Welcome back to Paper Play, friends!
October's Gecko Galz Challenge theme was a very fun one to create for - All Things Dark and Beautiful. I have always been a fan of all things eerie, spooky, paranormal, and creepy. I'm also a fan of anything Gothic, which i why this challenge was so much fun for me. But what defines dark and beautiful? It's so varied from person to person and it was fun to see how each Design Team member interpreted it.
I created five projects for the challenge - A Gothic vampire curio box and four greeting cards.
For the curio box, I used a small wooden rectangular box and painted it black. I used a Gothic print from the Nosferatu ATC Sheet as the background and fussy cut an image from Victorian Gothic Ladies as the focal point. Some gems were added around the edge of the frame for a little sparkle. I love the mischievous smirk on her face!
The first greeting card that I created is a shadowbox card. The background is a Gothic print from the Nosferatu ATC Sheet that is adhered to a black A2 card base. The image of the woman was fusst cut from an image in the Victorian Gothic Ladies set and a crystal was glued to the center of the spider web on chest. I cut a gold arched frame to fit around the background, glued a piece of acetate to the back of it, and adhered it to the card base with double sided foam tape. A few gems were glued down for added effect. She looks like she's ready to star in The Curse of the Spider Woman!
The next card is a fun trio of photos preserved in a slimline film strip frame. I felt like these three images go together well and tell the story of a woman who is haunted by both her past and her future. I used a die to cut the frame and added distress to it with Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Tea Dye, Vintage Photo, and Scorched Timber. I also added from distress to the pictures and then adhered them to the frame. The frame was adhered to the card base with double sided foam tape, and the sentiment made with a label maker.
The third card celebrates el dia de los muertos, The Day of the Dead. The gorgeous image is from the Day of the Dead Card Toppers collection. I centered the image on an arch of black cardstock and adhered it to the card base. A gold metallic gel pen was used to outline the black rose in her hair. I rubbed little white flowers with some Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distress Ink and glued them down around the arch. I created a small distressed rectangle and hand wrote the sentiment of hermosa eternindad, eternal beauty, on it. It's truly dark and beautiful!
The last card is a a Gothic Wedding card. For the background, I cut a piece of brown shipping paper to fit an A2 card base, wrinkled up the shipping paper several times, and then adhered it down to the card base with a combination of double sided tape and craft glue. I ran Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress Ink over the card base and Scorched Timber around the edges of the card. The blood spotted letter is from the Vampire Dreams Junk Journal Kit, and the image is from Gothic Halloween. The skeleton mask for the husband was cut from an image from The Dark Library set. I made a frame for it using some chipboard, gold gilding wax, and turquoise gilding wax. The result is a perfect wedding card for a couple who enjoys everything dark and beautiful.
I hope that you enjoyed reading about my creative process for these projects. Until next time . . . be well!
