Door Nobs..... Spooked..

As promised:

The tag that was hung on my door was a large cutout of a ghost much like the little ghosts I chose to use on my door hangers with the text printed on the front of the ghost. You could use a jack-o-lantern, a bat, a witch or any other Halloween image. I've chosen to use the individually wrapped popcorn balls from WalMart placed in a cellophane bag and coordinating ribbon and a tag to match.

The text:

Your house was SPOOKED during the night by some
one in the neighborhood who wants to give you a fright!
A bag of treats has been left for you, full of
Halloween candy and other goodies too!
Now it’s your turn to give someone a fright by placing
three bags of candy and ghosts during the moonlight
You have only one night to spread your ghosts, so the
whole neighborhood will be haunted to the most!
You will need to make 3 ghosts and 3 bags of
treats to take to 3 houses on your street!
You will need to place a copy of this rhyme in each goody bag
you leave, so the next house will know how to proceed!
Once your house has been spooked, place your ghost
on the door so we will come no more.
Have a Happy
Halloween

Stamps: PTI- 2009 Halloween Tags.
Paper: Summer Sunrise
Ink: Mememto Tuxedo Black
Window Dressing: Scrap Ribbon, Jute twine

Halloween Tags and Traditions

A few years ago just about this time of the month, I had found, as I began my early morning routine of walking the Whippet, an unexpected surprise hanging on my door nob. It was a friendly Halloween ghost cut from white cardstock with a set of instructions written in poem imprinted across its chest. Hanging behind him was a bag of Halloween goodies. I later discovered that it was my Mother who had placed it there. Someone had placed one on her door nob a couple days before and she had followed the instructions written on her ghost. I've decided to revive and share this Halloween tradition with my family and friends. They are nearly finished, but have taken a little different. Once I make a trip to the candy store and fill the treat bags I will share the complete project so if you choose, you can "Trick or Treat" your own family and friends. Above are some of the tags that will accompany my own "Trick or Treats".
Supplies:
Stamps: PTI- Polka Dot Basics II, 2009 Halloween Tags.
Paper: PTI - Kraft, Select White, Summer Sunrise, Lavender Moon.
Ink: PTI - Smoky Shadow.
Window Dressing: PTI- Vintage Buttons, Jute Twine, Corner Rounded Punch, Crystal Effects Spellbinders Nestabilities.

Trying to get back in the swing..

Seems Summer's past like a blink of the eye. My sister and my niece and their two dogs Jake and Fergie have come and gone. The Summer vacationers have put away their sand buckets, sea shells and tanning lotion and have returned from whence they came. The beach is quiet except for the cry of the gulls and a few lazy local walkers taking in the afternoon sun. Abd I am basking in the blessings of Autumn, as I try to get back into the swing.

Supplies:
Stamps: PTI- Polka Dot Basics II, Background Basics-Text Style, Beyond Basic Borders, Vintage Picnic, First Fruits.
Paper: PTI - Kraft, Vintage Cream, Summer Sunrise, Spring Moss, Father Knows Best Patterned Paper.
Ink: PTI - Ripe Avocado, Smokey Shadow, Vintage Cream Pigment Ink.
Window Dressing: Jute Twine, Corner Rounded Punch, Copic Markers, Cream Acrylic Paint.

So Many Birthdays.. So Much Fun!

I realised last night that another one of my work associates had a birthday coming up Saturday and that the last day I would see her before her birthday was today.. Friday. I pushed aside the current project I was working on and though for a few minutes. Olive green and blues are her favourite colours so my paper and ink choices were a snap! Heather Nichols' stamp set Around and About Sentiments somehow just magically popped out of the huge stack of Papertrey Ink stamp sets, as I scanned the huge stack for my stamp choices. This is another one of my favourite tried and true sets.




After I photographed the card I decided a small detail was needed to "finish off" the card. A small button from PTI's New Leaf button collection and added it to the center of the little flower by tying white waxed linen thread in to a small bow.


Supplies:
Stamps: PTI- Around and About Sentiments
Paper: PTI - Stamper's Select White, Ocean Tides, PTI - Patterned Paper Polka Dot Parade
Ink: PTI Ocean Tides and Ripe Avocado
Window Dressing: Spellbinders Nestabilities Scalloped Circles , PTI Ocean Tides Polka Dot Satin Ribbon and Ripe Avocado Top Notch Twill, PTI - New Leaft Button, Corner Rounder Punch Create-a-Cut paper cutter.

