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!

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.

WOYWW: A wise graduation owl card

I've seen several versions of this graduation owl online now, and figured since I needed a couple of cards for soon-to-be high school graduates, I'd try my hand at it. This card is for our friend's daughter, and the Rich Razzleberry and Daffodil Delight are her school colors (well, purple and gold).

This is what my desk looked like while creating the cards. I had pre-punched a bunch of pieces for my ladies at their Card Club Monday. I'm only showing you my desk because it's for Julia's weekly What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday (WOYWW) over at the Stamping Ground. This card uses four punches, an embossing folder for the Big Shot, two kinds of Rich Razzleberry ribbon, rhinestones (clear and black), and Newsprint dsp. I freehand cut the cap.

I don't get tired of looking at this cute little owl. It's been sponged around. I punched the feet out with the Owl Punch in More Mustard card stock, and used a punched Basic Gray oval scallop for the wings (cutting the top almost half off). I hand cut the beak, and added black gems for the eyes. The diploma is a 1" x 1-1/2" piece of your basic bond paper. It's adhered to the owl with a mini glue dot.

Hey! Before I forget, A La Card Monkey is nearing 300 Followers! I've provided some awesome blog candy.

Stamps: Teeny, Tiny Wishes;

Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Basic Gray;

Paper: Very Vanilla, Whisper White, More Mustard, Daffodil Delight, Rich Razzleberry, Basic Black, Basic Gray, Newsprint dsp;

Accessories: Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, Owl Punch, Oval Scallop Punch, Mini Glue Dots, dimensionals, basic rhinestones, sponge dauber, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Big Shot, 5/8" Rich Razzleberry satin ribbon, 1/8" Rich Razzleberry taffeta.

1,300 posts, blog candy, and Playful Polka Dots Simply Scrappin' Kit for sketch challenge...

I've got a few things to celebrate today - 1) This is my 1,300th blog post (nearing 4 years of blogging); 2) I actually got a challenge done this week; and 3) I am getting a post up in time for What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday!

First, the blog candy: Leave me a lovely comment on this post and you could receive a pack of pearls, Sweet Summer and Cute by the Inch stamp sets, and Pink Pirouette grosgrain ribbon. I'd love to have you become a Follower too, if you're not already. It's that simple.



Second (and third, since this is what's on my desk) is my submission for the Create with Connie and Mary sketch challenge this week. I used textured Old Olive card stock, with dsp from the Playful Polka Dots Simply Scrappin' Kit (coming up May 1 in the Summer Mini Catalog). The sentiment is from Trendy Trees. I added dimensionals under the yellow flower, with a jumbo brad, and a bow of Peach Parfait ribbon. You can see the sketch at the bottom.

That's it for me! Don't forget to leave a comment with your email address in it. I'll have one of my kids choose a name at random on Friday night, and will post the winner this weekend! Thanks!

An additional note: I didn't get my card done in time for the sketch challenge. The linky is closed. *sigh*

Prepping for a 10-card class for What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday...

It's been several weeks since I've participated in Julia's What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday (WOYWW) event at http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/, and alot has happened in the meantime. I've had loads of events - including weekly 10-card classes that keep me hoppin', spring break for my kids, and starting a new challenge blog with a friend called A La Card Monkey. You'll definitely want to visit and participate because I'm giving away a BIG BUNDLE OF STAMPIN' UP! GOODIES - not only to the Nature Theme challenge winner, but to a lucky FOLLOWER, as well. Isn't the badge I made cute?

Now for the cards I'm working on prepping:

Stampin' Up!'s Easter Blossoms stamp set with Greenhouse Gala dsp, Early Espresso ink, and Real Red, Daffodil Delight and Pear Pizzazz card stocks. The circle is a 3" die for the Big Shot.

New Paisley Petals dsp with Four Frames and Fabulous Phrases stamp sets, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Cherry Cobbler and Baja Breeze card stocks with an Itty Bitty Punch flower, Cherry Cobbler seam binding, and rhinestones.

