Paper Garden Projects' Stamp Kit release! (Dancing Skeleton Stick Puppet Theatre)

Ouuu! I'm so excited to share the release of two Paper Garden Projects Cooridinated Stamp Kits with you! I played with The "Happy Halloweenie!" kit and Tracy made some stunning creations with the Best Witches Kit. You can check out her sweet projects here.

I must admit that I never knew kits could be such a blast! It's not hard to rave about this stuff:

The Stamps: (I have met the love of my life- stamp-wise, LOL) Seriously though, these stamps are magic. They have the stampability of rubber and the visibility of acrylic 'cause Cathy has mounted the great red rubber eat cake graphics stamps to perfection. They're on EZ mount & they're registered so you can see through an acrylic block for exact placement. The "Happy Halloweenie!" kit comes with 3 adorable Halloween characters & a cute sentiment (used them all here.) [Now I just need to learn how to mount every stamp I own this way, LOL]

The patterned paper is ultra cute & embossed(!) & there are colours in it to go with anyone's favourites. The textured Bazzil cardstock is wicked & the announcement cream cardstock stamps up scarily nice.

Embellishments too... bling baby! Glittery brads and gems and dewdrops and buttons and 2 kinds of May Arts ribbon even. :O)

So, what did I do with all these treats? I wanted to challenge myself to make 13 projects with the kit. This first project was a scream; I felt like a kid makin' it. It's a card & a puppet theatre. Kids can set it up at the edge of a table or counter top & play with the characters. :O) Of course, they can even help make it (unless you want all of the fun for yourself, heehee.) Here's how-to...

Supplies:

These Supplies all come in the Paper Garden Projects "Happy Halloweenie!" kit:

Stamps:

1) Mr. Bones the Dancing Skeleton 2) Witch Hazel & Blackie Fly 3) Peter Pumpkin 4) "Happy Halloweenie!" sentiment

Cardstock:

--1 piece of Bazzil Parakeet textured cardstock
--White cardstock (7.5 inches by 3 inches) to stamp skeletons on
--Black textured cardstock (8.5 by 2 inches to make the top of the stage)
--Black textured cardstock (3.5 by 7 and 5/8 inches to make scalloped mat)
--Black textured cardstock (5 2/8 inches by 8 and 2/8 inches to make the large mat)
--Black textured cardstock (7.5 inches or more by 3.5 inches to make the inside pocket)
--Dotted strip from the Eat, Drink & be Scary patterned paper (for pocket)
--Pixie Sticks (Striped & dotted) double-sided cardstock pieces: (Striped: 8 and 1/8 by 3 inches; Dotted: 8 and 1/8 by 2 and 1/8 inches )
-- Circles of patterned paper (1 1'4 inch of Yellow textured cardstock, 1 inch of Wicked Whimsy patterned paper & 1 3/8 inch of Eat, Drink & be Scary paper)

Embellishments:

--Sheer dotted Black Swiss ribbon (for the stage curtains)
--Dew Droplets --Sugared brads

Items from your supplies/Paper Garden Projects:

• Black Versafine (stamp skeletons) & Inks to colour & distress (Used here: green, orange, aqua)
• Colour duster brush & a watercolour brush to distress & shade
• White ink & White embossing powder (sentiment)
• Sakura Star dust Gelly Roll Pen
• Scissors
• Black marker & white pencil crayon
• Punches: 3 Circle punches-- 1" and 1 & 1/4" and 1 3/8"; SU Corner rounder or threading water border punch (to create scallop)
• Foam mounting tape (to mount sentiment)
• Oh so sticky tape (to adhere curtains)
• Crystal Lacquer (to adhere the dew droplets & puppets)
• Black thread (optional to sew curtains & stitch card)
• Popsicle sticks & black paint/ink

You can download the TEMPLATE for stage top decoration here

Optional Extras:

--Ribbon: The kit comes with enough ribbon, but there's Sheer dotted Black swiss ribbon
available by the yard too.
--Dewdroplets

Instructions:

The Theatre:

Step 1. Fold piece of Parakeet textured cardstock in half & edge with a black marker.

