Macabre Monday #001 - Wicked Thicket

Welcome to the first ever Haunted Design House Macabre Monday challenge! Since I'm new to this whole challenge-hosting-thing, please bear with me while I figure it all out :)

HDH Macabre Monday Rules:
1. Must have fun and not stress.
2. Create a Halloweenie SOMETHING (card, scrap page, altered item, whatever) that follows the specific Macabre Monday challenge given. Cutesy Halloween is fine, but creepy is better :) However, no extra 'points' are given either way.
3. You have until the following Sunday night @ 5pm central time to post your creation and linky back here.
4. If you upload to any online galleries (PW, PCP, SCS, etc.), please tag the title using HDH001.
5. Starting in September, I'll have monthly contest giveaways... more details to follow. So for these next couple of weeks, you're going to be doing this for the sheer joy of it ;)
6. I'll be selecting a weekly Gruesome Twosome (my top two favorite creations) from all the players. At the end of every month these will be compiled and a Master of Macabre will be selected. He/she will be asked to be a guest blogger for the following month, if they so wish, and receive a little giftie from me (I have NO idea what this will be!!).

That should do it until I figure out what I missed :)


Ok, my little pretties... your challenge this week:
Wicked Thicket

Pull out those pretty flower and foliage stamps and create a little darkness... turn those lovely springy images into something from the underworld :) To help illustrate, I've created a little sumpin' sumpin' for you.

Stamps (all TAC): Watercolor Plants, Tag Tidbits, So Splattered & Halloween GWP (both retired)

Paper (all TAC): Kraft, Olive, Black, & Monochromatic Purples cardstocks

Ink: Noir, Violete & Landscape Palettes

Other: AquaColor crayons, WeR eyelets, Scor-Pal, edge distresser

I used the black crayon to color directly on my rubber stamp, misted with water & then stamped onto the panel, misted again & stamped on more time to the panel. I repeated this several times to create my thicket. I then inked up the splatter image to add a little more creepy factor.

I lightly sponged the edges with Violete & Noir inks. I also sponged the Landscape over the sentiment to highlight it.

Your turn! I can't wait to see what you all create with this challenge!!

A PaperCutz challenge card...

Ok, so I'm not thrilled with how this turned out, but I'm sharing anyway! This is for the PaperCutz Challenge #4 to create a Halloween 'something' without using black or orange. Yipes, definitely a toughie.

Stamps: Mrs. O'Leary's in Wichita (skull), inkadinkado (sentiment)
Paper: TAC's Basic Brown & Scarlet cardstocks, misc. white cardstock
Ink: Burnt Umber L'Amore Red Palettes, Moonlight White Brilliance
Other: EK Success punch, MS drippy goo punch, White gel pen, VersaMarker, misc. lace, pop dots

I couldn't get a really good stamped image of the sentiment... I don't know if it is because of the clear stamp or maybe Brilliance doesn't work as well with them. I even 'conditioned' the stamp like I've been told to do, but whatever. It is what it is.

Can you see the 'blood' on the lace? It didn't work out as well either. This card will probably end up in that infamous pile of never-to-be-sent cards I've got going.

Tomorrow is our first Macabre Monday challenge day here at HDH, so be sure to tune in!!!

What do you think?

Halloween shopping...

Some of you were asking about the Halloween swag I scored this weekend, so here a couple of photos. All of this came from Michael's or HomeGoods stores. The REALLY cool candelabra & owl will be shown after I work my crafty magic :)

Paper mache skull & skull mask, masonite skull panel, skull punch (are you seeing a pattern here?), skull votive holder, coffin boxes, wooden bats, skeleton & house, gothic looking jewels, and an uber-cool gothic looking candle holder.

Pretty sweet, right? I've got some ideas kicking around for the paper mache skulls & wooden coffin boxes already... those should be fun ;) I've already painted & crackled one of the bats in anticipation for SOMETHING... I love getting down & dirty with craftiness.

That's it for my first shopping of the season. And there is so much more out there that I want... I've been told to get to Pottery Barn immediately for the creepy goodness... hmmm... what days to I HAVE to work?

Fiendishly Fun Friday... and a little Pink Aye...

Ok, I'm still kicking around challenge days & names... here's a list and I would appreciate any feedback :)

Macabre Monday, Terrifying Tuesday, Wicked Wednesday (or Wickedly Weird or Witchy), Blood Thirsty Thursday (or Tricked-Out), Fiendishly Fun Friday (or Frightful), Spine-Tingling Saturday, Blood-Sucking Sunday

So, I just got back from a little shopping excursion to Michael's & HomeGoods... all Halloween purchases :) I've got to get a little crafty on a few items before they are truly decor worthy, though... now to find the time to do it!

