Halloween treat

Wilton makes the coolest things....don't you think? Here they have done it again and made these great molds for Halloween....but these are not just mere candy molds...oh no... not at all.... for they contain something very special indeed....in the middle of all that candy coating... is a .... wait for it.....
oreo cookie. Hallelujah.... one more way to get the wonderful chocolate sandwich cookie filled with creme all dressed up for trick or treating....
I'm sorry the photos are so poor.... I couldn't seem to get a decent one....by the time I noticed that they were blurry and glaring....well..... there weren't enough to photograph properly....but aren't you glad SOMEONE thought to take a bite out...ahem....to show you the inside of the cookie?

Quick Halloween tag

Halloween is rapidly approaching. EEEKKKKK! Scary! I have tons of Halloween decorations that have yet to make their yearly appearance. I am behind...as usual...but I did carve out some time to play with  the new Martha Stewart clear stamps.
Background inked with distress inks of mustard seed, dried marigold,wild honey and spiced marmalade. Images stamped with Ranger black archival ink and a little black diamond stickles added the glitz. Black ribbon from Michaels. 

M.I.A.

Well, the start of the school year, a new job, soccer season, and computer problems have all led to a decidedly serious lack of posts... not that I have had much time for creativity....
But....things are changing.... at least creatively.... I have done four scrapbook pages and two cards in the last few days.... YAY me!..... but... what I would like to show you is my youngest child's collage done for school as a way of introducing herself to her classmates and teacher. She could have done a regular old poster, but I thought it might be fun to give her a canvas and let her roll with it  .

 

Canvas background - Tattered Angels glimmer mists, soccer ball- Cricut soccer cartridge, butterfly- Martha Stewart punch, Recollections pearls, Alphabet, dollar store, paper rosette done with Martha Stewart score board and topped with a button.

Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge

This week the challenge over at : http://simonsaysstampandshow.blogspot.com  was to create a layered piece of art. I saw this great tutorial over at Hero Arts this week and wanted to give it a try.  The bag is made from.... wait for it.... an honest to goodness envelope....I know...I know.... who would have thought? Brilliant I tell you.... here is the link.... You have to see it to believe it!  http://www.heroarts.com/learning/technique.cfm?techID=173

Recipe: plain white envelope inked with distress inks in Victorian velvet and tea dye.

Friends definition stamp: Hero Arts

Mini scroll : Maya Road misted with Olive Vine by Tattered Angels

Flowers: Tattered Florals by Tim Holtz

Memo Pins: Tim Holtz

Gem & Ribbon from Michaels

Tim inspired project

Anyone who knows me or ever glances at this blog, knows one thing about me.... I cannot...and I say this with utmost sincerity...I cannot make anything without my Tim Holtz Distress inks.... I am such a Tim Holtz website stalker....er...  fan.... I have to know....what did Tim invent today? How did he know what I needed before even the tiniest seed of an idea could form in my creative brain....what new technique  will make me want to smack my head because of it's simplicity but UTTER GENIUS ? I have learned so much from his products, videos and step by step instructions. He constantly inspires me to create... and to enjoy the journey....
Having recently returned from a 2 day trip to Creating Keepsakes Convention, I had a few mementos and photos that I wanted to put into a mini album.... I wish I had more photos, but my smaller and more portable digital camera, ran out of memory stick room....yes, I know, I should check these things before leaving home....but I didn't....
The idea for the book started with Tim Holtz's Alteration line- On the Edge dies. I used kraft card stock cut to approximately 5 1/2 x 12 inches and ran each short edge through  the die creating the cool design on the edge. I did this 2 more times, cutting each subsequent sheet about a half inch to an inch shorter to stagger the edges to have different length. Next, I cut lengths of Tim Holtz idea-ology paper stack- RETRO GRUNGE to fit the right side of each page and ran those through the die as well. I embossed each of those cuts with Tim's Sizzix embossing folders: Notebook, Rays, Collage, Retro Circles or Cuttlebug embossing folder Seeing Spots, Divine Swirl and Spots and Dots.
I distressed each embossed sheet with either antique linen, crushed olives, tea dye, vintage photo and corduroy inks or combo of a few of those.
All stamps by ....yeah....you already know.... Tim Holtz Visual Artistry line.... French Market, Regal Flourish, Life's Possibilities, Urban Grunge, and The Journey collections.
Fun bits were added: Tim Holtz game spinners, metal flowers and words and one tiny prima flower distressed and layered in a metal flower.
The inner page flower die cut with the Tim Holtz tattered florals Alteration die and layered with more metal accessories.
Little pockets were created for tickets and tags and a few more photos and memorabilia.
Originally, I was going to just staple the book together but it became a little too bulky for that, so i just wound lots of twine around the spine to hold it together.
This tiny little book makes me happy, and reminds me of a really fun memory. That is the whole point isn't it?

