Our Halloween Table

Hi friends!  I hope you are well!  We are ok.  It's been a stressful few weeks but we will make it through.  I almost forgot to blog today for NaBloPoMo!  I was about to go get into bed and watch last night's episode of The Voice but I gotta blog!

Today, I'm sharing the Halloween table we set up at church for the Harvest Festival.  Instead of opening up our trunks for Trunk or Treat, we each decorate a table and have the event indoors.  We started this last year because it rained and I guess the church thought that it was a good idea.  I saw the jack-o-lantern totem pole thing on Pinterest and I just loved it!  You already saw the ribbon banner.  The rest of the stuff was things I already had at home.  Maybe next year I will try to win the best table prize but this wasn't the year people.  I went to Target the Wednesday before Halloween to look for some decorations and an employee said "Ma'am, you do realize Halloween is THIS Saturday, right?"  Yes, I procrastinate.  GEEZ Target, help a lady out!

Have a great day, friends!  And don't forget to shop of your holiday items more than 4 days prior to any events!  ;)  

Happy Halloween with a Ribbon Banner and a Pocket Card

Hi friends!  I hope you are doing well!  We are pretty good!  It's been a really busy day here and I'm just getting around to blogging.  Better late than never, I say!  Happy Halloween!  I hope you had an AWESOME day!  We did a bunch of activities today!  Brady said it was the best Halloween EVER!

Today, I wanted to share a couple crafts I made for Halloween.  The first is a ribbon banner I made.  I was at a crop and a gal was talking about how easy it was to make these banners and after the parties she hosted she would sell these banners for $30 each!  She, however, made her banners with fabric so I think it might be a lot easier and it would take less knotting because you can cut the fabric thicker.  I looked at the project she was making and thought "well, I have TONS of Halloween ribbon and I can make that."  Oh boy!  This baby took me almost 4 hours of sorting ribbon, cutting, hunting for different kinds of ribbon, and knotting.  I had set out to make it 6-8 feet long so it could go on a table for a Halloween event we were going to and I stopped around 4 feet.  I literally could not do it anymore because my hands were so fatigued.  I also thought about trimming some of the ribbons but I kind of liked the special pumpkin ribbon sticking out from the bottom of the banner.

 I also wanted to share this Pocket Scrapbooking filler card that I made at my friend Rachel's crop.  Rachel had these as a make and take but I wanted to change it into a 3x4 card so I could use it in my scrapbook.  (I don't send out Halloween cards and didn't want this to go to waste.)  Rachel used her Close to My Heart cardstock and cut the words for us.  We also used the super cute tiny Close to My Heart Bitty Sparkles which are the tiniest little rhinestones I've ever seen and they are self adhesive.  I have already put this in my album waiting for pictures from today!

Have a great day, friends!  I hope you had a safe and HAPPY Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

Hi friends!  Happy Halloween!  I hope you guys all have an amazing day!  We are headed to a Trunk or Treat later tonight since our neighborhood isn't the most fun on Halloween and by that I mean almost NO ONE gives out candy here.  It's sad.  I remember when I was a kid almost every house gave out candy and there was a rare house with all the lights out.  Now, it's the opposite.

On a fun note, here are the treats I made for the boys to give to their teachers.  These were super simple to make and I think they look really cute.  I think a little cute gift wrapping really makes a gift sing.  I took Polka Dot Middy Bitty Bags and trimmed some height off.  Then I punched the edge.  I put the candy bars in and folded the bags over so the width fit then secured with a little washi tape on the back.  Then I decorated with some Halloween Divine Twine and some Doodlebug Designs paper and journalling spots.

And it's Avery's first Halloween so I'll share a pic from earlier today.  

Happy Halloween, friends!  Have a wonderful and safe day!!!

You've Been Booed!

Hi friends!  I hope you are doing well!  We are ok.  I'm just getting over mastitis which was NOT fun.  The kids are having a super fun time right now with all the harvest and Halloween festivities that are going on.  My kids LOVE Halloween!

