TRICK-OR-TREAT

Wishing you all a safe Trick-or-Treat!

Toothy

Smiles.

ON THE WEB

Cookie Cutter Builder Punch to the rescue once again! This time I used it with the skeleton dude. Isn't he simply adorable? To think we all look just like that inside . . .

Here he is up close and personal. I embossed him in white on black cardstock, then punched him out with the Cookie Cutter Builder Punch (page 6 of the Holiday Catalog). 

Because I do not have the Stampin' Up! spiderweb embossing folder (besides I think that would overdo this card anyway), and none of my other Stampin' Up! folders were appropriately creepy enough, I turned to this old Tim Holtz embossing folder, which to my eye looks like multiple spooky spiderwebs and contrasted nicely with the spiderweb behind our little skeleton. Embossed on Smoky Slate cardstock, it gave the exact impression I was going for.

The spiderweb doily stuck over the two side edges a bit. So, in order to fit the cards inside an A2 sized enveloped, I just trimmed the sides of the web at the edges of the card. I think this worked well because it added a bit to the creepiness what with the hanging edges and all.

Little Skeleton Dude and I wish you and yours 

a safe and spooky Halloween!

Skeleton

Smiles.

PAPER PUMPKIN TRIO

This month's Paper Pumpkin kit is sort of two-kits-in-one. This is the card I made from my second kit:

You see, this is what the eight cards in the kit are SUPPOSED to look like. Adorable shaker cards.

OK. Now, the second kit might not be readily noticeable to others. They might just take those 24 (TWENTY-FOUR!!) leaves that you punch out of their spots and throw them on their leaf pile. I dunno! Use those leafy darlings in your SECOND KIT!

One of the stamps that comes in this versatile kit is sort of a crackle, veiny stamp. You are supposed to stamp the spaces underneath the leaf cut-outs for the sequins and other shakers to move around on.

BUT, you can take that stamp and those 24 leaves that you tossed on your leaf pile and make something brand new! I stamped right on top of the leaves with this stamp and VersaMark ink. I then covered the stamped leaves with clear embossing powder, and heated 'em up.

Back at my work table, I used Soft Suede, Cajun Craze and Crushed Curry to sponge over the veins, obviously using the veins as a resist.

And this is the cool effect you get for your second kit!

I dug through my stash of Designer Series Papers and ultimately came up with this card. 

And don't you love the sentiment banner? It's a "thanks" from a retired kit, stamped in black and punched out with the Duet Banner Punch (page 186 of the catalog). I then used a ruler to carefully draw the lines to make the banner look more 3-D. A little bit of black and white baker's twine was a perfect finishing touch.

So, that's how you get a BONUS KIT! And, now I have TWENTY-ONE (21!!) more leaves to play with! There are so many things you can do with these leaves. Put your thinking caps on and have a ball with your second Paper Pumpkin kit!

Leafy

Smiles.

MOONDANCE

PLEASE NOTE: I do sell framed prints of these pieces. If you are interested, please contact me.

Moony

Smiles.

RAINBOWS AND BUTTERFLIES

I know I've been overloading my blog posts with Halloween stuff. So, I thought I'd give you a little bit of a break today and treat you to . . . RAINBOWS AND BUTTERFLIES!

This is a card that my girls created at the September 2016 Stamp-In Workshop. Initially, when I was planning my projects for the August Workshop, I intended this to be the card they would make. Then, however, after it proved to be a bit much for a workshop project, I decided to go ahead and make it a unique framed piece. 

I still wanted to do something with butterflies and rainbows that they could make, so I came up with this:

I loved being able to use actual music as my background, and a black diecut with the Swirly Scribble Thinlits to act as the music "staff". To continue with the music theme, I used the "just a note" stamp from the beautiful stamp set that comes with the Watercolor Wishes Card Kit (pages 8 and 9). Popped up over some thick baker's twine, it was the perfect addition.

The combination of the popped-up butterflies, the sentiment and a little from the baker's twine, the card has some dimension. Not a lot. But pleasing enough.

Following are the instructions on how to re-create this card on your own. Have fun!

SUPPLIES:

Watercolor Wishes Card Kit stamp

Real Red cardstock

Tangerine Tango cardstock

Daffodil Delight cardstock

Wild Wasabi cardstock

Marina Mist cardstock

Pacific Point cardstock

Elegant Eggplant cardstock

Very Vanilla cardstock

Black cardstock

Black ink

Big Shot

Swirly Scribbles Thinlits

Bitty Butterfly Punch

Wild Wasabi Thick Baker's Twine

Stampin' Dimensionals

Music

INSTRUCTIONS:

Fold a 11" x 4 1/4" piece of Real Red cardstock in half, creasing well with a bone folder.

