It's Time for Halloween Decorations

I don't know about all of you but at our house, the Halloween decorations are out of the attic and finding their places in the house.  I have a lot of items that I put out at this time of year so I like to start early. 

Today I want to share with you a few medallions that I made for decoration purposes.  So let me share them now:

 

As you can see I made those beautiful medallions using left over Halloween paper from a few past years.  I added some elastic silver string to these by punching a small 1/8" hole in each medallion.  I mostly used the owl punch to decorate these.  I made lots of characters like the ones you see plus a few others.  I also used a Halloween tag stamp and punched it out with the retired small label punch.  If you remember, you always add a small circle to the center of the medallion on the front and on the back.  I attached the characters and tag to the front circle using glue dots.  Now you might wonder what I use these for in my decorations.  Well .........

 

I put them on my Halloween tree of course.  Yes we are one of "those" families.  Now I offered to leave my Christmas tree up all year and decorate it every month with items to represent the month.  My hubby said no to that idea.  However, when we found this tree a few years ago, he was all for getting it.  I know you cannot see the base but it is a 3 sided skull (face on each side).  The eyes are lit with green bulbs.  The branches of the tree are black and have orange lights.  As you can see, we have lots of decorations on it but you can see 2 of the medallions - one with an owl witch and the other with an owl devil.  

Well that's it for today.  I hope your home is filling with holiday things too.  I know it really makes me smile to be able to decorate my house.  I will be back in a day or two with a beautiful card to share with you.  Please come by to see it.  Thanks for dropping by today.  

Up Close with a Tree

Hi everyone!  It is hard for me to believe that schools are once again in session here in Arizona.  It seems they start earlier every year.  For me, it marks not only the beginning of the school year but the beginning of the holiday season and more importantly the beginning of my spending time with my favorite great nephew, Jackson.  I can hardly wait to spend days playing with him and watching him grow.  He will be 1 year old in September.  Hard to imagine almost a year has gone by since his arrival.  Since you can expect to hear lots about him in future posts, I will not bore you anymore right now.  So let's get back to holidays.

I am sticking with my Halloween theme for now since it is the first holiday we will encounter.  I saw a card similar to the one I am going to share today on Pinterest months ago.  It stuck with me and I really wanted to give it a try.  Ready to see it?  Let's go.

 

I am sure you have seen those cute Halloween decorations that people put on doors and trees that depict a witch who had a slight mishap while flying around on her broom.  I have always enjoyed this decoration so when I saw it on a card, I knew I wanted to try to make one myself.  

I started with a base card of Tangerine Tango card stock cut at 5" x 10", scored at 5".   I added a layer of Basic Black to this which measures 4 7/8" x 4 7/8".  The final top layer is Smoky Slate cut at 4 3/4" x 4 3/4".  All layers were attached using runner adhesive.  I chose to do this card as a square because the witch would fit better.  On this top layer of slate, I took a sponge with black ink on it and brushed it over the top of it.  I then took a piece of Early Espresso card stock and cut it to be 2" x 4 3/4".  I ran it through the big shot using the woodgrain impression folder and then adhered it to the card with runner adhesive. 

 

To start the witch, I took a piece of black card stock that I had run through the big shot using a swirl impression folder.  I punched out a 1 3/4" circle for the round piece and a small pennant from the pennant punch.  I added a piece of Elegant Eggplant to the pennant to form a band for the hat.  I attached the pieces together using liquid glue and added purple glitter glue to the band.  

The hands of the witch are from the boho blossom punch.  It's the large flower trimmed down.  The "hand" is attached with liquid glue to a word window that I trimmed a bit to fit the wrist.  I set these aside to attach to the witch in a bit.  I did go ahead and make the hair using a scrap of Gumball Green card stock and cutting strips in it.  It is attached to the hat using the liquid glue.

 

For the cape,  I again used the black card stock and punched out several of the larger scallop pennants from the pennant punch.  I layered them together with liquid glue and attached them to the hair is the same glue.  I then added the arms to it as were as orange glitter glue dots.  

 

For the legs, I used the modern label punch.  I started by punching out the label in black and then punched a second one for each leg in Gumball Green.  I cut pieces off the green and glued it with a 2 way glue pen to the black.  I added green glitter glue and attached them to the cape with liquid glue.  The shoes were made using the full heart punch.  I punched 2 out of black, cut a notch for the heel, and trimmed the rest to make the boot.  These are attached to the legs using liquid glue.  I then added crystal effects to them to make them look glossy.  

