Imaginarium for October

Happy Halloween Hat and Gorgeous Gold 

layout

By Sue Smyth 

Halloween is always a fun time to decorate

 and make something unique and arty to keep.

You may have seen my altered Gothic books, this

time I wanted to do something to match them.

A 3 D witches hat to match seemed a great choice!

I have decorated a small witches hat before, but it is amazing

how as your skills improve,products grow, and your tastes 

change the different look you will get.

To save time, most of the chipboard is sprayed with 

matt black spray paint.

I then rubbed gold metallic paint over a lot of it

and used it to decorate the front of the hat. I have

added in a skeleton like my book, with wings and feathers around him.

For the peacock feather I have used 3 colours of liquid pearls,

Blue,purple and green, to colour the black

chipboard feather to give dimension and shine.

The other feathers are just dipped in black glitter after they 

are coated with dimensional magic.

Here is a mini tutorial on how to alter the hat base.

Spray paint the hat black for a good base to work from,

Apply strips of tissue paper over the hat with gel medium.

Make sure to pleat and scrunch the tissue to give a

great texture. 

When dry, paint thoroughly with purple paint.

When dry paint with black gesso, this time paint roughly

so that some of the delicious purple shows through!

Use a brush to apply Inka gold graphite paint, all over the hat 

Then use a brush to apply turquoise or lime green glittery paint.

Then apply metallic gold paint over top of that to give 

a rich depth of colour.

Here you can see all of the colours showing through. I have then sprayed

the whole hat with gold glitter spray.

Then to start building the decoration, I have used the wrought

gate.

And added a border to the back, to attach further decorations to.

To bend the border, dampen a little with water and bend

with your fingers, then allow to dry in shape.

Gorgeous Gold Layout 

The next project I have for you is a gorgeous layout featuring 

gold foil board.

This is a sheet of 12 x 12 gold foil that I could not

resist using as my base.

My flowers are just old fluted ones I found on a hat with 

lovely textured centers. Of course

I have altered, sprayed and painted with gold paint to 

match. 

I have kept the colour palette limited, only adding red so the main star is the 

gold background  

Rub over the chipboard with red Inka Gold,

I have added this also, to some black and 

cream fussy cut butterflies. Also double emboss

the leaves with gold embossing powder for a polished look.

After rubbing over the gold paint (see tutorial below)

highlight areas with red and copper inka gold.

Blend together with your finger tip.

A small photo, die cut will fit nicely into the centre

of the clock. I have also sanded the edges 

for a rustic look.

One simple word is all you need for a title, paint with

matt black spray paint.

This is another photo of the layout without so 

much of the reflection, You will notice that 

I have added a few mica shards around the top of the layout

for added glimmer and interest.

Place foil board on some concrete and press down 

with your hands to create a lumpy pitted surface.

Sand edges and over the surface a little too.

Adhere selected chipboard to the foil board with

gel medium, allow to dry.

Paint entire surface with black gesso, allow to partially dry.

Rub off excess with a wet wipe, apply more

pressure in areas that are stubborn

Spritz with a gold glimmer mist, partially dry

and rub off excess over the foil area.

Then rub over with gold metallic paint and 

decorate as above.

A sweet Christmas treat. 

I have used the mini bird cage to make a mini Christmas decoration.

Spray with matt black spray paint,

 Dampen the top of each cage and bend into shape.

Adhere around a resin frame or piece of black chipboard

that matches the size. 

Tie the top eyelets together.

Rub over with gold paint

Decorate with trinkets, pearls, and rhinestones.

Chipboard used 

Happy Crafting