Halloween Cupcakes

I'm not much of a baker, but sometimes Pinterest gets to me...

I signed up to bring cupcakes to my church Halloween party, and after deciding that although I love the cute decorated cupcakes made into Halloween figures you can find all over, I would never spend that much time frosting and decorating them...but I still wanted to make something other than ordinary cupcakes.

Enter the fabulous Halloween cupcakes posted by The Sugar Turntable. 

Aren't they cute? And easy...so easy! Which is just my style!

Click through to The Sugar Turntable to get full instructions, but the short list is to mix up a white cake mix, divide it in half, tint one half orange and one half black, then alternate adding them to the baking pan. Bake normally...you're done!

The cupcake wrappers were cut on my Silhouette Cameo, the file is here. It is just a basic scallop, since I figured that rather than purchase a different file for every holiday, I could purchase this one, and use up some of the stash of patterned papers that I have.

Have a blast if you make some...and thanks for stopping by!

Meredith

Snowmen & Holidays

Oh wow, can you believe that we are already at the end of October! 

Where has this year gone? I feel as if the year just started...yet, when I look back at my calendar I can see just how much has happened! Lots of exciting things!

Dh has asked that we actually send out Christmas cards (and a letter) this year, so its looking a bit like Christmas around here.

The perfect image to start out with arrived in my email last week...

Faith at Designed 2 Delight restarted her progressive challenge last month, if you didn't join in then and receive this image for free, then you can purchase it in the shop and play along to receive the next one!

I also came across a delightful blog that lists current challenges for cardmakers and papercrafters, Feline Playful. Exploring their listings has introduced me to several new and fabulous challenges that I'll be entering as well.

Such as this one at 52 Card {Christmas} Throwdown to use diecuts or punches on a Christmas card.

My second card also qualifies for the challenge at Rogue Redhead Designs ~ Get Dotty (use dots in your creation).

I've been working on my coloring with pencils since taking a class a few weeks ago...sometimes it turns out really well, sometimes only okay...I still need more practice with choosing color families to blend, I think. Who would have thought that 92 colors of pencils wouldn't be enough? ;-)

In light of that effort, I used the same lovely image to make two cards...one turned into a snow-lady...

The second into a snow-man. 

I'm particularly pleased with the snowman's scarf...I think I did pretty darn well with the shading on that!

Supplies:

• image: Designed2Delight
• stamp: Penny Black
• cardstock: Wausau
• patterned paper: snowlady (K&Company), snowman (DCWV)
• pencils: Prismacolor
• ink: Ranger Distress Ink
• die cuts: Spellbinders
• punch: Paper Shapers

Thanks for looking!

Meredith

Baby Bunting

Well, I haven't been posting much...but I have been creating! I'll just share one tonight...

I have a friend who is in a neighboring state right now waiting for clearance from the authorities to bring her lovely newborn daughter home...oh, so heartwarmingly precious!

To congratulate her on the new addition, I used some Unity KOM stamps and some sweet heart buttons I had lying around...

This card was inspired by the banner/pennant challenge that Unity had for the last month...I'm posting too late to join in...but the card was too cute not to share anyway!

I'll link it up to Friends with Flair on friday!

Lots of pink, of course...

I pop-dotted the onesies after fussy cutting...

The sentiment on the inside was part of the prize package I won for commenting on a Friends with Flair post a bit ago...25 whole stamps...I couldn't believe how generous a prize it was!!! Thank you, Unity!!!

Supplies:

• Stamps: Unity KOM
• Card base: Recollections
• Patterned Cardstock: Recollections scrap pack
• Twine: LSS
• Buttons: stash

Thanks for looking!

Meredith

Friends with Flair

It's time to link up with Unity Friends with Flair and show off your Unity style!

I must admit, I linked up a couple of times just for the fun of it...but the camaraderie and love shown in the comments lifted my spirits in a special way! And the talent...wow!

Thank you to Unity, for hosting such a wonderful party to get together! And a sincere thank you for the prize that I won a couple weeks ago for being a commenter...really...25 whole stamps!!! Wow! I was expecting maybe an itty bitty or something...to receive such an envelope full of goodies was lovely!

My project today isn't from the prize stamps...although I'm sure that those will start appearing soon. :-)

I'm using the 'Just Chillin' stamp of the week, aren't they so cute!

