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}

embroidered pillows

i took some time to do a little window shopping in my favorite PB catalogs, and when i spied these pillows, i immediately knew they would be the next entry in my pottery barn journal.  i've always had a real soft spot for satin-stitching and french knots......and i don't think a girl could ever have too many embroidered pillows!  they're the perfect thing to surround yourself with as you're lounging on the couch......with your feet up on the coffee table......while you're watching your favorite movie......and eating a chocolate bar.....or two...... :)))

i hope you have a relaxing surrounded-by-embroidered-pillows kind of weekend!!



{journal page created using koi watercolor, derwent watercolor pencils,
waterbrush, micron pens, pencil}