Now for the broom, I glued a scrap of espresso to the underside of the witch.  I then took the retired jewelry tag punch and punched 2 out of Daffodil Delight.  I layered them so that the top knobs would be next to each other.  I then punched a small oval out of the daffodil and flattened on side.  I attached this to the tags with the glue pen and cut strips to form the bristles.  I added some yellow glitter glue to the top portion of the bristles and attached it to the broom pole with the 2 way glue pen.  

Once all pieces of the witch were complete and dry, it was time to attach her to the card.  I decided to use dimensionals to do this.  I like the depth it adds to the card.

Well that's all I have for today.  I am off to clean the house and work on the invitations for the charity banquet my hubby is hosting in September.  I will return with another share for you so please stop by to see me again.  Thanks for dropping by today!

A Monster of a Couple

Today's share features a very lovely couple, well maybe not lovely.  They seem to be a bit of a monster couple, but a cute monster couple.  Now one of these characters I shared with you on Wednesday.  The other one came to me in the middle of the night.  There I was in my bed asleep when all of a sudden I woke up to roll over and thought " oh my goodness, this guy needs his bride!".  Can you guess which character that I shared needed a bride?  Well let's see if you are right!!!!

 

It's Frankie and the bride!!!!!  Yep I could not resist the urge to make her.  As always, we will begin with the base and work our way up.  The base card is a 4 1/4" x 11" piece of Pumpkin Pie card stock.  It is scored at 5 1/2".  I added a piece of Basic Black cut at 4 1/8" x 5 3/8".  I attached it to the base with runner adhesive.  For the top layer, I took a piece of Basic Gray and cut it at 4" x 5 1/4".  Before adding it to the base, I fashioned a tree out of Early Espresso card stock.  The tree is attached using runner adhesive.  I then added the greenery to the tree using Garden Green card stock and my scallop circle punches.  I attached the circles with runner adhesive and trimmed off any excess that hung over the edges.  I then attached it to the base with the runner adhesive. 

 

The bats were made using Basic Black card stock and the retired bitty bat punch.  I punched out 2 of these.  I added black glitter to these using a 2 way glue pen.  I then attached these to the tree with the same 2 way glue pen.

 

I wanted to add a bit of character to the tree so I added a hole on the trunk with my black marker.  Next I punched out 2 circles using the 1/4" circle punch from Daffodil Delight.  I also punched out 2 circles using the 1/8" circle punch from Real Red.  I attached these together using the 2 way glue pen and attached them to the tree the same way.  I drew the red lines just to make the eyes a bit more scary.  

 

Here is a close up of Frankie himself.  I used the owl builder punch for all pieces of him except the wings and bolts.  I used the 1 3/4" scallop punch cut in half for the wings.  The other half I used on the bride.  the bolts are the top of the jewelry tag (retired).  I used Old Olive, Always Artichoke, Basic Black, Whisper White and Brushed Silver card stock for him.  All his pieces are attached using the 2 way glue pen and the finished Frankie is attached to the card with dimensionals.  I added white gel pen to his eyes and black marker for stitches.  I added silver glitter to the bolts and brown glitter to the buttons.

 

For the bride, I used the owl builder punch for most of her.  The second part of the scallop circle forms her wings.  For her hair, I punched out a wide oval from Basic Black and one from Smoky Slate.  I took the slate one and cut it into strips for the hair.  I trimmed off one end of the black oval and attached the slate strips using the glue pen.  Once all pieces of my owl bride were attached together with the glue pen, I added silver glitter to the hair and white to the dress.  White gel pen finished the eyes and black marker made the stitches.  Once the glitter was dried, I attached the finished bride with dimensionals.

Well we are at the end of the week and 2 days into a new month.  Time flies when life is happening.  I wish you all a wonderful weekend and please come back to see me next week.  Thanks for visiting today!  See you later!

A Bewitching Halloween Card

Hi everyone.  I have once again returned and today I have a card themed for Halloween.  I used a couple of the owl figures I shared yesterday just as I said I would.  Let's get started.

 

I wanted to keep this card simple so I did not do a lot of embellishing on it.  I started with a base card of Pumpkin Pie card stock cut at 4 1/4" x 11", scored at 5 1/2".  I added only one layer to this.  It is a 4" x 5 1/4" piece of photo card stock.  I used this so I would be able to create my background.  Using the 1 3/4" circle punch, I punched a circle from a post it note and attached it to the photo card stock.  This would allow me to add my ink but leave the circle white so I would have a moon.  Once it was attached (using the sticky from the post it note itself) I took my sponges and my Night of Navy and Midnight Muse ink pads and sponged the background on being sure to mix the colors and blend them as well as I could.  Once finished, I peeled off the post it note and was ready to add my details.

