365 Cards - Day 149 - Try a Technique Tuesday!!

Greetings all, & welcome :) I'm totally psyched to have been chosen as a guest designer for today over at 365 Cards!! This entire week is Reader Appreciation Week, so be sure to join in the fun for prize opportunities and to gawk at all of the wonderful cards the Design Team & Guest Designers have created :)

What is the technique today? SPONGING! Those that know me or my work will be the first to tell you that this is a technique that I use on probably 90% of my cards... and 100% on my Halloween cards :)

Sponging tends to create depth, and REALLY finishes off certain images wonderfully. The entire background of this Halloween Flourish Tree card was created with sponging. Yep, I started with a completely white cardstock panel for this baby :) I also used regular hydra sponges, as well as manicurist pads... the sponge creates a stippled texture, while the pad creates much softer blending.

I created a reverse-mask for the moon first. Start with the lightest yellow, and keep layering color toward the center... then add darker yellows & cognac colors at the outside edge to create a rounded look to the moon.

I then stamped the weedy image along the bottom & the tree. The tree is heat-embossed to give a bit of sheen and nice raised quality. Place a piece of paper to create a horizon line and start blending green & black inks for the ground and blues & purples for the sky. I went back with darker shades of blue & purple ink and created thin lines of clouds to add an eerie touch.

Then I stamped the sentiments & bats** in black, sponged black ink around the edges, distressed them, and matted the panels. Next up, used the Scor-bug for a little texture, swiped a white ink pad around the card base edges, and topped it all off with some sheer grungy-olive ribbon.

**The bats are actually one of the butterflies from the Love & Laughter tree image... I just snipped it apart from the main image... oh how I love cling-rubber stamps... I can manipulate them so easily to fit whatever I need :)

Stamps: Flourish Trees of Hope, Love & Laughter, Edge Designs, Tag Tidbits (happy), retired GWP (Halloween)

Paper: White UltraSmooth, Basic Black, & Penolope Cardstocks

Ink: Raw Sienna, Cognac, Noir, Starry Night, Prussian Blue, Violete, French Lilac, Landscape, & Jardin Moss Palettes

Other: Transcendence Embossing Powder, hydra sponges, manicurist pads (from Sally Beauty Supply), olive sheer ribbon

What do you think?

Boo Sprite Boy... Mojo Monday Sketch

You knew this one was comin', right? He's freakin' cute, Yo! :) As soon as I saw this little dude in the new TAC catalogue, I wanted to give him a spider yo-yo... that's just how I roll :)

I saw the Mojo Monday #94 sketch and really liked it, so I started grabbing trims and halloweenie cardstocks and started layering. No patterned paper!


Stamps: Victorian Elements, Spunky Sprite Boys, Happy Haunting, Punk Princess (retired)

Paper: Basic Black & Olive cardstocks, Premium White, Bazzill Mono-Yellow Oranges, Mulberry Meadow cardstock (purple - retired)

Ink: Burnt Umber & Noir Palettes, Moonlight White Brilliance, VersaMark

Other: Pop dots, Prismacolors w/ mineral oil, foam tape, distresser, misc. trims, Creative Cafe button, orange blingy


It kinda looks a little busy, but I really wanted to use my new brocade stamp on a creepy card :) I stamped the boy on the white panel and then colored it in with a black marker... this gives a great shadow around the image after it is up on pop dots!

What is that little orange blingy, you ask? JoAnn's had these flip-flop adhesive jewels for half off... I grabbed the orange & black set immediately... me thinks I should go back for more :)


You should totally check out Mojo Monday's sketch... it was a fun one!


What do you think?

It's never too early for Halloween... Boo Sprite Girl

Haa haa! I received several replies from FB & Twitter after my status update last night :) So, here is the little bit o' cuteness I was talkin' about:


Boo Sprite Girl


{squeal}


Isn't she abso-freakin-lutely adorable? I LOVE LOVE LOVE this new set from TAC. So versatile... I mean, we all know I can spook-up just about anything... but come on, isn't the image cute?


