Halloween Invite & Swaps (+ Founder's Circle!)

Wow!  Halloween's tomorrow, and I realized I forgot to post all these goodies!

First, here's a quick Halloween invite I made for a friend... she purchased the supplies and I provided a step by step tutorial, and she was able to make them all on her own! :o)

The idea came from the IBC (with some slight modifications).  I used the Graveyard Gala stamp set and the following color scheme:  Pumpkin Pie, Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive, Basic Gray and Basic Black.  Oh, and of course... some smooch!  The spray behind the gravestone is one of my custom colors:  Cherry cobbler!

Next are a batch of great swaps I got back from a swap I participated in from Splitcoast Stampers (some didn't have names on them, so if it's yours, let me know and I will gladly add the credits!):

Created by:  Charlotte R.

Created by: Anne Bamert

No Name :o(

Created by:  Michelle Hamilton

Created by: Andrea

All of the following swaps are Halloween swaps I got from my Founder's Circle trip!

Created by: Lynsay Mahon

Created by:  Dawn Griffith

Created by: Laurie Krauss

Created by: Deb Valder

Created by:  Tami White

Created by: Patty Bennett

Created by Jenny Watson

Created by: Mary Kay Molnar

Created by:  April Roycroft

Well, I think that's it for me for Halloween this year... I hope every one has a safe and spooky night tomorrow! :o)

Custom Smooch Spritz in SU Colors!

If you're a regular here, you know I am completely in LOVE with the Smooch Spritz accent ink.  Besides the beautiful sparkle and shimmer they add to any project, I am enthused about the re-fillable little glass bottles they come in. I have a goal to eventually have a Smooch Spritzer in every single SU color... and I am already well on my way to that goal (Yes, I use THAT much Smooch Spritz.) :o)

So, here is my own little  way I have developed for refilling my empty smooch bottles:

What you'll need:

• 70% Rubbing Alcohol (dries very quickly and won't wrinkle your paper)
• Empty & Clean Smooch Spritz bottle
• Champagne Mist (116806) or Frost White (116854) Shimmer Paint
• Classic Stampin Ink Refill (in color of your choice)
• Empty Shimmer Paint Bottle (optional)
• Labeler (optional)

First of all, I keep my empty bottles of shimmer paint as well for this process.  Why?  Because that little metal ball inside does a great job of mixing up the alcohol and shimmer paint.  So I highly recommend keeping these empties around (at least 1 white and one champagne).  If you do not initially have these on hand, you can use the empty Smooch bottle instead.

So, given that little tidbit of information, the first step is to decide whether you want a champagne-based or frost-based smooch spritzer (or see variations at the end of this post).  In this example, I will be making a Pumpkin Pie smooch spritz and have chosen Champagne Mist as my base.  

Start with your empty shimmer paint bottle (or mix directly in empty smooch bottle).  I fill my empty shimmer paint bottle with alcohol and then add about 1/3 cupful of shimmer paint.  I close it up and shake the heck out of it. (That's where the little metal ball comes in really handy)

Once I have my shimmer mixture, I pour it into the smooch bottle until it is 3/4 full.  

Then I add my chosen reinker color.  How much to add?  Well, that's up to you.  If you want a faint hint of color when you spray, just add 4-5 drops.  Want a rich and saturated effect?  go for 15-20 drops.  Your best bet is to start with a few, test it, then add more later if necessary.  

So after you have added your re-inker color, close up the smooch bottle, shake it up and test it out!  It's seriously hard to stop spritzing... it always looks so beautiful!

Don't forget to label your bottle when you are done.  Some colors are very hard to tell just by looking at them.  If you have any left over shimmer mixture, save it for next time!   

Other options and variations:

• I have also taken a nearly full bottle of the Gold Glow, Silver Foil or Vanilla Shimmer Smooch and just added a re-inker color to it.  For example, I added some Concord Crush to a Silver Foil smooch spritzer and the result was absolutely stunning!!!!
• I have also used Pearl-Ex powders in neutral colors like gold or silver.  I have not used the colored versions, as I want to try and keep my Spritzers as true to SU colors as possible.  A note of caution when using Pearl-Ex... be careful how much powder you use... too much can potentially plug up the nozzle.  Also, stay away from the "flaky" versions of Pearl Ex.  I have one of these in copper... the metal flakes are much too big to fit through the tube and nozzle of the spritzer.

Stay turned for projects I'll be posting using many of these custom Smooch Spritz Colors!!!  In the meantime, here are some of my favorite colors I've made so far:

• Baja Breeze and Frost White
• Crumb Cake and Frost White
• Early Espresso and Champagne Mist
• Cherry Cobbler and Champagne Mist

Hope everyone has as much fun as I have making your own custom spritzers! :o)

October Club Projects

Here are the projects we made in my hostess club this month!  

At the request of this month's hostess, we made a slider card for Christmas.  These cards are so much fun!!! I mean, who doesn't love a card that surprises you? ;o)

We used lots of fun new products in the Holiday mini:  Designer fabric, waffle paper, big shot dies, punches, ribbon and stamp sets!  The color scheme we used was Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke, Crumb Cake and Soft Suede.  The card was based off of this tutorial on the SCS website.  