 

To cut the letters for the greeting, I used my big shot and the retired decorative strip called billboard.  I cut the letters out of Pumpkin Pie and Basic Black card stock.  I added orange glitter to the pumpkin letters using a 2 way glue pen.  I then attached the pumpkin letters to the black ones being sure to offset them just a bit.  I used the same glue to do this.  Once they were all attached, I attached them to the card using the same glue pen.  

 

To make my broom, I started with a piece of Early Espresso cut to be about 5" in length and only about 3/4" wide.  I ran this through the big shot using the woodgrain impression folder.  I tore a strip off once it was embossed and used my scissors to round the end of it.  Next I took the retired key tag punch and punched one out of Crumb Cake card stock.  I cut an end off and using my Crumb Cake marker I drew the line across the and lines for the bristles.  I then used my scissors to cut strips up to the line so it looked more realistic.  I glued the head onto the stick using a liquid glue and attached the finished broom to the card with the same glue.

 

For the characters, I used the following card stock colors:  Basic Black, Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie and Pink Pirouette.  The body of the witch and cat were made using the owl builder punch.  The tail of the cat is the body of the owl trimmed up one side to make the thin tail.  The hat of the witch is made using the large oval punch and the owl builder.  The point of the hat is the owl body cut in half using one ear for the point.  I added a pumpkin to the dress of the owl using a stamp I happen to have.  I brushed the edges of the hat the the witches head using a sponge and white ink.  I added whiskers to the cat and lines to the witch eyes with a white gel pen.  The glitter on the eyelids and the hat were added using colored glitter glue.   The pieces of the owl and cat are adhered with a 2 way glue pen and the finished figures were attached using dimensionals.

Well that's all for today.  I will return tomorrow with another share for you so please come visit me again.  Thanks for stopping by today!!!!

A Little Holiday Spirit

Since we are at the end of July, I thought it would be appropriate to start looking at the upcoming holidays.  I have been so busy with other things that I have taken a lot of time to even think about the holidays.  Today my focus will be on Halloween.

Now when I start working on this holiday, I have an incredible urge to get out my owl builder punch and play.  I love the little owl characters I can create with this one.  Of course that is exactly what I did.  Today I will share the characters with you and later in the week you will see the card or cards I made using them.  Let's get started.

 

This is the entire spook gang all ready to go onto cards.  Well almost ready.  I added some glitter to a few of them and it has to dry before I manipulate them to put them onto a card.  How about we take a closer look at these cuties!!

 

My hubby loves the old movie of Frankenstein so I had to make one just for him.  Here we see him with the little devil.  Are they not cute?!!!!!

 

Again, remembering my hubby's love for all the old monster movies, I wanted to make a Dracula and a mummy.  We do watch those movies every year.  I personally am not a person who likes any horror movies but these I can handle.  

 

Have you ever seen the movie Hocus Pocus?  My girls and I use to watch that movie every year at Halloween.  In fact, I would venture to say that they would still watch this with me if I gave them the opportunity (and I will!!).  It is a story about 3 witches and there is a black cat in it too.  My favorite part has to be when one of the witches is riding a vacuum cleaner instead of a broom!  Too funny!  I would have to say that my witch and cat are pretty adorable to look at should look great on a card.  

 

Halloween would not be complete with bats and ghosts.  Again these are so easy to make using the owl builder punch.  I made these cute because while we enjoy Halloween we only like to have cute, fun things to decorate with.  There is no need to be so scary and I do not like all the blood, gore and fear that others like to put with this holiday.  Okay I will get off my soap box now.  

You will need to come back by to visit this week to see the cards I put these on.  Once the glitter glue dries, I will get to work.  Thanks for stopping by today to visit.  See you all tomorrow!!!!!

One Last Halloween Card

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!  It has finally arrived!!  I can hardly believe that we will be passing out the candy tonight and tomorrow starts the planning for Thanksgiving.  Where does the time go?  Pretty soon it will be Christmas and then a brand new year.  I plan on trying my best to enjoy each and every day this holiday season. 

It only seemed fitting to send off October with one last Halloween card.  I just made this one the other night and mailed it off to my niece, her husband and their new little boy.  The decorations for the card seemed to really fit them.  So let's get started shall we. 

 

I started this card with a base card of Whisper White cut at 4 1/4" x 11", scored at 5 1/2".  I added a layer of Basic Black card stock which measures 4 1/8" x 5 3/8".  For the final layer, I used a piece of designer series paper from a year or two ago.  I do not remember the name of the dsp set.  Anyway, I cut it to be 4" x 5 1/4".  All these layers were attached to the card using runner adhesive.  Once they were attached, I sprayed the front of the card with champagne shimmer spray.  