Stamps: Spunky Sprite Girls, Glitter Goblins (might be back in September), Punk Princess (retired)
Paper: Bazzill Mono-Oranges, Basic Black & Olive cardstocks, & Premium White cardstock
Ink: Noir Palette, VersaMark
Other: pop dots, black lace, distresser, Prismacolors w/ mineral oil, grey Tombow marker


I missed a spot on her hand, but I'll fix it later... just a quick swipe with the blending stump! The woven background is a leftover from my Paper Wings design team project, so that should peak a little interest, there {insert evil smiley w/ raised eyebrow & horns here}


The VersaMarked background really popped after I sponged a bit of Noir ink over the edges. The orange was really bright, and the Noir toned it down quite a bit.


What would be AWESOME is if I had a spring under the skull instead of a pop dot... oooooooo... me likey!


What do you think?

Creepy Halloweenie Boo Birdhouses...

Tonight I've got the last of my Art Shares! Well, I had an additional one, but I had made one similar and had posted it before HERE... it was for Suzanne. She has a couple of boys and lives in Florida, so I thought it was totally her :) Hope you like it, Suzanne!!

I made these Halloweenie Boo Birdhouses for Bren. She is my downline from Wichita and she said to just surprise her with something... muhuhuwahh
ahh ahh ahh
aaaaaaahhhh! `:) What was she getting herself into?!

I LOVE THESE... and I almost wanted to start another project and keep these for myself. But, no no no... I was good and gave them away :) Me... good... ha ha ha... no comments from the peanut gallery...

{cough... CINDY... cough}

Anyway, I had these envisioned stuck in a plant centerpiece... mossy and dark. Or, if you want to go the fun route, in a big bowl of candy corn :)

I'm sorry to say that there isn't ANY product from TAC on this project... that's a first in a LONG time for me! But I am a collector of all that is Halloween and there just isn't any creepy stuff to be had from TAC {HINT HINT HINT} I know... not too subtle, but just in case Mischelle is reading along :)

What is bad, since I am a collector, is that I didn't keep track of some of the manufacturers... sorry guys!

I purchased the wooden mini-birdhouses from Michael's and painted them with green, black, and metallic copper paint. I roughed up some Halloweenie paper (unknown) and glued it to the birdhouses with PVA. I even made some scallop shingles on the roof... see...
cute AND creepy :)

I have no idea where the uber-creepy abso-freakin'-lutely awesome holey trim came from, but I think I'm in love :)

I covered some ugly brown chipboard letters with more paper and inked up the edges.. and then I just started layering! It's hard to see unless you zoom in, but there are these cool Halloweenie transparencies from Little Yellow Bicycle.. a cat and a bat. They are out at the face of the roof while the rest of the schtuff is set back with the face of the house... so they're just kinda hangin'...

me likey.

I found the glittery spiders from a party supply place... yep, they are table confetti... well, maybe not confetti, but cool nevertheless :)

And that's it! Seriously, the pictures are not the greatest because it was cloudy and I had to play with them in PhotoShop... but maybe Bren can take a better photo and post it for me :)

What do you think?

Dude, seriously...

... where does the time go?! Christmas cards one post... Hallloween the next :) For those of you who don't know, I am the Halloween Queen. My house always has a bit of Halloweenie-ness goin' on, decor wise... I've got quite the collection workin'.

So, from time-to-time, I'll throw a little card creepiness out year-round... that's just how I roll ;)

Remember when I said I wanted to color that little owl from the Bird Cage set with minereal oil & Prismacolors... well, here he is! He turned out pretty wicked-cool if I may say.

Stamps: Bird Cage, Fresh Air Favorites (retiring!!! grab this now!), Glitter Goblins

Paper: Bazzill Mono-Oranges, Bazzill Mono-Greens, Natural cs, White UltraSmooth cs, and misc. dark brown cs

Ink: VersaMark, Burnt Umber Palette

Other: Antique Copper Hardware, Crystal Laquer, Prismacolors & mineral oil blending, foam tape

I love distressing paper for extra Halloweenie-ness... no pristine princess in this house {well, not right now} ;) And you know what else I love... foam tape and pop dots!! Almost everything I do has those little guys on it.

The eyeballs are my favorite part of this card... how funny does that sound? Anyhoo...

{get it... any-HOO... ya' know, like the sound an owl makes ;) ...
...
...
... why no, I DON'T get out much}

ANYWAY, Crystal Laquer is the schizz-nit for eyeballs (stamping images, that is)! Not to mention goggles, sunglasses, fingernails, window panes, crystal balls, water... limitless possibilities, baby!