The stamp sets we used were Christmas Collage and Bells & Boughs from the holiday mini.  We also used the Winter Post set from the IBC (one of my favs).  We die cut the fabric using the new Tasteful Trims XL die from the mini.  To get the "distressed" look in our fabric, after cutting it, we wadded it up and rolled it around a bit in our hands.  After placing it on the card front, we added a few pearls for an added touch.

Our second project was my twist on the ever-popular Sweet Treat Turkey Guy!  I switched it up a little using the gorgeous "Day of Gratitude" stamp set and the ornament punch, and I mounted him on a tent card so he can stand on his own for perfect placement at the Thanksgiving dinner table!  Wanna know how we did it?  Read on!

First, you will need to ensure you have all of the following pieces (Click on pic for a larger image).  

The color scheme I chose was to coordinate with the fall-themed m&m packs that are out right now.  So I used Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso and More Mustard.  Notice that several pieces have little "nips" taken out of them using the 1-3/4" circle punch.  

To get the beautiful gradiated stamped image, I created my own ink pad using a piece of felt with a plastic tray underneath and SU re-inkers.  I started with a circle of Early Espresso, added some Cherry Cobbler around it, and then some More Mustard as the last ring of color.  

I made sure the finished ink pad was big enough to accommodate my image, and then started stamping away.  Honestly... I couldn't stop.  The image was so gorgeous and striking, I filled about 5 sheets of Whisper White card stock. LOL.  I am going to make these for my own thanksgiving table, so I figured I'll have a head start! 

Then, I used my craft knife to cut out the flower image and then used the 1-3/4" punch to cut out my circle.  You can use the image above as a guide for placement.  Basically, I used the mini-flower in the center of the image as my guide.  I placed the top of the circle right at the top of that image.

Meanwhile, you'll also want to stamp two of the leaves in Early espresso and cut those out.  Don't forget to "nip" them, too! 

To assemble your turkey, Start with a sweet treat cup and adhere the 2-1/2" circle with the 1-3/4" circle punched out.

Add the ornament punch-outs starting with the sides and moving to the top:

You can then add the stamped flower image and then the two stamped side wings.  (I used a dimensional to adhere the "wings").   For the face, add your choice of "google" eyes and craft a simple beak out of scrap cardstock.

Once you've got all the front pieces on, you can flip your turkey over and fill 'er up!  Use the solid 2-1/2" circle to close up the back.  

If you plan to mount your turkey on a tent card, you should have the tent card assembled like so:

Before I mounted my turkey on the tent card, I used my custom ink pad and stamped the "Happy Thanksgiving" sentiment from the Thankful For stamp set onto whisper white cardstock.  I curled the middle and ends a bit using a pencil and lined it up with the bottom edge of the tent card.

Then I added my finished turkey!

 

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Create Amazing cards, Beautiful packaging,

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(French and Spanish versions available)

Click Here to download the promotion flyer

Contact me or shop online to order your handmade holiday bundles!

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Click Here for more info on the Clearance Rack Blitz!

Halloween Extravaganza - Day 12

Today is the last day of my Halloween Extravaganza, and I saved my favorite project for last!  We made this "BOO" banner in my hostess club last month, it was so very fun!

Each pennant was made using Basic Black Card stock and paper from the in-color Patterns DSP stack.  We used a different color for each pennant:  Peach Parfait, Concord Crush and Pear Pizazz.  We stamped on the  black card stock using the "From the Crypt" stamp set and Frost White shimmer paint.  

The letters were cut out using the Alphabet Simple Letters Big Shot die and they were mounted on a fan-fold flower (find a great tutorial for those here).  We hung the pennants on a yard-long piece of 1-1/4" striped grosgrain ribbon (in Basic Black) and tied individual bows above each pennant in their coordinating color of 1/2" stitched poly ribbon.

Thanks so much for joining me during my Halloween Extravaganza!  I hope you had a great time on got lots and lots of inspiration for my projects! :o)

Halloween Extravaganza - Day 11

These are some "Thank You" treat bags I made for my club members last month!

I used the mini lunch sacks in the holiday mini and the House of Haunts stamp set.

On the tags, I punched the end using the scallop edge border to match the scallop edge on the bag.  I tied them on using 1-1/4" pumpkin pie striped grosgrain ribbon and some of the raven lace from the mini.

On the front of the bag, I placed a couple of bats using the bitty bat punch and I used the following technique to create a moon behind my tree and owl image:

Using whisper white craft ink and a sponge dauber, I swirled on a circle and then dabbed a little bit of so saffron craft ink in the middle of the moon.

Then I just stamped the tree image overlapping the moon in basic black classic ink.

Tip:  When stamping on the lunch sacks, insert a thin piece of chipboard to flatten out the surface (so the sides  that are folded in won't interfere with your stamping!)

Halloween Extravaganza - Day 10

Here's a cute and simple Halloween Card using the Spider Web embossing folder and the debossed/letterpress effect I used on this card in my August clubs.  This time, I used Basic Gray card stock and ink and sprayed Silver Foil Smooch Spritz to finish.

I also used the Greeting Card Kids and House of Haunts stamp sets.  I colored the little witch using blender pend and classic ink.