All things Halloween

I wanted to gather some more of my Halloween cards for this year into one post...partly because I wanted to see what I had done in one place...partly to enter them in the Moxie Fab World Challenge to show off your creepy creations...

I'm not sure that too many of mine qualify for creepy...but they're all Halloween!

My 11 year old son and I joined a Halloween card exchange on my favorite message board here, and so with a little design help from mom he got to make eight cards to send out around the US and even one to Russia!

This is the card that he put together



And he even decorated the inside a bit too



We sure had fun putting all of these together! He wrote a quick note on the inside, signed his creation on the back, and mailed them off!

I borrowed his design, and with a few variations, made cards for my nieces and nephews...which is something that I have been meaning to do since my mom passed away a couple of years ago, because she was so great at sending the children cards for all the holidays...usually with a funny joke or cartoon included...

Here are some of the cards that I made













This is one that I posted before, because I made it during the online crop...but I think that it is my favorite Halloween card from this year...I think it is so cool with all those skulls!!!



Thank you for looking!

Meredith

After Halloween...

So, all the Halloween cards are sent...what card do you make next???

A 'night after' card...of course!!!

Actually, as soon as I saw the image for the Stretch n Bubbles Creative Chick Challenge this week, it reminded me of the images you see of Santa, sleeping it off, the day after Christmas...

So I printed up the digital stamp at 3" high, you can purchase it here if you did not participate last week, and printed up a couple of sayings to go with it...used scrap cardstock...and here is the result!





This was fun...I'm sure glad that I'm participating in this challenge!

Enjoy,

Meredith

a bit of winter

I managed to play in my craft room for a bit more...I received the email with the new Clean and Simple Layout #113 and was inspired to create, with a few changes...

There is also a challenge this week over at the Cardmaker's message board to use inchies on your card...and I thought this layout was just perfect for it.

Here is the sketch



And here is my card, outside



and inside



The images on the front were stamped quite a while ago...I stamped some before I gave away the stamps...just in case I wanted to use them...so they dictated the blue color scheme. The pink was added because I wanted some lightness, without adding something like silver... The inside stamp is from Unity, I'm finding more and more ways to use these stamps, they are so versatile!

I had fun with this one...and will probably be in the mood to make more winter/Christmas cards soon!

Enjoy,

Meredith

Arghh!

So, because I participated in last weeks challenge, I got the image for Stretch n Bubbles Creative Chick Challenge emailed to me for free...but after looking at it, seriously, you need to click on over to their store to purchase it!!! It is the cutest little pirate girl!



I know that the picture isn't exactly sharp...but I was trying to capture the sparkles with the camera...that's actually difficult! I'll take a picture outside in the light tomorrow, maybe that will be better...

I guess I was feeling the sparkle today...because this card is covered in it!!! I used the darling image and colored it in with pencils...then I added some stickles in silver to the sword, and black on her pants. Next, I added some clear glitter glue for the lace and ribbons on the hat and her coat. The sentiment was printed on the computer as well, in ms word using the Blackadder ITC font. The little treasure chest was cut using a cuttlekids die...I bought the pirate set almost two years ago...and have finally used it, yeah! More sparkle with the glittery patterned paper, that was a recent purchase in the dollar section of Target. The striped ribbon and silver skull and crossbones are both from the dollar section of Michael's.

I've got a very special recipient in mind for this card...but its a surprise...shh!

Enjoy,

Meredith

World Cardmaking Day - Rehash

Well, that was a fun, fun weekend...Nathan (my 11 year old son) and I had a blast completing the challenges that we did...and we both grew our stash of cards!

I'll admit...it was just as much fun for me to keep checking on my blog and reading the fun and funny comments that were left, and seeing how many views my blog was getting...what an adventure!

I appreciate every comment that was left, and the kind comments on my project, and I'm looking forward to doing it again!!! The cardmakers forum will be hosting a crop and blog hop Nov. 4-6th...hope to see you there!!!

Here are the challenges that we completed for World Cardmaking Day:

Color Challenge: use brown, purple and orange



I went to town with this one...stitching on the sewing machine and everything



Nathan actually received a prize for this challenge...lucky dog!

