A Halloween Hello!

Surprise! I know I said yesterday I was sharing my last Halloween card of the year, but I just wasn't quite ready to say goodbye to these Frightening Friends, so I'm sharing a fun Halloween project! And...I couldn't let the day go by without wishing all of you a very Happy Halloween! I hope your day is ghoulishly great!

I asked my daughter how many girls there are in her last dance class before Halloween and she said seven! I knew that I could very easily whip up seven cute treats in no time at all! I'm in love with the Bags and Tags Creator and knew that it would be perfect for these quick Halloween treats! I die cut enough for 8, since that is just how paper seems to work out. 

Once they were all die cut and scored, I stamped 8 fences, 8 trees, 8 pumpkins, 3 ghosts, 3 devils, and 2 Frankenstein images. I did very simple coloring to get these done at an optimal rate, but I think with all of the fun images, you don't really notice that the coloring is less detailed. 

The jack-o-lanterns got a coating of Nuvo Crystal Glaze for some extra shine. This also gives it an extra level of interest that makes it easier to skip some of the more detailed coloring.

I die cut 8 circles and did some Distress Oxide ink blending; 4 in yellow/orange and 4 in purple/pink. The sentiment is heat embossed in silver onto a strip of black cardstock. I used quite a few foam squares for this project, but I just love the dimension it gives to the project!

I was able to get 4 pieces of candy into a small cello bag. I folded them over and tucked them inside the treat packaging. The clothespins hold everything in place without any staples, glue, or tape! yay! 

I tied a simple bow and adhered them to the clothespins using mini glue dots. Easy peasy! I think they turned out quite cute and I hope the girls enjoy them! Happy Halloween and thanks for fluttering by!

Witch way to the Candy?

Well friends, this card ends the 2018 Halloween crafting season! This will be my last Halloween card of the year! I'm over on the SugarPea Designs Blog sharing this card for today's Design Team Feature! I used some of this year's favorites on today's design!

I'm definitely a sentimental girl, and by that, I mean I LOVE a perfectly designed sentiment! LOL! This particular sentiment is one of my favorites included in the Bewitched stamp set that was released this year and is what I designed my entire card around.

Because I didn't use any actual "candy" images, I got creative with my Distress Oxide blended background. I knew how easy it would be to create a candy corn striped background using some washi tape for masking! It turned out exactly like I had hoped! 

I used the Zig Zag Stitched Rectangles to die cut a piece of Bristol paper and then did the ink blending. I heat embossed the sentiment in silver onto a strip of vellum and wrapped it around the panel and secured it using scotch tape.

I used the Hocus Pocus SugarCuts for all of the cute witch accessories on the card. These are my favorites of the year, and probably will become some of my all-time favorites, if I'm being perfectly honest!=] I used the Card Front Element Builders SugarCuts for the stitched edge around the card base and then added a piece of Black Polka Dot paper on top. The entire focal panel is added to the card using foam squares for some dimension. I had a lot of fun on this card!

Here's a little peek at the inside! I already had this cutie from the Darling Dragons stamp set cut and colored so I added it to the inside! 

I hope you all have a fun and. safe Halloween! Thanks for fluttering by!

Tuesday Ideas {Merry and Bright}

 Hello and Welcome! I'm over on the Precious Remembrance Shop Blog today sharing my first Christmas card using their images! I've been waiting on pins and needles to pull them out and the day has finally arrived! The "Merry & Bright" image from the Oh Christmas stamp set was the jumping point for today's design!

I heat embossed the image using gold powder and then colored the letters using Copic markers. I love adding pink into my Christmas designs, especially when paired with the traditional red and green. I added some Nuvo Crystal Glaze on each letter and then added some Tinsel glitter from Martha Stewart Crafts over the top of each letter to make it look they got a dusting of snow!

I also tied a bow of red Baker's twine in the corner for some added detail and a pop of color! I also stamped the 2 sizes of pine boughs around the perimeter and added some red and pink Nuvo drops to mimic berries.