Step 2. Print template for the stage top decoration, trace it in white pencil crayon onto black cardstock, cut and attach it. Embellish if you like with a Sakura Star dust Gelly Roll Pen


Step 3. Cut pieces of patterned paper & black mat:

Pixie Sticks (Striped & dotted) double-sided cardstock pieces: (Striped: 8 and 1/8 by 3 inches; Dotted: 8 and 1/8 by 2 and 1/8 inches )

Mat them onto a piece of black cardstock (5 2/8 inches by 8 and 2/8 inches)

Step 4. Add it to the blue card on top of the stage top decoration.

Step 5. Add curtains:

Cut 3 pieces of the black dotted ribbon: One 8 2/8 inches long for the top, 2 4 1/2 inches long for the sides. Stick the long piece of ribbon on with three small pieces of Oh so sticky tape (one on either end and one in the middle.) Stick the two sides on with a small piece each (*at the top only, so they flutter) :o)

Pierce the paper to stitch over it to gather the middle

embellish the sides, if you like.

Step 6. Stamp the skeletons:

Stamp 3 Mr. Bones the Dancing Skeleton images in a row on the White cardstock (7.5 inches by 3 inches.) The great thing about these stamps is that they are on EZ mount and they are even registered(!) so you can see exactly where you are stamping them since you can see through an acrylic block. (I know I mentioned that already, but I'm so excitipated, lol)


Step 7. Colour in some shadows on the skeletons & glitter them with a Sakura Star dust Gelly Roll Pen. Distress with a Colour duster brush & inks. I've used these colours green, orange, aqua to colour & distress. Shadows were added under the Skeletons' feet using a little gray ink on a watercolour brush



Step 8. Scallop the Black textured cardstock (3.5 by 7 and 5/8 inches to make scalloped mat.) Add the sugared brads that come in the kit to the scallops (piercing holes first makes that easy.)



Step 9. Adhere the skeletons image to the black mat & stick onto the "stage" Add lights by drawing lines from the sugared brads onto the white cardstock.

Step 10. Adhere the Dew Droplets with Crystal Lacquer

Step 11. Punch the circles of patterned paper for the sentiment: (1 1'4 inch of Yellow textured cardstock, 1 inch of Wicked Whimsy patterned paper & 1 3/8 inch of Eat, Drink & be Scary paper) Edge them in black marker & adhere them to each other.

Step 12. Emboss the "Happy Halloweenie!" sentiment (White ink & White embossing powder) & cut it out. Layer onto the circles and doodle on it with the Sakura Star dust Gelly Roll Pen.

And now you have a stage & performing skeletons. :o) You can leave it as is or add a pocket & some stick puppets...

The pocket:

Step 1. Cut & adhere the pocket:

Cut black textured cardstock 7.5 inches or more by 3.5 inches to make the inside pocket)
Score to decorate if you like. Adhere it to the inside of the card at the bottom.
Step 2. Embellish: Add the dotted strip from the Eat, Drink & be Scary patterned paper. Now you have a pocket for stick puppets:

The Puppets:

This is my favourite part because these stamps are so CUTE!


Step 1. Paint some popsicle sticks black (or ink them)



Step 2. Colour & cut out some images (I used markers & glittered them with a Sakura Star dust Gelly Roll Pen)



Step 3. Adhere the puppets to the popsicle sticks:

• One trick: be sure you place the characters low enough on the stick so that they will fit in the pocket and the card will close (under 4 1/2 inches high in total is ideal.)

• Use Crystal Lacquer on the backs of the puppets to adhere. Before adhering, give it about 20 seconds to set a little & stick them on. (If you want to make the fronts glossy & sturdy, you can coat them in the Crystal Lacquer. When it dries they'll be all glassy.)

Step 4. Put the stick puppets in the pocket!

Thanks so much for sharing in the excitement of my first design team; your enthusiasm makes this 10 times the fun! :O)



P.S. Quick links here:

• "Happy Halloweenie!" kit
• The Template
• Tracy's Blog
• Cathy's Blog

P.P.S. To Return to the 13 Days of Halloweenie INDEX,

Click HERE :O)