Sardines for Lunch!

For the past month or so, I've been trying to eat healthier. It's been great - I've lost a little over five pounds so far! Today I had some sardines for lunch (great source of omega-3s!) and decided the tin was the perfect inspiration for a little Halloween shrine. It just so happens that Halloween is the theme for this week's Grungy Monday (where we celebrate all things Tim Holtz) AND Things With Wings is what we're showing off for the Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge - perfect!

My first step was to cover all the shiny silver and print. A coat of black spray paint did the trick, but wasn't very interesting. I decided to try a little experimenting with my Dabbers. I gave the tin random coats of Pitch Black, Espresso,  and Terra Cotta Dabbers, which gave it a nice vintage look. A little Walnut Stain and Vintage Photo Distress embossing powder added the look of rust - very cool!

The inside was covered with paper that I'd sponged with the new Halloween Distress inks - aren't they gorgeous?! The inked piece was adhered to the back of the tin using Claudine Hellmuth Studio Matte Medium. I used the Medium on top of the paper too - it seals in the color and really makes it pop! The sentiment is from Artistic Outpost's Vintage Halloween stamp collection (one of my faves!) and was stamped onto tissue paper and then adhered with more Matte Medium (love that trick!). To add a little texture, I dipped a brush into a puddle of Black Soot Distress Stain and flicked it over the background.

I glued Spanish moss around the inside and then added a chipboard fence which was cut using Tim Holtz's On the Fence die, and then painted with Pitch Black and Silver Dabbers. Next, I embossed the crow from Tim's Mini Halloween 2 stamp set on chipboard with Adirondack black embossing powder and glued him to the fence.

I just got the new Sizzix//Tim Holtz Autumn Gatherings die and I was dying to use it! To give my leaves a spooky feel, I sponged white paper with the new Halloween inks, crumpled the paper, and then cut it with the die. I can't believe how realistic these leaves look! My spooky branches were cut out of black cardstock (using the same die) and then sponged with the Dabbers a bit and attached to the sides of the tin.

Finally, I added some little 'pumpkins' (actually putka pods that I bought at Michaels), a glass Idea-ology Curio Knob to the top and a little unfinished wood candlestick that was stained using Distress Stains.

I am now totally in the mood for Halloween - are you?! If you're looking for some treats (no tricks!), make sure you check out Inspiration Emporium for, well....inspiration! If you use my coupon code - stamptramp - you will save 10% off your order. Also, be on the lookout for this month's IE challenge, coming soon to the Inspiration Journal blog!