I CASE'd this card from Penny at http://penguinstamper.blogspot.com/. It's all Very Vanilla (including the 5/8" satin ribbon), with Basic Brown eggs from Nature Walk and a sentiment from Teeny, Tiny Wishes. I used an aqua painter and Baja Breeze pad to add the color to the eggs. The layer under the eggs was run through the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder in the Big Shot.

Plant Hope is the beautiful stamp set used on this card. I CASE'd - and simplified - an idea from Andrea Walford. The Woodgrain background stamp was inked in Crumb Cake and stamped on the Crumb Cake card front. The Early Espresso card stock layer was punched using the spiral punch, and the dsp is Woodland Walk. The sentiment is from Teeny, Tiny Wishes.

The final card for class is this Very Vanilla card with a strip of Springtime Vintage dsp, Rose Red and Old Olive inks, with the sentiment, teacup and saucer from Timeless Treasures. I CASE'd and changed it a bit from http://ilinacrouse.blogspot.com/.

Now your reward for reading through this long post? A chance to win a BIG BUNDLE OF STAMPIN' UP! GOODIES from A La Card Monkey's inaugural challenge. So enter a card and put the monkey link on your own blog. Good luck!!!

Here is the List of Stuff:

• Garden Whimsy 8pc stamp set
• Goody-Goody Gumdrops 19pc set
• Picnic Parade 15 pc set
• Stampin' Fun for Everyone 7pc set
• Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon 5/8"
• Fresh Favorites 1 Buttons
• Baja Breeze Corduroy button brads
• Chocolate Chip Library Clips 1/2"
• Sweet Pea stitched felt flowers
• Welcome Neighbor DSP pad
• Baja Breeze 8-1/2 X 11 Card Stock
• On board Blossoms chipboard

The bunny and basket are not included. Post this goody basket on your blog with a link to A La Card Monkey and tell all of your friends what great stuff I'm giving away! You'll get a chance at a second goody basket when you add yourself as a Follower (a photo of that basket will be posted Wednesday).

New button jars, matching fabric and designer paper for WOYWW...

I was on a mission to find curved jelly jars to hold my big designer buttons from Stampin' Up!. My family went out and about to a couple of stores last weekend and finally found the jars at Fred Meyer. Only $5 for four of them! They were a bargain. And they're already full. I traced the lid onto some Springtime Vintage fabric, cut it out and adhered it to the lid of the jar. Then I added a knot of 5/8" Marina Mist satin ribbon. You can see the other patterns in the fabric pack to the left of the jar.

Why am I showing you my button jar and my desk? Well, it's for Julia's What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday (WOYWW). You can poke your head into rooms all over the world. It's great fun!

Now back to my desk. You can see the card I made with some of the Springtime Vintage dsp. I followed a sketch (the card and sketch are shown in the post below). The stamp set I used for the card is shown on the left side of the photo. It's a hostess set I earned for free called Fast & Fabulous. Also on my desk - some Love Impressions Rub-Ons I've been using to make valentines, and some older watercolor crayons. Now go check out some other work places of creative people at http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/ and have a fabulous Wednesday!

Working With New Stuff In The Same Space For WOYWW For The Last Time in 2010...

It's been a lovely relaxing break at home with my family for almost a week now. Though my desk doesn't look organized - I received some new Stampin' Up! stuff recently - I did take time to empty out a couple of large cabinets. I'm donating one huge box of paper, stamps, ribbons, brads and more to my daughter's school when it's back in session next week. The art docent loves it. I hauled out lots to recycle and some to the garbage. When I put back what was left, I had one empty cabinet! So I'm gifting that to my hubby in the hopes that he'll take all of his junk from the dining room and hide it properly. lol

So back to my desk. I missed sharing last week because I had too many projects to complete. But Julia at http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/ and others from around the world share their crafting spaces for What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday (WOYWW). It's worth a snoop. You never know what you might find!

The card I created above is shown in the post below. Thanks for stopping by!

My desk is full of Christmas cards ready to mail...

Every week, crafters from around the world join in on Julia's What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday to snoop at what others are doing. This week, I'm plugging away at filling in all of the Christmas cards I've been making since August. Below, I'm sharing the full-card swaps some of my downline brought to our annual Christmas party. Have a wonderful week!

