Halloween Tablescape

Putting out more Halloween decor.  These are some fun tablescape items that I created out of spools.

First I covered each of the spools with different Halloween patterened paper.

For this spool, I painted a chipboard cat and added some orange pearls and gold stickles.

Then I added some fun orange garland fringe to the spool for a finishing touch. 

For this little spool, I used an orange ticket and stamped a Halloween image on to it.

I then added a 3d Halloween sticker to finish it off.

For the largest spool, I started off with some great black glitter on black pattern paper

to cover the spool.  I then added the awesome orange fringe to the top and bottom of the spool.

I added some tulle to the center, then placed some Jenni Bowlin Halloween Bingo Cards

and a date embellishment with October 31st. 

For a finishing touch, I die cut some black glitter paper with a scalloped punch,

layered some orange and black silk flowers and a blingy jewel

and placed it on the top of the spool. Love how it turned out !

Check back tomorrow for more Halloween decor and join us in the Fall and Halloween Blog Hop.

Let the Halloween Decorating Begin !

I just love getting out my Halloween decorations. 

This is another one of those Halloween Vintage Style postcards I coverted to a display piece. 

I mounted it on chipboard, added halloween pattern paper to the back

and inked the edges to finish it off.  then display it on easel. 

I will post more Halloween decor later as I continue to decorate today!  

Halloween is on it's way ! And so is a great Blog Hop

I just love Halloween and all the fun the kids will have trick or treating. 
I have created lots of new Halloween items for this Halloween season and will be posting pictures starting on Saturday, October 22 as The Bug Bytes Design Team members host a Fall/Halloween Challenge Blog Hop !
Be sure and mark your calendars to stop by and get some awesome inspiration to kick up your Fall/Halloween craftiness !

Most Wonderful New Craft Item Ever !

Well, maybe it isn't exactly the most wonderful new craft item ever...but it comes pretty close to me!

I went to an artist retreat a couple of weekends ago that had all the crafters up to our elbows in spray mist, paint, ink and all kinds of adhesives.  To say it was a "bit messy" is an under statement but what fun we had !

Well once we were done, we went to wash up and I discovered this wonderful item in the washroom.

With just a little liquid soap and some water, this Craft Scrubbie by Ranger got off all the mists, inks, paint, and even adhesive off my hands in a matter of minutes.  I was so excited !  Usually I walk around for a few days with some inks and adhesive on my hands until they wear off.  But no more.  If you haven't ever used one of these, I highly recommend you get one.  They were only $4.99 at Michael's craft store and I also saw them at Hobby Lobby too.  And with a coupon even cheaper. 

One of the ladies at the retreat said she often uses Windex and the Craft Scrubbie to get stubborn stains off her hands.  I might just try that next time if the liquid soap and Scrubbie don't work the first time. 

Cricut Circle Blogiversary - Cuttlebug Challenge

I am entering another one of the Cricut Circle Blogiversary challenges...this time featuring the Cuttlebug and any two Cricut image cuts.  The prize is a Yudu Cardshop which is a mini version of the Yudu silkscreening machine and great for making cards and smaller projects.  My fingers and toes are crossed that my entry gets picked.  

I am really getting excited about Halloween this year and decided for this challenge I wanted to make a Halloween Layout page.  Cricut has several Halloween images and cartridges that I love so the decision on what to use was hard but I finally came up with a few fun images to use.

Here is the layout

I had so much fun making this layout from my stash of supplies. 

Since I first saw this silly looking Spider with the long legs from the Stretch Your Imaginations cartridge, I have wanted to use him on a project but hadn't gotten around to it until today.  I cut him out of black cardstock and then  used Ranger Paint Dauber in yellow to color his legs.  I used a black sharpie and added some stripes to make his long legs a little more comical.  Next I used a small dot Cuttlebug embossing folder to add some fun bumps to his body and highlighted a few of his bumps with green Stickles and some orange Stickles to his hat. He was just screaming that he needed googlie eyes so he got those too!  

Next I made a mat using my Cuttlebug and a Halloween embossing folder on some orange Coordinations cardstock which I then sanded to expose all the fun embossed images.  I love to do that with my Cuttlebug folders!

For the lettering I used the awesome Happy Hauntings cartridge for the "Spooky" title and the EEK! on the layout.  I also used Accent Essentials cartridge to create the circle backgrounds for the punched out pattern paper pieces that I used to make embellishments. I added a few Dress Up Buttons Halloween pieces for a final touch.  Love how this turned out.  And now I have one layout ready for some Trick or Treating photos this year!   
Good luck to everyone who enters the contest !