 

For my greeting I wanted to do a play on word by saying Happy Owl-o-ween.  I took out a piece of Pumpkin Pie card stock and my big shot.  I then pulled out the retired Billboard sizzlit designer strip.  I cut the letters out for the words.  I added glue with my two way glue pen to the front of each letter and dipped them into orange glitter.  Once they dried, I attached them to the card using the same two way glue pen.  

 

For my little characters, I started by punching out 3 owls in Basic Black using the owl builder punch.  I also punched the eyes out with this punch.  I attached the eyes using a liquid glue and added white gel pen to each eye.  Next I took out my small oval punch and a piece of Pumpkin Pie card stock.  I punched 4 ovals for each pumpkin costume.  I used 3 of them to make the pumpkin and the fourth I cut a piece off of for the hat.  I used a scrap of Garden Green card stock to use for the stems and used the prongs from a star punch I have for the eyes and nose of each pumpkin.  I drew the mouths on myself with a fine tip black marker.  The pumpkins were made using a liquid glue.  I then used the same glue to attached them and the hats to the owls.  I added orange glitter glue to the pumpkins and green glitter glue to the stems.  The owls are attached to the card using dimensionals.

 

For the inside of the card, I turned to the stamp set Wicked Cool.  I stamped the greeting in the center of a piece of Whisper White and then stamped the hat above it and the feet below it.  I used StazOn ink to do this.  I then took my Basic Black and Gumball Green Stampin' Up! Markers to color the hat and feet with.  This made them really stand out.  I added some orange glitter glue dots to it and set it aside to dry.  I cut a piece of Basic Black to be larger than the white and sprayed it with the champagne shimmer spray.  Once the white was dry, I attached it to the black with runner adhesive and then attached the entire piece to the inside of the card using the same adhesive.  

I do hope you all have a wonderful Halloween.  Try not to eat too much candy!!  I will be back tomorrow with another share for you.  I do hope you stop by.  Thanks for dropping in today.

Pumpkins Pumpkins Everywhere

Happy Tuesday!!  I hope your Monday went well.  I spent part of it still cleaning from our weekend pumpkin carving.  We had our daughters and their boyfriends as well as 3 other couples who are our wonderful friends.  It was nice because 2 of the couples have little kids and the third ones are expecting.  It gave us some of the giggles from children that I miss every now and then.  Of course don't get me wrong.  My kids still giggle and make me laugh too.

We worked so hard on our pumpkins that I am going to veer off the path of the cards today and talk a walk on Pumpkin Avenue.  We did some photos the night of the carving with the pumpkins lit but I think we were too tired and the photos needed a little work. So I went out yesterday morning and took photos of them.  I really wanted to share them with you so you can see that even amateurs like my family can carve a pretty descent pumpkin.

Pumpkin number 1 is my husband Dave's work.  He selected to do a haunted house this year.  He did leave one area of the house that was suppose to be carved out intact so that it would hold up a little longer.  I really like the spooky tree.  

Pumpkin number 2 is my pumpkin.  Do you recognize the silhouette?  If you guessed that it is the wicked witch from the Wizard of Oz you are right.  My daughter found a pattern for me and I decided to give her a try.  I am a huge Wizard of Oz fan so it was a perfect fit for me.  Now I just need to make her out of punches and I will be all set!!

The number 3 pumpkin belongs to my daughter Heather.  She was going to use a pattern for her's but decided to make stars all over it instead.  Her boyfriend Matt made a half moon on one side of it to go along with her stars.

And speaking of Matt, number 4 belongs to him.  He chose a pattern of the Grim Reaper.  Now the amazing thing about his pumpkin is this was his first time ever carving a pumpkin.  He did an amazing job on his and on the moon he contributed to Heather's .

This is pumpkin 5.  I bet you know what's on it.  This one was carved by my daughter Kaitlyn's boyfriend Robert.  He and Matt and Dave are all huge Batman fans so I was not surprised that one of them chose this theme.  Boys will be boys!!

Finally, here is pumpkin 6.  It was carved by Kaitlyn, my youngest daughter.  She chose a ghostly ghoul.  Now when you light hers up, you get the outline of the ghoul but not his eyes and mouth.  She decided not to carve all the way threw for these but they really look great in the daylight!!

So there you have it - the Jensen family pumpkins of 2012!!  I always look forward to our traditions like this.  My kids do too.  It is just nice to have those family times and focus on fun.  I appreciate your humoring me by looking at the photos.

Tomorrow I will be back with another card to share with you.  I hope you will come back to see what I come up with for you.  Thanks for dropping by today!!