I've decided that since a large part of my home decor is halloweenie and stays out year-round anyway, I'm going to bite the bullet and start purging some 'standard' and Christmas seasonal decor items that are packed away and taking up valuable storage space. No worries... I'm keeping the 10' tall tree and all the trimmings, but some of the other stuff has got to go!

Ok, on to today's card! I've performed stamp surgery before, and I can't remember which Angel suggested it for this set, but I am so thankful! I cut the swirl off of the bottom of the heart and created two separate stamps. Originally, I was going to set the skull on top of the swirl... I'd seen images similar to that I liked... but I turned it upside down just for grins... doesn't it look like a pirate's hat (tricorne)?!

Not just any pirate hat, a pirate princess hat...

well, a dead pirate princess...

ok, technically a skeleton of a dead pirate princess...

you get the point. Don't you just love taking a rubber stamp and creating something unexpected? Yeah, me too.

Stamps: Forever Family, Mini-bet, Punk Princess (retired)
Paper: Premium White & white UltraSmooth cardstocks
Ink: Noir Palette
Other: Prismacolors w/ mineral oil, misc. ribbon & jewel, Scor-Pal

Super clean & simple... not really my style but it still ranks a "me likey"...

What do you think?

Happy Owl-o-ween :)

Ok, so Jen is a total enabler. She sent me a link to a You-Tube video showing Martha's latest punches... as soon as I saw the web, I was hosed. So yesterday I went to THREE different Michaels stores in search... SCORE! And here's a bonus: I had 50% off coupons!!! Oh don't think I wouldn't have paid full price... I might have... I mean, I could only find one of the corner punches in stock anywhere! Yeah, I know... weird... plenty of the borders, but only one lonely corner punch... and it is all mine
{muhuwah ahh ahh ahh aaaaaaaaaahh}

Sooooooooo, guess I what I made last night... how's this for cuteness? I KNOW! Why else would I add the creepy little black spider confetti... had have just a teensie touch of that "uh, ewwww" ;)

I grabbed a chunk-o-cardstock out of my 'big scrap' scrap pile and started playing... I must say that I wish the two border webs were the same so that I could overlap them if needed when punching them out. I mean, I like the look of the subtle difference, but it kinda blows for when you need just one less web. But me still likey :)

I don't know if you can see it, but the two web corners and the mat are all one piece. I just had to get a little crafty with it since I did not have the correct size of cardstock with which to start. But if you go to the Aug. 3rd post on Chelsea's blog, she's done some measuring for us!!!

If I had this to do over, I would have switched out my sewing machine thread to black and stitched the swiss dot to the base i.l.o. staples... they are a little distracting. I also would have only done a couple of corners with the splatter stamp instead of all the borders. It's a little busy for me.

Stamps: Be Square, What a Hoot ("Owl"), Glitter Goblins ("oween"), So Splattered (retired), Holiday Cheer ("Happy")

Paper: White Ultrasmooth, basic black, & Lilly Anna cardstocks

Ink: Noir Palette

Other: Elizabeth Buttons & Blossoms, Black Scrapper's Floss, Prismacolors w/ mineral oil, Tombow gray marker, dotted swiss fabric, MM pink staples, MS web punches, misc. twill ribbon, spider confetti, Target thumbtack, black marker, foam tape

Good grief... I never think there is much on a card until I list the freakin' ingredients! And most of my "misc. ribbon" notes are because I have one on those huge Ribbon-eze thingies and I have no flippin' idea who made what :)

There it is... my creepy-cute pink Halloweenie card...

What do you think?

365 Card Day #155 - Ghoulie Girl...

OMG, Becky... I actually completed a card challenge on the same day it was issued! Write that down. This is for 365 Cards Day #155: Super Sketchy Sunday.

Once again, I used that great kraft packing paper... I hope you like it, because I've already created another card with it, too :) Anyway, the cute little girl image actually has a flower on her shirt, but you know me... let's go Halloweenie!

Stamps: Beary Happy Day (Hostess Level B set), Punk Princess (retired)

Paper: Premium White & basic black cardstocks, kraft packing paper

Ink: Noir Palette

Other: Prismacolors w/ mineral oil, Clear Stardust gel pen, foam tape, purple jewels, distresser

I'm thinking about starting another blog... Haunted Design House... All Halloween all the time :) We'll see when I actually get it going.

What do you think?!

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)!