Halloween Cards and a CAS!

Used the ATC Halloween stamp set from Whimsy Stamps for these cards:

I used the PaperTreyInk True Black card stock for the card stock bases and they are scored at the top. White card stock was used for the front. I used Gina K black ink to stamp the haunted house stamp and then used black in and stamped the background tree stamp over the house image. Trimmed these to the size I wanted for the card fronts. Set them aside to dry. Once dried I punched out a 3" circle from scrap white card stock for the mask over the haunted house and then sponged the top and sides of the card fronts with inks and then went over that with black ink. Set them aside to dry. 

Used the thin rectangle frame die set from Ellen Hutson to die cut the thin frame for the card fronts - two of the thin frames are black and one is a darker gray card stock. With the frames cut out I went back to the stamped card fronts and splattered white ink over them. Set these aside to dry. Once they were dried I used the Artist - Tac adhesive sheets (from Amazon) to put adhesive on the back of the thin frame pieces and then I put the frames onto the card fronts. Used liquid glue to put the card fronts onto the black card stock bases. Added the clear/holographic gems from SunnyStudios to the card fronts.

The above card uses the Faux Embroidered Pumpkin die set by Nichol Sphor/Spellbinders. For the card base I used pumpkin coloured card stock scored at the top. The spider web background was made using a the Spiderweb Background Better Press plate and I used it in my Spellbinders Glimmer Hot Foil machine using holographic foil. I cut that to size and put it on the card base using liquid glue. Die cut the pumpkins with flowers from scrap card stocks. Sponged the edges of my pumpkins for dimension. The "BOO" sign is from the Spellbinders "BOO-licious" die set. Used foam strips to add the pumpkin with  flowers to the front of the card for dimension.

This card is a black card stock base scored at the top. Used orange card stock for the card front. Hot foiled the Spellbinders/Better Press Spiderweb plate onto black card stock using holographic foil. Cut that to the size I wanted for the card front. Used the thin rectangle frame die set from Ellen Hutson and cut out an orange card stock frame for the card front. Used the Artist - Tac adhesive sheet to add adhesive to the orange frame. I put the frame onto the spider web piece and then put these onto the orange card stock for the card front. Used liquid glue to put these onto the black card stock base. 

The ghost holding the pumpkin is a die set from Pretty Pink Posh. I used white glittered card stock for the ghost and scrap pumpkin card stock to die cut the pumpkin. Sponged the edges of the pumpkin for dimension. Used a mini bug punch and black glittered card stock for the bug on the pumpkin. Easy ghost to put together because the die cuts out the eyes and mouth so perfect placement each time.....

Now to the CAS card -- Bonnie K, (her blog is: bon2stamp.blogspot.com) sent me this cute Halloween card and it arrived yesterday:

The background is the Spellbinders Pumpkins and Ghosts Better Press plate.  Earlier in the Fall I had bought this same plate on sale at Spellbinders. I do not have the Better Press system with machine and inks and such but I know you can use their plates to hot foil which is what I used this same plate for. 

Her card is too cute not to CAS so here is my version of her card using the dies I have on hand:

Here is a photo of the card to show the holographic foil I had used to hot foil my background:

Happy to have such inspiration from Bonnie!! Love her witch hat more than mine but again I used what I have on hand. For my card I used purple card stock scored at the top. Hot foiled the holographic foil onto white card stock for the card front. Used liquid glue to add this to the purple card stock base. Used a spider die from the stash from a bow die set I have, used a witch hat die for the hat and I die cut that out of black glittered card stock and used scrap card stock for the belt and buckle on the hat. Added small purple gems to the card front.  A BIG thanks to Bonnie for such a fun card for Halloween and for sharing her talents with me on her card!