Tea for Two and You Are Sixty Too! Happy Birthday Becky!

My friendly UPS driver, or was it my friendly USPS driver.. I never know because I am always at work when when they leave my packages, had delivered my Papertrey order yesterday and it was waiting for me when I came home. I'm always excited to receive my PTI packages, but this one was one I was doubly anticipating. The Tea for Two set is a set I've been hoping for for a long time. A friend at work, who is an avid tea drinker is having a birthday on Friday and I wanted to make her a birthday card using this set.
I hope she likes it!

Supplies:
Stamps: PTI- Tea for Two
Paper: PTI - Stamper's Select White, Summer Sunrise, PTI - Patterned Paper Polka Dot Parade
Ink: PTI Ocean Tides, Dark Chocolate
Window Dressing: Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Four, Ribbon Tags Trio, PTI Ocean Tides Satin Ribbon, PTI Aqua Mist Buttons, Corner Rounder Punch, Button from button jar.

Bitty Baby CD Envelope Case Gift..

One of the things I enjoy most about my crafting is being able to make gifts and cards for family and friends to share with their friends. My sister called me last week from Denver and said she needed a small gift for a baby shower she was attending. The gift needed to be for a little boy and his room colours were to be moss, black, and white. Since both my sister and I enjoy music, I thought it would be a good opportunity to come up with a CD case that would contain hand picked music just for a little baby boy. If you look very closely the spring moss square directly behind the baby elephant is stamped using PTI's Polka Dot Basics in Fresh Snow. The bright early morning sun washed out the stamping from the eye of the camera. The baby gift and enclosure card, which mirrors the CD case is in the mail as of this morning, along with some other surprises for my sister and niece.

Supplies:
Stamps: PTI- Bitty Baby Blessings, Polka Dot Basics
Paper: PTI - Stamper's Select White, Kraft, Spring Moss, Patterned Paper Bitty Dot Basics, Vellum, SU Patterned Paper
Ink: PTI Fresh Snow
Window Dressing: Spellbinders Nestabilities Squares and Scalloped Squares, PTI True Black Swiss Dot Satin Ribbon, PTI True Black Buttons

Birthday Wishes for a Friend

One of my many Christmas presents from my sister was a set of Cuttlebug embossing borders. I've really fallen in love with these. The interior Raspberry Fizz scalloped overlay is embossed with the same floral design as can be seen on the outside of the card.When the card is opened the embossed image repeats its self both right and left of the spine of the card which makes an interesting detail to the inside of the card. The embossing on the outside of the card was "lightly dusted" with PTI's Fresh Snow cube. I particularly like using the cubes as they allow me more controlin application. Now to try out the Decorative Circles and Squares Folders she also gave me.

Supplies:
Stamps: PTI- Tags fpr Spring, Out On a Limb Sentiments
Paper: PTI - Stamper's Select White, Kraft, Raspberry Fizz, Making Memories-Pink Gingham
Ink: Raspberry Fizz, Fresh Snow
Window Dressing: Spellbinders Nestabilities Circles, Nested Birds, Cuttlebug Embossing Borders Folder-Frills and full size folder-Polka Dots, Doodlebug Jewels, Pebbles Inc. Chalks, Create-a-Cut Paper Cutter, SU - Flower Punch, Scor-tape

Easter Wishes..

For I remember it is Easter morn,
And life and love and peace are all new born.
~Alice Freeman Palmer


An Easter Card for my Mother.


Stamps: PTI- Friends 'Till the End, Mixed Mega Messages
Paper: PTI - Stamper's Select White, Kraft, Raspberry Fizz, Friends 'Till the End Patterned Paper
Ink: Raspberry Fizz, Versamark
Window Dressing: PTI - Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, White Embossing Powder, Doodlebug Jewels, Wrights Baby Rick Rack and Medium Rick Rack, Trim from Wal-Mart, Corner Rounder, Scor-tape

My Cute Stamps Easter Giveaway!

My Cute Stamps is hosting a Giveaway of one of their absolutely precious stamp sets, Jelly Beans, in celebration of Easter Week. You can read about the the details over at the Creating Cupcakes blog.