Cricut Circle Blogiversary - Sketch Challenge

One of the perks of being a Cricut Circle member is that we get to participate in craft challenges using our Cricut products for a chance to win awesome prizes.  The Circle is celebrating the Blog Anniversary with an even more spectacular giveaway.  I have decided to participate in a few of them and will be posting pics of my Challenge Entries to share with all of you too.

First up is my entry for a chance to win an Cricut Imagine (it's the only Cricut machine I don't already own) she says sheepishly. 

We are supposed to use this sketch they provided and create any project of our choice using at least two different Cricut cuts from any cartridge we prefer. 

Here is my entry based on the sketch

The Cricut cuts used on this card are all from the new Creative Memories Art Philsophy cartridge including the card base.  And I also used my new Snowflake Cuttlebug embossing folder too.  As you can see, I added some Crystal Stickles to add that special touch to the die cut snowflakes and the embossed piece.  The card is gorgous in person but the shiny paper I choose was a little hard to photograph to get the luscious colors to show better. 

Good luck to all others who enter the contest too!

Woohoo...I am on the Design Team at The Bug Bytes !

I am so excited to join all the wonderful DT members at The Bug Bytes.  I always get so much inspiration from the designers on Pam's blog and am honored to be included on the DT.

My first ever contribution is today. So head over to The Bug Bytes and check out the gorgeous fall card I posted.  {And yes, it is a card I made last fall because of my current camera situation but I did include directions and supplies used to create it}.

Happy Fall Ya'll

Sweet New Camera Heading My Way

I have been crafting like crazy...all kinds of Halloween and Fall goodies to show you all.  But alas, my camera was broken on our trip to Maui last month (heavy sigh) so no way to take photos to post projects lately. 

Well, hang on to your hats, because I will soon have a sweet new awesome camera so I can get back into the crafty blog world once again.

After a lot of research and soul searching, I decided I am still a "point and shoot" kind of girl but wanted a few SLR features without the weight of it...so I just ordered the Sony CyberShot DSC-WX9 camera.
It arrives the first of next week ! I am doing a Happy Dance and can't wait to start using it and posting
project pics again.

It's got all these wonderful features and more:

• Exmor R CMOS sensor for low-light performance, 5x, bright lens
• Full HD 1080x1920 with dual record of stills and movies
• 3D still image and 3D Sweep Panorama
• Fast capture with 10fps at full 16.2 MP resolution
• iSweep Panorama for one shot landscapes

 So until next week, keep crafting and check back for more crafty inspiration from me!

New Look Under Way !

As you can see, I am making some BIG changes on my blog ! 

The changes are intended to: 

• Help my readers find things easier
• Make it easier to contact me to ask questions
• And improve ways to continue to inspire your own creativity  

Please let me know if there is anything you want me to see changed on my blog.
My goal is to have everything up and running by end of this weekend.  So wish me luck !

My Birthday Wish

Well my friends, it is that time of year again.  Yes, I am talking about my birthday week ! 

I am lucky enough to share my birthday week with a couple of my dear friends and we will be celebrating with lunches out this week, maybe a shopping trip or two and lots of laughs and fun !
Total girl time ....I could use some of that for sure. 

It's hard to believe another year has passed and once again it is time to reflect on what I want to wish for this birthday.

Even more than usual, I have a strong desire to make a plan to explore and learn new things,
to travel more ..both near and abroad,
and just in general enjoy and embrace life more than ever. 

Maybe it is because as I crest over the 50 year mark, you start to realize that day-to-day life hassles such as working, cleaning, cooking, childrearing, etc.  shouldn't be taken so seriously and that we are meant to experience life in a more soulful way.

So, my birthday wish for myself is to seek out things that feed my soul, that bring me joy, that expand my mind and touch my heart. 

And I guess it is time to start thinking of making a bucket list and knocking them off that list one at a time !

I promise to keep you posted as I focus on these birthday wishes this year.

In Remembrance of 9/11/01

It's been 10 years since our world was turned upside down with the events that happened on September 11th.  I just wanted to take a moment and say a prayer for all those that lost their lives and to give a (((cyber hug))) to their loved ones who had to move forward through life without them. 