This is my Dasher card with Jolly Holiday dsp and glitter.

Kim used Serene Snowflakes and two Big Shot dies for her swap

Michelle used Come to Bethlehem stamps

Karen used Jolly Old Saint Nick



Creating part of a Christmas village for WOYWW...

 

I've spent hours on this Stampin' Up! Design-a-House and it's still not finished! It will be by Saturday, because that's when I'm hosting my American Ink team Christmas party, complete with a Design-a-House Contest. Of course, my house doesn't really count. I'm the one giving out the prizes!

Still, my daughter and I worked out on this house. We used Sticky Strip (red tape) to adhere the Jolly Holiday dsp to the white chipboard. We ran Early Espresso scraps of card stock through the Square Lattice embossing folder for the Big Shot to add texture to the door and flower boxes. But do we want flowers? Or do we want to go with a winter theme? What do you think?

We'll consider your comments as we finish designing our house. In the meantime, you should pop on over to Julia's blog at http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com to see what others are crafting (and where)!

 

Cookie cutter Christmas for WOYWW...

It's been a couple of weeks since I've participated in What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday (WOYWW), so I thought I'd get back in the swing of things since I've always got stuff on my desk lately!

I saw Christmas cookie cutters used as a wall decoration on page 174 of the Stampin' Up! 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog and thought to myself, "Self, that might be fun to make." Well, the shopping for the cookie cutters was fun. I got those half-priced. It was easy to adhere to cutters to Jolly Holiday dsp. The tough part is how gooey the adhesive is (I used Tombow Liquid Adhesive). Go figure! I thought it would dry completely since I did that step days ago. Nope. Still gooey. I used a pair of cheap scissors to cut the paper around the cutters and a hobby blade for the tighter spots. I used my Crop-a-dile to easily punch a 3/16" hole in the top of each cutter, and started adding the ribbon, feeding both ends through the top of each cutter and knotting them together. I pulled the ribbon colors from the paper - Cherry Cobbler seam binding, Old Olive satin ribbon, and Very Vanilla taffeta. I've got two of the cookie cutters finished and hanging from a wooden dowel in the first photo. The dowel will be on a wall, so the cutters won't have room to spin around.

Now you can go snoop at the others' desks, including WOYWW founder - Julia - at http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/. Have fun! And leave lots of nice comments. Everyone loves those.

Wonderful things on my desk for What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday...

I found a chipboard ornament-shaped album for only a dollar at an area store and thought it would make a great stocking stuffer for my niece. I think it'll be adorable with black and white photos. At least, that's what I'm thinking in my head!


I'm using Candy Cane Christmas designer paper - this Baja Breeze paper has glittery red dots on it, then I added trim from the Tasteful Trim die for the Big Shot. I just put SNAIL adhesive on one side of the ornament, put it on the designer paper, cut it out, sand it with a sanding block, and add the "topper," which is a solid piece of coordinating card stock I distressed on the bottom and punched holes with a Crop-a-dile.


Do you see those two little clear pails? I picked those up yesterday and want to add some nice paper and ribbon, a tag and maybe some candy. I think they're so cute!

Did you notice the cardinals? I copied those from Stamping Sharon. Here's a closer look.


I hope you'll go snoop at others' desks. Start at http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com. Say "Hi" to Julia and start popping in on all of the wonderful ladies who share their craft area. It's fun!

A big mess for What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday (WOYWW)...

After looking at my desk for a few minutes and taking these photos, I concede it is a big mess but on the other hand, I'm fortunate to have all this great stuff to play with! I had 17 women show up for my Christmas Card Stamp-a-Stack tonight. They were great. I returned home very tired, though it's a happy tired.


I enjoy prepping for a class, but it's harder/takes longer for me to put everything back in its place. I'll tackle the desk tomorrow since I have a stamp club meeting in the evening. Most of the stuff will go where it's supposed to, and I should be able to clear enough desk space to create more projects.


I wanted to show you the fancy light box I constructed with the cardboard backing from my paper packages. I have this small desktop Ott light (love the clear light it provides!), and built the "box" around it. I place one card in there at a time to take a photo of it for this blog. Cheesy, but it works AND I can fold it so it takes up very little room.


