Little Ghost Earrings (Part 2)

Here is the second part to the Little Ghost Earrings video.  Have fun, and Happy Halloween!

Little Ghost Earrings

This is a fun project that you can do with your children, or make a pair for yourself.  Believe me when I tell you that just about everyone who sees you wearing these will want a pair.  Have fun, and be sure to check back soon for Part Two.  Feel free to email me with any questions you might have, and I'd love it if you'd leave a comment if you like the video.  Thanks!

Haunted House

Here's the second project I did for the Glue Dots (R) Design Team.  The house is by Doodlebug Design, and I used Glue Dots (R) to assemble and decorate it.  Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Halloween Banner

            Materials

·        Cardstock:  white, orange, purple, green, black, yellow, orange glitter

·        Craft Glue Dots ®  

·        Sparkly Fluff - Our Craft Lounge

·        Cricut machine and cartridges  (I used Sure Cuts a Lot software, the Happily Ever         After Cricut cartridge, and  the George and Basic Shapes cartridge.  You can find similar images on other cartridges.) – Provo Craft

·        Souffle pens – Sakura

·        Stamps:  Everyday Character Faces – Peachy Keen Stamps; Owl – Hampton Arts

·        Ribbon

·        White gel pen

·        Clear glitter pen

·        Chalk

·        Black permanent ink

·        White ink

            Directions  (Refer to photos for placement of all pieces.)

1.      Using Cricut machine and cartridges of choice, cut the following:

·        15 scalloped triangles at 4” from orange, green, and purple cardstock.

·        14 circles at 3 ½” from black cardstock.

·        1 circle at 3 ½” from yellow cardstock.

·        1 circle at 2” from green cardstock

·        1 scalloped circle at 2 ½” from orange cardstock

·        1 pumpkin (blackout) at 2 ½” from orange cardstock

·        the letters “H-A-P-P-Y-H-A-L-L-W-E-E-N” AT 3” from orange glitter cardstock.

·        1 spider at 3” from black cardstock.

2.       Stamp face onto pumpkin using black ink and onto spider using white ink.  Color whites of eyes with white gel pen.

3.      Using Souffle pens, add dots and dashes around the edges of the  circles.

4.      Adhere circles to triangles, following pattern in photo.

5.      Stamp owl onto white cardstock using permanent black ink. 

6.      Apply Glue Dots all over owl’s surface, being careful to avoid the eyes.

7.      Sprinkle Sparkly Fluff and press gently to adhere to owl.

8.      Layer the owl, the green circle, and the scalloped orange circle.

9.      Using the photo as a guide, adhere letters and shapes to black circles using Glue Dots ®.

10.  Thread triangles on ribbon and hang.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

(I made this banner while working on the Glue Dots (R) Design Team. with products supplied by Glue Dots(R).)

Is Your Daughter a GeekGirl?

 Answer these 10 Questions from my post on GeekMom to find out.

Stamp Scrap Art Tour, Rhinebeck, NY

Art Gone Wild had some fabulous display boards.

Yesterday I took a 2-hour drive and went to the Stamp Scrap Art Tour in Rhinebeck, NY; and, although I had a great time visiting with my BFF, Tina, I have to honestly say that the show wasn't really worth the trip.  Yes, I bought some cool stamps and other goodies that I can't find in my local craft stores (I don't have any local scrapbook or stamp stores); but some really big names in the stamping and scrapbooking world were missing. 

I wasn't expecting many scrapbook vendors, because this is primarily a stamping expo.  It makes me wonder why it's called the Stamp Scrap Art Show in the first place, but I'm not going to get hung up on the name.  It was still disappointing not to see Marco's Paper and Outlines.  Those are two booths that I always look forward to visiting.

There were 18 vendors in all, and you can find the links to these vendors on the Stamp Scrap Art Tour site:  Custom Wood by Dallas, Heartfelt Creations, Repeat Impressions, Just For Fun, Motivet Rubber Stamps, ScrapDazzle, Darcie's Country Folk, Stampers Anonymous, Inky Antics, Art Gone Wild, Stamp Camp, Lost Coast Designs, Seaside Stampin' Ink, Central Perk Scrappers, Rubber Cottage, Stamp On It, Sweet Stamps.com, and Purple Daisy Designs. 

It was good to see some new companies (e.g. Central Perk Scrappers, Just For, Fun, and Stamp On it).  In fact, some of the demos were very well done.  The make 'n takes left a lot to be desired, though, and we didn't try any of them.  I believe that there shouldn't be a charge for make 'n takes, but that's another story.

I don't know if Saturday's turnout was better than yesterday's, but I doubt it.  Most of the vendors seemed disappointed and unenthusiastic.  Some traveled quite a long way from home and invested quite a bit of money, time, and effort in this show; however, the exhibit hall was depressingly deserted.  You would think that Tina and I would have won one of the door prize drawings, then, right?  That might have made the trip worth it, but no such luck.

I have the sinking feeling that we've seen the last of the Rhinebeck SSAT.  The loss of some of their biggest vendors and the decline in consumer attendance don't bode well for this venue.  I will miss it, as there aren't many expos of this type in New York as it is.  Oh, well, hopefully the Greater New York Stamp Show will have a better turn-out, in terms of both vendors and consumers. 

Thanks for checking in, and remember to be your crafty self.

Scrapbook Sketch

Sketches can be a very useful starting point for both scrapbook pages and cards.  For this sketch, I’ve kept things pretty simple.  The main part of the sketch is a photo collage, which allows you to vary the size and placement of your photos.  You can crop as little or as much as you want, and you don’t have to worry about lining up all of your photos perfectly.  Then write or print your journaling on strips of cardstock, and arrange them on your collage.

A punched or die-cut border at the bottom and (optionally) at the top is an effective way to focus attention on all the photos in your collage.  An oversized die-cut behind the mat under the photos breaks up the solid color background paper.  Finally, add a simple title and three embellishments to form a visual triangle, and you’re done!

I chose to create a double-page Christmas layout with a “present” theme.  Brenda Walton’s Peppermint Twist patterned paper was just what I needed to add some pizzazz to my solid background.  The large die-cuts and bottom borders were cut with my Cricut Expression using the Walk in My Garden cartridge.  I used my Fiskar’s Threading Water border punch and Martha Stewart's Gingerbread Trim edge punch to create unique embellishments out of coordinating scraps of paper.  I cut the title using the Alphalicious cartridge and added a few buttons as a finishing touch.

I hope you are inspired by this sketch to create your own fast, fun, and easy layouts this month.  You’ll be finished so quickly that you’ll have more time to spend making memories than trying to scrapbook them.  Happy scrapping!