The "December 25" image is stamped in black and colored with pink and green Copic markers. I heat embossed the "Happy Mail" image slightly over the top of the black image. I also used the "Special Delivery" image from the Happy Mail stamp set and stamped it in black as well. Once that was all stamped, I added the crystal glaze and glitter to the numbers.

One of my favorite parts of this card, which I didn't even photograph, is the cute "handmade" image from the Happy Mail set. It looks like a bar code, but it says Handmade! Isn't that so cute? I love it! Thanks for fluttering by!

Precious Remembrance Shop New Release Blog Hop!

I just love new release days! Inking up fresh, new stamps and getting the creative juices flowing is always so thrilling! Don't you agree? Today the Precious Remembrance Shop is putting on a fun blog hop to to celebrate the release of the fabulous new stamp set called Everyday! It has tons of sentiments that makes it perfect for, well...everyday! LOL! 

Would you like to win this set? Simply hop along to all of the designer's blogs {linked below} like and follow Precious Remembrance shop on Instagram and Facebook! The giveaway is open until October 30th, 2018. Winner will be drawn randomly! Good Luck and have fun!

Precious Remembrance Shop

Kelly Lunceford (you are here)

Lisa Elton

Greta Hess

Helen Gullett

Rosemary Dennis

I have three projects to share with you today, the first one is this rainbow birthday ensemble. I had so much fun creating a repeated black and white background using the oblong circle image included in the set. It also has a triangle and a square which are all perfect for creating interesting backgrounds. I did end up by covering most of it up {lol}, but it won't be the last time I give it a try! 

The pillow box is tied up with a tag created using the emboss/resist technique and some rainbow ink blending. I used Distress Ink over the top for a pastel rainbow look, which I love! The "Happy Birthday" sentiment is heat embossed in white onto a black strip of cardstock and adhered to the tag using foam squares. It's all tied up with black and white Baker's twine.

I used the scattered heart image as the focal image of the card front. It is stamped in black on the lined rainbow paper and then the "Happy Birthday" sentiment is stamped below the hearts. I also added some crystal glaze to three of the hearts for some added detail. The finishing touch is a rainbow paper bow!

My second card is CAS with more emboss/resist rainbow blending. Once I had it blended, I used the same ink to add some ink splatters for an artistic look. I also stamped the "brushstroke" image in black onto a piece of white cardstock.

The "sending hugs" sentiment is stamped in black onto a white strip of cardstock and added using foam squares. I also added a thin strip of black cardstock tucked slightly underneath the sentiment strip for some added contrast. It needed something to "ground" it, and this was an easy addition.

I spritzed it with Shimmer Spray for sparkle and added a trio of Rainbow Sparkle Gems from Lucy's cards for some additional color and shine.

My third project uses the single brushstroke image in rainbow order with the hearts stamped in black over the top. 

I love how the gift card has an artistic feel, just like the images in this set. Usually gift cards are hidden inside a card, but in this case, it helps accent the design and brings in another visual element. 

I stamped the "thank you so much" sentiment above and below the gift card for balance. I love unexpected designs like this. I had so much fun using this new set! It is definitely one of those "all around" sets that is perfect for so many occasions! Thanks for fluttering by!

Keeping Christmas-Winter friends warm my Heart!

 It's that time again...it's the 25th and that can only mean one thing! The Keeping Christmas Blog Hop! Can you believe Christmas is in TWO months? Crazy! After doing a quick inventory a few weeks ago, I have determined that I am MORE than ready in the handmade card/gift packaging department! I have had so much fun this year! Each project has definitely been made with love and I should be able to give something to EVERYONE {and then some} on my list!

