Graveyard Vignette Box Mausoleums Idea-ology

Along with the graveyard monuments in my last post, I made some graveyard mausoleums using vignette boxes. Getting these pieces to look appropriately aged isn't as difficult as you may think.

To start off with you need a set of Vignette Boxes and the Halloween Layers and Baseboards. You need the two smallest boxes and the baseboard frame that look like the one above.

The frame is obviously larger than the bigger of the two boxes. I cut it down to fit my box by cutting some off the top, bottom and center so that I had a window with the cool corners but also so it fit on the box.

Here you can see where I had measured the box and figured out how much to cut off the top, middle and bottom.  When this is done you can toss the parts with the X through it and keep the two pieces that are left.

Once they are cut, when you sandwich them together it should end up looking something like this. You can fiddle with it until it looks the way you want.

Before you attach the baseboard frame pieces to the box, you need to get gritty. Attach the mini brickwork stencil THS038. Using a palette knife, spread a thin layer through the bricks. Lift the stencil off and you have a brick wall.

Do the same application to the entire outside of the small box. When they re dryish, spray them all over with several colors of  Distress Oxide Spray. I used Forest Moss, Black Soot and any brown but I think I used Ground Espresso. I sprayed it all over the boxes, covering all the sides and bottom. Let dry.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

On the Crypt Cameos and the Skull and Cross Bones, I put some of the Grit Paste on my finger and just tapped it onto them. Then I sprayed them with the same Distress Oxide Sprays as well. I did this process to a few tombstones as well. NOT pictured is the Metal Fence. It got the same treatment as everything else. Grit Paste and then Distress Oxide Sprays.

Mine ended up really pickling the wood on the boxes and then turning the grit paste a cool grey with green and brown bits thrown in. This is cool and I could have stopped here but I wanted to go one step further.

As you can see from this photo, on the smaller box, I added a curved frame.  You have to do this carefully. Bend a little move, bend a little move, bend a little, keep doing this until you get it bent enough that you could attach it to both sides of the box.

I wanted to add a bit more color, so I scribbled some Distress Crayons in Peeled Paint, and any brown you might have on hand. once it is scribble where you want, then rub it in the space

This close up show the Grit Paste with the Distress Crayonn colors on the top.

More of the mossy effect from the Distress Crayon in Peeled Paint.

And here it is in place in the graveyard.

I adhered the Baseboard Frame onto the box once the brick work was dry.Then I tapped some Grit Paste onto it all around the edges. Let it dry and added more color with Distress Crayons.

Here you can see all that luscious texture!

This shows the detail of the Grit Paste and Distress Crayons.

My next post will address the entire graveyard holder and then how to pull it all together.
Tami

I am an affiliate with Simon Says Stamp and Scrapbook.com so the links below send you to one of those stores depending on which logo you choose.  If you wish to purchase something from either store and use one of my links below, I get a small percentage of your order, at no additional cost to you. This helps me to defray the costs of this blog, the time, the ideas and tutorials I post here. Your help is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Finial Graveyard Statuaries - Halloween Idea-ology

  Graveyard monuments fascinate me. I spent some time in some pretty old and pretty spectacular cemeteries. So this year I wanted to make a mini graveyard I could display in my home, and that needed to start with some ornamental statues.

 I had a couple of packages of these Finial Sets from Tim Holtz Idea-ology, so I figured that was a good place to start.

 There are two finial toppers and two finial bases. for today's projects we will be using numbers 1 and 2.

 The Idea-ology Salvaged Dolls are pretty tiny, so I needed a smaller base than 2. That led to me altering the 1 finial top.

 Being VERY careful and using my tonic scissors, I carefully cut into the wood and cut off the top knob of the finial. This would be much easier if I had a dremmel or another type of saw, but I didn't and there was no way I was going to attempt to locate one in the garage. That is my husband's "studio" and I couldn't find an item any easier than he would be able to find something in MY studio. So tonic scissors were my ticket for this technique.

 I slowly cut and rotated the finial and it eventually cut all the way through.

 Eventually it came off. I did this same technique with the 3 finial. Save the knobs. I did end up using them as a base with some of the smallest Bitty Bats. (Seen Here)

 I sanded the base to make it a little more flat and to make sure the doll could stand up.

 Adhere the doll to the top of the finial and when dry, put some Grit Paste on your finger and tap the Grit Paste onto the base and the doll so they have a similar texture.

 Once the entire piece is covered, let it dry.

 When it is dry, paint it with a coat of Hickory Smoke Distress Paint. Then cover it with a thing layer of Vintage Distress Collage Medium.

 That will seal it and you could stop here and add a few bits of color with Distress Crayons if you want. But I wanted to do something else first.

 I painted some watered down brown Distress Paint onto the whole piece.

 Then spray it with water from above like it is raining, and let the color settle into the nooks and crannies. Then dry with a heat tool

This is what it will look like. I ended up adding some additional color by scribbling some Distress Crayons here and there and rubbing the color in with my fingers.

 As you can see there are some spots with Peeled Paint Distress Crayon that make it look like it has moss on it.

Now on the the little bat in the bottom right corner.

 I cut a small piece of heavy wire for another 1 finial piece.

 I poked a hole in the top of the finial and then glued the small piece of wire in it.

 As you can see here I glued the back of one of the Bitty Bats to the wire, then colored the entire piece black.

 Here is what it looks like from the front.

 I originally went over the whole piece lightly with some Tarnished Brass Distress Paint because I wanted it to look like the bat rope holders in the hallway of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion.

 But then decided I wanted to use this piece in my graveyard, so I added some grit paste, grey paint and Distress Crayons.

 The last piece uses the stick that comes out of the Broomstick, the 2 finial and the owl adorenment.

 Pull the stick out of the brown. Poke a hole in the back half of the finial. The hole must be large enough the stick can fit into it.

 Once you have a nice sized hole, attach it with Collage Medium.

 Then using foam adhesive, buld it up so it is flush with the back of the owl and adhere it using Distress Collage Mdium.

 Here you can see that step a little loser in this picture.

 Paint the stick and the finial.

 Following it with a little bit of Grit Paste, and some Hickory Smoke paint.

Additional color can be added by rubbing some crayon here and there to add age.

Thank you so much to those who stopped by for a look and also for those who took the time and effort to leave a comment. I read them all and greatly appreciate it even though I can't comment back.

If you have any questions, please use the comment option in the column at the right.
Tami

I am an affiliate with Simon Says Stamp and Scrapbook.com so the links below send you to one of those stores depending on which logo you choose.  If you wish to purchase something from either store and use one of my links below, I get a small percentage of your order, at no additional cost to you. This helps me to defray the costs of this blog, the time, the ideas and tutorials I post here. Your help is greatly appreciated! Thank you!