Haunted Village Finale - One More Building, Some People and a Video

Hello everyone!  Happy Halloween!!

Well, I just couldn't stop - I had to make one last thing for the Haunted Village - the Village Tower,

If you've been following my blog this past week or so you've seen all the buildings I've made based on Laura Carson's (Artfully Musing) 2015 Halloween Event. The badge for the event is over in the right side column- check out all the creative goodness!

I have had so much fun making all these pieces to this amazing project.  Here is the final piece - the Village Tower.

The tower and its roof come apart and fold flat for storage.

You can also see a few of the villagers (I keep wanting to call them the "Village People"- LOL) gathered around for a chat.

Ghoul & Sons Chemists - A Project from the Artfully Musing 2015 Halloween Event

Hello everyone!

I'm back with the last building in my  version of Laura Carson's Haunted Village - the Artfully Musing 2015 Halloween Event.  The badge for the event is over in the right side column, but here's a direct link to the first posting for the event which includes this building.

This building is Ghoul & Sons Chemists.

Here is the front of the Chemist shop.

This building used one of the chipboard house shapes and then a double window shape for the dormer.

There are rusted fences on either side and a tree with some visiting crows.

The Thrifty Witch - A Project from the Artfully Musing 2015 Halloween Event

Hi everyone!

I'm continuing making buildings from the Artfully Musing 2015 Halloween Event.  Every time I finish one it's my new favorite - LOL!

It is so much fun to make these buildings.  Laura Carson has done a fantastic job of creating video tutorials, photos, collage sheets and PDF's with specifics on all the materials she used.  It really makes it easy to re-create any of the buildings or accessories, or use them as a jumping off point for another project.

This building is the Thrifty Witch (see Laura's version here) - although the inside is more like the Laura's Black Cat Emporium.

Cadaver & Digger Undertakers - A Project from the Artfully Musing 2015 Halloween Event

Hello everyone!

I'm back with my next building in the Haunted Village.  This is another of Laura Carson's designs (Artfully Musing) in her 2015 Halloween Event.  The badge for the event is over in the right side column, but here's a direct link to the second posting for the event which includes this building.

This building is Cadaver & Diggers Undertakers.

Here is the front of the Undertakers.

This building started out as two chipboard house shapes that have been connected together.
The turrets on the two sides and the tower in the center stand proud of the facade - the turrets about 3/4" and the tower about 1/2".  On the left there is a doorway so the assistant can move the coffins in and out.  You can see she has her hands full today!

Retching Toad Eatery - A Project from the Artfully Musing 2015 Halloween Event

Hello everyone!

I'm back with my next building in the Haunted Village.  This is another of Laura Carson's designs (Artfully Musing) in her 2015 Halloween Event.  The badge for the event is over in the right side column, but here's a direct link to the first of several postings for the event.

This building is the Retching Toad Eatery (don't you love all the fun names?!).

Here is the front of the Eatery. I've flipped the facade so the door is on the right.

This building again started out as a flat chipboard house shape.  I made separate pieces for both the window units that have chipboard sides and separate little chipboard roofs.  The base window strands out about an inch, and the top window abut 1/2". The triangular section above the door is also a separate piece.  The roof above the main window slants out and is notched around the other parts.

Happy Bat Tavern - A Project from the Artfully Musing 2015 Halloween Event

Hello everyone!

I hope you have had a chance to visit and be inspired by Laura Carson's (Artfully Musing) 2015 Halloween Event.  It is just amazing!!  The badge for the event is over in the right side column, but here's a direct link to the first of several postings for the event.

In this year's event, Laura has created a series of buildings that make up a Haunted Village.  I think there are nine buildings and accessories, as well as a large 3D manor.  She designed collage sheets/digital images for all the buildings so they could have loads of unique features, as well as images for the facades, windows, and roofs..

I new I couldn't make them all (at least not this year!) so I started with the Happy Bat Tavern.

Here is the front of the tavern.  For pretty much everything I  followed Laura's version.  I think one thing I did differently was to make layers of shingles on the roof parts.  Oh and I added acrylic to the windows.

Construction Videos & Cutting Guide - Seashore Lighthouse and Mini Album

Hello everyone!

