Week 6 of The Great Pumpkin Blog Hop features a cat, Retro Sketch, and WOYWW

 

Cats and pumpkins go so well together for Halloween, I think. I simply cut an image from SU!'s Storytime dsp for the front of this card and added two red buttons with baker's twine.

 

 



Here's the entire card. I used the Houndstooth embossing folder on the Pumpkin Pie layer, and pierced around the perimeter, then added a couple more layers of Storytime dsp. It's kind of a cheerful Halloween card, what with Baja Breeze, Real Red and Pumpkin Pie together. Not dark or dreary at all!

 

I used this fabulous sketch #27 from Retro Sketches. Their linky closes at 11:59 p.m. Friday, Sept. 7, 2012. You have to go visit to see some amazing card designs!

Now if you're here to see the mess my desk is in, here it is:

 

You saw the left side of my desk where I stamp last week. It was passable. This week I'm showing you the right side of the desk. Sometimes it's clear enough for a second person to sit and stamp with me. Not now, though. I've got things piling up (like washers and microwave popcorn) for holiday craft fair projects. I'm a very visual person, so I need these things out to remember to work on them! It's fun to see what others' craft areas look like, which is why I love joining Julia's What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday (WOYWW) blog hop.



Now to The Great Pumpkin Blog Hop! Each week, you're invited to add your Halloween creation to my blog hop, along with the code near the bottom of each post. When you add the code to your blog while you are in the edit HTML mode, your readers can play along, leave comments, and view the samples right from YOUR blog!

At the end of 13 weeks, I'll be giving one person a $50 Stampin' Up! gift certificate! The more times you enter the blog hop, the better your chances of taking home the Grand Prize. You also get a ticket just for displaying The Great Pumpkin Blog Hop badge on your blog. Whoo hoo!

I'm a Featured Designer for Merry Monday!

When my blogging friend, Lesley, asked me to be a Featured Designer for her Merry Monday sketch challenge for the month of September, I was thrilled! Here is a close-up of my card for this week's sketch. It uses the single stamp, Frosty Friends, in the Holiday Catalog and some Dazzling Details for that wet snow look.



 

I used the Festival of Prints dsp pack for the front of the card. This uses one sheet, front and back, along with Victoria crochet trim and the Word Window Punch with Teeny, Tiny Wishes.

 

Start playing along with Merry Monday challenges like this one and you'll be well on your way to creating a stash of great Christmas cards your friends and family will love! Please visit the Merry Monday designers and leave nice comments for them.

Lesley Croghan

LeAnne Pugliese

Nina Forsyth

Wendy Aungst

Narelle Farrugia

Bonnie Klass

Five easy all-occasion designs for 10-card class

I've had a wonderfully relaxing week with friends and family. I hope you have too - or make up for it over this long holiday weekend!

 

My kids start school next week. They'll both be in middle school. It's hard to believe. We went to a special preview event Thursday evening for my daughter, who's going into 6th grade. She was able to pick up her class schedule, visit each classroom, meet all of her teachers, and learn what's expected of her. I think it's always exciting and a little scary starting in a new school, but at least she has at least one friend already in each class, so that helps.

 

My kids in 2002. It's hard to believe how fast the years go by!

 

I've been stamping and creating for classes and for a huge upcoming craft fair. I just need to remember to take photos of the projects and put them here! The cards I'm sharing today were from a 10-card class a couple of weeks ago.

 

 

This Crumb Cake card uses a 2" strip of Storytime dsp with a fun, paper-pieced image from Storybook Friends, a Brights button and 1/8" Daffodil Delight taffeta.

 

 

A Cherry on Top is a hostess set that is perfect for quick birthday cards. This Whisper White card uses Rich Razzleberry ink and Polka Dot Patterns dsp with rhinestones.

 

 

I love typewriters and I love detailed images such as this one from Established Elegance. The card is Very Vanilla with a Top Note diecut from First Edition dsp. The sentiment is from Teeny, Tiny Wishes.

 

 

This Island Indigo card uses World Spectacular dsp, Daffodil Delight card stock embossed with the Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Label Framelits and the You're Amazing stamp set. Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo before it fell into an open ink pad at class.

 

 

I CASE'd a card from Mary Fish for this Embellished Events card. The colors are Sahara Sand and Primrose Petals. I love the rhinestones for champagne bubbles!

 

 

Googly Ghouls for Week 5 of The Great Pumpkin Blog Hop and WOYWW

 

Welcome to Week 5 of The Great Pumpkin Blog Hop. I'm glad you're joining me for my first Googly Ghouls card! I loved using a couple pairs of googly eyes for this card, as well as the little web from Spooky Bingo Bits.

 

I started with a Very Vanilla card, Howlstooth & Scaringbone dsp, Champagne Glimmer Paper, and a sentiment from Wacky Wishes (hostess set). I also used this sketch from Create with Connie & Mary.

 

This Create with Connie & Mary sketch challenge closes Wednesday, August 29 at noon (EST). At least I was on time for this one!