Well, that's it for now. I'll post the stamp-a-stack cards tomorrow. Thanks for visiting! Now go visit Julia and other fabulous workdesks at http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com. Ciao!

My kid is at my work desk this Wednesday... (WOYWW #72)

Well, I caught my 10-year-old daughter working at my desk. She wanted to cover 10 scratch pads she found in a cabinet with some of my designer paper for a store her classmates are setting up in school on Friday. The design is all her idea (bottom photo). She said the white label is for each kid to write his or her name on the pad. The paper is from the Stampin' Up! Celebrations pack, and a Designer Regal button is the only embellishment. My kids have watched me stamp for years, so I trust them completely when it comes to using my craft items. And I love watching them create! I'm so proud she did this all on her own.

So what have I been doing? I met with three stamp clubs Monday (two at the same time) and still have all of the supplies for the projects in their totes. Aside from school projects my kids have, I'd like to get things like my punches and ink pads and such put back in place so I have an easier time prepping for a Christmas card class next week. But first, I get to enjoy a day at the Portland Regional Seminar this Saturday with many members of my American Ink downline. I'm excited! There will be demonstrations, make & takes, swapping and great displays. It's a wonderful way to spend a day!

Thanks for dropping by for What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday (WOYWW). Now join Julia and the others at http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/. Have a great week!

WOYWW 71: Here's my desk while prepping for a 10-card class...

I'm in the thick of things trying to prep for another 10-card event that is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, and figured I'd take a photo for Julia's What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday (WOYWW). This time it's fall/winter birthday cards. Everyone will stamp 2 each of 5 different card designs. It's up to me to come up with those designs! I just received some Autumn Spice dsp and that's what you see fanned out on my desk. I love the colors. They look so yummy! I also pulled a few stamp sets off the shelf that I'm thinking about working with - French Foliage, which will probably end up on this card, then Birthday Bakery, and Have a Seat. I'm not sure what the other two designs will feature... yet.

I usually start my projects with a stamp set, then pick the colors. I set one of the plastic totes I use to store my projects on the right side of my desk. I've already counted out the Crumb Cake envelopes and card bodies and they're in in the tote. As I cut each layer, it goes in a separate bag then into the tote. By the end, I've got all the ribbon, stamps, punches, card stock, and embellishments used to make my samples in the totes so it's easy and convenient for my customers to put together.

So that's a peek into my craziness today! I'm looking forward to seeing my friends again for a couple of hours of stamping fun. Hope you have fun stamping/crafting today.

What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday: Tree Trimmings...

I have a Christmas Card Stamp-a-Stack tonight at 6 p.m., so I'm working on the last couple of cards. My stampers make 2 each of 5 different designs, so they walk away with 10 cards. Here's what my desk looks like while prepping a card. I have a shoebox-sized plastic container on the floor to the right where I throw the envelopes and pieces of the card.

The card is Baja Breeze card stock with a 3" x 4-1/4" piece of Candy Cane Christmas dsp and a 1/2" strip of Wild Wasabi card stock. The stamp set is Tree Trimmings from Stampin' Up!. I got it free during last year's Sale-a-Bration Event, so I had to put it together to make this card. A little glitter (okay, maybe a lot!) and a tag with a little rhinestone bling finish the card.

I hope you have a fabulous and productive Wednesday!

What's on your desk?

I have more Stampin' Up! deliveries to make today and needed more thank-you cards to put in the bags, so this is what my desk looked like this morning.

The scallop circles under the ribbon were leftovers from pennants I die-cut last night. I found some of them were perfect to layer behind my Frankenstein monster on the notecard.

Now go see others' desks (WOYWW 69) at http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/. And have a great day!

What's on your Workdesk 68?

This is the second week in a row I've taken part in What's on your Workdesk Wednesday. It's #68. Look at Julia's blog here to see others' creative spaces.


On my workdesk, the placemat is inky from a weekend of coming up with ideas for my stamp clubs this month. I was using a brayer, but ditched the idea because the technique I wanted to do just didn't look like I wanted it to. I started (and finished!) a card tonight using another's blog's sketch. You can see that in the next post.