perfect witchy parfait

happy halloween!
i have lots of fond memories as a kid creating the perfect halloween costume using items around our house, bobbing for apples at parties, going on hayrides, and running all over the neighborhood trick-or-treating with my brothers.   i'm not so much into the tricks, but i'm absolutely giddy over the treats.....especially when the need for that afternoon-sugar-rush kicks in, because let's face it, without something sweet-to-eat i tend to get a little, well, witchy.  so i've decided to create my own little witch-parfait using all of my favorite childhood halloween candies:  layer one is candy corn!

the next layer is a blast-from-the-past......cow tales, bit-o-honey, and smarties
(but please don't tell my dentist.....)

then on top is the chocolate.  lots and lots of chocolate, in the form of mini snickers, kit-kat bars, and junior mints.  this is a critical step, and it really can't be overdone.  smooshing the chocolate in the glass is necessary as it creates more room for more chocolate, and any overflow/spillage of chocolate during this step should be eaten immediately.

lastly, i've added a personalized sweet message with a subtle witchy warning:
have broom, will travel.....to hunt anyone down who even thinks about devouring my parfait, especially during that critical afternoon-sugar-rush time slot.  heeheehee


happy halloween, boo-tiful bloggy sweeties!!  xox


{parfait supplies:  tall glass, assorted favorite candies, lots and lots of chocolate.
broom tag:  scrapbook paper, "broom riders" stamp set, black ink pad, foam dots, popsicle stick, orange stamp pad}

inspiration monday

halloween is right around the corner, and i've been dreaming about my favorite part.....the chocolate  candy!  but the mere mention of it makes my jeans a little tighter, so here's a hip friendly "sugar" project using a mini white pumpkin, glue, strong double-sided tape, rubber stamps, card stock, and some extra fine glitter.

first, put a line of glue in the creases of the pumpkin and shake a generous amount of extra fine white glitter until the glue is completely covered. (you can also use glitter glue, but getting glitter everywhere is half the fun!)

make sure this is done over a piece of paper so the excess glitter can be placed back in the container and used again.

while the glue/glitter is drying on the pumpkin, stamp a fun image onto cardstock.

now place double-sided tape onto the stamped image.
(i used wonder tape, but it wasn't wide enough, so i placed two pieces next to each other)

cut out the image.
(using non-stick scissors makes this a lot easier!)

remove the protective covering from the tape, and sprinkle the white glitter over the image until the entire surface is covered.  shake off the excess.

now the image looks sugar-coated!  use a small punch to make a hole at the top, and place some twine through the opening.

now tie your sugar-tag onto your glitter pumpkin,
and you have a subtle, but very hip-friendly-and-sparkly-sweet decoration for halloween!


{supplies:  mini white pumpkin, glue, extra-fine white/clear glitter, white cardstock, hole punch,"boo" stamps by technique tuesday, black stamp pad, wonder tape, non-stick scissors, twine}

inspiration monday

  one of my favorite places to find inspiration is in my craft stash.....and there's nothing more fun than to revisit a past project i'm absolutely batty over, and change it up a bit!
here's a fang-tastic way to give these playful little alpha-bats a make-over: 

for each bat, you'll need a 2.5" papier mache egg found in the craft store, some acrylic craft paint,  this bat template from martha stewart ,  cardstock, paint pens or markers, and craft wire.

give each egg a coat of black acrylic paint.
you can also add some color by dry-brushing more acrylic paint over the dried black paint.

once the paint has dried, add a goofy little bat-face using paint markers.
(i've used permapaque markers)

create little bat-legs and feet by cutting a small piece of craft wire and twist one end into a circle using some round-nose pliers.  punch small holes in the bottom of the bat-body using an awl and tuck the other end of the wire in the opening.  secure wire by adding a drop of glue, diamond glaze, or other dimensional adhesive at the opening of the hole.

cut out the bat template and trace onto construction paper, card stock, or patterned paper.
then cut out the bat-wings.