I still have tags to make, but I purposely didn't make many this year so that I can participate in Tracey McNeely's 25 days of Tags event that is coming up in a few short days! Last year was my first year participating and I had so much fun! Anyway...before I post the list of designers on the hop, I want to introduce my special guest that will be joining us this month. Her project is AMAZING and I know that you will fall in love! So..without further adieu, I am pleased to present Nancy Guse! And...of course the rest of the amazing team:

 Kelly Lunceford (you are here)

Anita Madden 

Broni Holcombe 

Claire Broadwater

Julee Tilman

Kim Heggins

Lori Tecler

Nance Salkeld

Nina Forsyth 

Rachel Bergfeld

Vicki Finger

There's a saying that goes something like this "You can't teach an old dog new tricks", but there's also one that says "If it ain't broke don't fix it" LOL! Today I am sharing one of my go-to Christmas gifts and that is my Handmade Hand Warmers. I usually whip up dozens of these each Christmas to give as gifts to family and friends. As I was digging in my Halloween fabric stash, I came across some left over snowflake fabric from an earlier batch and decided to make a quick set. I do have plans to make more, but that is for another project coming up {wink, wink}. 

As soon as I clapped eyes on the new Warmer Together stamp set, I knew it would be the perfect thing for handwarmer packaging! I also paired these little cuties with the new Shape Shifter Square 3 die. While I realize that the shape shifter is on the woodsy side and the penguins are on the arctic side, I just couldn't resist! LOL! It is the perfect size as a topper for the handmade box I made for the hand warmers. The base of the box is Aqua Mist and the top is Ocean Tides. I die cut the shape shifer from Kraft and frosted the edges with Fresh Snow ink. You can find all of these products at Papertrey Ink. 

I added some Tinsel Glitter from Martha Stewart Crafts around the edges of the shape shifter and a strip on the bottom for the penguins to stand on. The ribbon is from Hobby Lobby and it is flannel. It does have a wire, but I removed it for today's box. I love how it ties in the cozy vibe as well as tying in the red of the heart. I added some crystal glaze to the feet, beaks, and heart for some added shine and detail. I just love little details like that! This was a super quick and easy gift, but like I said, stay tuned for additional "hand warmer" projects in the near future! Thanks for fluttering by!

Mix it Up Challenge #48-It's your Birthday!

It's always a good day when I am getting my SugarPea Designs stamps inky! This month's challenge is so bright, fun, and inspiring! I hope you get a chance to play along! I have included all of the details below! To be perfectly honest, I probably would have used the amazing Cuddly Cacti set regardless of what the challenge was! LOL! I haven't had a chance to play with it since the Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember event! You can see the two projects I made with it HERE. I didn't have the die cuts for those projects, but I ended up buying them so I could use them in the future!

As you can see, I didn't use the sketch provided, but opted to just use the photo inspiration side as the one I picked to use on today's card! I thought a long card would work nicely so that I could use many of the adorable images from the set that I have fallen in love with! To begin, I stamped and colored all of the images I was going to use and then die cut them.

 I added some Crystal Glaze to a few of the pots to give them that glazed ceramic look. I also did some color spritzing to the  glazed pots to give them that little extra details that glazed ceramic pots get from the variation in the glazing process.  I also heat embossed the "It's your birthday sentiment" onto a strip of black cardstock using white powder. I used shimmer spray so that is why it looks so speckled. It is really tough to photograph anything made with shimmer spray, but in real life, it is amazing! 

I did some rainbow ink blending onto a piece of Bristol paper using an assortment of Distress Oxide inks. I tried to use the ones that matched the inspiration photo as closely as possible. I used the ZIg Zag Stitched circles to die cut the individual circles from the blended piece. I also did a long strip of ink blending to add the corrugated piece at the bottom. It is becoming one of the those details that I am really liking to add to my designs, so watch out! LOL!I tried it on THIS card the other day and LOVED it!  Each pot is attached to the circles using foam squares. I also added a few rainbow gems from Lucy's Cards for some added sparkle and detail. I hope you get a chance to play along this month! Thanks for fluttering by!

Trick or Treat~give me something good to eat!

That awkward moment when you realize that you delivered all of the Halloween treats to school and forgot to take pictures! Ugh! I was so excited to take my basket full of goodies to all of my kids' teachers/specialists and as I went back to my car, I realized what I had done! I DID, however, snap a few pictures of this project that I decided to share. I thought it would look so cute amongst my Halloween display, but I ended up not liking the photos, but under the circumstances, they will have to do! LOL! I literally JUST got off the phone with the Principal who called me to say thank you for the cute treat and that it made her day! That pretty much just made my day!