Halloween Treat Bag Fronts -

Finished all the treat bag fronts and now all I have to do is full all the treat holders I have made and load up the bags... for all the fronts I used only items from the stash - card stock, dies, specialty paper, Dollar Tree glittered spider web tulle, twine, gift bags, and punches for the bugs and bats I am going to add to the fronts. The pumpkin bells are also from the stash:

This first photo shows the bag with the tags I made that I tied on. The "Oct 31st" is a favorite die from My Creative Time. The large scalloped black circle was die cut using a large QuicKutz die set I have had for many years. Used a set of circle dies to cut out the orange frame to go around the "Oct 31st" piece. The white glittered card stock ghost is die cut using an old Sizzix steel rule die. The pumpkin at the bottom of the bag is three circles I punched out and layered and I cut out a little stem from brown card stock for that. The spider webs are cut out of the Dollar Tree spider web tulle and I used scissors for that. 

To decorate the bag I measured the front of the bag and cut the pumpkin printed card stock to size. Then I used black card stock from the stash and a Sizzix large scallop die and cut out two of the scallop pieces for the top and the bottom of the bag. Used my trimmer and cut the striped card stock to 1/4" wide and I put those across the bottom of the black scallop pieces. Used liquid glue to put the front pieces together and on the bag fronts. 

For the tags I used a large tag die and cut out a white tag and also a postage stamp scalloped die set for the black piece behind the ghost/rosette piece. The rosette is a Tim Holtz rosette die and the little ghost is a Cuttlebug ghost die. I stamped a crackle background stamp and stamped that onto the white tag front using black ink. Added a bow at the top using crinkled seam binding from the stash and put a black brad in the center of that. 

Here are the other bags and they will be getting bats and bugs added to them once I am all finished:

Will fill the treat holders I made closer to the holiday with the candy treats and then I will put photos of those on the blog.... but for now am busy cleaning up all the black and orange for BOO Day and getting ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas treat holders, cards, and such...

Witch Hat Decor items

Asked DH to cut some of his extra wood pieces in the garage into a base piece and a large triangle for a top and this would be a wooden Witch Hat Decor piece.  I asked him to cut two of these for me. He pulled out the larger pieces of wood he had and I measured what I wanted and he cut them out - this photo shows the base piece he cut and the triangle piece for the hat and with those cut he screwed the pieces together:

The wood he used for the base pieces were already covered in a black paint from other project he had used it for but I did not care. When he cut the rectangles for the brim/bottom of the hat I told him I wanted these pieces more random and not even looking for the witch hat. He rounded off the edges and then I took the sander to all four pieces and then he attached the triangles to the base pieces. 

Using acrylic black craft paint I painted both hats and let them dry:

Once these were dry I took them back outside and sanded them so they would look old and used. I then lightly dry brushed acrylic white craft paint on the triangle and base pieces. That did not take long to dry. When dried I used the glittered spider web tulle from the Dollar Tree and I cut out two of the webs for one hat and then covered the front of the second hat with a full piece of the glittered spider web tulle. I put the web/tulle pieces onto the hats using ModPodge I had on hand and that had a matte finish:

The above photo shows the sanded and dried hat piece before the tulle was added to both:

I put the ModPodge on the hats were the tulle would be and put the tulle on. Then I covered these tulle pieces with a full coat of the ModPodge to seal them. My concern with the matte finish of the ModPodge was I did not know if it would cover up too much of the glitter of the spider web tulle and not be as shiny as I wanted but they are still very sparkly. Recently I went to the Customer Yard Sale at the Enchanted Cottage in Lewisville and happy I was able to pick up two large bags of various flowers for $1.00 per bag -- to decorate these hats I used those flowers.... 

To decorate the bottom of the hat where it meets the wooden base/brim I used layers of orange crepe paper that was layered with hot glue and when dried I used my fringe scissors on them and then crumbled the crepe paper up with my hands and using hot glue I attached this crepe paper fringe pieces to the hats - front and back. Here is a photo to show the front of one of the hats to show what this looks like:

and this photo shows the fringe wraps around to the back of the hat:

I looked through the bin of extra Halloween items - ribbons, trims, pumpkins, etc and pulled out two ribbons to make my bows for the hat fronts using the Bowdabra. One hat I decided I would use a lot of orange items and the second hat I decided I would decorate it with purples/pinks. Here is the front of the orange Witch Hat decorated:

