Bewitching Card

Witch on a Pumpkin by Jackie Matthews

I believe I topped last year's record for Halloween cards made in one month, but they are so much fun!!  Especially when you have some great Squigglefly digi images, like the one I used called Witch on a Pumpkin by Jackie Matthews.
Over at the Squigglefly Challenge Blog their newest challenge starts today, and it asks you to use STRIPES in your project.  I had this lovely sheet of paper by American Crafts that was double-sided, with fall leaves on one side and , as you can see, stripes on the other.  I colored my image with Copics, cut it out and popped it onto my 6x6 card with a bit of ribbon and a sticker sentiment.
I can't wait to mail out all these colorful halloween cards I made in the last few weeks.  In fact, I think I will mail this one out to one of you who leave a little love for me.  Here's how to snag this card: Go to Squigglefly and check out their digital images and let me know which one you like the best.  Post it in your comment and I'll do a random pick and send someone this card, which will be blank inside for your own sentiment, whether to keep or to give away.  Tell me in the post who the artist of your fave image is, and I'll send some halloween embellishments along with it!!
 Each week there's a new challenge at Squigglefly Challenge Blog.  If you use one of their images, you could win a prize.  If you don't have any Squigglefly images (yet), you can snag some FREEBIES.  Have fun, and don't forget to leave some love!!

Friends Make Everything Better

As these little critters will attest, doing something together makes the time go past quickly and happily.  Crafter's Companion Challenge blog has a new challenge this month, and a fantastic giveaway!  The theme for October is Friendship, and the prize to one lucky random winner is Six of their soon-to-be-released Humphrey the Elephant Stamp sets, with a mini-storage binder and a set of the mini panels to put them into!!!


Cute Companions Wishing Line

 When I found this stamp set in my drawer, it hadn't even been placed onto EZ Mount yet, so this card is its maiden voyage, so to speak.  And now that it's ink-ready, I don't think I'll let it sit idle for very long.  I love the way the stamps ink up and print images, clear and sharp.  This set is from the Cute Companions collection called Wishing Line by Jayne Nestorenko.
As soon as I stamped and colored the images, I knew they would work well with a step-fold card, in order to bring out all the dimension from each and every image.  I used CTMH patterned papers for the backgrounds, and colored my images with Copics.  I love the scene that I created with this type of card, and right now I don't plan on giving it out to anyone, but I want to keep it and display it for awhile.  I don't know whether to frame it or to stand it up on a table, it looks great both ways!
Be sure to check out the Crafter's Companion Challenge Blog for your chance to win the October prize.  Happy Crafting!!

Once Upon a Time with the Witch Sisters

Good Morning!

I have Halloween on my mind today.  This is one of my favorite holidays, mostly because of the fun factor.  When else can you dress up (or down) and act a part, or let your goofy personality shine forth (without the help of a few glasses of wine)?  So I inked up a couple of Queen Kat Designs stamps from Marlon T's set called Witch Sisters and I have a little story to tell you...

Once upon a time, there were two sisters who were much like everyone else, except they were lucky enough to be witches.  Not the bad old ugly crones you see in horror movies, just two very spiritual and perceptive witches who channeled the energies of nature into spells and potions and a few nocturnal flights on their broom sticks.
Their names were Caterina and Bathilda, but most called them Kitty and Batty.  Kitty flew when the moon was full, with her pet cat, Midnight, by her side.  Batty liked to fly alongside her pet, Shadow, who was a black bat.
Both girls were young, pretty and had a great sense of humor.  They liked to play tricks on each other, and sometimes on their neighbors, which did not make them very popular when it came time for parties.  No one was likely to forget Alice’s tenth birthday party, to whom the girls were innocently invited. 
Batty gave Alice a beautiful hand mirror, that unfortunately reflected the viewer's secret dissatisfaction with themselves.  Alice went around all afternoon smoothing down a cowlick that was never really there,  and Peter, who swipped the mirror when she wasn't looking, kept picking his nose, sure that the long booger hanging from his right nostril would come out this time.
Batty wasn’t alone in the mayhem-making.  Kitty had stood behind one of the mothers in the food line, and watched as the adult took the last of the chocolate chip cookies.  Kitty graciously offered a cup of punch to the poor woman, who couldn’t stop grunting and squealing like a pig until she woke the next morning.