Trick or Treat Bow-Wow

It's Thursday!!!!  This week has gone by so quickly.  The wonderful thing about this week is I have had a lot of time to spend with my husband.  He is gone so much with his work and teaching that any time we can get is wonderful.

For my share today, I decided to make another Halloween card.  Although it might be hard to believe this card was inspired by my laundry.  That's right I said my laundry.  I was folding and hanging up clothes and happened upon one of my Halloween shirts.  On it was a very cute kitty.  Seeing this cat got me to thinking that so much of Halloween is centered around cats.  Now I like cats.  We don't own one because my husband is highly allergic to them.  We do however have a dog.  I realized I wanted to do something to bring a doggy into Halloween.  Of course that was all I needed to get me started on a card.  Here is the card I came up with:

 

Isn't he cute?!!!  I started my card by using a 4 1/4" x 11" piece of Pumpkin Pie card stock, scored at 5 1/2".  I added a 4 1/8" x 5 3/8" piece of Basic Black.  It is attached using runner adhesive.  for my top layer I started with a piece of Basic Gray measuring 4" x 5 1/4".  I sponged it with a little Basic Black ink so it would dull it a little.  I punched a moon out of Very Vanilla using the 1 1/4" circle punch  and attached it to the card using runner adhesive.  I then used my XL big shot die that you use to make those beautiful rosettes and cut out a strip of Chocolate Chip card stock on the end with the picket fence looking boards.  I bent each slat on the crease just a little and brushed it with Chocolate Chip ink to add some texture.  I attached this using runner adhesive and trimmed off any excess that hung over the edges and attached the entire piece to the card with the same adhesive.  Then it was time to create the scene. 

 

For the greeting of this one, I used a stamp I bought several years ago at a local craft store.  I stamped it at the top using VersaMark ink and then heat embossed it using a Halloween embossing powder.  It is simply black powder with some orange glitter in it.  Next, I used the retired bat punch and punched a bat out of Basic Black.  I then added black glitter to it using my 2 way glue pen.  It is attached to the card with dimensionals.  For the pumpkin bucket, I punched a 1 3/8" circle out of Pumpkin Pie card stock.  I trimmed the top off to make it flat.  I then took a scrap of black and punched out a small oval using the retired small oval punch and then punched around that hole using the large oval punch.  I used a cartridge for my Cricut machine called Paper Pups and cut 4 bones out of vanilla card stock.  I brushed the edges of these with a little Crumb Cake ink and glued them to the bucket using a 2 way glue pen.  I then used the same adhesive to glue the handle on.  I added some orange glitter glue stripes to my bucket and attached it to the card using dimensionals.  

 

Now let's talk about the star of the card.  I was going to dress my dog as a pumpkin but thought a pirate would be more fun.  To make the dog body parts, I used punches.  I used the owl builder punch for the eyes of this guy punching them out of black and white as you can see.  I added a little white gel pen to them.  For the ears and nose, I used Early Espresso card stock.  The ears are made with the large oval punch and the nose is the small heart from the retired heart to heart punch.  Again I added some white gel pen to it for character.  His head, muzzle, arms, and feet are made out of Crumb Cake card stock.  All of these pieces were sponged on the edges with Crumb Cake ink.  The head is a 1 3/4" circle punch.  The muzzle is the full heart turned upside down.  I used my chocolate marker to add the line and dots to the muzzle.  The arms are made using the wide heart from the retired heart to heart punch while the feet are 3/4" circles that have been trimmed to be flat on the bottom.  I added some black marker to make his toes.

For the pirate outfit, I once again turned to my Cricut machine for help.  I used the cartridge called Paper Doll Dress Up for this one.  I used Chocolate Chip for the shorts, Cherry Cobbler for the shirt and Basic Black for the hat and mustache.  I did have to modify my pieces a little to make them look right on my dog.  I sponged the shirt with a little black ink and added black stripes using my black marker.  I added the cuts at the bottom of the shirt too.  The pants had to be trimmed down just a little.  I added some gold glitter glue to the hat to add some dazzle to it.  

Now I will tell you, I do not dress up my real pet dog for the holiday.  I husband would have a fit.  He thinks all those costumes for animals are just plain silly.  So it is fun to make cards like this one where I can dress up my animal.  

Well that is all I have for you today.  I am so glad you decided to stop by and spend a little time visiting.  I hope you will return tomorrow to see what I have for you.  Do something creative today and have fun doing it!!  See you tomorrow!!

Monsters or Aliens

Hi everyone.  It's Tuesday!!!  So I got caught up in my Halloween theme this weekend.  I told you yesterday I had some punch art that would not work on the patchwork card I designed so I had to develop a new card for them.  Now I started with the idea that these little creatures were monsters but I think they could qualify as aliens as well.  I will let you decide if you agree with me or not.  Here we go!!