5 Little snowmen all in a row, bundled up snuggly and ready for the snow!

And a big red button to set it off!

Truly a quick and simple card today...as I've just had a molar extracted and I am sure that the pain medication will be wearing off soon!

Supplies:

• cardstock: Wausau (white), unknown (blue)
• patterned paper: DCWV
• ink: Memento (black), Ranger Distress Ink (blue)
• stamps: Unity
• colored pencils: Prismacolor
• other: twine (stash), button (stash), ribbon (Dollar Tree)

Thank you for looking!

Meredith

I'm a Guest Designer!

So, just a bit ago, I started participating in a new challenge at 3GirlJam, and the first time I entered my card was chosen a winner!

I received a lovely stamp set from Joy's Life Stamps, got to choose a bundle of ribbon from 3GirlJam...and got the chance to be a guest designer for the next challenge!

The challenge for this time is Anything Goes! The sponsor of the challenge is the Saturated Canary...wow, her designs are so creative! If you win, you will get Two digi's from the store! Lucky you!

I used the Up, Up, Away design...I could not resist those wonderful balloons and that sweetly mischievous expression!

I went with decorating a gift bag...printed the darling image twice on cardstock, colored the balloons on one and the girl on the other, then pop-dotted the fussy cut balloons on top, matted on contrast cardstock and added a stamped sentiment...then finished it all off with a cute little ribbon bow!

Supplies:

• gift bag: Hobby Lobby
• cardstock: pink(stash), white(Wausau)
• image: Saturated Canary
• stamp: StudioG
• pencils: Prismacolor
• ribbon: 3GirlJam

Here are some closer shots for you...this was so much fun to put together!

Here's the soft bow...I love this seam binding ribbon!

And the popped up balloons with the curled banner...just to add some more dimension...

And the entire image...doesn't her expression look a bit mischievous to you?

It doesn't look a bit like the 99 cent bag that I started with, does it?

The completed project is destined for my daughter...she is working hard at her first duty station in the Coast Guard and is passing off her training requirements quickly, and with great scores!

I hope that you have a chance to participate in the challenge...I'd love to see you play along!

Thanks for looking!

Meredith

Whooo's Ready for a Challenge?

I'm so excited...Designed 2 Delight is back to having a progressive challenge! 

It works this way...you grab the first image here, and make a project with it then post it and link up here...after the first challenge is up (by Oct 19th), you will receive the next challenge image in your email! How generous is that? All you have to do is keep creating with the images, and you will continue to receive them!

I love her images, and the creativity of the participants (ooh, the gorgeous coloring!!!) inspires me to keep trying to improve my own designs.

You've got plenty of time to grab the image and create...and if you miss this first one...that's ok, you can purchase the next one and jump right in!

Besides, its a fantastic fall image...and I need a slew of Halloween cards to send out pronto!

I watched a youtube video on coloring with pencils...then pulled mine out and tried...I didn't do too poorly...but then I got impatient while I was putting the card together and managed to smudge the orange ink that I was using to distress the edges of the black cardstock...oh well, design change! I think it turned out all right in the end!

I glued a row of green buttons across the bottom of the card...and pop-dotted the matted image to have it on the same level.

The inside has room for a short stamped Halloween greeting, with a sparkly web punch to set it off.

And the envelope couldn't possible escape without some embellishment as well...I inked the edges in orange and gave a hint to the card inside with another Halloween stamp.

Supplies:

• cardstock: Wausau(white), unknown stash(black,orange), Coredinations(black glitter)
• digital image: designed2delight
• stamps: StudioG
• buttons: unknown stash
• ink: stampabilities(orange), Tsuneiko(black)
• punch: MarthaStewart

Thanks for looking!

Meredith

Friends with Flair

Just a quick card tonight, with my Unity Stamp of the Week to participate in Friends with Flair. 

Pull out your Unity stamps and play along next week! The inspiration is gorgeous!

This one is definitely for dh...he's been making some tough decisions lately, but he always manages to do the right thing...and like the stamp says...i love him!

Supplies:

• cardstock: Wausau
• stamps: Unity
• ink: Ranger Distress Ink
• twine: DollarTree
• button: stash

Thanks for looking!

Meredith