Add a 3 1/2" x 5 1/2" piece of music to a 3 3/4" x 5 1/2" piece of Daffodil Delight cardstock. Wrap a 6 1/2" piece of Wild Wasabi Thick Baker's Twine around this piece, about 1/2" from the bottom of the yellow portion. Adhere this to the card base.

From Basic Black cardstock, cut the long scribble from the Swirly Scribble Thinlits. Trim the ends as you wish so it is the same width as the card. Adhere this over the music so it is somewhat raised from the center point.

From each of the rainbow colors, use the Bitty Butterfly Punch to create the butterflies. Before adhering them in place, position them across the black scribble as you think you would like them. When you are pleased with the arrangement, adhere them, one by one, with a bit of Dimensional on the backs.

On a 3/4" x 1 3/4" piece of Very Vanilla cardstock, stamp "just a note" in black ink. Adhere this over the Baker's Twine with Stampin' Dimensionals.

Rainbow

Smiles.

OWL MOON

The other image I really love from the set I used in my haunted house from last Sunday's post is this spooky owl perched on a branch of a great ol' gnarly tree. To me, this image is the epitome of creepy.

However, THAT was the image: an owl in a tree. That's it. He needed a big orange moon behind him, didn't he??

So, THIS is the image I came up with.

And, do you remember the cute Halloween-y paper I used in the oval of my cute little Dracula sack? Well, since I'm something of a slob, the extra DSP from that Stamp-In project was still lying there, BEGGING to be used. I thought it was a good addition, picking up both the orange from the moon and the black from the owl on its branch. Just a peek of it was just right.

Now, when I was planning on doing the moon, my original idea was to just punch out a circle of orange cardstock. But, if you've already tried something like that, you'll know that you won't get a smooth transition around the edges of the moon, in that there will be an abrupt line between the moon and the stamping outside the circle. If I'd used a very thin paper, that probably wouldn't have been too much of a problem. But, I didn't want ANY problem whatsoever.

So I decided to stamp my moon. Now, to find a good circle stamp in the right size.

I finally came across this newish set (page 21 of the Holiday catalog). It seemed perfect for my intent. Right? No, you say? They are all Christmas-y, ornament-y, tag-y. Oh yeah?

Here is a close-up of the stamps themselves. Do you see now which one I used?

Here it is!!! 

One Paper Seedling that grew into something great!

Creepy

Smiles.

DRACULA TREATS

On Monday, October 10, the girls who attended my Stamp-In Workshop were able to create this little Dracula Treat bag as one of their projects.

Made from a regular A2 sized envelope, these little sacks are sometimes referred to as Bag-a-Lopes.

And the star of the bag? Cookie Cutter Dracula! Isn't he just the scariest little dude around?

When the envelope is scored at 3/4" all around, you get a nice-sized opening in your bag. The opening measures about 1 1/2" x 3".

I used the old Gauze background stamp from Stampin' Up! to cover the frontof the envelope. I thought it was spooky and creepy enough to go with this scary Dracula.

The sides measure 1 1/2" X about 4 7/8".

I colored my Dracula with a few Stampin' Write markers. When creating Dracula, don't forget to stamp and cut out his ears. But, when attaching them to his head, try to get his left ear in the right place!

The use of lots of Stampin' Dimensionals in this project gives it wonderful dimension. And the gray and black Baker's Twine is perfect with this color combo!

When you use Tear and Tape for the pointed portions of the bottom, it gives a great finished look.

Once again, enjoying the dimension and the nice size of the insides of the sack:

Following are the instructions on how to make your own Dracula Treat Bag. Ready?

SUPPLIES:

Cookie Cutter Halloween stamp set

Black cardstock

Leftover Halloween Designer Series Paper

Smoky Slate cardstock

Black ink

Stampin' Write markers in: Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, a green and a retired purple

Paper Snips

Halloween Night Baker's Twine (page 51 in the Holiday Catalog)

Big Shot

Ovals Framelits

Cookie Cutter Builder Punch

A2-sized envelope

Retired bats washi tape

Tear & Tape

Stampin' Dimensionals

Simply Scored

Bone Folder

DIRECTIONS:

Stamp the Gauze Background Stamp onto the front of the envelope by inking up the stamp and laying the envelope over the stamp, then a piece of scrap paper, and then rubbing all over with your hands. On such a large background stamp, you are guaranteed a good image if you do it this way rather than bringing the stamp to the paper.