I enjoyed making an Early Espresso scalloped tulle flower for my card. I used a Jumbo Sticky Round, but it was too big for what I wanted, so I punched a scallop circle out of the middle and peeled off the pink layer to start my flower.

 

I folded the tulle in half and twisted it, adhering it to the center of the circle. Then you just keep twisting the tulle and going around in a circle. Any ends may be tucked under at the end, when you peel off the back side of the Jumbo Sticky Round.

 

 



Here's a closer shot of the card. You can see some rounded corners, how Frankie is green (he's darker in person) and holding the Happy Halloween sign, and the "ransom" letters on the sentiment, which I think is a cute touch!

Each week, you're invited to add your Halloween creation to my blog hop, along with the code near the bottom of each post. When you add the code to your blog while you are in the edit HTML mode, your readers can play along, leave comments, and view the samples right from YOUR blog!

At the end of 13 weeks, I'll be giving one person a $50 Stampin' Up! gift certificate! The more times you enter the blog hop, the better your chances of taking home the Grand Prize. You also get a ticket just for displaying The Great Pumpkin Blog Hop badge on your blog. Whoo hoo!

Oh, and just one more thing - I'm adding this to What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday (WOYWW). I haven't played along in ages. It's fun sharing just how messy a desk gets while crafting. Here's mine:

 

I had to mount my Googly Ghouls set before I could use it! You can see a pile of clear stamps on the left with my fan (a necessity since it's hot in the loft), some leftover items from my bat popcorn cover (I do plan on making more!), and wipes, black StazOn and refill, containers of brads and mini glue dots.

For Sale: SU! fabric scissor holders (snips not included)

After showing a photo of a fabric holder for paper snips (scissors) here, I've had many inquiries as to whether I've got them available for purchase. Well, I do. And I've sold and shipped several already. I have 15 NONE available right now, but I'm working on more! I'm offering them for $10 apiece, with $1 shipping in the U.S. and Canada, and $3 shipping to Europe and Australia/New Zealand.

 

Please email me at ericandterry@comcast.net with which fabric holder(s) you'd like. I can accept payment via Paypal, check, or credit card. Thanks!

 

 

Sweet Stitches with blue fabric button

 

 

Sweet Stitches with green fabric button on button flower

 

Sweet Stitches with green fabric button on stitched flower

 

Sweet Stitches with pattern button on orange flower

 

Comfort Cafe with antique brad

 

 

 

Summer Smooches with antique brad

 

 

Sweet Stitches orange body with green fabric button

 

 

 

Sweet Stitches with pink fabric button



You can make your own scissor holders. There's still some fabric on the Clearance Rack for 99 cents (Sweet Stitches, Deck the Halls, Candy Cane Christmas), and Holly Beary Bouquet for $3.99, for three fat quarters, with coordinating buttons. Here's a list of what I used:

SU! Supplies:
113439 Big Shot Die-cutting Machine $99.95
121810 Petal Cone Bigz L Die $32.95
121812 Fun Flowers Bigz L Die $32.95
122194 Fabric Adhesive Roll $14.95
117273 Antique Brads $5.95
125411 Summer Smooches fabric $9.95 (optional)
126894 Comfort Cafe fabric $9.95 (optional)
103579 Paper Snips $9.95 (of course!)

Misc. Supplies:
Iron
Crop-a-dile
Sewing machine (or you can hand-stitch)

I'd love to be your SU! demonstrator if you don't already have one. Simply select me when you make your Online Order and you'll receive preferred pricing.

American Ink swaps features techniques and new products

At our American Ink team gathering just over a week ago, we shared everything from Memento Mall items, general session news and prizes, class tips and more. It was a jam-packed afternoon. We also discussed the upcoming SU! Regional Seminar (there's still room, and if you'd like to attend as a guest, it's $75, and you need to have a demonstrator sign you up. The seminar is Sept. 29 in Tacoma.)

 

Special thanks to Ginette for demonstrating a Workshop Wow! - the ornament from the cover of the Holiday Catalog. We were all laughing and having fun!

 

I know I didn't get photos of all of the swaps or make & takes. I'm sorry about that! Here are the ones I did get:

 

Puddin's swap uses a fun watercolor technique and the Apothecary Accent Framelits with the Tea Shoppe stamp set.

 

Kim's make & take uses Core'dinations Card Stock and Labels Framelits.

 

Barb's Frightening Feline swap uses new ribbon and Howlstooth & Scaringbone dsp with the Chevron embossing folder.

 

Kim's Perfectly Preserved swap uses the Windows Framelits, Orchard Harvest dsp and Argyle embossing folder.

 

Frankie's Googly Ghouls embossed swap uses the Doily sizzlit and Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder.

 

Guest demo Kathleen's swap (sorry it's blurry!) uses Mixed Bunch and Teeny, Tiny Wishes.

 

Our next team meeting is the 2nd Saturday of September at 11 a.m. at my studio. If you'd like to attend as a guest, please contact me at tblaisink@gmail.com.