 

I love these guys!!  But as always let's begin at the beginning.  I used a base card of Pumpkin Pie card stock cut at 4 1/4" x 11", scored at 5 1/2".  I added a piece of Basic Black card stock that measures 4" x 5 1/4".  I sprayed this piece with the champagne shimmer spray and attached it using runner adhesive.  Next I added a 3 3/4" x 5" Whisper White card stock.  I ran this piece through my big shot using the Perfect Polka Dots impression folder.  I brushed the edges with Gumball Green ink and attached it using runner adhesive.  

 

All of the little creatures on my card are made using the owl builder punch.  I also used the circle from the itty bitty punch pack for the center of the large eyes and the hand held 1/4" circle punch for the center of the smaller eyes.  Any extension pieces on the creatures for eyes or antennas comes from scraps of card stock.  For the creature colors, I chose to use Gumball Green, Melon Mambo, Elegant Eggplant, Daffodil Delight and Pumpkin Pie.  On all the owls that I punched out, I trimmed the feet off.  Some feet were used as feet and some were used as hair or ears.  The mambo guy has the little hearts as his feet (yes it is the heart from the owl builder).  I added glitter glue dots to my green and mambo monsters that matched their colors.  On the eggplant, I added mambo circles and added matching glitter glue to them too.

 

Here you can see the other two monsters as well as the greeting.  If you notice, the daffodil monster is the only one who has matching colored feet.  On the pumpkin guy, I used the pumpkin feet to make his ears where the antennas come out.  On the daffodil, I added green and pumpkin dots to his body.  I added matching glitter glue to the dots too.  The pumpkin monster has purple dots on the antennas with matching glitter glue and then I added glitter glue stripes to his body.  White gel pen was added to each eye of every monster.  All pieces of the monsters are attached together using a liquid glue and a 2 way glue pen.  All in all I think the monsters look really cute.   The completed monsters were attached to the card using dimensionals.  

The greeting comes from the stamp set Wicked Cool.  I stamped it using Gumball Green ink onto Whisper White card stock and punched it out using the 1" square punch.  I then punched out a 1 1/4" square in Gumball Green and layered them together using runner adhesive.  I added the greeting to the card using dimensionals and added some green rhinestones to the corners.  

This was a lot of fun to make.  I love the monsters and hope to use them again soon.  I am so glad all of you got to see them too.  I hope you come back tomorrow when the card theme changes to something else.  Until then, thanks for dropping by today!!!

Patchwork Halloween

Welcome to a brand new week.  Isn't it funny how weekends seem to fly by?  Where does the time go?  I spent a fun day on Saturday with my youngest and my sister.  We went to an event to raise money for my husband's charity.  It was a shopping event so of course we had a lot of fun looking at everything.  I did find time to work on a few card ideas so I do have a fun card to share with you.  Let's just jump right in and get started.

 

When I started this card, I was actually planning on putting different punch art items on it.  However, once I laid the background down, I found it was too busy for my art.  So I have saved that for another day.  I did like the look of this card so I just created a design to go along with it.  

I started this card with a 4 1/4" x 11" piece of Gumball Green card stock.  It is scored at 5 1/2".  Next I pulled out scrap pieces of Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Elegant Eggplant and Basic Black card stock.  I punched 1 1/4" squares from these, three of each color.  Next I laid them in a random pattern and adhered them to the base card using runner adhesive.  Once they were secured down, I pulled the circle and the plus looking flower punch from the itty bitty punch pack and punched circles out of black and flowers out of green.  I outlined the outer sides with the circles and placed the flowers in the center where corners of the squares meet.  I adhered them using my 2 way glue pen.  I added large pearls to the four outer corners, small pearls to all the other circles and rhinestones to the flowers.

 

The stamps I chose to use for this card are all Halloween stamps I have picked up over the years.  On the daffodil squares I stamped a moon with a bat using Basic Black ink.  I added yellow glitter glue to this.  Next I stamped a pumpkin onto the pumpkin squares using Basic Black ink and added orange and  green glitter glue to the image.  I did add yellow glitter glue to the eyes, nose and mouth but it is hard to see in the photo.

 

On the eggplant squares, I went with a witches hat stamp and stamped it with black ink.  I added a lime green glitter glue to the hat band and purple glitter glue to the hat.  For the black squares, I knew an image would not show up as well if stamped with regular ink.  So instead, I stamped this image with VersaMark ink and heat embossed it using black embossing powder.  Since it has a bit of a shiny look to it, I did not add any glitter glue.  

