Halloween Trivet

One day I found some old iron trivets with tile inserts in an antique store.  I didn’t like the pictures on the tiles, but I thought the bases would make great frames for small artwork.  They did!

I just got the Halloween stamp sets from Sin City Stamps and they are perfect for my Halloween trivets!  I really like simple designs that I can combine in different ways when I decorate.  I chose one image from the Halloween Takes Flight stamp set and one image from the Halloween Bingo set. 



You can get the stamps individually, too.

 I chose some paper:

I've been experimenting with stamping on different papers.  Then I can choose the best one for my current project and I have extras all ready for future ideas!  I cut the paper to fit the tile, then stamped my images using Stewart Superior Black India Ink.  Stewart Superior sent us some inks to work with, and this one is perfect for Sin City Stamps! This ink makes a really crisp image, even with fine details. 

I inked the edges with Tim Holtz Distress Inks in Antique Linen, Spiced Marmalade, Rusty Hinge and Vintage Photo.  I started with the lightest color and ended with the darkest.  Because the India Ink is permanent, it doesn’t run when the Distress Inks are added.  If you want a soft look, you can apply the Distress Inks with a sponge or a blending tool.  I like the sharp, linear look here.  It contrasts with the curves of the frame and focuses the eye on the images in the center.  I later added some Rusty Hinge around the bottom of the cauldron to suggest fire and a little Antique Linen above the cauldron to suggest steam rising.


Here's the original trivet.

I painted the tile with gesso so the picture wouldn’t show through my paper.  This picture shows the tile with one coat of gesso; I added one more coat.

I inked the edges of the tile.


The tile has a glossy coating that won’t take the ink, so you need to wipe away the excess.

Then I adhered my picture to the tile with gel medium.  Some of the tiles are glued securely to the
trivets.  You just have to sort of work around the frame.  But this tile had come loose, so it was easy to work with.  One the gel medium dried, I sanded the edges of the paper and reinked them.  Then I added a coat of gel medium on top and glued the tile back into the trivet.  The trivet isn’t suitable for holding hot items any more, but you can easily hang it on a wall or incorporate it into a Halloween vignette.

You can make a similar project without the trivet.  Here’s the same layout on another background.


I used a small canvas that I had previously “painted” with fabric dye.  I inked the edges with Distress Inks.

Then I adhered my picture to it with gel medium, sanded the edges and reinked them.

You will love the Halloween stamps from Sin City Stamps!  And, no, it’s never too early for Halloween projects!

And right now, Sin City Stamps is having a Scratch ‘n’ Save promotion.  Visit this page to see how much you can save!

I hope you will be inspired to create your own Halloween projects with these great Sin City Stamps sets!

As always, let me know if you have any questions!