First I had hot glued the crepe paper fringe on the front and back of the hat. Then I hot glued the orange bat bow to the front over to the left. I added some black and orange bead trim pieces from the Dollar Tree above the bow. Added an orange flower from the bag of flowers. Added a small pumpkin to the right front side of the hat with a couple of small flowers next to that. I had a bag of the Dollar Tree eye balls in the bin so I added one eye ball by my bow. I used an orange fuzzy pipe cleaner, that I wrapped around a pencil for the shape, to add to the right of the bow. Added one leaf behind the orange flower and a piece of black greenery also from the Dollar Tree. Here is a photo of the second hat:

This hat has the full front of the hat covered in the spider web tulle and again I used the Bowdabra to make my bow. Added a small pumpkin and two eyeballs to this hat base. Used flowers from the bag of flowers with leaf pieces and I had cut a piece of sparkle green mesh ribbon that I put behind all the flowers above the bow. Here a full photo of this hat front:

Fun decor items and even better made with scrap wood!  Holiday items from the stash plus was able to put the two bags of flowers to use so fun and cheap projects. Seasonal decor ready for Trick or Treat night! 

Another road trip -

This past weekend my PIC, (stamping Partner in Crime), my DSD, myself and our "Cuber" drive - our personal uber driver for us crafters, all headed out in the dark of the morning to Lewisville, NC to shop the yearly Customer Yard Sale that is held in the parking lot of Enchanted Cottage - a paper crafting store. We have gone to this sale every year they have held it and we always find some good deals with great products. Here is a couple of photos of the parking lot - this year they had a lot of sellers and both sides of the parking lot had sellers set up:

As usual I was not looking for anything in particular but certainly found enough to bring home.. My most expensive find was a plastic ziplock bag of Close To My Heart acrylic blocks - in sizes I do not already have - for $10 for the bag. As I was picking up the bag a shopper next to me said if I had not picked it up and bought them she would have ... The CTMH blocks have a good weight and they are so well made.... one of the blocks was covered in black and maroon ink so when I cleaned them up I just used Dollar Tree rubbing alcohol on that block and it is crystal clear now - this photo shows the blocks with a deckled edge ruler by Plaid that I got from another seller for free with any purchase:

One seller had large bags of wooden stamps $2 for the bag or 3 bags for $5. I picked up two bags and a Unity sheet of stamps for Easter to make the $5 purchase - 

This above photo is of a sealed Crafter's Companion card kit that I bought for $5.00 - the back of the box shows all items inside the kit:

This seller was selling 4 of these kits for $5 each but I made sure I picked only ONE and one that I would use --- not to worry my PIC bought the other 3 once I told her about them..... ;0)

Pink & Main pumpkin stencil and a brand new stencil set from WaffleFlower for $1 with a free gift of a mini stencil inside.... 

Two stamp and die sets from the Greetery:

Background stamps -- Hero Arts and Catherine Pooler...

Happy me to find this Stack-O-Jacks set from Taylored Expressions at a great price of $8 - has the stamp set, stencil set, and die set -- 

Two large baggies of flowers - many of them by Prima.... Happy we were able to shop this sale and early enough to find so many great deals! Shopped the Enchanted Cottage store while we were there as I want to help to support them too -- 

Bought the Pretty Pink Posh Turkey die set I had seen on YouTube. I also picked up a doily die set from Tonic...

We left there and had a delish lunch at Mario's in Greensboro and then we stopped at a paper crafting store in Greensboro we have not shopped before -- the Paper Crafting Studio on High Point Rd.  It is a really nice store with tons of product - Gina K inks, products from Lawn Fawn, LDRS, The Stamp Market, Catherine Pooler, Spellbinders/BetterPress, Pretty Pink Posh, and on and on... The newest of product with lots of samples all around --- bought a few things there:

Happy there is another store I can shop when I go to Greensboro to stop at the Reconsidered Goods store and Mario's for lunch.... A fun day with lots to add to our craft rooms from the used sale and from the Paper Crafting Studio!