Happy Halloween!

It's spooky time in our house, how about you?  Here's a Halloween layout using Kaiser's Halloween paper and embellishments:

Have A Safe and Happy Halloween!!

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A Halloween Tag

I've neglected this blog lately, and October is one of my favorite months.  I usually am busy creating spooky and fun Halloween stuff but I haven't done much this year.  Here is my tag for my monthly tag swap, that I was scrambling to finish.  Someone was a little ambitious in choosing a theme, we won't mention any names (Nicole!!!) and we had to having moving parts and noise or something touchy,feely.
This one was pretty challenging, but this is what I came up with:

My tag base was some black chipboard (I wanted it to be sturdy enough to hold the little book on the front) which I covered the front and back(the back was put on last) with paper from Tim Holtz's Halloween resist paper. I inked and stained the paper with distress ink and stain.

I then drilled holes in a metal plate from Graphic45, on the left side (I used the Tim Holtz drill press, which went through this metal so easy!) I cut out some resist paper in the same shape and size as the plates for my book pages and another piece of chipboard for the back, attached everything with Tim Holtz charm rings.  Before I put the book together, I alcohol inked purple and green on the plate and then sanded off some of the color.  Then I stamped a web image(this one is from Basic Grey) on the front center with staz-on black ink.

For the Skeleton Door Knocker, I bought a skeleton head bracelet from the dollar store and took it apart.  I cut a thin (about 1/4" wide and 2" long) strip of plastic from packaging, cut the top sides thinner (about 1/2 " in length) so it fit through the hole of head.  I took some thin wire, twisted it in a coil, so it wouldn't fall through, and put it through the skeleton head.  I then taped the plastic and wire together with Tim Holtz tape, covering the wire.  If you find your tape isn't sticking well, I usually glue it on with Claudine Helmuth matt medium,  and then it won't come undone.  I then stuck the bottom of the plastic tab to my front cover with a glue dot, and then covered the bottom, front and back with an embossed and alcohol inked scrap piece of metal paper.  This, I stuck on with Sookwang tape.  I wanted to make sure this didn't fall off, as it will be moving when it is used as a knocker.  I then used skeleton arms from a package of skeletons from the dollar store, attaching one to the ring and one(cut in half) to the side of the tag with a brad.  This one can slide over to keep the book closed, because there was a hole between the bones on the arm part where I placed the brad.  I then attached the book with longer brads through the chipboard back and then the chipboard tag.  This is why I covered the back too, so you don't see the backs of the brads.  I cut out a metal flower, using a flower die from Spellbinders and their metal paper, touching the edges with some alcohol ink.  I then cut apart a Halloween spray from Prima and used one of their mini fall flowers.  Cover the back and you are done!
I was inspired to make the metal plate into a book from Graphic45's blog, they have some really great ideas using their metal plates, flowers and door knobs!
Have a great weekend!

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A canvas...

full of techniques and inspiration.  As I have said before, I really enjoyed Jennifer McGuire's on-line inspiration class.  Lots of stamping techniques, some new ones I hadn't tried before and some old ones that I forgot about!  This is my finished canvas,which I used an unfinished 11" x 14"wood one.  Instead of doing hearts for each technique, I used tags.  What I love about this canvas is; I can hang it up in my craft room and it's right there when I need inspiration!

I love decorating for Halloween, and hope to make a few decorations again this year.  Not that I need any more!  After creating my witch's hat for the Urban monthly kit, I'm in the mood to create more.  Maybe a wreath or garland next.  Garlands are always good for using stuff from the stash!

Have a great weekend!

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It was a pink morning....

yesterday for my husband and myself.  I never imagined myself taking part in "The Run for the Cure," Edmonton's breast cancer annual walk, especially as a survivor.  My life changed in December 2009, when they found a lump during a routine mammogram and it continued to change for almost the entire year following.  After two surgeries, six months of chemo and a month of radiation, I was ready to get on with my life as a survivor.  I walked last September for the first time and was overwhelmed, looking out at the crowd of people offering their support for friends, family and loved ones.  Let's hope they find that cure soon, but in the meantime, check those boobies and have your annual mammogram!

We were on our way back and were amazed how many walkers were still coming!

And on a lighter note, I know I did say the other day, I was going to show a Halloween tag

that I had finished. Here it is: 

I used a few techniques that I have learned from Jennifer McGuire's online inspiration class.  The tag was made with glossy paper, embossed, and then the raised areas sanded.  I then inked the whole tag with Tim Holtz Frayed Burlap distress ink.  The sanded areas become darker after the excess ink is wiped from the tag.  I cut out a chipboard witch with my Tim Holtz die, covered it with Rocky Candy crackle paint and then after it was dry, wiped distress stain over top.  The acrylic branch is from Kaiser, the potion circle is Echo Park, patterned paper is Pink Paislee(the accordion flower) and the wicked metal embellishment is from Tim Holtz.
Tomorrow I will show you my finished canvas from Jennifer's class!  Have a great Tuesday!

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And it's October....

already!  Where did September go?  We've had a beautiful fall so far, with temperatures reaching in the high 20's, a few days of 30 C and lots of sunshine.  Not our usual September, that's for sure.  I love this time of year, the colors of the leaves, the crisp morning air and I even managed to go for a walk along the river in one of our favorite parks to take it all in before those leaves are gone!

I especially love decorating for Halloween, I think it's the colors that I enjoy.  The Urban Scrapbook design team have been busy creating for our monthly challenge this month.  We decided instead of layouts, to do a Halloween decoration.  Here's mine:

I bought one of those paper mache witch's hats from a craft store and cut it in half.  This way you can hang it up on the wall or put it in a wreath.

I cut out a piece of chipboard to fill in the back so it will be flat and then covered it with the kit's paper (Authentique's Glowing).  I painted the underside of the brim, and then embellished with all the goodies in the kit.  I printed the moon dust tag  with the plain foundation paper and got the tag graphics from Love Manor's flickr site.  Love these!

I gathered paper to make the trim, made a medallion with paper, crepe paper and stickles. I painted the Tim Holtz chipboard shapes then crackled with Rock Candy crackle paint, and painted over with Distress Stain.  Tucked some tulle behind, added a few sticker stars and moons and I think that's it.
I decided I still had the other half and some product left so I made another one.

The flowers were made with crepe paper and paper.  I used one of the new EK Success punches that you make flowers with.   These are really nice!  You can't tell very good by this photo but the bird was painted, dipped in clear Utee and then, very quickly while still sticky, I poured on colored Frantage Mica Fragments.  These fragments are going to be showing up on a few projects, they are so cool!  There's a few different colors, beautiful golds, pewters, bronzes, you will have to check them out, Urban Scrapbook just got them in.


We keep getting in the most amazing products in at the store (I'm am still so broke this month) and this week the dies from Memory Box were extremely hard to resist!  Here's a card I made using the twiggy tree and leaf canopy dies.

This fall and halloween paper is also from Memory Box.  There are three different leaf canopy dies and these cut out the opposite way, not sure if I'm explaining this properly.  You use the negative cut?  So your paper underneath shows through and then I pop dotted the tree trunk on top.  Very simple and easy card to make!  There are some gorgeous snowflake, Christmas, and winter dies too.
Well, that's all for today, I have a Halloween tag to show you but I will leave that for tomorrow.  I'm going on the Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk with Roxanne today, so I better get ready!
Have a great day!

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