Spooky Altered Eileen Hull Basket

Hello Eileen Hull fans, I have a spooky basket tutorial for you today! My 2nd favorite holiday is Halloween & even though I am still working on my costume I can always add to my decoration stash.

Let's Get Tricksy!

Here is my finished basket ready to house my favorite treats so they are within easy reach!  This basket is really easy to assemble & the die makes for infinite possibility.

Time to Make the Basket!

Start out by cutting all your pieces out of mat board. All the directions, including where to add the glue are on the inside of the die packaging. Once my pieces were cut it was time to add some mix media.

Step 2: Using the alterations embossing folders, add a cool fence design to the flaps or sides of the basket, be mindful of the direction so your fence is right side up!

Step 3. Originally I was simply going to emboss the rest of the basket using folders as well so this is another easier option if you like. However I like the skull images better, so I had to proceed using a stencil. Scrape heavy gesso to the side pieces, &  let dry. Next using a stencil, add molding paste and set aside to dry. 

Heat Emboss for the Win

Step 4. While your basket pieces are drying paint the bottom side of the handles using black acrylic paint. Heat emboss the top side with Emerald Creek Hammered Metal. This makes the handles actually look like a very cool metal finish. 

Add Some Dark & Stormy...

Step 5. I wanted my basket to have a cool metallic, very mix media look. I added some acrylic glaze to metallic paint, 50-50 mix and covered the whole piece. After about a minute wipe back the paint with a baby wipe, moving the wipe as it gets dirty to keep removing the paint. You can experiment with how much you wipe off. Do this step 2x.  I used Raven Black first & then repeated with Black Berry. 

Add Halloween Die Cuts

Step 6. While that is drying cut out a Halloween shape using corrugated card board & a steel rule die. I like this material as it is easy to cut but creates a thick piece, also re-purposing is always a good thing! I choose the raven and then coated it with crackle paste. Once the raven was nice & dry it was time for some paint.I painted it with a Raven Black Sparkle and let that dry. Then hit the high points & the branch with copper paint or wax. 

Fire Burn & Cauldron Bubble...

Step 7. All that was left was assembly. This box was easy to put together. I used Supertape to assemble the basket. Adding some embellishments like the word stick with ribbon, and brads to hold the handles. Now my box is ready for some treats! 

Thanks for joining me today. If you get a chance head over to Eileen Hull's Blog to see what the rest of the Inspiration Team has come up with. I hope you have some time to make yourself a spooky basket! Happy Halloween to all.

I am entering this in the Words & Paintery Challenge which you can find here.