HALLOWEEN TREE

Have you ever had the experience of really loving and enjoying something tremendously and, to you, it looks phenomenal? But, when you try to share the same experience with others through photos, it seems to somehow fall completely flat? I mean COMPLETELY.

Well, that's what has happened with the photos I am trying to share with you today.

Last Halloween season, Stampin' Up! had released the Ornate Frames dies (page 182 in the Annual Catalog). I had loved them so much that I couldn't see them as just for Halloween. Sure, they were meant to be used in conjuction with a Halloween Designer Series Paper pack. But the frames are so wonderful and swirly and elegant . . . Well, I could go on and on. Needless to say I loved them and bought them, and use them ALL THE TIME.

Well, on one of the Clearance Racks in the past year, that pack of Halloween DSP was offered for a great price, so, lover of the Clearance Rack and DSP, of course, I ordered it for myself. I figured I already had the dies, so I'd have fun with the DSP . . . a year later. But so what?

One of the DSP sheets featured little framed portraits of spooky characters. I fussy cut an entire sheet, then proceeded to die cut frames, most from the Ornate Frames set, from black cardstock on which to mount my characters. Before I adhered the portrait to the frame, I inserted a folded piece of Halloween-y baker's twine so I could hang them up. 

That process took a long time, but I just set them aside because I had nowhere to hang them. I finally discovered a 24" high spooky stick tree that I thought would be a perfect setting for my characters. When it arrived, I was excited to trim the tree. So I immediately set to work.

They looked so cute on the tree, but . . . as ornaments will do, they turned about and often I was looking at just a black die cut frame. Frustrating. 

So I went back to work. I fussy cut more of the characters, and when I finally finished, I simply put the matching character on the backside of each of the ornaments. Wondderful! Now, when they turn hither and yon, the viewer sees a character no matter what. No plain black backs.

Next problem: I had a few branches that were empty. We couldn't have THAT! 

I had some raw wooden beads. So . . . I went down to my Creation Station and used Stampin' Blends in purple, green and orange to decorate these wooden beads. I wasn't sure how the Blends would work on unfinished wood, but they worked like a charm. To make them into hanging ornaments, I added thicker baker's twine as hangers. 

I hung my cute wooden bead ornaments to the remaining bare branches.

My spooky Halloween tree has been sitting on the counter in our kitchen. Since, with Covid-19, it's just my husband and me who see it. I love having it. So I thought I would share the joy with all of you.

With that in mind, I closed the blinds on my patio door and played a little with the lighting to get the creepiest photos possible, but still be able to see the ornaments.

As you can see from the photos below, I failed miserably. 

I'm sorry it wasn't spookier and better looking. But at least I shared it with you. <creeping away in embarrassment>.

With this weird year we are experiencing, have you done any fall decorating? 

Creepy

Smiles.