And to all the brave men and women who courageously fight for our freedom every day, I humbly say thank you !  It seems not enough...but mere words can not express how thankful I am for the rights I have to live in the United States of America.  We may have our troubles but we still have a strong society who values freedom, liberty and justice for all.

Rolling Out New Classes at Michael's Craft Stores Saturday

Hey everyone....wanted to make sure you knew that tomorrow, Saturday September 10th from 1-3 pm Michael's Craft Stores around the country are holding a Class Room Open House to showcase all the new classes being offered such as Paper Crafting, Wilton Cake, Jewelry Making, Yarn Classes and Spotted Canary Scrapbook Basics Classes.

They are running a ONE DAY ONLY SPECIAL of 50% OFF CLASS FEE if you register that day for ANY class on the schedule !  Yipeee !!

I am the certified scrapbook instructor for the Michael's store on Bissonnet at Weslayan and having a ball teaching the paper craft classes and scrapbook basic classes there.

The new Paper Craft Classes are really something special and include classes like:

Cricut 101  to learn to use your Cricut Machine

Cricut Card Tricks using Winter Frolic cartridge

Cricut Off the Page to make holiday gift items using Winter Frolic cartridge

Tim Holtz Halloween Banner and Holiday Tags to learn distress ink techniques

Paper Bag Mini Albums perfect for one event scrapbooks or gifts

Card Tricks to learn different card techniques

Altered Canvas for decor or gift giving

Party Decor to make invite, banner, decorations, layout and cards to match

Sketched Out to learn how to use a sketch to quickly make a layout and cards

There are many more class offerings too..

If you live in Houston, please stop by and say hello and check ou these classes !

Would love to see you.  If you don't live here, check out your local Michael's store as there are over 500 stores across the country offering these classes now.  

We are Back !

WOW...all I can say is MAUI is F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S !!  We went for 10 days to celebrate our 30th Wedding Anniversary.  We explored every nook and cranny of the island  and had many adventures and once in a life time views.

 Here is a quick snapshot of our trip:

Sunrise at Halelakala (10,000 feet in the air above the crowds ) than then we BIKED back down !

It was cold at 10,000 feet but wow what a view high ABOVE the clouds!~

This is a view of the crater we just watched the sunrise over

Lots of beautiful and yummy tasty drinks were had each day !

Gorgeous, picture postcard views of beaches everywhere you looked

Exotic plant life...this a rainbow eucalyptus tree

Waterfalls along the Hana Highway were spectacular

Dragons Teeth rocky point in Kapalua was so cool !

Sailing and Snorkeling sure was fun !

Golfing at PGA Plantation Course along with a Rainbow

A Luau at Grand Wailea was fabulous !

Can't go to Maui without having some Shave Ice...delicicous !

Cool Ride with my hubby

Gorgeous digs where we stayed

Lovely, lovely, lovely

Nice kitchen in the condo for snacks, etc.

Pretty view from our Lanai...Fresh Lei from the Luau 

 in my hair was so fragrant

And yes ladies...I even made it to the only scrapbook store on Maui...Island Paperie !!

As you can see, we had a fabulous time and really enjoyed ourselves.  Now we totally understand why everyone said we should go to Maui.   I will be working on my scrapbook pages and post more photos of our wonderful trip.  Happy 30th Anniversary to my sweet hubby ! 

My Favorites so far from the Craft and Hobby Association Summer Show

While I did not get to attend CHA this year, I have been closely following a few of my favorite companies new releases.  I also love to get inspiration from how each manufacturer decorates their booths to showcase their products to the best advantage.  One of the best displays I have seen so far posted is from the fabulous designers at DCWV....take a peek at this awesome detail !  Can you spot all the places they used PP?

well, do you see all the pattern paper opportunities in this display?  I love the deer above the mantel...but the paper wrapped logs are beyond clever !  The stockings, frames and mantle decor are all made with lovely DCWV patterned paper and the cute little sleigh is also beautifully done up in patterned paper.

Another thing I spotted as I blog hopped through CHA photos today was this awesome display of kits
to make fantastic flower necklaces from Ruby-Violet ..a Prima spin off line.  I can not wait to get my hands on a few of these kits.  I wonder how much they will be priced? 

Well I bookmarked a few other favorites that I will post later this week.  What have you seen from this CHA you really want to get? 

It's A Wrap Blog Hop

Welcome to the It’s a Wrap Blog Hop hosted by Cool Beans By L.B.