Seal the envelope shut, using additional adhesive if needed so it is firmly closed.

With the paper cutter, trim off a slight amount from one of the short ends. This will be the opening of the bag.

With the Simply Scored tool, score at 3/4" on the three closed sides. Score this well and use a bone folder to enforce the scores. Fold on the score lines.

Manipulate the scores so you end up with two sides, which you can use your fingers to dent in slightly, and a bottom with two triangles sticking out on each side. Crease the triangles so they are neat and flat. Put a bit of Tear and Tape underneath each of the triangles and press to the bottom of the sack. Slip your hand inside so you can smooth from both inside and outside to make it as flat as possible.

Add a strip of Washi Tape towards the top of the bag.

On a scrap of Smoky Slate cardstock, stamp Dracula. Color him with Stampin' Write Markers. Punch him out with the Cookie Cutter Builder Punch. On another scrap, stamp his ears, carefully cut them out and adhere them to his head.

From Halloween Designer Series Paper, cut an oval that measures 1 3/4" x 2 3/4". Put a few strips of adhesive on the backside of this oval. Then, leaving the black/gray baker's twine on the spool, loop it back and forth, catching each loop on the adhesive, until you are happy with the loopy little halo you created.

Cut another oval, this one about 2 1/4" x 3 1/4" from black cardstock. With a couple Stampin' Dimensionals, adhere the two ovals together.

Use two Stampin' Dimensionals to add Dracula to the oval pile.

Adhere the finished oval to the front of the sack.

Fill with treats as desired. Or, as I am going to do, fill it with a little seasonal bouquet.

Scary 

Smiles.

HAUNTED

I apologize because I am not bringing any sort of inspiration to you in this post. Just a little

HALLOWEEN HORROR

A few months ago, I got myself a set of Brushos. I've used them quite a lot since then. They are fun and unpredictable. And give really cool effects that you have very little control over. 

Since they ARE so unpredictable and to some extent, sort of creepy, I thought they would make the perfect background for this old haunted house stamp from Stampin' Up!

I made my background first, of course, on watercolor paper. After it was dry and I deemed it perfect for a spooky sky, I was ready to stamp the focal point: the haunted house. This is a very solid stamp -- obviously. So, wanting to get a really good stamped image, I reinked my Memento Tuxedo Black stamp pad, and went to work. 

Pretty bad arthritis in my hands keeps me from stamping easily like most people can. So, to give it a really good strong impression, I stood up and gave it the most even pressure I could. 

When I lifted the stamp, expecting to see a really creepy house against a perfect Halloween sky, I was met with horror all right. The horror was that I got a seriously awful image. Not one to give up easily, I went through my watercolor paper stash and came up with a nice paper that wasn't quite as textured as my first choice was.

Back to work with the Brushos. I got another good background going, and once again did my stamping magic. 

Lift.

Uh oh.

Not much better than the first attempt.

I was NOT going to give up! This house was gonna find a home against a creepy background.

Grabbing a few of my Sakura Pigma pens, I proceed to fix my horror. Using the index stamp on the back of the stamp block as my guide, I essentially re-drew the design and filled it in with black ink. It took me awhile, but . . . yay!

Are you properly spooked??

Haunted

Smiles.

WHITE PEACE

When you think of the word "peace", what color do you associate with it? White? Yes? That thought is what inspired me to create this card:

Giving my Big Shot a workout made this card possible. Oh, the Big Shot, lots of Stampin' Dimensionals. And, of course, Whisper White cardstock. Hmmm. "Whisper White" itself elicits peaceful thoughts, don't you agree?

The wreath adorning the Hearth & Home Thinlits window is created from the Swirly Scribbles Thinlits. And the perky bow at the top of the wreath comes from the Mini Treat Bag Thinlits..

Even though the card is pure white, I think it makes for a very dramatic statement.

And, because of the use of multiple Stampin' Dimensionals, the card has a lot of -- well, DIMENSION! And don't you love it all against the Brick Wall Embossing Folder?

My girls at the last Stamp-In Workshop created this card as one of their projects. Would you like to create one of your own? Yes? Here's how:

SUPPLIES:

Whisper White cardstock

Big Shot

Swirly Scribbles Thinlits

Mini Treat Bag Thinlits

Hearth & Home Thinlits

Christmas Greetings Thinlits

Brick Wall Embossing Folder

Stampin' Dimensionals

INSTRUCTIONS:

Fold a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" piece of Whisper White cardstock in half, creasing well with a bone folder.