But I lose myself in the story of the Witch Sisters, whose stamps you can purchase HERE.  Now for my project...
I am hostessing a Halloween party, and I love to handmake a lot of my decorations, favors, etc.  One thing I want to have on hand is a pile of containers in which guests can take home treats.  Both hubby and I are diabetic, so we don't want them lingering here, calling to us suggestively in the middle of the night.  So picture this box and others like it filled with a scrumptious assortment of cupcakes, cookies and sweet treats.  Yum, but I think my blood sugar just went up a couple notches writing this!!
I snagged a package of these cupcake boxes on clearance last November, and colored and adhered my Witch Sisters onto the tops with a couple of the sentiments that go with the stamp set.   A pretty Halloween ribbon around the box will complete the "To Go" boxes.

If you want to hear more about Batty and Kitty, I have more projects I’ll be posting this month from this bewitching stamp set, so keep checking back, and don’t forget the new set is called Witch Sisters by Marlon T, available for purchase now at the STORE.  There are several  new stamps this month and you can see great cards and projects using them all on the QKD Blog.  Don't forget to leave some love!

P is for Pat

Wee Henrietta Witch

Put on your dancin shoes, the Hambo Hoedown is Playing my song!  This week's challenge is to use something on your Project (besides a HAMBO image) that starts with the first letter of your name.  Since mine is Pat, I Purposely Pieced Patterned Paper (disPlaying Polka dots), Placed a Pumpkin button, Painted with PurPle (actually CoPics) as the Primary color, Plus I Prettified my card with my corner Punch for a little Pizzazz!!
I am Pleased as Punch with my card, which uses Wee Henrietta Witch digi image from Hambo Stamps.
I hadn't realized all the crafting items that start with the letter P (as well as verbs, adverbs and adjectives).  Those other embellies that I used that don't start with a P include foam stars, felt fusion and my sentiment was Printed on Microsoft Word using a Poem from the Quote Garden.
This is such a fun challenge this week--you have no excuse NOT to Play!  What?  You don't have a Hambo image?!? Then click HERE for Freebies and have sime fun!!!
p.s. This card qualifies for so many other challenges:
Craft your Passion - Anything Goes with Ribbon
One Stitch at a Time - Digi image
My Craft Spot - Too cute to spook
ABC Challenge Blog - A is for Anything Goes

Two Cards Today

I have two cards to show you today.  The first is a Halloween card, as I am just finishing off my stack of cards needed for this holiday.  The folks over at Less Is More (LIM) have challenged crafters to not only make a clean, simple card, but to use the color of the crafter's eyes as the main color on the card.  You can use one more color, and as my eyes are NOT orange, you can see that they are a dark blue edging toward purple at times.
My card uses a Halloween image colored only with two Copics, YR04 & V04.  The textured paper is a violet blue, which doesn'y show up very well in this photo, and I simply punched the tor right corner for an accent, diecut my image with my Epic Six using Nestabilities Labels Four, and added an orange ribbon.
This is not usually my style and i had to work at not adding embellishments and Stickles and everything but the kitchen sink onto it, but it came out how I wanted it to come out, clean and simple.
If you are finding yourself pouring on the embellishments, take time to check out Less Is More Challenge Blog to get your simplicity mojo on!
It's interesting in that ove at the Corrosive Challenge Blog, they are offering a very different challnge, yet my card fits in perfectly!  Their theme this week is PURPLE PASSION, and they ask that you make a card featuring the color purple and one other color!  You can see how well my card fits their challenge guidelines as well, since I used only purple and orange.  For some great inspiration and challenging tasks, check them out HERE.

Onto my second card, which is a birthday card that I made for my sister.  I used Magnolia's Tilda, and tried (in vain as you can see) to keep it simple as well.  I used only two colors for my card, brown and teal, but couldn't stop adding color and shimmer and a flower and ink and...well, you can see for yourself!
I like both cards equally well, and am glad I can give this second card to someone I love.