(to create my original alpha-bats, i used black card stock and lettered on the wings using various pens and markers.  for this updated project, i've photocopied my original alpha-bats and cut out the wings.)  

now fold back a small tab at the inside edge of the bat-wing and glue it to the bat-body......

and let your finished boo-crew hang out in your studio.....

or let them loose and see where they end up!!
(i found my silly little bat-buddies lurking in my front door wreath!)


you can read about my original alpha-bats here!


{this project went from spook to spooktacular using these supplies: 
photocopies of alpha-bats , acrylic craft paint, permapaque markers, black craft wire, 
2.5" papier mache eggs, diamond glaze, tombow mono multi glue, martha stewart template}

boo-fun

i was looking at the calendar yesterday.....it's almost october already!!
eeeek!  and when i think of october, i think of stuff that goes "boo",
in a fun, whimsical sort of way.....and nothing's more fun that some boo-play!

so i got out some boo-supplies, and turned this.....

into this!

and this.....

into this....

and this!!

i hope your weekend is filled with lots of boo-fun-and-whimsy!!  :))


{these projects were created using my new stamp sets from technique tuesday....woo hoo....along with card stock, patterned paper, stamp pads, embossing powder, twine, and paper punches}



in other fun stuff......
there's still time to put your name in the hat for the online class giveaway at creative workshops!  just click here.....giveaway ends on sunday evening!

and....my dear, precious friend martha is sharing some great news about her entrepreneurial son, zach!!  he has started his own company and has won some great awards here in jacksonville already!  if you'd like more information about some awesome upscale guitar accessories, please click here (we're talkin' fabulous guitar straps made in peru and lots of other terrific items!)

inspiration monday - halloween giveaway!

today is halloween......it's a day to be inspired by some goofy fun!

it's a day of candy corn!  those little yellow and orange sugar triangles with white tips have been a favorite of mine since i was a kid (and i have all the fillings in my teeth to prove it!)

it's a day of mini pumpkins, extra large pumpkins, and every pumpkin in between.

and once the perfect pumpkin is picked, then the master-carving begins.

 it's a day of chocolate, nougat, peanuts, caramel and everything else that tastes great and has lots of calories........all wrapped up in a perfect little package of oooey-goooey mini candy bars.  this is another traditional favorite of mine.....not only on halloween,  but every day of the year! (my hips tell the story so much better than i ever could.)

and it's especially a day of trick-or-treating!  but i must admit, 
i've never been a big fan of the tricks....i'm all about the treats!  
and today i'd like to treat one of you with a giveaway for a seat in 
my online letterLAB class that begins on november 7th! 

all you have to do is leave a comment (just one, please!) on this post by 
wednesday, november 2nd at 8:00 p.m. (EST)!  
once the comments are closed on wednesday, i'll randomly choose a name 
and announce it on thursday, november 3rd!
please make sure that your comment either links back to 
your blog, or you leave your e-mail so i can contact you if your name is chosen!
(this giveaway is open to all those who are 18 years of age or older.)

and.....if you've already registered for the class, please join in the giveaway!
if your name is chosen, your registration fee will be refunded to you!

happy halloween!!  xox

{letterLAB is my new online class that is being offered over at creative workshops and focuses on cursive handwriting and different variations!  you can read more about it here!}

edited:  thanks SO much for your support of my giveaway!!!  comments are now closed!

batfun

i'm a real scaredy cat when it comes to halloween, and i've always enjoyed the more playful side of the holiday.  so as i was cutting out this martha stewart bat template, i started wondering if bats are scaredy cats like me.......and just how do bats go about having some fun?!

do they all meet in the belfry at twilight on saturday nights for a super fang-tastic boo-bash?

or maybe they get into the spirit of things by playing several rounds of batty-cake, batty-cake.

of course, it would be positively de-fright-ful to then head out to their favorite java house for a quick coffin-break......although too much caffeine could have them all going batty.
well, whatever they decide to do, i'm sure they all have a hair-raising, howling good time!