Think of this card as a sample of how to turn a mistake into a workable project.  After all as I said before, I laid the pattern down and adhered it to the base card and then decided it would not work for the card I wanted.  I am glad I came up with another idea and was able to make it work for this one.  

Well that is all for today.  I hope you have a wonderful Monday.  Please come back tomorrow for another card.  Thanks for stopping by today.

Back to Halloween

Happy Wednesday everyone.  I have spent the last two days sharing with you my daughter's birthday card and present.  I hope you enjoyed seeing them.  I sat down yesterday to make a new card to share and found myself faced with a creative block.  Has that ever happened to you?  I just could not figure out what I wanted to make.  I started several different projects and ended up throwing all of them out.  They just were not right.  I was so discouraged.  I thought I would be telling you I failed to get a card made.  However, as I was coming down the hall, I happened to see this flame-less Halloween candle that we bought.  It is orange and has a pumpkin totem pole on it.  Well as you can imagine, I was inspired by this and decided to make a card with my own pumpkin totem pole and that's just what I did.

 

How cool is this?!!  I really had fun making this one.  I started with a base card of Pumpkin Pie card stock cut at 4 1/4" x 11", scored at 5 1/2".  I added a layer of Basic Black card stock cut at 4 1/8" x 5 3/8" using runner adhesive.  For my top layer, I cut a piece of glossy white card stock (or photo paper) to measure 4" x 5 1/4".  I did the technique I showed a week or so ago with the sponges and ink.  I stated by sponging Daffodil Delight ink in the center of the card stock going from the center out.  Next I sponged Not Quite Navy ink from the outside in blending the edge with the daffodil ink where it meets.  Finally I sponged Night of Navy ink from the outside in, not as far as the Not Quite Navy and blended it in with the Not Quite Navy ink.  Again, it just gives your card a little different look and is quite colorful.  Once this was all inked and dried (I let it dry over night) I attached it to the card with runner adhesive. 

 

The greeting for this card is from the retired stamp set called Pumpkin Patch.  I stamped it using Basic Black ink onto Whisper White card stock and punched it out using the word window punch.  I layered this on top of a modern label punch using runner adhesive.  I added a black pearl to each end and attached it to the card with dimesionals. (I did this after the totem pole was attached.)

The top pumpkin was made using the small oval punch.  I punched 3 ovals from pumpkin card stock and  layered them using a liquid glue.  I added orange glitter glue to the edged of the pumpkin to define the creases.  The stem is a piece of Soft Suede that was run through the big shot using the woodgrain impression folder.  I added Garden Green leaves punched from the bird builder punch and added it with the stem using liquid glue.  I added googlie eyes and a small triangle nose for the fadce.  I ended up drawing the mouth on with my black marker.

 

The middle pumpkin was made using the large oval punch.  Basically all the pumpkins are made the same way.  I did put black circles under the eyes of this one.  I used the medium circles from the owl builder punch for this.  

The largest pumpkin was made using the wide oval punch.  The black circles for his eyes are the largest circles on the owl builder punch.  Triangles were used once again for noses and the mouths are drawn on by hand.  The pumpkins are attached together using liquid glue and are attached to the card with dimensionals.

 

To finish my card, I cut out letters for the inside using my big shot and retired billboard decorative strip.   I attached these using liquid glue and added orange glitter glue dots to the letters.  

Easy card with lots of color and a fun theme.  You should give this one a try.  

Well that's it for today.  I will return tomorrow with another share for you.  Come back and see me then.  Thanks dropping by today.

Halloween Kitty

Hi everyone.  Welcome to Tuesday.  I am so happy I am here to share with you today.  I wish I could say my cold is all better but it is not.  I am still coughing and everything else and am pretty run down.  To top all of that off, I have Vertigo and when I get a cold it tends to act up.  So I am dizzier than ever too.  I am ready for all this to go away, especially the dizzy part. 

The card I have to show you today is another technique I have been playing with lately.  I really wish I could remember the name of the demonstrator I saw do this technique but it is escaping my mind right now.  Anyway, let me show you the card and we will go from there.

 

I wanted to create a spooky type background and decided this would be a cool way to do it.  I started with a base card of Elegant Eggplant cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4"  I added a layer of Basic Black to this measuring 4" x 5 1/4" using runner adhesive.  I set this aside until I had the top layer made and ready to be attached.

The top layer of my card is actually a piece of glossy white card stock.  I used a piece of photo paper cut at 3 3/4" x 5" for mine.  Let me show you another part of the card and we will go over the technique I did when we get to the cat.

 

To make the bat, I used the retired bat punch and punched it out of Basic Black.  I added black glitter to it to make it sparkle.  It is attached to the card using runner adhesive after is was all colored.