Special pre-crop challenge: make a Christmas card with something gold and no ribbon



I used a page kit from Hobby Lobby for this one, and the lace came from a lace swap I participated in a while ago...the opposite side is silver...too pretty.



Nathan always enjoys heat embossing...

Build a Background: Create your own background from patterned paper



I used a pack of 99 cent paper from Target and a dollar stamp from Michaels...awesome!

Just a Note: create a 3x3 mini notecard



I used a card kit from a swap to make mine...



Nathan was really digging the Halloween thing...

KISS and Monochrome: keep it simple and use monochrome colors



Well...I kept the colors monochrome...I sort of missed the 'simple' part...I used watermark ink on the background paper, and brown/tan everywhere else...



Nathan decided that he liked the look of brown...didn't he do an excellent job?

Recipe Card: use 4 brads, 3 flowers and 2 patterned papers and 1 image



This one was so much fun...more difficult than I thought it would be, though.



Nathan really enjoyed making his own patterned papers...apparently he liked the watermark ink...and he also enjoyed the mini cards....most of what he made were all mini...too cute!

Go Digi: use one of the free images provided by the generous digital designers along the hop to create your project



I'm not much of a colorer...but this image was so easy to print on kraft cardstock and detail with a white paint pen...right up my alley! The image is from Stretch n Bubbles.



I think that Nathan rocked this card, the shape, the coloring, his detailing on the lightbulb stamp...it all works so well together...

Inspiration Challenge: a picture was posted of four hankies, one of which was black and white with skulls



This one was just so much fun!!! The embossed skulls came from a cuttlebug folder, I just used a circle punch to cut him out, and the stamp is from The Stamps of Life.

And last but not least...there was the 10 minute card challenge: create a card in 10 minutes or less...which was my challenge for the blog hop...and the challenge that I received a little prize package for...I have an entire post about it here, but I'll repost one of the cards on this post too.



It sure was a fun challenge!

Enjoy,

Meredith

In the Halloween Zone

Woo Hoo! Thanks to the fabulous and fun Cardmaker's Cardswap forum mini crop for World Cardmaking Day...I'm in the zone!!!

Over at the Stretch n Bubbles blog they have a weekly challenge...they provide a digital stamp, and if you make and post a card with the stamp, and include a link to the store in your post, then next week the image is emailed to you! How cool is that...a free stamp every week!

On the first Wednesday of the month, the image is free to anyone...if you join in during the rest of the weeks then you need to purchase the image...this week, you can get the image from this post here...if it is later, stop by the Stretch n Bubbles store to pick it up!

This is the card I made with this weeks image...it came together so quickly!!!

I made the cauldron upside down...like there is some kooky magic going on...that's just how the drawing looked to me...(besides, I'm kind of a kooky person....)

I even colored...which is not usual for me...since I'm normally so critical....anyway, here it is!



What do you think?

Card recipe: cardstock (white,purple, green): from stash, color core cardstock: Co'ordinations, patterned paper: K&Company, digital stamp (image): Stretch n Bubbles, sentiment stamp (happy halloween): Unity Stamp Company, other: spiderweb border: cut on cricut with svg file, shape around sentiment: ek success punch

Enjoy,

Meredith

The perfect sketch

Have you ever wanted to make a card...but nothing works out? I sketched design after design, each one more complicated than the last, and nothing inspired me to actually pull out the cardstock...until I received the email from Clean and Simple #110 with this sketch...



Isn't it just fabulous? These sketches are always so inspiring to me!

So, after seeing this sketch, I ran right to my craft room and whipped out the perfect card for a thank you card swap that I am in....



The paper is from Basic Grey, the Lime Rickey collection...you know, if you haven't tried Basic Grey papers yet, what are you waiting for? They are a fabulous weight to work with, and the collections run the gammut from bright and cheery to subtle and sweet. Anyway, the button is from my stash, and the embossing folder is a cuttlebug one from Provo Craft. The stamp is one of many from the Thanks2you set from the Stamps of Life.

I whipped out 6 of these cards in under an hour...that's the beauty of working with a sketch and having everything fall into place...I love it!

Enjoy,

Meredith