:))

sending you bugs and hisses, and many good witches
for a spook-tacular weekend!!
(okay, since i'm so bats about you, i'll stop with the bad puns now!  heeheehee)

{i had a frightfully good time creating these batty-bats using
martha stewart's bat template, scissors, black card stock, scrapbook papers,
micron pens, metallic pens, charcoal chalk ink pad, uni posca paint marker,
uniball signo white gel pen}

the great plaid pumpkin

               

source via pinterest

"each year, the great-pumpkin rises out of the pumpkin patch that he thinks is the most sincere.   he's gotta pick this one.   he's got to.   i don't see how a pumpkin patch can be more sincere than this one.   you can look around and there's not a sign of hypocrisy.    nothing but sincerity as far as the eye can see." 

 {as spoken by linus in "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown"}

:))

inspiration monday

here's an easy way to create a "hand-drawn look" without actually drawing anything!  you'll need your favorite rubber stamp, a fine-mist spray bottle, a watersoluble graphite pencil (i'm using an 8B), a paint brush or waterbrush, and a piece of paper that's suitable for water media (i'm using my strathmore visual journal for mixed media).

first, spray a very light mist of water onto your stamp.

while your stamp is still damp, rub the side of your watersoluble graphite pencil over the entire stamp.  the water will activate the graphite and transfer it to the stamp.

now stamp your image onto your paper.  it's no problem at all if your image isn't perfect.....just take your pencil and go over any lines or areas that need more graphite (adding these extra lines also makes it look more hand-drawn!).

now using your waterbrush (or paintbrush and water), go over your lines to activate the graphite......

you can spread the graphite out to give your artwork shadows and dimension!

and if you want to take it a step further, you can add your own touches with some boo-tiful letters, a fun border, and a little watercolor!  now you have a whimsical little piece of art that was created with graphite,  and looks like it was completely hand-drawn! 

{this project was created using a derwent watersoluble 8B graphitone pencil,
mini mister bottle, waterbrush, haunted house rubber stamp by imaginisce (i found mine at michael's), derwent inktense pencils,  strathmore visual journal for mixed media}

choco-treats

i hope you all have a spooook-tacular halloween.....

and make sure you set aside some of those sweet choco-treats 

for yourself!!!

happy weekend to you!!

:))

the bats are back....

it's that time of year again.....bat season!!  they're hiding in my bushes....

and hangin' out with the jack-o-lantern......

and even found their way inside and are playing in my fabric stash!!  but these aren't just any bats......they're martha stewart bats!!  click here and you'll find the bat template and video instructions for these super easy-to-make little cuties!!!  

p.s.  i shared these little guys on my blog last year, but they're SO adorable i couldn't resist showing them again!!  have fun!

giveaway treats

that time of year is upon us......the time for pumpkins, apple bobbing, hay rides......and trick-or-treats!!  i've never been so much into tricks......i've always been a treats kinda gal.  especially where chocolate is concerned.  or candy corn.  so i pulled out these little tags and bags i made last year......

and decided to add this spooky guy to the mix.....

meet my "going-batty-thumbat"!   

this year, the tag is much larger in size (about 4.75" x 2.25").....and it may just be a little too large.....but i made some a little smaller, and somehow his wacky-goofy-eyes and little i-want-chocolate-now-fangs got lost......and let's face it, if you're gonna do treats, you may as well do them large, right?!!

so with treats in mind, i'm celebrating my 300th follower*  (woo hoo!!) and giving away not one, not two, but three sets of these tags and bags.....that's five of the candy corn tags, and five of the thumbat tags,  along with ten twist ties and ten plastic bags to put all of your sweet goodies inside.  

(sorry, candy corn not included......i already ate all of that....)

to participate, just leave a comment on this post by midnight saturday (the 16th)!  

(one comment per person, and please make sure i can contact you!!

also, you must be at least 18 years old since i'll need to ask you for your address if your name is chosen!)

i'll use the random integer to choose three names and announce it on sunday!!!

*i'm celebrating reaching 300 followers.....which means that i'm really celebrating YOU!!  thank you SO much to each and every one of you for treating me to your sweet comments and bloggy love every time you stop by for a visit!!!  i will always be searching, but feel like i'll never really be able to fully express my gratitude for your heartfelt encouragement and support of my artwork!!!  

consider yourself bear hugged three hundred times!!!!