Speaking of Halloween, a friend of mine wanted to order a few cards from me for some Halloween treats.  She wanted 3x5 inch cards which is a size I never make so it was fun to work with a smaller sized card.  Dustin made the sentiment for me on the computer.  The paper and stickers are from Doodlebug and I used some Halloween Divine Twine to add a cute little finishing touch.

Have a great day, friends!  And I'm linking this up to the Paper Issues Halloween Challenge.  

NaBloPoMo and Teacher Gifts

Hi friends! Happy Nov 1! I hope you all had a great Halloween. We had a good one! The kids were SO excited for trick-or-treating! They did pretty well. Parker made it around a block and then he and I stayed home to give out candy while Brady and Dustin went out for another block. The hilarity that followed from the sugar rush was rather hilarious! The baby went a little nuts. But that's ok, he had to go to the doctor on Halloween so I guess it's ok for him to have a few pieces of candy and run around like a madman. :)

November is National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo) and that means I will be trying my very hardest to have a blog post every day for the month of Nov. This year, NaBloPoMo is being hosted on BlogHer. I recently joined BlogHer so I don't know much about it other than the fact that there's a conference that they throw. I'm not a super hardcore blogger but I do like to keep things going on this blog and I'm hoping this will help me expand the topics I talk about on my blog. Like I said last week, I'd like to start blogging more recipes, home decor, money saving tips, etc...

Today, I'm sharing the project I made for Brady's teacher and teacher's aid. I ADORE and appreciate these ladies! They have really made a strong impact on my son and he likes them and likes school now. I worked it childcare and education before I had Brady so I know how nice it is to get a little treat now and then from the families.

I actually got this idea from Pinterest. You can see the original HERE. And like a silly person, I didn't follow the link through to see their link for a printable. I went off to find my own and I'm actually more happy with it than the one they used. You can get this PRINTABLE HERE. I got the cups at Big Lots (I'm addicted to my cup that is just like this!) and put some Halloween candy in there. I made a wrap using some net ribbon and the printable and I finished with a bow on the top.

Brady was ADORABLE when he gave these to his teachers. They were busy doing other things on opposite sides of the room. He walked up to each teacher with the cup behind his back and waited his turn to talk to them. Then when it was his turn, he pulled the cup out from behind his back and presented it to the teacher. So sweet! Moments like that are when I really know that I'm doing it right.

Have a great day friends!

EtsyInspired #138 ~ Bear Creek Design

This week's EtsyInspired shop is Bear Creek Design. This shop offers all sorts of cute felted items and kits, patterns and supplies to make them with. I actually saw a felting piece on Martha Stewart's show once and I thought it was so interesting. I've always wanted to take up felting and these kits would be such a great way to start! I also think it's great that they tell you what level you should be at to attempt each project. This week, Bear Creek Design is offering up a $15 gift certificate to one lucky winner.

Please check out the EtsyInspired Blog for rules and to link up your creation!

This week, we have a fabulous sponsor! Claudia & Company is a fun shop that offers their own line of digi stamps and rubber stamps drawn by some fabulous well known artists. They also carry other stamps, papers, ribbons, embellishments and more! Super fun shop! They are offering up 3 digi stamps of the winner's choice as another prize.

Here's my card for this week, inspired by the pumpkins above. All the elements are from Doodlebug Designs Inc.

Please check out the DT:

Angi
De

Ellie (May Guest)

Jackie

Joy

Kerry

Savannah

Virginia

Ippity Hop: Witch Hat

***I'm blogging on the Paper Maniac blog today too with some Unity goodness, if you would leave me a comment on that post as well, I'd really appreciate it!***

Hi friends! I hope you all had a great weekend! We had a fun one! Lots of parties to go to. And I think it's just the beginning of the birthday party season.

I'm joining the Ippity Hop this week with a little Halloween card. I made this quite some time ago for a publication call but it didn't make it. I've decided to not submit it again but that just means it's more to put on the blog! :D This is all stuff from my stash pretty much.

Have a wonderful week, friends! Don't forget to check out the Ippity Blog to see everyone who will be in this week's hop.