What do you think?

How about a little cuteness to balance my last post?! :)

OMG! Is this little guy not the CUTEST thing ever?! I just wanted to eat him up!


This is Baby Ira, my great-nephew, and he is my little flying monkey (get it... Wizard of Oz... witch... flying monkey...)! Don't you LOVE the partial banana on his head and the outtie belly-button?! He doesn't look very happy when I'm holding him because he just woke up (that is my story and I'm sticking to it!). He's almost 9 months (I think... bad Bad Aunt Barbi!!) and is such a happy, lovey, cay-yootie pa-tootie!


We didn't have many trick-or-treaters again this year... it's getting less and less all the time. But you should have seen the sweet little bumble bee, Minnie Mouse, and cowboy that received the extra-special stuff!! OMG... too cute! (of course Baby Ira got one too, duh). Laurie brought over her little McD's french fry box, Garrett (OMG! cuteness!)... I didn't get a picture of him, but hopefully Laurie will forward one along (ahem, hint hint).

Hope your Halloween was safe & fun! And now the clean up begins outside tomorrow... those friggin' fake spider webs are such a pain (but oh, so worth it)!

Ultimate creepiness awaits...

Ok, we all know I have the flair for creepiness... so if you don't dig that, please avert your eyes!! Since I only have tonight and maybe tomorrow (if I have time!!) to get my final Halloweenieness out of my system, I thought I'd go out with bang... or 'thud', or an AAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCKKKK... or however you roll :)

The only TAC about this Skull Poem card is the olive & sage cardstocks. I just couldn't resist using my Glimmer Mists again (which you CAN'T see in this photo... dang it!). The skull is from Artful Illusions and the cemetery is from Cow Town. The poem, I think, was a Battle Axe stamp (not sure, got it at a convention!).























In case you can't read it, it says:

"When the deep purple falls over the sleepy walls,
And stars begin to flicker in the sky,
Through the mist of a memory you wander back to me,
Breathing my name with a sigh. --Mitchell Parish"

No, I'm sure Mr. Parish did not intend for his poem to become part of some creepy Halloween card, but it is so eerily beautiful, it seemed fitting.

In case I don't post tomorrow night after all of the trick-or-treaters are gone...
[ And I don't mean that in a 'I just cooked them in my cauldron' kind of way :) ]
have a HAPPY HALLOSCREAM!!

Zzzzzzz....zzzzzzzzz....zzzzzzzzz

Let me just start off by saying that I am half asleep while writing this. I only had about 2 hours of sleep last night (and the night before) because Poot's snoring is getting worse and worse. I was such a cranky bi-yatch today, that I am sure my boss and co-worker wanted to kick me to the curb. So, without further ado, and so I can go to bed EARLY, here is tonight's fun stuff:

Jack-o-Pop Boo card supplies:

Stamps: Halloween Town, Fresh Air Favorites, & Boo! gwp stamp

Paper: DCWV orange, misc. black & white cardstocks

Ink: Chartreuse, Landscape, Jardin Moss, Violette, & Noir Palettes

Other: hydra sponge & sanding block

What do you think?

Yes, a simple one, but I'm pooped...

Halloween Angel Art Challenge blog-hop!!

Finally! Here it is... the Halloween Angel Art Challenge! I decided to create these little Goblin Sweet Pails to give to a choice few on Halloween night to the kids with the best costumes! I'll put candy in the ones I give out, but for today's purposes, I just used marbles to hold up the 'Spooky' pick. I had purchased these little pails from the Target $1 spot a year or two ago and finally used them!!

Goblin Sweet Pails supply list:

Stamps: Glitter Goblins, Fresh Air Favorites

Paper: Bazzill Basics and misc. eggplant & black cardstocks



Inks: Noir & Landscape Palettes

Other: hydra sponge, May Arts ribbon, black crochet thread, natural jute, large silver eyelets, wooden skewers

Using Landscape Palette, I stamped an image from FAF on the upper left & lower right portions of the tag. It looks like a greenish charcoal color in real life due to the base being rusty orange. After punching the scallop, I wadded it up and tore portions for effect... I also did this for the green Bazzill. I then ran my Noir ink pad over it.

