Spooky Banner

Hello!

Today's project is a little different from my usual cards.  I was inspired by a couple of banners that were featured on the recent World Win/Inspired By Stamping Blog Hop and decided to make one of my own!  The inspiration banners were made by Irit and Leah, and I just had to make one too, a Halloween banner!

I hung it over my computer monitor in my office and used cut files from the Silhouette store for the base layers.  (Sorry for the lack of contrast with the black layers, this was the only place suitable for a picture in my entire home, believe it or not.)  I've used Inspired By Stamping papers and stamps throughout.  The paper is their new A Spooky Halloween digital paper on which I've stamped various images from the stamp sets Tricks and Treats and A Spooky Halloween, the latter of which was also recently released.

I made and distressed some small orange rosettes to mimic pumpkins.  On the pennants with stamped spiderwebs I also included some frayed cheesecloth to mimic the webs which I dyed with a bit of black ink.  (Dye then rinse and you get a perfect grungy gray.)

The letters are black glitter paper which cut beautifully on the Silhouette.

The spooky lady was also cut on the Silhouette using one of Joanna's cut files that went along with the A Spooky Halloween stamp set.  Joanna very generously offers FREE cut files with a good many of her stamps.  I embossed it on vellum.

Another spiderweb.  So I stamped this particular image on three of the pennants not noticing until the third one that I was stamping them upside down!  Gasp!  Oh well, spiders DO hang upside down.  I really need to get some new eyeglasses.

I added black rhinestones to the exposed centers of the rosettes.  Pardon the headless bird.  I stamped him before placing the rosette and try as I might, I was unable to show him completely.  Well, it IS for Halloween after all.

The skeleton is another cut file from the stamp set, also embossed on vellum.

This spider is right side up.

I tied black satin ribbon to connect the pennants, and I cut the ends on an angle so that they mimic black bats.

I love this banner hanging over my computer monitor but something tells me it's going to disappear when my daughter, who's coming over to craft with me today, sees it.  I'm already working on another one (but not for Halloween), so stay tuned!

Thank you for joining me and I wish you a lovely, crafty, day.

Happy crafting!

Challenges entered:

Pile It On #43 - Embellishment Crazy (rhinestones, ribbon)
Eclectic Ellapu - Inspired By a Film ("Halloween")
Crafty Ribbons #67 - Anything But a Card
Divas By Design - Spooked (Halloween theme)

A Very Trendy Holiday

Hello!

Just a quick note to share with you today something special going on with my good friend Catherine Pooler.  I've shared with you before about Catherine Pooler, one of the coolest ladies around with a fun, informative blog and a fabulous forum called StampNation.  Well now she's gone and done it again, this time teaming up with CAS Queen Maureen Merrit and offering online classes on how they achieve the beautiful cards and projects for which they are known, both CAS and more elaborate.  And all very achievable in your own craft room!

But here, I'll let Catherine tell you herself: 

"Earlier this year, I started working on a new website where I could hold Online Classes.  Over the course of this year, well...first of all, I've been a busy with lots of different, fun projects.  Second of all, I wasn't exactly sure what my classes would be like!

I wanted them to be DIFFERENT from anything else I offer.  Different from StampNation, Definitely Sketches and Simply WOW!  What I have created, quite frankly, I'm thrilled with!

With a little help from my friends (namely Maureen!), I have put together a great class for you...it's the first of what I plan to be a regular offering for you!

Each class will have a theme.  All the projects and videos and tutorials inside the classroom will, obviously, go with the theme.  Think of it like a neat little package all tied up with a bow.

  

This first class, A Very Trendy Holiday, is fun, it's eye catching and you will learn a TON of great stuff from it!

Guess what?  I'm going to give away TWO FREE class registrations!  Simply leave me a comment here by Friday, October 25 at 6:00 PM EST and let me know what your favorite paper crafting trend is right now.  If you've already purchased the class, you will get a refund.

Now go on!  Click through to see what this class is all about!  I think you'll love it! 