Happy Birthday, Kathy!!

The Weather is Turning

But it was still a perfect day to make cards--National Cardmaking Day!  I got a chance (a very small allotment of time) on Saturday to play in my craft room, and wanted to show off my creations:
The first card looks toward colder days and memories of summer as the theme, and Hambo Stamps' Dragonfly digi-image was the perfect image on which to showcase it. 


Dragonfly digi image

 I paper-pieced the image after printing it on white once and twice on patterned paper.  The design of my card is inspired by one created by Sally Astill.  That's the Hambo Hoedown challenge this week, to CASE (Copy And Share Everything) a card from their gallery.  Sally's card features an image on top of layers of paper that set the scene, as does mine.  I added the sentiment "Always maintain a kind of summer even in the middle of winter" so that my dragonfly makes sense on a winter card.
I used Copics sparingly on the image, a border punch on the bottom of my card, and google eyes on my image (because they're fun).
Hambo Challenge Blog is saying goodbye to their former Design Team and asking their followers to welcome the new team this week.  I always get great inspiration from the Bacon Bits, and welcome a new crop of crafters to inspire me further!

Join the fun at the Hambo Hoedown.   If you still don't have an image from Hambo Stamps, they are offering FREEBIES with which you can play and enter challenges.  Every player who follows their guidelines gets a new digi image to play with in the next challenge, so what are you waiting for?!

My second card was made at my local scrapbooking store at a free make & take to celebrate the day.  Since they advertised new Memory Box stamps and papers, I was practically the first in line!  Wouldn't you know it, the power went out five minutes after they opened their door.  While we roamed the store to look at what's new on the shelves, the owner's hubby came in with a gnerator while they waited for ComEd to fix the outage.

I love taking classes at Craft Fancy, my lss, and seeing all the new stuff from CHA plus.  The card we made was again looking forward toward the coming winter, and showcased a gorgeous diecut cardinal.  The colors of the papers are in my fave color family, so we bonded very well!






Sandi and I meet up at Craft Fancy in Arlington Hts, IL


And surprise, one of my bestest crafting buds showed up, hoping she could catch me and we could talk.  We get together maybe once or twice a year, but when we do, it's as if we were never apart, we just start off right where we left things!  I am blessed with a few of these soul sisters in my life.  She wants some help getting her own blog up and running, so we're getting together before the weather really takes a turn for the worse!

Whatever you do, make sure you enjoy doing it.  Happy Crafting!

I am a Royal Stamping Maiden for Queen Kat Designs!

Forest Night by Terra Bidlespacher

I have an exciting announcement to make:  Starting this month, I am designing for Queen Kat Designs!  I have loved the cards I see on friends' blogs that feature QKD stamps,and now I get to play and create with them myself!
My first card features "Forest Night" by Terra Bidlespacher.  After coloring my image, I tore it and inked the edges with Tim Holtz Vintage Photo distress ink.  Framing it with patterned paper that coordinated with the colors I used on the image, I found a distressed tag in my stash of leftover supplies and used it to create a frame, also using some pink cardstock (torn, of course) and coordinating striped patterned paper.
The stripes looked too intense, so I toned it down with some webbing, and then embellished with a felt bird, a diecut butterfly, and some rhinestones on the tag.  I finished off my card by inking one edge with gold pigment ink, then rubbing in some Aztec Gold Pearl Ex pigments.

Here are the Copics I used to color my forest fairy.  A motley assortment, you might say, and I would definitely agree with you!  Usually I have about three to four at the most, but I tried for as much definition and depth as possible.  I discovered, however, that many of my Copics are in need of refilling!

Now for my confession: I was struck with a case of doubts as I finished the card.  And those doubts show up in my final photo of my project.  I came down with a severe case of indecision for my first card for QKD.  I kept searching my drawers and files, asking myself  "Is this enough?  Is this too much?  What if I added this?"  And as I searched, the chaos on my desk grew!

I am happy to say that my desk, although temporarily in disarray, has been put to rights again, ready for my next project!

Speaking of projects, if you like this pretty forest fairy, she can be found HERE along with so many other gorgeous and fun stamps.

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