The pail had a jack-o-lantern painted on it, so I let the eyes peek out from the behind the creepy green wrapping.

Using Noir, I stamped two 'Spooky' circles on the green, punched them out, and glued a skewer between them.

I used my Crop-A-Dile to set the eyelet through the tag & pail. I then wrapped the crochet thread around several times and tied it off. Finished it all by adding the jute through the eyelet and the ribbon to the Spooky pick.

What do you think?

Be sure to check out these other Angel blogs for more Halloween fun!!

Vicki: http://angelstamper2.blogspot.com/2008/10/halloween-themed-angel-art-challenge.html
Stacy: http://stacy.typepad.com
Jany: http://scrapbookandmoremania.blogspot.com/
Angela: http://www.angelakelley.blogspot.com/
Christina: http://inkmistress.wordpress.com/
Melisa: http://paperliciousdesigns.blogspot.com/
Maria: http://stampinfoolmeier.blogspot.com

Winter Holiday Stamp-a-Stack Info!!!

Ok, so I didn't get all of my stuff done that I needed to so that I could post something fun tonight :( But I DID get my project done for tomorrow's Halloween Angel Art Challenge! It turned out pretty cute, so check back tomorrow morning!!

I'm going to start posting my classes & events on my blog now, so if you are in my area and would like to attend, just email me for additional information! Depending on how it all goes over, I may start offering monthly project kits, too... please let me know if you would be interested. Here are a few details for my November class AND my 2nd Annual Winter Holiday Stamp-A-Stack (SAS):

November Creative Class Night:
November is going to be all about WINTER HOLIDAY CARDS and tags! Yep… once I can get past October 31st, I can start getting into the Winter Holiday mode!! Here are the details:

When: Tuesday, November 11th @ 7pm

Why: Because it is fun fun fun!
Cost: Class cost varies from $8-$10 depending on how much we’ll be doing.
What to bring: Please bring your own adhesive (tape & glue), pop dots or foam tape, scissors, and bone folder… I’ll have everything else cut and ready for you!

Please RSVP via e-mail by Tuesday, November 4th, so that I can prepare enough for everyone! Thanks!

Winter Stamp-A-Stack:
On November 22nd, I’ll open my house all day for you to come over and stamp a stack of Winter Holiday cards… I’ll have it set up similar to last year’s where there are three separate ‘stations’ and you can create at your own pace. We’ll be making four each of three different designs for a total of 12 cards for only $21… that’s only $1.75 per card! And if you’ve been to my classes or hostess clubs before, or visited my blog, you know that I do not skimp on the loveliness!!

So, for the details:
Who: You & your friends!
What: Winter Stamp-A-Stack (SAS)
When: Saturday, November 22nd from 10am-4pm
Where: My place

Why: To get a large chunk of those Winter Holiday cards done & ready to mail!!

What to bring: Please bring your own adhesive (tape & glue), pop dots or foam tape, scissors, and bone folder… I’ll have everything else cut and ready for you!

Please RSVP via e-mail by Friday, November 14th, so that I can order materials & prepare enough for everyone! Thanks!

These photos were from last year... I'll be taking photos of THIS year's Halloween on Friday... and yes, I DID take the day off!! The guys from the office know that this is my day, and there is NO WAY I work on Oct. 31... that's just how I roll. :)

More Halloween and, Yep... I'm a tease...

Just a really quick note for tonight, and no papercraft photos... instead, I'm showing you a couple of shots from last year's Halloween at The Foster's!! The first is my dining room table... and yes, those bottles contain the actual herbs that are written on the labels (Mugwort, Vervain, & Witch Hazel)!

[how witchy is that?! 'come here my little pretty...']

I tea-stained a bit of torn cotton fabric and merchandise tags w/ Palette re-inkers and then just used a black journaling pen. The chain on the tall bottle was a metal embellishment from Karen Foster Designs (I think). The little antique bottle is one that I had found at Artful Illusions at a stamp convention, and the other two were from Hobby Lobby (I think).

Be sure to check in Monday morning... a few of my fellow Angels and I are doing a little blog-hop-of-sorts. We're calling it a Halloween Angel Art Challenge! I've got one little lovely done, and am hoping to find the time to create another one. I'm also hoping to post something for you tomorrow as well, so stay tuned... and sorry for the tease :)

A rant and a little haunted house...