Catherine"

So there you have it.  Head on over to Creativity Grows Here - A Very Trendy Holiday and take a look around, and if you leave me a comment on my blog telling me what your favorite paper crafting trend is by Sunday, October 27 at 11:59 PM CST, I'll draw two names for TWO FREE CLASS REGISTRATIONS.  How cool is that!

A few notes:

• The bonus tutorials featured within are available to those who register with Catherine Pooler by 11:59 AM EST Saturday, Oct. 26.
• Comment on my blog by 11:59 PM CST Sunday, Oct. 27, to win one of two free registrations.  Tell me what your favorite paper crafting trend is!
• You also have the opportunity to win a free registration at Catherine's blog as she's giving away two freebies as well, so go check it out!  That's four opportunities to win!

Happy crafting!!

WooHoo Wednesday at Inspired By Stamping

Hello!

Today I'm showing a fun and super easy technique over at Inspired By Stamping's WooHoo Wednesday.  I find I'm doing this more and more to add that special little something to my cards.

I've used lots of Inspired By Stamping goodies on today's card, including Joanna's brand spankin' newly-released Girl Birthday Bash Digital Paper (stripes), Boy Birthday Bash Digital Paper (dots) and All Year Wishes I stamp set which includes a bazillion sentiments in lovely script fonts plus a couple of frames with flourishes which fit perfectly on her dies, the Fancy Labels I die of which I've used here.

Here is the inside which I've stamped with another sentiment from the stamp set. 

I've embellished this card with white Inspired By Stamping Curly Flowers, Satin Ribbon in Rosewood, and Cream Crochet Lace.  A few pearls and tiny pink posies and the card was complete!

Thanks for joining me and do head over to WooHoo Wednesday to see what I added as my little extra oomph!  Then join the challenge which extends to Nov. 5 and try this technique yourself and perhaps you will be the lucky winner!

Happy crafting!

Golden Snowflakes

To see my post about the Inspired By Stamping/World Win blog hop, please go here (or scroll down).

Hello!

I'm back from my wonderful road trip with hubby of 4,000 miles in 7 days and 9 states.  Wowza!  That poor man is so tired of driving...

We started out in Texas and drove through Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York and Vermont, enjoying the regional cuisine and gorgeous fall foliage which grew more brilliant the further north we drove.  We came back through those same states but sometimes taking different routes so as to see as much scenery as possible.  I was the Chief Navigator, and I used the app on my iPhone to do the entire trip.  No plans, no hotel reservations, the only rule was to eat locally and not at national chain restaurants.  Other than that, the phone was our guide and away we went!

But we're back now, exhausted but happy that we've marked an adventure off of our bucket list.  So today's card is somewhat CAS, please forgive me.  I had made the bottom layer a couple of weeks ago as an experiment and it came in handy for today's simple but glitterlicious card.

 

I used the super useful stamp set from Inspired By Stamping, Winter Wonderland, to make the background which I embossed with glittery gold embossing powder.  I popped that layer up on dimensionals to separate it from the same-color white card base.  

I used IBS Holiday Sentiments for the sentiment, embossing it in gold and running a line of gold ink around the inside of the IBS Fancy Labels 2 Die.  The shimmery gold paper is some of the World Win paper I used on yesterday's blog hop project.  The white seam binding that I used for the flags are from IBS as well.

I kept the inside pretty simple with a snowflake and a different greeting from the same Holiday Sentiments set.

Thanks for joining me, and I wish you a day of happy crafting!

Challenge entered:

Crafty Ribbons #66 - Anything Goes w/ribbon

Blog Hop with Inspired By Stamping and World Win Papers

Hi there, crafty friends, and thank you for joining us in this Holiday blog hop!

Inspired By Stamping and WorldWin Papers has teamed up to offer  you over 15 inspiring Christmas projects to jump start your holiday season. We hope that you’ll find just the right inspiration for your next Christmas themed project.

Christmas season is all about gift giving, and this hop is no exception. We have planned a very sweet giveaway for a lucky winner. To be eligible for the giveaway, please visit each blog in the list, grabbing the “letter” code as you go. Once you’ve landed on our last blog, which is the Inspired by Stamping blog, you will leave a comment with the secret phrase created by putting together all of those letters that you collected from each blog. 

