For this week's Four Ways Friday I decided to get into the Halloween spirit and play with the Googly Ghouls stamp set! This set is adorable on its own or paired with the Ghoulish Googlies Designer Kit!
It doesn't get more simple than this! I kept things super easy by just pairing the spider from Googly Ghouls with the tag and bag from the Ghoulish Googlies Designer Kit. I didn't even put googly eyes on this guy (although you could add them in an instant since they come self-adhesive!). I stamped the spider and then added a large black scallop circle behind the tag with a brad. I cut a banner from Pumpkin Pie card stock and stamped it with the greeting from Teeny Tiny Wishes. The bag was filled with candy, sealed shut, and then embellished with the tag.
You can definitely create a scene with these adorable images! :) I stamped the mummy onto Whisper White card stock and cut him out. Had to add a googly eye to this guy - he's too cute! For the background I began with a Whisper White piece of card stock (I think glossy card stock would work even better). I punched a piece of post-it note with a circle punch and temporarily adhered the circle to the cardstock. Next I brayered the background with three shades of purple (Wisteria Wonder, Perfect Plum and Elegant Eggplant). I then masked off most of the card and sponged the bottom with Basic Black ink to create some ground. The bats were stamped next and I added googly eyes to one of them. The greeting from Wacky Wishes (LOVE the font!) was colored using Basic Black and Pumpkin Pie markers and then stamped onto Whisper White card stock and cut out. I added the mummy and greeting with dimensionals. The whole panel was layered onto a Pumpkin Pie layer and then adhered to a Basic Black card base. I put a Whisper White panel on the inside of the card.
How about a little home decor?! I created some banners using the Perfect Pennants die and the Big Shot and then sewed them onto a piece of Basic Black grosgrain ribbon. I then decorated each of the banners with the images from the Googly Ghouls stamp set! The greeting from Wacky Wishes is the centerpiece of the banner. This banner would be adorable on your front door to greet trick-or-treaters!
Of course, you can't think of Halloween without thinking about the treats! These guys make adorable additions to this incredibly easy to make treat container! This is a great upcycling project too! These treat containers are made out of recycled toilet paper rolls! Here is a video to show you how to make them! Enjoy!!!!!
I hope you've enjoyed this week's Four Ways Friday! It's hard to believe that next week I will reach the 100th Four Ways Friday!!!!! How crazy! I'm wondering if it may be time to switch things up on Fridays and try something new. What are your thoughts on what you would like to see on Fridays? I'm looking for your input :) I hope you have a wonderful and creative weekend!!!!!
Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: Celebrate Your Special Moments!
Michael had me create this card for friends of his that were celebrating their 1000th day together :) I thought it was so cute that they were celebrating their 1000th day anniversary and it reminded me that we can choose to celebrate whatever and whenever we want!!!! What special moment can you celebrate today????
I created the card using a combination of retired and current products. The numbers are from the Typeset Alphabet and I ran the dies through the Big Shot with Brushed Silver card stock. The word "day" is from Bring On The Cake and was stamped and then covered with Crystal Effects. The "th" was created with the Calendar Alphabet & Numbers stamp set and then punched with the Little Labels punch pack. "Happy" is from Curly Cute and the people are from All In The Family. The word "anniversary" is from a retired hostess set (I can't remember the name...). I threw it all together and here's what I came up with! The couple got a kick out of it and said they were displaying it in their store :)
Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: If It's Calling To You, You May Want To Indulge The Impulse
I have been fascinated by paper cutting lately. It began with a book at a museum - one that caught my eye and couldn't be left behind! Then I tried my hand at a few small cutting exercises and was pleased with the result (will likely be sharing those soon). Then I began to be drawn to the idea of paper cutting some of the scenes from my backyard. We have a hedge along the side of the yard and sparrows love to sit and sleep in and on the hedge. So I finally went hunting with my camera and snapped some photos! I then went out on a whim!!!! I cropped and printed one of the photos that I really liked and temporarily adhered it to the back of an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of charcoal paper. Next I began to get busy with a sharp blade!!!! I had tried doing papercutting using heavier SU! card stock. It is a bit harder to cut through, so I don't think I'd choose it for larger projects. But for a card or smaller project it would be fine! Here's how the project looked when I was part way into it:
The finished paper cut is 8 1/2" x 11". I went ahead and matted it onto white and framed it in a black frame. It was difficult to try to get a photo of the framed piece due to the glare. Hopefully you can get an idea of the finished work from the first photo. I was really happy with how it came out (and, after a full day of working on the paper cutting, my right hand was very happy to be done!) :) If something is calling to you, you may want to indulge the impulse! I have a feeling I will be doing more papercuts about life in the backyard :)
Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: Change Your Place, Change Your Mood!
As I am writing this post I am thinking about the bike ride I am planning to go on in about 10 minutes :) I realize how much of a positive impact my bike rides and strolls have on my mental state. Whether it's the rhythm of turning over the pedals or putting one foot in front of the other, changing my place from sitting in front of the computer or at a desk to being out in nature in some way can lift my spirits in a minute! If you are feeling a bit stale or your mind seems to be spinning in circles, why not try changing your place! You might like what it does to your mood :)
For today's card I paired Wisteria Wonder with Pool Party for the palette. I ran the Pool Party card stock through the Big Shot with the Lacy Brocade embossing folder. I stamped the images from Apothecary Art and then cut the sentiment into a banner and die cut the label with the Labels Collection framelits. I used the holiday paper piercing pack to paper pierce the labels - I love this added detail. I also pierced around the border of the card using the Essentials paper piercing pack. Tip: If you don't have any flower punches or dies, don't worry! You can create some adorable flowers by simple piling circles one on top of the other! Here I punched (you can also hand cut) a bunch of circles, crumpled them a bit and sponged the edges. I added adhesive pearls to both centers and added a bojo blossom to one of them. I hope you like it!
Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: Coincidence Is A Funny Thing
I didn't plan it...really I didn't! But somehow this card brought together an amazing number of "c" words! Just look at it...Crumb Cake card stock, Curly Label punch, Curly Cute stamp set, Chevron embossing folder, Comfort Cafe designer series paper...so bizarre!!!! Coincidence is really a funny thing...and maybe it's not coincidence at all. Maybe all of these "c's" were destined to be together :) It might be a fun challenge to try - create a card using only those supplies that start with the same letter :) Have fun!!!!
My friend asked me to create a wedding card for a friend that was getting married. Since she only knows the groom, she decided she wanted a more masculine looking card. Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake and Midnight Muse created a great palette. I added a touch of paper piercing to create a border around the chevron panel. I was pretty pleased with how it turned out. I hope you like it too!