My niece was born in Russia so My Cute Stamps Matryoshka Dolls stamp set has special meaning for me.


The Matryoshka dolls or Russian nested dolls is actually a set of dolls of decreasing sizes placed one inside the other. "Matryoshka" or Матрёшка is a derivative of the Russian female first name "Matryona" which was a very popular name among peasants in old Russia.

Matryoshkas date from 1890, and are said to have been inspired by souvenir dolls from Japan, however, the concept of nested objects was familiar in Russia, having been applied to carved wooden apples and Easter eggs. The first "Fabergé egg", in 1885, had a nesting of egg, yolk, hen, and chick.

A set of matryoshkas consists of a wooden figure which can be pulled apart to reveal another figure of the same sort inside. It has, in turn, another figure inside, and so on. The number of nested figures is usually five or more. The shape is mostly cylindrical, rounded at the top for the head and tapered towards the bottom, but little else; the dolls have no hands (except those that are painted). Traditionally the outer layer is a woman, dressed in a sarafan. Inside, it contains other figures that may be of both genders, usually ending in a baby that does not open. The artistry is in the painting of each doll, which can be extremely elaborate.

Matryoshkas are often designed to follow a particular theme, for instance peasant girls in traditional dress, but the theme can be anything, from fairy tale figures to characters of Soviet leaders.

Pictured: The first original matryoshka set carved by Zvezdochkin and painted by Malyutin, located at the Sergiev Posad Museum of Toys, Russia.

A "Cute" little birdie

I woke up this morning to one of my favorite sounds. The little birds were perched in my nearly ready to bloom Magnolia tree just singing their little hearts out. The bird feeder was stocked and the spring rains had filled the little pond just beyond my back porch. Thus the inspiration for another card using those absolutely precious My Cute Stamps set Spunky Nature.


Stamps: My Cute Stamps - Spunky Nature PTI - Sentiment: Birds of a Feather
Paper: PTI - PTI White, True Black, Patterned 2008 Bitty Dot Basics. Little Yellow Bicycle - Love Letters
Ink: PTI New Leaf, Hibiscus. True Black
Window Dressing: PTI - New Leaf Saddle Stitch Ribbon, PTI Vintage Buttons Black and Cream and WhiteSpellbinders Tags Nestabilities Flowers, Londonberry Linen Thread - Black

Just TOO Cute!

These spunky chunky stamps sure hold true to the company name! My Cute Stamps When I recently ran across them I was thrilled to find that they weren't like every other stamp design out there. Crisp and unique, this set was a must have for my sring collection. Take time to check out their other designs.

Supplies
Stamps: My Cute Stamps - Spunky Nature
Paper: PTI - PTI White, Melon Berry, DCWV Textured Mat Stack - Greens
Ink: PTI Dark Chocolate, Melon Berry, Spring Moss, Summer Sunrise,
Window Dressing: PTI - Melon Berry Extra Fine Polka Dot Ribbon, Pop Dots, Cornish Heritage Farms White Flocking, Create-a-Cut Paper, Cutter Copic Multiliner Black, Tim Holtz "Idea-ology" Sanding Grip

What a nice day.. today..

I've been a follower and avid admirer of a very talented lady's blog for sometime but just recently realized we live in the same city. On a recent trip into my local scrapbooking store, Scrapbook Studio, I mentioned to the owner I was a stamper and card maker. She immediately asked me if I knew Becca Feeken and followed her blog, Amazing Paper Grace, I had no idea this lady who's blog I'd been following was just across the bay. I emailed her and promptly received a reply inviting me to the Emerald Coast Stamp Club meeting, a group of stampers and card makers that meet once a month and share projects, ideas, and fellowship. So today I packed my tote and headed to the Michael's Classroom where I met not only Becca but a whole group of talented ladies. I was so inspired I came home and made this card. I look forward to becoming an active part of this creative group. Thank you so much, Becca!


Stamps: PTI- Damask Designs
Paper: PTI - PTI White, True Black, Patterned Paper Black and White Basics, SU Naturals White
Ink: PTI True Black, Berry Sorbet
Window Dressing: PTI - Berry Sorbet Grosgrain Ribbon, PTI - Vintage Button Collection Black, Spellbinders Nestabilities and Tag Dies, Waxed Linen Thread, Sakura Gelly Roll Glitter Pen, Joy Crafts Decorative Pearls