The Maple Leaf Festival was super busy on Saturday! Last year we went later on Sunday and there wasn't near as many people... we show up right before parade time, so it was wall-to-wall people! I didn't spend very much this year... I think it was because, though I may seem to be sort of a 'people person', I'm really not! :) I just don't feel comfortable in crowds. A lot of it is because people are just not cordial like they used to be...

hello...

...is the phrase 'excuse me' in your vocabulary?! I must be showing my age or something, but I actually attempt to move over on the sidewalk if someone is approaching me so that they may pass, and I ALWAYS say 'excuse me' or 'pardon me', 'please', 'thank you'.

Am I wrong on this?!

Some of these people today [and no, it's not just kids & teenagers] have absolutely no common manners. I'm not saying that I am Eloise or Miss Proper Etiquette or anything, but come on people!!

Ok, rant over. On to the fun stuff. I started making these cards yesterday and finished them up late tonight. The techniques and supplies for the House Haunt Cards are almost exactly the same as my Creepy Landscape Card, except I used the haunted house from Halloween Town in-lieu-of the tree from Love & Laughter. I also used an eggplant cardstock on the smaller card instead of the navy.

Since my rant was so long tonight, I cut the fun part short. Sorry for the poor quality lighting for these photos... I didn't have the natural light like I usually do, so the colors are off.

What do you think?

I know, I know... where the heck have I been...

I don't EVEN want to get into it... let's just say, I have been crazy busy. I still don't have half of my stuff done that I need to, and...


I want to be a kept woman!


Yeah... didn't see that one coming, did ya'?! :)


Anyhoo, on to the quickie post for tonight: Skull Swirlie Cards. One has a bit of bling, the other... not so much.


Stamps: Halloween Town, Swirlies

Paper: Winchester SWIC & Cardstock, Cha Cha Cardstock

Ink: Purple Hydrangea Versa, Graphite Black Brilliance, VersaMark

Bling: Diamond Stickles

Other: paper piercer, pop dots, distresser


Me likey. I'm thinking that this could be used for more than just a Halloweenie card... how about a break-up card?! ;) Just kidding... well... maybe... I mean, not for ME, but SOMEONE might need one!

[insert ornery grin with raised eyebrow here]

Simple and quick, but with a lot of POP!

What do you think?

Hostess Club Night & a Halloweenie Treatie...

I just got home from a trip to the stylist, and I almost feel human again... now that I have short hair, I swear it grows twice as fast... and those pesky grays mixed with dark brunette is just NOT me!! :) The crazy orange-red is much more in sync with my personality [insert raised eyebrow and sheepish grin here].

I don't know what happened, but I swear my calendar blew up and I have had ZERO creative time! I am so bummed. At least the hubby FINALLY hauled all of my Halloween stuff up (well most of it... he did miss two of the COOLEST things and he'll have to fix that soon!). OH! There's the garage door opener... maybe he'll grab the last goodies now!! [another raised eyebrow] Yes, he is, but he is not happy about it... poor Poot...

[me screaming: "Love you... big kiss!!"]

One of the COOL things is the awesome witch hat in the first photo... definitely one of my favorite purchases last year.

Anyway, my Hostess Club ladies were here last night and they re-created my Batty Moon coaster project. My photo really sucks, but they turned out great in real life!

And, as a bonus, Julie made everyone a little Halloweenie treatie! Last month I showed them how to do the sour cream containers from the SCS tutorial, and everyone loved them... Julie even bought a crimper so she could do more (as did Cindy). I really like it when people get excited about a project... it makes me feel like I actually contributed something!

I'm crossing my fingers that I'll get to work on something tomorrow night. My Saturday is TOTALLY BOOKED with Shriner activities because it's Fall Ceremonial. I will be going to the Ladies' Luncheon with my mom, which is always nice, at one of the MANY country clubs in KC (what is it about golf... I just don't get it). There is always a large turnout for the luncheon, and I'll get to see some faces that I haven't in awhile [I've been a very bad Shrine Lady this year... not going to many functions, etc.: bad bad bad].

Side note: I've had a couple of people ask me how I make my seasoned olive oil, so I'll share that next time, too!