial of Behind the Curtain–a Steampunk Homage to Oz.

I’m proud of this shadowbox and encourage you to check it out. You can also read how it led to my memory of baby-snatching tornadoes.

I feel a little traumatized

You see, I felt I needed to explain over at the Robin’s Nest why I don’t really like the Wizard of Oz. That led me to explain my family’s long-running joke about how they forgot me during a tornado.

When tornado sirens sounded, my family retreated to the safety of the basement. Only then did they ask one another, “Do you have Betsy?”

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Aug30

An altered art steampunk homage to Oz

Posted on August 30, 2015 by Betsy Skagen

An altered art steampunk homage to Oz

“We’re off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz.”

Good morning. Now you can hate me all day for that ear worm. Actually, now that I typed it, I am kind of hating myself. Truth be told, I don’t even like the Wizard of Oz.

Why then did I create the altered art piece Behind the Curtain–A Steampunk Homage to Oz? Well you will just have to find out by clicking on this link. You will also get the benefit of seeing a fun two-part tutorial (complete with childhood trauma).

Aug26

Because I never want to forget the stupidest game ever

Posted on August 26, 2015 by Betsy Skagen

Because I never want to forget the stupidest game ever

So one thing I learned from the Quintessential American Road Trip I took with my family this summer is that road trips are full of snapshot memories. Some are breathtaking, ~~some~~ too many are frustrating and a few are knee-slapping funny.

For example, it was amusing how for the first 20 hours of our trip, all four adult and near-adult human passengers got obsessed with the STUPIDEST GAME EVER (the dogs could care less). Here’s the objective: to count the most cows.

Yep, that’s it. Read the rest of this entry →

Aug19

Make this cute count down to school banner

Posted on August 19, 2015 by Betsy Skagen

Make this cute count down to school banner

Summer may be waning, but you can still add excitement (and sneak in a little extra learning) to those last carefree days with this cute-as-can-be back-to-school countdown banner.

Your early learners are sure to love the bold graphics and colorful tassels as they count down the days until school begins. Each day features a special school-related activity that can make those yearly tasks a little more fun and help mentally prepare your child for the transition to the school year.

What’s more, you can sneak a little extra learning in by reviewing backwards counting, colors, days of the week and reading.

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