Card Gallery #279

I promise you I'm not obsessed with Halloween. (Okay, maybe just a wee bit. Don't tell anyone.) But I had another scrap of the decorative paper from the treat box in the last entry and I hated for it to go to waste.





The second card is an interesting one (at least to me). I was inspired by book binding. I used extra strips of cardstock (the same I used for the base) to create a faux binding. It creates a natural offset for your decorative elements (in this case the glossy floral handcuts). The ribbon was a last minute addition--but the idea looks great with or without the ribbon. This is definitely a technique I want to experiment with more in the future.

Treat Boxes

This weekend, I felt the urge to experiment more with my Sizzix Matchbox Bigz XL Die (#114890, $42.95) that I purchased from Stampin' Up! With basically two diecut pieces of cardstock or other material, you can create wonderful multi-use boxes that are perfect for party favor, sweet treats, and small gifts. I worked with several types of cardstock and made versions of a baby shower treat box, a Thanksgiving prayer box, and the Halloween treat box pictured below.

I chose a rust colored textured cardstock to make the box out of. The tray insert portion actually requires no adhesive to put together (though you can add it for extra security). The sleeve portion of the box takes a small strip of sticky strip tape to construct. The diecut medallion on the top of the box is but one of the three choices you have to cut out with this Bigz XL die. I used a 2" strip of decorative paper with a Halloween theme to create the box band. Finally, the decorative topper--a whimsical jack o' lantern--is part of a new Stampin' Up! set called 'Pumpkin Patch' (#116499, $22.95) that was introduced in the Stampin' Up! Holiday Mini Catalog (see sidebar). I chose to fill my treat box with some lusciously juicy Sunkist Tangerine Jelly Belly beans. Trust me, the box contents were not long for this world.







May whatever treats you find stuffed in your inbox today be sweet and juicy! More importantly, smile and keep crafting...

Candy Corn Explosion

I came upon this lovely sheet of candy corn paper from a Die Cuts With A View Fall Stack from last year. It inspired me to play with a couple of Martha Stewart punches and create a couple of Halloween themed cards.

I have to say that I am completely in LOVE with the new Martha Stewart Punch Around The Page punch sets. Additionally, the new wing-edged punches are a dream when it comes to folding them up and conserving on storage space. I recently purchased the Spider Web punch set and finally found a source to order my Loopy Border set. I even re-purchased the Drippy Goo punch just to get the wing-edged version.

Both cards are A2 size and the card base is Bazzill textured cardstock in Raven. The first card features a Drippy Goo border on the decorative mat. The stamped skull image is from the new Stampin' Up! Halloween set entitled "From The Crypt" (#115460, $22.95). It was stamped on Stampin' Up! Whisper White cardstock (#100730, $7.50 for 40 sheets) with a Classic Stampin' Pad in Only Orange (#102696, $5.95). The sentiment is from the Stampin' Up! set "Teeny Tiny Wishes" (#115370, $36.95). The card is accented with a Copic Atyou Spica Glitter Pen in Orange.




The second card showcases the same decorative DCWV paper. I cut a piece at 3 1/4" x 5" and used both the Martha Stewart Wing Edger Spider Web punch and the Corner Spider Web punch to create the all-around border. To highlight the web cuts, I adhered the decorative paper to a piece of Stampin' Up! Whisper White cardstock cut at the same size. I used the Stampin' Up! Ticket Corner Punch (#107214, $6.95) on the four corners as an accent.

Little Monsters

For some strange reason of late, I seem to be preoccupied with Christmas. Which is a bit weird since it's more than five months away. My mind is exploding with Christmas card layouts and holiday projects. Most of them are being written in my "inspiration" notebook for perusal at a later date.

But, another holiday struck my fancy yesterday (even though it is still a few months away as well)--Halloween. I recently purchased a terrific set of stamps from Unity Stamp Company called "Little Monsters". They are the most adorable Halloween inspired images. If they don't make you smile, I think a part of you might be dead--which come to think of it might just fit with the holiday!

This card project is a standard A2 size (4 1/4" x 5 1/2"). The base cardstock is Stardream Mica Fuse in Flame. The accent cardstock is by Core'dinations from the All In The Family collection in Orange. It's been cut at 3 1/2" x 4 1/4" and edged with the Stampin' Up! Scallop Border Punch. It was then run through the Cuttlebug with the Tiny Mosaic Folder and sanded with a Stampin' Up! Snow Block.

The Baby Frankenstein and Witch's Hat are from the Unity Stamp Set "Little Monsters" and stamped on Papertrey Ink Stamper's Select White Cardstock using Tsukineko's Memento Ink in Tuxedo Black. I then colored both images using Copic Sketch Markers. They were adhered to the embossed cardstock with Stampin' Up! Stampin' Dimensionals. The scalloped piece was then adhered to the card base with my ATG 714 adhesive gun. For the card sentiments, I used two other stamps ("little monster" and "trick or treat") from the "Little Monsters" set. Something about this card just makes me feel like a little kid again (Not that I'm not accused of the fact more often than I care to admit!). I hope this card gets your "little monsters" waking from the graveyard of holiday's future and inspires you to create something in honor of ghosts and goblins that float by us each and every day! Keep Crafting....

Halloween Book

Here's a few shots from a 5" x 7" chipboard accordian book I made in honor of Halloween. Hope you ghouls and goblins like it!










Happy Halloween Everyone!!

Apologies & Drippy Goo

Hello dear crafters! If it seems I've done a disappearing act, I must apologize. It's been a long time (too long) since my last entry. There are many reasons for that, but suffice to say that I've been busy crafting in my absence. I have to--it helps to keep me sane!

I've been busy working on many different swaps that I've signed up for via the Cricut Message Board. I've been making ATC cards, greeting cards and layouts (yes, you've read correctly) for various groups I joined. I have to say that I really enjoy working on these themed based projects. For one thing, it forces you to keep crafting and to come up with (hopefully) new and original ideas. I cautiously started in one or two swaps--and now I'm in so many I have to keep a written schedule of when things are due and who they are due to. Yes, like many other things, swaps are highly addictive.

I do have to comment on one swap in particular. For the first time, I signed up for a recipe swap. I actually do like to cook. It's the clean-up I have a problem with. But nonetheless, this particular swap was a major challenge for me. It required a dip recipe layout in 8"x8" size for fifteen participants. I can't even remember what the last layout I did was. I've been so consumed with cardmaking and other papercrafting avenues, I really haven't done a "real" scrapbook layout in some time. So this was a challenging--and in many ways daunting--task for me. I have to say I think the end product came out well (and I will share some photos of it after my swap deadline passes). It was just an amazing amount of work. I used my Cricut for my page titles. But, the finished project involved some hand-cut embellishment pieces, stamping, construction and a lot of journaling. I have to admit, I was a bit rusty getting started. After about eight or nine layouts, the groove started returning. I just didn't realize it would be so much work to do fifteen of the same layout. Not that I'm complaining mind you. I had a lot of fun doing them and it was a good refresher--just very time consuming.

Anyhow, I felt I should drop in and update my blog and apologize for my MIA status. I hope to be more consistent in the future about posting on a frequent basis. Please hang in there with me.

Recently, I added the Martha Stewart Crafts "Drippy Goo" punch to my ever growing collection of her delightful tools. I have to say that this one is quite addictive. Obviously, it was designed for the Halloween season--but its uses are really only limited by your imagination. It's terrific for stylized grass, rain splatter, fringes--and so many other things.

Here are a couple of recent Halloween cardmaking projects that use the Drippy Goo punch. I think it's very eye-catching.

Create--and keep crafting!