I started by using a Hallmark orange treat bag that I bought at Walmart after Halloween last year…. I used the twisty tree die from Brutus Monroe link: https://tinyurl.com/y4sn9flh
I wanted to make the tree look realistic, so took a white scrap of cardstock and colored it starting light and going dark with Distress Ink dies. I used Pumice Stone, Gathered Twigs, Hickory Smoke, Walnut Stain and Black Soot. I used more of the lighter colors then did swipes up and down with the darker colors to make it look more like a tree. I tried to make sure the white was covered with a variety of colors. I used less of each color as each got darker…Once I finished, unfortunately the video cut out, and I added some water to the paper and wiped up the ink that was on the plastic craft mat beneath the paper. I let it dry then die cut it.
The next step was to use Brutus Monroe’s grape glitter glaze link: https://tinyurl.com/y6mndwot on their batty stencil link: https://tinyurl.com/y2d4chcp and made sure the stencil was well taped to the orange bag. I pulled it off, making sure to clean the stencil and palette knife immediately…also not on film, sorry.
I went from there to used a die of a Halloween fence made by Cheery Lynn Designs link: https://tinyurl.com/y6n57nwl and cut it out of white card stock. I used Pumice Stone Distress Ink and dabbed it over the fence then ran my finger along it so that it was aged looking. I glued the fence in place with Tonic Studios glue then laid the tree over it and glued it down. I took a spider web die and cut it out of black cardstock and glued it to the top right edge of the fence. I was given a grim reaper die and cut him out of black cardstock and attached him by the tree.
I wanted to close the bag with clothespins, so took some Halloween inspired washi tape and put tear tape about an inch from the end and removed the backing, then laid it inside the clothespin and wrapped it around the front and rubbed it to make sure it stayed attached, then cut it off with enough to wrap around the “pinchy part” at the top and put more tear tape under that end and rubbed the end with a skewer or a pokey tool or scissors to rub it to ensure it wouldn’t come back off. I did the same to the other side of the clothes pin then repeated it on a second clothes pin.
I decided I wanted some purple glittery bats on the tree branches with the purple glitter embossing powder I made with Heather from Brutus Monroe. You can call her at 412-892-9511 if you’d like to order my special embossing powder that we made together when I visited.
I used white scrap paper and put embossing ink all over it then covered the paper with the glittery purple embossing powder then heat set it (I started heating underneath so the glitter didn’t blow away)..I took the purple paper and put it in the die so the white paper was facing the die as the purple seemed to adhere to the inside of the die if I put the paper in upside down. I cut several of the bats out and adhered the with mine glue dots. I added a black embossed “trick or treat” die cut to the front of the tree as well as a black embossed spider I had in my stash. I’m sending this to Brutus Monroe as a thank you for the nice tour they gave me…

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