I have uploaded all the construction videos to YouTube for both the Seashore Lighthouse and the Mini Album that fits inside.

There is also a Materials & Cutting Guide which also includes the templates for both projects up on Dropbox.  This is a PDF file which can be downloaded for free.

Seashore Lighthouse

Hello everyone!

I have a new project to share with you today that I call the "Seashore Lighthouse".

I modeled the design of this project after several lighthouses off the east coast of the United States.

The project features a Prima paper collection named "Seashore" which was just perfect for this theme, don't you think?

From the base to the top finial on the light tower, the project stands about 20" high.  The base is roughly octagon shaped and is 12" x 13".

Inside of the foundation there is room for a mini-album and we'll see more on that later.

Laura Denison Designs Project - Hidden Treasures Mini Album Cabinet

I always enjoy making Laura Denison's projects and this one was especially fun with all the little miniatures.

The pattern for this project is available on LauraDenisonDesigns.com and the specific link is included at the end of this post.

I used Bo Bunny's Genevieve paper collection for the project.  Something about the blues and yellows just said "cabinet" to me.

It's a pretty good-sized project - approximately 10 x 10 x 5 1/2", not including the pediment.



And there is a very good reason for the size... it's to hold the hidden treasure!

Construction Files & Videos - No. 31 Haunted Lane

Hello everyone!

I finally have all the construction videos for No. 31 Haunted Lane edited and posted to YouTube.  There are quite a few - 23 not including the introduction.

Please don't be intimidated by the number of videos. Granted if you are new to paper crafting and chipboard construction, this should not be your first project.  That being said, I hope that between the files and videos I have provided sufficient details and explanations to make the project not only manageable, but a lot of fun to create.

The blog post on August 31, 2015 includes lots of photos and a link to the completed project video.

No. 31 Haunted Lane

Hello everyone!

I've just finished a Halloween project which I am calling "No. 31 Haunted Lane".

It is a Victorian Style house designed with lots of construction details - tower, dormer, porches, etc.

It features the 2015 Halloween paper line from Graphic 45 - "Rare Oddities". I used both the 12x12 and 6x6 paper pads.

But as you'll see in a minute, the project is much more than the house - it opens up on the left and right to showcase niches with little Halloween oddities and 31 little treat drawers to countdown the days from October 1st to Halloween.

Construction - Acorn Fairy House

Hello Everyone!

I have posted all the construction videos for the Acorn Fairy House on YouTube.  There is also a cutting guide and templates available as a free download on Dropbox.

(If you missed the post on the finished project, here is a link to the July 19, 2015 post)

I hope you will try making this project - it was a lot of fun to create.

If you have any questions, please send me an email at Craft Knife Chronicles

Videos
Introduction to Construction
Part 1 - Acorn House and Windows
Part 2 - Doors and Window Boxes
Part 3 - Acorn Top
Part 4 - Acorn Interior
Part 5 - Leaves
Part 6 - Mushroom Lamppost
Part 7 - Base Construction
Part 8a - Base Finishing 1
Part 8b - Base Finishing continued

Finished Project Video

Cutting Guide and Templates
Free Download on Dropbox

Acorn Fairy House

Hello everyone!  I have a new project to share with you... it is a little fairy house in a garden setting that I am calling the Acorn Fairy House.

The project features Graphic 45 Deluxe Collector's Edition "Once Upon a Springtime",  This was one of my favorite paper collections and I was so thrilled when Graphic 45 re-released it earlier this year.

The acorn house is large enough to store a small book or mini album in the inside.  The windows all have lights and you can catch a glimpse of a fairy if you peek inside.

There are places for the fairies to relax and play in the gardens around their house.

A lantern hangs from a large mushroom near the entrance to the garden to light the path to the fairies home.

Graphic 45 Design Team Audition 2015

Hello everyone.
Today I am excited to be applying for the Graphic 45 Design Team for 2015!

I love to make books and three-dimensional paper projects, and the Graphic 45 paper collections are always a great source of inspiration. I have selected seven projects which I believe best represent my style and would like to share them with you.

