Boo!

I like to carve pumpkins, put up Halloween decorations, and most of all, make treat bags for Trick-or-Treaters on this day of the year.  For this one, I was so busy at work, I only got to do some decorating last night.  So nothing fancy, just enough for one night.  And last night also was when I made my Halloween treat bags to give away.

My favorite technique for treat bags is the Sour Cream Container.  It's quick and easy, and often makes people think "how did she do that?".  I know because that's exactly what came to mind when I first saw one.  There is a nice tutorial at Splitcoaststampers (click here).

Materials used:

cardstock/dp:  Cloud 9 Designs, leftovers

tools:  Stampin' Up

misc.:  Halloween stickers

adhesive:  Scotch

I hope I get rid of all of them as quick as I made them...  Happy Halloween everybody!

'Til next blog!

Gourdy Gourd Gourd

I'd like to pause my World Card Making Day Celebration, well, in a different way.  Today was actually a pretty crafty day.  I have had many chances but kept passing them up with a lot of excuses.  But finally I attended my first gourd art class conducted by Julie Sitzema, Lady Gourdiva of Pilliwiggins Garden.  I have always loved Pilliwiggins gourds, since seeing them for the first time at the Royal Craft Show in Castle Farms.  I have several of them in fact, beautifully nestled in our dining area.  

The class was divided into three sections - the first part being the history of gourd art.  This is followed by the different steps in making gourd art, from growing and prepping, to the crafty side of it all and finishing.  The last part was giving the attendees a chance to play with little gourds.

A few years ago, Julie sent me small gourds to play with.  But since I haven't used gourds before, I got "scared" of even trying.  After attending Julie's class, I now have a better understanding of gourds and the right way to handle them. 

It was a treat to see the Lady Gourdiva's creations.  And what's more, she brought extra gourds in the raw for us to take home and do the entire process again by ourselves.

I started drawing a design on my little gourd during the class.  Then I took it home to try and test different media on the gourd.  So far so good, but I'm not yet done.  You can see here that my gourd is waiting to dry. 

I can't wait to finish my first gourd project.  I hope it won't take long for me to do so.  But for now, I'm really glad that I attended this class.  It sure was inspiring!

For more information about anything gourd, visit the Pillywiggins Garden Website.  And if you live in Northern Michigan, you can have a chance to see (and own) beautiful gourd art by the Lady Gourdiva herself at the 5th Annual Winter Fantasy Art Show in Petoskey, MI on December 14th. 

'Til next blog!

WCMD Day 25

This is going to be a quick post as I get ready for a project this weekend.  Halloween is just around the corner, and I have to get going.

Materials used:

cardstock/dp:  leftovers

image/sentiment:  RAKed

tools:  Spellbinders, Janome Sew Mini, Unity Bow Maker, EK Success

embellishments:  ribbon, trim

adhesive:  Scotch, Glue Dots, mounting tape

TGIF!  'Til next blog...

WCMD Day 24

I call this an elementary card.  I have all these leftover elements on my desk, and this is all I can put together.  I guess it's one of those times when all you can think of is... bleh.  So here it is...

Materials used:

cardstock/dp:  DCWV, leftovers

image/sentiment:  RAKed

tools:  Stampin' Up, Tim Holtz

embellishments:  Dew Drops, baubles

adhesive:  Scotch, Glue Dots, mounting tape

'Til next blog!

WCMD Day 22

Just before I started writing this blog post, I got one of those New Product Alerts from Joann.com via email.  What came as a shock to me is that one of their "new products" is the Hannah Montana "Ready to Rock" stamp set.  I know that the Miley Cyrus controversy kinda winding down, and we already know that she has changed her image a "whole" lot.  And I respect her choice to do so.  But why is the crafting market still pushing for a new Hannah Montana stamp set?  Well, I don't know if the Hannah Montana shows are still being shown on TV, and maybe still available on DVD.  I guess there is still a market for Hannah Montana.  But I definitely am not in that market, never been.  I'm not saying I don't like Miley Cyrus.  In fact, I like a lot of her songs, even her latest hit.  I was just never into Hannah Montana.  

I guess I just needed something else to write about before I share with you today's card. 

Materials used:

cardstock/dp:  leftovers

image/sentiment:  Verve

ink:  Tsukineko

tools:  Spellbinders, embossing folder (Sizzix, Cuttlebug), piercing tool

embellishments:  flowers, button, hemp, ribbon

adhesive:  Scotch, Glue Dots, mounting tape

'Til next blog!