Hope you enjoy it too!

Cards for Kids

Hello and welcome to the Lawn Fawn Hearts Cards for Kids Blog Hop! We have all come together today to make cards for a wonderful cause, Cards for kids : http://jennifermcguireink.typepad.com/my_weblog/we-are-collecting-cards-for-ten-children-and-their-families--kate--sami----a-few-things-to-know--this-card-drive-will-be-on.html! We hope to encourage you to also make cards for this great cause and have fun along the way, too! So please hop along with us, and make sure to leave comments as there will be prizes for commenters and participants! So let's get going! Also, if you are lost in the hop, you can always start at the beginning at the Lawn Fawn blog :http://lawnfawn.blogspot.com. Thank you so much for hopping along with us today!

Hopefully, you  have arrived from Clare's blog: http://bearydocardsinc.blogspot.com/
just in time to visit with me for awhile before hopping on over to :
Grace's blog: http://gracehester.typepad.com/
Remember if you get lost in the hop, head back to lawnfawn where it all started.

                                    Big THANKS and HUGS to Kelly for organizing the hop!

This drive is quite near and dear to my heart. I love it! I love creating cards in the hope that they will bring a smile to some kids faces. I love that I can send a tiny piece of love all wrapped up in an envelope for a few pennies. So, that said, if 1 card is good, 4 are even better. Here are a few I am sending along on this round.

Supplies: White card stock, Hero Arts Friend definition stamp inked with fired brick Distress ink by Ranger, Girl, frog and fly stamps: Basic Grey colored with Prismacolor pencils, patterned paper MME Home collection, sentiment Hero Arts

Supplies:Bear die cut from Create a Critter cartridge from Provo Craft, Blue card stock DCWV Citrus collection embossed with tiny mosaic folder by Cuttlebug, patterned paper Prima Marketing Rock Out Bro collection, Prima flower with custom brad made with the i- top, sentiment on brad by Hero Arts, friends forever stamp by Technique Tuesday .

  
Admittedly, this card looks like it is having a bad hair day..... I should have taken a bit more care in primping but I still like it's wild and crazy way!
Supplies: Bazzil card stock, stamp: Me & My Big Ideas, copic markers, background stamp Technique Tuesday, sentiment Hero Arts, eyelets, ribbon: Offray

I  think this one is my favorite. It is a variation of a card I did at Valley Forge with Technique Tuesday.

Supplies: Bazzill card stock, patterned strips white card stock inked with Ranger Distress Inks in wild honey, dried marigold and crushed olive, what's hiding under the bed and monster stamps by Recollections, hounds tooth stamp by Technique Tuesday stamped with rich cocoa ink by Memento, copic markers.

Projects from Creating Keepsakes Convention, Valley Forge

After a super packed, hectic two days in Valley Forge at the CK Convention, my computer was out of commission with a virus. It is back up, albeit slow, but it is working ...so before it is time for next year's convention, I wanted to post a few photos.
I took a lot of really good classes, but because the time is condensed, only finished a portion of the projects . The upside to that is you come home with goody bags of lovely things to finish. So finish I did, then they were such happy projects, they wanted to be photographed and shared.

Picture 1: I think my favorite project class was the Technique Tuesday Top Tips for Tantalizing Cards....oh my, these cards were truly wonderful, and I will definitely be making them again.
Picture 2: The Magic Moments class had all the pretty colors, with those really beautiful flowers with the gigantic brads for centers.
Picture3: Six FAB layouts were completed in the Latest and Greatest with Basic Grey.
Picture 4: All the loot. Mostly Basic Grey Paper Packs, Technique Tuesday grab bags and tiles ( both discounted at the crop), Tattered Angels mat, screens and Glimmer Mist in Pomegranate ( LOVE), a couple Cricut cartridges , and of course distress inks because, really now, what is the point of shopping if there isn't some Tim Holtz involved somewhere?

I also took a class on Digital Photography with Candice Stringham, one of my favorite photographers who used to write all the photography articles for Creating Keepsakes but now works with Jessica Sprague, Digital Goddess over at :http://www.jessicasprague.com/ Wow, did I learn a lot in that one hour. Her class was the one in which I gained the most knowledge.

Even though the conventions are wild and crazy, and you never feel like there is enough time for everything,I highly recommend going if you get the chance.