The deadline is Sunday night (the 21st) and winners of the giveaway will be announced on October 23rd on both the WorldWin Papers and Inspired by Stamping blogs. The designers have worked hard to produce all of these fantastic creations, and we would like to invite you to leave some comments on their individual blogs as well.

So what are you waiting for...let the hopping begin!

For my project I decided to decoupage an old frame I had found at a garage sale.  In keeping with my non-traditional Christmas color theme this year, I used a snowflake theme but used the colors red/green/gold instead of the traditional blue/white/silver.  This happens to match my home decor exactly, as you can see by the wall behind the frame.  

I stamped many, many snowflakes from the IBS Winter Wonderland set onto World Win Premium White Cardstock, then tore it into many randomly-shaped pieces and adhered the pieces with decoupage glue.  Then I colored it with a couple of different types of pastel waterbased colors, experimenting this way and that until I had the sage green effect I was looking for.  I was going to cut away the ragged edges on the inside of the frame after adhering all of the pieces, but about halfway through I decided I liked the look they gave, sort of like icicles or snowdrifts!

Once the colors had dried, I rubbed all the torn edges with brown distress ink to give it a bit of a vintage feel.  Even though the edges were covered with the dried glue, they still took the stain a little bit.  I rubbed gold Rub 'N' Buff on all four edges for a nice, antique gilded appearance.

The roses almost look like thin sheet metal, don't they, but they're World Win Petallics papers (Wine Cup and Gold Ore) which are shimmery and out of this world gorgeous.  I used a flat flower die to fashion them, antiquing the edges first with brown distress ink.

The street lamp and holly are die cuts that I've painted with shimmer paints to add a bit of interest.  That cute little JOY banner is from the Inspired By Stamping Build a Snowman stamp set, having first been cut on my Silhouette Cameo, then heat embossed with gold embossing powder.  Joanna is super generous in providing FREE cut files with many of her stamp sets!

The reindeer postage stamp as well as a few other bits here are from the Vintage Postcards Add On set.

This sentiment is a "shadow sentiment" that I bought in the Silhouette store.  I used World Win Petallics Wine Cup for the red layer and World Win Kromekote Brushed Gold Foil Mirror Finish for the top layer.  The little star postmark piece as well as the snowflake postage stamp underneath the sentiment are from the IBS Vintage Postcards Add On set as well.

Another lovely rose.  To this corner I also added a two-layer, triple-loop bow and let the streamers curl and twist along the length of each side of the frame.  The leaves are die cuts from World Win Original Colormates Dark Spring Green that I've painted with Copics and then dry brushed with a bit of gold shimmer paint.

Real antique lace is under the bottom roses.  I applied vintage glass glitter plus ultra fine clear glitter to the lace.  One can never have to much sparkle and shine, hence all the shiny gold snowflakes (from World Win Kromekote Brushed Gold Foil Mirror Finish) and red rhinestones sprinkled about.

I hope you've enjoyed my project and now urge you to keep on hopping to decipher the code and win some fabulous prizes!

Happy hopping!

Worldwin 
Patti Hamil 
Gini Williams Cagle 
Katrina Hunt 
Gloria Stengel 
Colleen Dietrich 
Grace Tolman 
Irit Shalom 
Kendra Sand 
Leah Cornelius 
Nazeema Bastian 
Pam Bray 
Rose Miller 
Shea Marshall (you're here!) - Code E 
Tina Hale 
Vicki Dutcher 
Joanna Munster

WCMD France

Hello!

I'm writing from Carlisle, PA where hubby and I stayed for the night on our way home from our fabulous trip to New England where we saw the most beautiful fall colors we've EVER seen.  There is just no describing the vivid reds, oranges and golden yellows that adorned the trees covering the various hills and mountains of the region.  I've got several red maple leaves and yellow unknown leaves that I microwaved in our hotel room and pressed overnight in hopes of preserving their wonderful colors.  If it works, I'll be using them in future projects!