Run a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of Whisper White through the Big Shot inside the Brick Wall embossing folder.

Create a window frame using the Hearth & Home Thinlits.

Cut a "wreath" using one of the squiggled circles from the Swirly Scribbles Thinlits.

Cut a bow using the Mini Treat Bag Thinlits.

Cut the word "peace" with the Christmas Greetings Thinlits.

BASICALLY ALL THE COMPONENTS OF THE CARD ARE PUT TOGETHER WITH STAMPIN' DIMENSIONALS OR LITTLE PIECES OF THEM.

With Dimensionals, adhere a 2 1/2" x 3 1/4" piece of Whisper White cardstock to the back of the window frame.

Mount the completed window frame to the brick wall raised a bit from center. (I made the mistake of centering my window, and that left the word a bit too low.) 

Adhere the word to the brick wall using tiny dots of glue.

Attach the brick wall to the card base with Stampin' Dimensionals at each corner and one in the middle.

Truly, after you are able to sit down from your many minutes at the Big Shot cutting all the components, the card comes together quickly.

Peaceful

Smiles.

SKELETAL GREETINGS

I have a terribly sad story to share with all of you. Truly.

You see, yesterday was World Card Making Day. 

For the past six years, I have worked retail, so was always scheduled to work on World Card Making Day, the first Saturday in October. So, I could never really enjoy the day. Sure, maybe I'd whip up a card that night after slaving away all day. Or maybe I told myself that, in my case, it could be World Card Making WEEKEND. And I'd do mine on Sunday. 

This year, however, I am not working. So I was looking forward to having the ENTIRE World Card Making Day, for a change, to myself, to create, create, create! 

Unfortunately, the other day, my husband came home and told me that we were invited to a family party about 100 miles away October 1, World Card Making Day. And, since we were already going to be in the area of our old stompin' grounds, we would spend a few hours with my parents. 

When he told me this, I turned my head slowly to the side and smiled sadly. He didn't understand my reaction until I informed him of my long-awaited plans. Alas. The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. 

Now, aren't the tears just streaming down your face??

Didn't think so.

Anyway, as soon as we got home and gulped down a quick dinner, I hastened downstairs to my Creation Station to at least do SOMETHING for World Card Making Day. I knew it would have to be a fast card, because I also had lots of homework waiting for me upstairs.

Not having any specific plans in mind, I plunged my hand into my Project Life card stash, and came up with the rustic dotted kraft paper background. The other side of this card was simply the words, "Gobble! Gobble! Gobble!" in black against the kraft background. Nope. Uh uh.

I right away decided I would make a Halloween card with the dotted background, and I wanted to use my Cookie Cutter SKELETON! While the gears were churning away, I happened to glance back at the Project Life cards, and there, because it was a gigantic 4" x 6" card, this adorable Halloween plaid stuck out. I grabbed it, and put it to work with my dotted background.

And this is what I came up with:

I'd embossed the little skeleton in white on Soft Suede cardstock, and punched him out with the matching Cookie Cutter punch. I then glued the little guy to a piece of black cardstock for more definition against the dots, and carefully cut out a black frame. I then used a couple Stampin' Dimensionals to pop him away from the background.

For my sentiment, I grabbed an old one. Remember the set with the haunted house and the spooky owl in the gnarled tree? Uh huh, this sentiment was from that set. I'd always always loved it because of the way the fonts in the words are formed and the addition of creepy crawly stuff. I mounted it against a cool strip of adhesive-backed cork. 

The sentiment piece bothered me a little bit because that upper right hand corner was blank blank blank.So, I got out my trusty Pigma pen and drew in a little wonky zigzag. Then I took the Cookie Cutter punch and punched out one of the large black dots in black, and the smaller one in Pumpkin Pie. To sort of echo the random stripiness of the background dots, I scribbled in some stripes on the orange dot.

That cute white zigzag trim was part of the 4" x 6" plaid piece, so I wanted to incorporate that whole white bottom into my design.

Being that that piece was 4" x 6" was a little horrifying though. I'd wanted to keep the card the traditional size of 4 1/4" by 5 1/2". So I was forced to cut off a little of the plaid so it measured only
5 1/2" tall. Then I cut my card base from black cardstock to measure 4 1/4" x 11", and scored and creased it at 5 1/2".

One final bone-y "hi".

After I finished the card, I dashed upstairs to finish some of my homework. So, World Card Making Day was celebrated, not as I'd originally intended, but . . . I MADE A CARD!

There! Now, aren't you happy with the way my sad story actually ended? 

Bone-y

Smiles.