These were made using the latest Inspired by Challenge. I just love how the skeletons have the green moss underneath them. I have used green moss on spring projects and brown moss on Halloween projects, but I love the green mixed with the Halloween! I was also so happy that I hadn't taken out the green moss from one of my glass display jars, so I used some of that on my project!

These boxes are nothing new...I've been making them since my Splitcoast/Stampin' Up! days and I don't really know who to give the credit to! So...if you are the inventor of this packaging idea, thank you! I love how quick and easy they are to make and they really show off your pattern paper. This particular pattern paper is from a Halloween paper pad from Martha Stewart Crafts that my sister gave me a few years ago and I just love it! It has a Halloween carnival theme which is so adorable!

These particular stamps are from the Papertrey Ink set called Spooky Sweets II which has since been retired! I was lucky enough to notice last Halloween that they still had the Spooky Sweets II dies so I bought those, since I didn't already own them. You can get two box/bags from one sheet of 12 by 12 pattern paper, so I made two green and two of the orange and black harlequin paper. I used a hot glue gun to glue the witch to the moss and then added some more glue to adhere it to the black stamped circle! The only thing that I have left to share is the Halloween gifts for my two boys' regualar teachers, so stay tuned...unless I have another airhead moment! LOL! Thanks for fluttering by!

The Farmer's Market

I love this time of year, when the fruit stands are bursting with their delicious Autumn harvest! There's nothing better than orchard peaches, apples, and more! I created these apple gifts for my boys' teachers, librarian, and administration. I've made these particular sacks with caramel dip and apples before, but this year I was so excited to use the Market Street Make it Market Kit! This is one of those kits that I just HAD to have, but only used it once and I never got around to pulling it out again. One of the main reasons why I wanted it, was because of the pumpkins! I was so excited to use them this year! I have a few fun projects to share with you today!

As I mentioned, this is one of those gift ideas that I just recycle each year because it is so easy, seasonal, and most people can eat it. I picked up some fun flannel ribbon in the Christmas craft section at Hobby Lobby and thought that it would be great for these apple gifts as well. I used my MISTI for all of the stamping, which made these gift tags a breeze!

 Of course the kit has everything you will need to create these tags. There is also an awning that you can add to this particular cart, which I show further down in the post. I love how this big, grey buffalo plaid bow looks with the tag as well.

I decided to make some quick, additional gifts for the preschool teachers and speech teacher. I used the pre-printed papers that are included in the kit to whip up these pumpkin carts lickety split! I created the little boxes with just the base from the 3D cart that is in the kit as well. I made full carts further down that you can see.

I was thinking how cute it would be to have some of the Mallow Pumpkins in the back of the Dashing through the Snow Pickup back when I made THESE gifts. My sister told me that they sell sugary, orange flavored gum drop type pumpkins, so I opted for those instead.  I decided they would be so cute inside of these little pumpkin boxes. Those mallow pumpkins are cute, but taste wise, gross!I might still get around to making some pumpkin pick ups!

After I had made the apple tags and small pumpkin boxes, I was REALLY in the mood to make some full size pumpkin carts. As I mentioned earlier, I used the Market Street Make it Market kit to craete all of these projects. I decided to take the kit with me to Kansas and get started on these while I was there. I got a lot done, but realized that I didn't bring enough cardstock to finish since I wanted the outer portion of the cart to be 3 layers thick to hold the pumpkins....sooo...I just finished them! Ha Ha! I did get a good start on all of the stamping, though!

I put the same jelly pumpkins in these carts and tied them up with leaf trim that I got for THIS PROJECT. I was just going to use ribbon, but I was so happy that I remembered I had it, because it looks so cute trailing down from the cart!

I also made a trio of tags or carts that I can use on some card fronts. I made these in Kansas because I had time and they are just so cute! I used the awning on these ones as I mentioned earlier.  I had a lot of fun putting these together, even though it's been almost a month! LOL! I've been having such a fun time doing all kinds of Halloween projects that I will be sharing in the next day or two, so stay tuned! Thanks for fluttering by!