1. By the Sea Tunnel Book

Paper Collection - Graphic 45 By the Sea

Type of Project - Specialty Book
Video Tutorial - YouTube

This tunnel book is a triptych with a gate-fold cover.  The center section features a seaside scene  constructed with four separate panels, each with a portion of the scene, and then a background.  The panels are attached to accordion bindings which give the scene depth and create the "tunnel".  The left and right sections feature additional images from the paper collection.

French Country Portal Construction Videos

Hello all!  I've uploaded all the construction videos to YouTube and the PDF Construction Guide to Dropbox.  So if you would you like to build a French Country Portal of your own or just see how it was constructed check out the videos listed below.

These videos show the construction of all the parts of the portal and the base.  Instructions for the Mini-Album that fits in the drawer are not part of this video collection, but there is a Step-by-Step guide on Snapguide and I will include a link to that as well.

I  kept track of all the materials I used and the measurements for all the specific pieces used to make each part of the project.  All this is included in the PDF file named "French Country Portal Construction Guide", and I'll include the link to that file over on Dropbox (Public access - no fee).

French Country Mini Album

Hello everyone.
Remember that drawer that was in the base of the French Country Portal (March 14 post)?  Well today I finished a mini-album to fit inside.

The mini stands almost 9" tall and 4" wide - just the right size for the drawer.  It coordinates with the Portal by using the same Graphic 45 French Country paper collection.  It can hold at least fourteen of the small 2x3 size photos.

I call it an "unfolding tag" album.  It has 6 tags, two of which are chipboard (the front and back covers) and the remainder are Graphic 45 Large Black Tags.  The tags are all hinged together with different sized hinges to allow lots of room for pockets and photo mats and lots of goodies.

In this photo you can see the front cover and the chipboard charms that hang from the eyelet.  You also see the main spine on the left which is about 1" thick.

French Country Portal

Hello everyone!  I have a new project to share - I call it the French Country Portal.  "French Country" comes from the paper collection I used to create the project - Graphic 45 French Country and the "Portal" is because I think the scene on the top creates a doorway or window into a country scene.

I love the rich colors of this paper collection and it had a great variety of both patterns and elements for fussy cutting

The project is based on the concept of nesting boxes or nesting dolls.  The portal is actually four individual boxes with openings on their bottom sides so they can slip inside each other.  The scene is created by having a window inside the front of each box.  When the portal is in the stacked position, you only see the background of box 4 - all the other box backgrounds are hidden.

Secret Garden Slipcase Construction

Would you like to build your own Secret Garden Slipcase (see March 1st's post), or just see how it was constructed?

Well, for this project I made a series of videos as I built the project. These videos show the construction of all the parts and pieces of the tree and how the background was designed.

I also kept track of all the materials I used and the measurements for all the specific pieces used to make each part of the project.  This is all included in the pdf file named "Secret Garden Slipcase" which also includes templates for all the tree parts.

Secret Garden Slipcase

Today I'd like to share the slipcase I created to house the Secret Garden Star Book.

I had the idea for the Secret Garden slipcase even before I created the  Star Book. But I decided I'd better make the book first to see if I would need to tweak any of the slipcase dimensions.(You can see the Secret Garden Star Book on the blog post dated February 25, 2015.)

To really get a feel for this project it is probably best viewed in three dimension, so there is a video on YouTube which takes you on a tour (see link at end of post).

The tree has a "knot hole" so you can put your finger in it and push out the drawer that contains the book. Here you see the drawer pushed out on the right with the book inside.

This project uses the Graphic 45 "Secret Garden" paper collection - hence the project name.  I used paper I had reserved specially for the slipcase from both the 12x12 and 8x8 pads. After making both the book and the slipcase, there is very little left in either of those pads!

Secret Garden Star Book

Today I'd like to share a new project I just completed - it is a star book

A star book is a type of accordion book.  Each page has multiple layers that vary in length and thus form a multi-layered star when the book is open and the covers are placed back to back.

This book features the Graphic 45 Secret Garden paper collection.  I used both the 12x12 and 8x8 pads to create the project.

The project also features Spellbinders Shapeabilities dies - four of the pages have a panel created from one of these dies using a special cutting technique to create a mirror image or extended diecut panel.

I videoed the construction of the book as I went along, so if you are interested in making this project yourself you can use those videos as a guide.  More on that at the end of the post.