Do you like to receive gifts? How about give them? Well this hop is all about the outside…the wrapping; Gift bags, boxes, baskets and more. There are several wonderful stops on this hop and

we hope you will take some time to stop in and see everything we have created to inspire you.  

You should have arrived here from, CoolbeansbyLB , which is the start of the blog hop.  

Here are a few different gift wraps I have made lately for special events: 

There is one thing I am always needing when a birthday rolls around and that is a gift bag for the present.  I like to stock up on plain colored bags in bulk from local craft store and keep on hand to create a unique gift back to fit the occassion and person.  Most of the time I use my Cricut to make adorable die cuts in birthday themes.

All the designs for this project were created using the Cricut Birthday Bash cartridge. The big birthday cake on the bag was cut at 7 inches, the yellow cake base cardstock was embossed with the Cuttlebug, and I added some yummy frosting using Martha Stewart chunky white glitter. I even used foam dots to pop-up the birthday word.

Here is a close up so you can see the details better.

I made a matching mini birthday card as a tag using the cake card shape on the Birthday Bash cartridge cut at 5 inches. I added some "paper sprinkles" to the icing and highlighted them with stickles.

I also like to personalize the gift bag with a monogram, like I did here for graduation presents for a couple of special friends daughter's high school graduation. I used the colors of the college they would be going to in the fall as inspiration...they loved them !

But I don't stop at just making gift bags...I LOVE to make pillow boxes for gifts too.

I recently went to a wedding and made this as a bridal luncheon gift holder.  The bride thought it was so pretty she didn't even want to open it  to see the handmade cards that were the gift inside.

I made the box out of a shiny cardstock that I don't remember the name of but have had laying around for a long time by using a template. Then added ribbon trim to the edges. For the tag, I glimmer misted a manila tag, punched the edges with my Fiskars Apron lace punch. Stamped a frame and hand lettered the brides name. And then added a Prima flower that I glimmer misted in pearl. I tied it onto the package with some sheer ribbon.

Thanks for stopping by on this fun hop. Leave me a comment to let me know you stopped by please.

Your next stop on the hop is Cindy.

What an honor !

My "Splish Splash" Layout was chosen as

on the Cricut Circle Blog today !

Thanks PC for picking the layout. I love it too! \

P.S. Our resident silly 8 year old was thrilled to see herself on the blog today ! That kid is such a ham :)  

Splish Splash !

I absolutely love ECHO PARK's  paper collections. They are definitely one of my favorite paper companies. If you haven't checked them out, you really should do so.  Their paper is a wonderful quality and their paper collections are a great mix of patterns and paper embellishments plus at a great value. Can't ask for more in a perfect scrapbook paper line. 

When I bought the Echo Park Summertime  paper line the colors just SCREAMED summer to me. And as luck would have it, I had the perfect summer photos of Bianca learning to swim to use with it. 

I used the Cricut H20 cartridge for the titles, pool floatie and girl.

I matted the title and a focal point photo and used a Ranger Inkado

White Pen to add faux stitching. I cut the sun shape out of two different colors

and popped dotted one over the other for added dimension.

 I then added a hidden Echo Park journaling

card sticking out of the top of one photo. 

The pool float and girl were made separately and then

I just slipped her into the horse floatie.

I used my COPIC Markers to color her skin. Love how it turned out !

The H20 cartridge even had the perfect Jumpin! word phrase

to match my photos.  How did they know! LOL

This is a fun, colorful layout that really helped make these pictures come alive. I just love scrappin' summer photos, don't you ?

Cindy Loo Magic...

I just love the Cindy Loo Cricut cartridge and try and use it any chance I can get.  Lucky for me, I stumbled across one photo I had not scrapped from when I was the design team lead at a local scrapbook store. Sadly that LSS has closed but the memories still remain. We had a fantastic time at the National Scrapbook Day Crop that year and took a photo of everyone in front of the store.  Our store colors were black and pink so I used those colors on my layout.

I created the frame and flourish using Cindy Loo.

The title was made using Gypsy Font.

The flourish is a layer on the frame.

On a separate piece of paper, I made the flourish layer

and then added stickles over the top.

I love how it turned out and added a bit

of glam to the layout.

It's so sad that many of our LSS have closed. I do my best to support LSS whenever I travel. I think the LSS helps keep our favorite scrapbooking hobby going and we need them.  I encourage you to also support LSS wherever you travel too.