Bea's embossed Tricky Treats card

 

One of my friends and downline, Bea, made this adorable Tricky Treat cards. I love the web-embossed panels of color, as well as the googly eyes on the spider. I'm adding this to The Great Pumpkin Blog Hop from here because Bea doesn't have a blog.

This tri-shutter birthday card is all about the birds

 

Birds of a Feather designer paper rocks! It's got a great variety of patterns you see on the Crumb Cake tri-shutter card above - birds in cages, eggs, cute little birds and lovely patterns.

 

 

My club members made this card this month. I used the Apothecary Accents Framelits and Basics Glimmer brads after inking the Raspberry Ripple sentiment, which is from the You're Amazing stamp set.

 

 

 I paper-pieced the chicks' shells, then colored them with Summer Starfruit and punched out the image with the oval scallop and added it to the card with dimensionals.

 

Of course I just made a tri-shutter Christmas card using Scentsational Season and coordinating framelits. You can see that here.

 

If you'd like to order any of the Stampin' Up! products used for this card, please visit my Online Store (open 24 hours a day) at http://TheRubberRoom.stampinup.net. Thanks!

 

 

Stamps: Take Care (126310 wood $17.95 or 126312 clear $13.95), Flock Together (126730 wood $15.95 or 126732 clear $11.95), You're Amazing (126720 wood $30.95 or 126722 clear $22.95);

Ink: Summer Starfruit, Raspberry Ripple, Crumb Cake, Marina Mist, Primrose Petals;

Paper: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Birds of a Feather dsp (126899 $10.95);

Accessories: Oval scallop punch (119856 $16.95), dimensionals (104430 $3.95), Apothecary Accents Framelits (127003 $24.95), Neutral Buttons (119743 $8.95), Whisper White Baker's Twine (124262 $2.95), 3/8" Basics Glimmer Brads (121003 $4.95).

Week 4: Goin' batty over microwave popcorn for Halloween treat

You made it! Thanks for being here for Week 4 of my 13 weeks of Halloween fun with The Great Pumpkin Blog Hop.

 

It took me awhile to get this on my blog today because I was working on a free tuturial for it. I should've done it last night, but I got caught up reading the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy instead of stamping last night. My bat is the cover for microwave popcorn (according to my hubby, the more butter, the better!). Edited to add: There's already a popcorn packet in the bat pictured. The one in front is just to show you what kind I used. I left the plastic on!

 

 

I actually got the idea for this bat from seeing a snowman-decorated microwave popcorn wrap on Pinterest. Here are the punches I used - the 1/2" and 3/4" circles for the eyes, and the Pennant Builder punch for the ears and teeth. I also used the small oval we have (that's current in the SU! catalog) to make the curves on the bat wings. I also used a black marker and white gel pen for the face.

 

 

My bat uses one 8-1/2" x 11" piece of Basic Gray card stock. The body is 5-3/4" x 11" and the leftover piece gets cut in half for the wings. Of course if your popcorn is a different size, you'll have to make adjustments.

 





I used the top of one of my tote lids for the top curve of the bat wings, tracing it on one, then lining them up on top of each other and cutting them together.

 

Insert the bottom part of one wing in the oval punch halfway. I lined up the one I punched first over the unpunched one so I could match them perfectly.

 



 

From here, I ran the wings through the Chevron folder for a trendy look, then sponged around all of the edges and over the raised Chevron design.

 

 

The wings are attached in the back with Sticky Strip along the seam (also held together with Sticky Strip). I used a dimensional to hold my wings together just because I think they look really cute like that and because I'm going to pack them tightly in a box for a craft fair I'm doing in mid-October in Tacoma.

 

 

Each week, add your Halloween creation to my blog hop, along with the code near the bottom of each post. When you add the code to your blog while you are in the edit HTML mode, your readers can play along, leave comments, and view the samples right from YOUR blog!

At the end of 13 weeks, I'll be giving one person a $50 Stampin' Up! gift certificate! The more times you enter the blog hop, the better your chances of taking home the Grand Prize. You also get a ticket just for displaying The Great Pumpkin Blog Hop badge on your blog. Whoo hoo!

Scentsational Season tri-shutter card for Christmas

Who wouldn't love to get a card that is fun to open and has an adorable gingerbread man greeting you with Christmas cheer?

This 5-1/2" x 12" Chocolate Chip card features the Scentsational Season bundle (stamp set and framelits on page 16 of the Holiday Catalog), as well as the Heart of Christmas stamp (featured in the top photo) and Snow Festival designer series paper. I also used the snowflake from the Mixed Medley hostess set, as well as a few rhinestones.

There's a how-to on Splitcoast Stampers (http://splitcoaststampers.com) under Tutorials. Basically you score the card stock at 2", 4", 8" and 10", then turn it so it's vertical and cut 1-1/2" from the left and right sides between the 2" and 10" score lines. Then you cut your designer paper to fit!

This is what the card looks like closed. Isn't it cute? And to think I didn't have to cut out a single image! There's a framelit for every stamp in the Scentsational Season stamp set.

Well, I've got a class and a club today, so I've got to get going. I hope you have a wonderful day!