 

Okay now for the coloring of the card front.   I started by stamping this cute kitty from Stampin' Up! called Frightening Feline.  I stamped it using a StazOn ink that is purple directly onto the photo paper.  Allow this to dry completely before continuing to prevent smearing.  I then took a post it note and punched a 2 1/2" circle out of it making sure I got as much of the sticky part as possible.  I then placed the circle over the cat to make the moon.  Then I took out my sponges and my Daffodil Delight, Wisteria Wonder and Elegant Eggplant inks to make the background.  Start with the lightest color, Daffodil, and work from the circle out with your sponge to add the color.  Next go to the Wisteria only this time work from the outside perimeter of the card and pull the color in to meet the Daffodil.  Blend the edges of these colors together.  Finally, take the Eggplant and again work from the outside in just not as far in.  Blend the Eggplant and Wisteria together.  You will want to allow this to sit for a little while and dry before adding it to the card.  Peel off the post it note to reveal your moon.  You can add a little ink to this too if you want but I liked the look of it as it is.  I used runner adhesive to attach this to the card after the fence and grass were made and attached to it.

 

For the final part of the card, I wanted to add a fence.  To make this, I used the XL Bigz Rosette die and my big shot.  This is the die you use to make those cool flowers but this time it made me a fence.  I used a 2" x 11" strip and the side with the pointy tops and cut it out with the big shot.  I then cut the piece in half and saved one half to use on another card.  I slightly folded the crease line, not all the way since they will need to lay flat, but just enough so I could add some ink to the crease lines and top so the pieces look more realistic.  I used Soft Suede card stock for this piece and Soft Suede ink and my sponge to highlight the slats.  I attached this to the cards top layer before the layer was attached to the card using runner adhesive and trimmed off any excess that hung over the sides  For the grass, I used the bird builder punch and punched out several of the branches using Garden Green card stock.  I cut the tops off and added them to the fence using a glue pen.

I like the look of the sponged on background on this.  I am so glad I tried this and hope to try it again on another card.  Please stop by tomorrow and see what I have to share with you.  If my world keeps spinning it could be quite interesting.  We will just have to see what happens.  Thanks for stopping by today and I will see you all tomorrow!!

Candy Candy Candy

First and foremost today I want to tell our niece Kayla and her husband Kyle congratulations on your new bundle of joy.  She is having a C-section this morning and will be welcoming baby Jackson very soon.  We cannot wait to meet him!!

Around Halloween time, I think the word "candy" must run through everyone's mind more than any other time of year.  I went to the grocery store just the other day and the Halloween candy is already out!  Does holiday decor start earlier and earlier each year or is it just me?  Seems everywhere I go I am seeing Halloween popping up.  So I thought I would stay on the bandwagon and share another Halloween card with you today.

I started this card with a base of Pumpkin Pie card stock cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4".  I added a layer of Basic Black on top of this measuring 4 1/8" x 5 3/8".  I used runner adhesive to attach it.  Next I added a layer of Gumball Green cut at 4" x 5 1/4".  I ran it through my big shot using the spider web impression folder and then brushed Gumball Green on top of it using a sponge.  It is attached to the base using runner adhesive. 

I decided to make a "quilt" for this particular card.  This is a very easy technique to do.  I took a piece of Basic Black card stock and cut it at 4" x 5".  Next I took out a pack of Halloween designer paper I picked up years ago at a craft store.  I chose designs I liked and punched 1" squares out of them.  I punched 3 of each design so I could play with them and decide on the look I want.  I knew because of the measurements of the black that I would need 5 across and 4 down for the card, 20 pieces in all.  I randomly laid out a pattern and adjusted it until I was happy with the look.  When I was ready, I used runner adhesive to attache the squares to the base piece of black.  Once all were attached, I took the finished product and ran it through my big shot using my top note die.  I attached a piece of 1/4" black grosgrain ribbon to this using my runner adhesive and and then attached the quilt to the card using the same runner adhesive.  

To complete my design, I turned to the hundreds of Halloween stickers I have collected over the years.  I chose this witches hat as the focus of the front.  I know you cannot see it in the photo but the hat is made to feel like felt.  It has the lovely lavender ribbon band and a rhinestone in the center.  On the ribbon, I used 3 small candy corn stickers and layered them in the design you see.  I used small circle dimensionals I picked up at a craft store for them.  The hat is attached with dimensionals also.  

It is a simple card to make but I love the quilt look of it.  I hope you give it a try.  Let me know how your's works out.  

I wish all of you a wonderful Wednesday and I will be back tomorrow with another card to share with you.  I will also have a new nephew!!!  So excited!!  See you all later and thanks for stopping by today.