Today's card is the final of the four that I made for StampNation's World Card Making Day blog hop on Oct. 5.  The inspiration photo is of downtown Paris on Bastille Day...

...and my card had nothing in common with the photo.  Oops.  Well...sometimes inspiration strikes in different ways.  In this case, I pictured in my mind's eye fields of sunflowers, so I used a stamp from Inspired By Stamping, French Country, and colored it with Copics, applying a little light green glitter around the center.

I heat embossed the gold "poulet" (which features in many French kitchens) from the same stamp set and cut the shape out using my Silhouette Cameo.

I stamped a chicken wire pattern onto a piece of canvas and cut it into a banner  before adhering it under the center panel. 

Some stitching and black rhinestones complete this card.

Thanks for joining me today and I wish you a beautiful, flower-filled day!  

Bisous!  (Mwah!)

Gilding the Lily at Shea's Lounge

Hello from Troy, New York!

We've made it to Troy, New York in our quest for beautiful fall foliage, and we haven't been disappointed.  It's been a wonderful trip so far driving up from Texas through Arkansas, Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and now New York.  Our goal is Vermont, which we will reach tomorrow,and THEN we'll be able to get off the main highways and start doing some serious exploring.  My favorite thing to do is explore back roads and see what adventures await, but we've had a few adventures even while taking the interstates, and one of those adventure is that we visited Maureen Merritt (Mama Mo) today!  I emailed her from my phone to see if she lived even remotely close to our route, and she did!  She was only an hour off of our chosen route, so we took the detour and visited her at her gorgeous home deep in the Pennsylvania woods.  Turns out the house right across the road from her house was for sale, and my husband had to hold me back from calling the realtor and putting a down payment on it right then and there.  I would SO love to live in her neighborhood.  Here's a picture of the two of us.  See those woods in the background?  She's surrounded with them.  I'm jealous as a cat.  Here's a big thank you to Maureen for letting me drop in on her like that!  Thanks, girlie!

Today's card shows one of my favorite new ways to add a finishing touch to paper elements on cards, and I'm showing the tutorial on StampNation.  Do stop by to see what we're all about!  It's a lot of fun, a lot of fun women, and a LOT of education and inspiration, not to mention over 300 tutorials by the fabulous Catherine Pooler.

The image and sentiment have been embossed in gold.  I used a bit of crochet lace, some chipboard brads, and a distressed white poinsettia to finish the card.

I stamped the same image inside, stamping off first for a lighter image.

Thank you for joining me and I hope you stop by StampNation to see further details!

Happy crafting!

WCMD Germany

Hello from Pennsylvania!

I would include some pictures and maybe a short video or two of today's travels through some of the most beautiful countryside I've ever seen, but I am having serious internet problems and am unable to do so.  But I promise I'll be sharing in the next day or two!  The trip is going so well and we're seeing parts of the country we've never seen before. 

Today's card, another one in the StampNation World Card Making Day blog hop series, represents Germany.  This is a may pole in the inspiration photo, and one of the interesting facts that was shared with this inspiration photo was that "young men in Rhineland may put a branch wrapped in colorful ribbons in the garden of a girl he would like to marry. Young women place these branches in the gardens of young men during leap years."

 

I find that custom sweet and charming, so I designed my card to interpret such pretty branches.  The branch itself is a die cut from brown cardstock onto which I added some Copic painting for a little extra interest.  I masked the clouds and ground and airbrushed the sky with Copics, then I airbrushed the ground, masking the sky.  I added a bit of light grey Copics to the clouds to give them a bit of dimension.

I tied 1/8" ribbons in various colors into small knots, then adhered them to the tree branch.  At the end, I decided they actually looked a little like the birds I drew in grade school, so that is my interpretation - colorful birds crowding the branches!


The bottom layer of cardstock and two mats represent the colors of the German flag - black, red and yellow.  I edged the yellow mat with gold embossing for some added interest.




Thank you for joining me, and I wish you a colorful, carefree day!


Happy crafting!