FWF: Halloween? Really?

Hi friends! Thanks for joining me today! I hope you all had a wonderful week! I'm ready for the weekend! :) I think I am always ready for the weekend though. Of course, Friday brings us Unity Friends With Flair. How fun!

Ok, so I know this is so off season but what can you do? This was in my reject pile from last month. I don't know WHY I felt like making Halloween cards at Christmas time but I just go with it. So, I made this card with some Doodlebug paper and an old Unity kit. Sometimes, it's nice to pull out those neglected stamps, don't you think?

Don't forget to drop by the Unity blog to see all the participants in today's blog hop! And don't forget, if you're looking to buy Unity Stamps then head over to Paper Maniac for some great deals! I hear the sale coming this Monday is out of this world!!

Card Details:

Card Stock: orange

Patterned Paper/Stickers: Doodlebug Designs

Stamps: Unity Trick or Treat Peeps

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Halloween Pics!

Hello friends! A few people have mentioned that they wanted to see Halloween pictures of the kids and let me tell you, I'm one to oblige. I mean, seriously! A chance to post pictures of my kids? I'm gonna do it.

Ok, so if you remember the kids' Mario Party, you know that Super Mario Brothers is big in our house. Of course, the kids had to be Mario characters. In fact, the whole family was going to go as Mario characters but we ran out of time and money so it was just the kids.

Brady's costume is just bought off the shelf. I was going to piece it together for him but I think that's only cost effective if he was going to wear the pieces again. And I really don't think he'd wear overalls anymore so I went with this costume. It was $19. It did come with a mustache but Brady got into that and kind of messed it up. We figured he'd do better with a drawn on one, so that's what we did. That would be eyeliner.

I did put together Parker's costume. There was a costume for Toad online but it only included the hat and vest so I decided to go a different way. We bought a white shirt and khakis (which he'll wear again and again.) The vest was made by my friend Amy. She's AMAZING! I just bought the felt and the trim and she just MADE UP a pattern! She made this in like 20 minutes and it's WAY better than what I would have gotten in the costume kit.

Now, I have to tell you about the hat. I got it off Etsy from a shop called Jennifer by Design. I was LATE buying this hat since everything on Etsy is handmade. I went to Jennifer's shop and bought a Mario mushroom hat. I figured people would get the point. After I bought it, I asked her if she could leave the eyes off the hat since Parker would be Toad and not a mushroom. She went ABOVE and beyond what I asked for! She reversed the colors so it would be more like Toad's hat. She made bigger dots than her usual. She changed the shape of the beanie so it was more like a mushroom than a skull cap. I think I did a little dance when it arrived! It was BEYOND perfect! So, if you're looking for a hat for your little one, this is the shop to go to!

And because I don't play favorites, here's another picture of Brady. This is at a Halloween party we went to. The mask was at the arts and crafts area. Isn't that sweet?! We had a great time at the party!

Alright, enough of me rambling! Have a great night everyone!

Happy Halloween!!!

Hello friends! I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend! I've been hanging out with my friends a lot and that's been wonderful! I can't wait to trick or treat tonight! This is will Parker's first REAL trick or treat, last Halloween he was 4 months old so he sat in the stroller and watched.

Today, I am sharing with you some tags I made for a party that the kids went to earlier this week. My friend Amy made cookies and I made these tags to go on the bags. We have lots of little friends who I love! I hope they enjoyed their treats! I made three different variations of the same tag for them using Ippity's That's Creepy.

Happy Halloween, if you celebrate that, if not Happy Sunday!! :)

Tag Details:

Card Stock: Black

Patterned Paper: Stampin Up

Stamps: Ippity That's Creepy

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Misc: Nesties Labels 8

One More CAS Halloween Card

Oh my goodness, it was such a full Saturday and then today I just crashed. Well, not really Dustin was tired and I seriously just fed off the lack of energy. And now I feel really sick. Who knows what's going on?

Anyhow, here's a reject for the last Paper Crafts call. Dustin is trying to tell me that less is more. So, I figured I'd give it a try. I'm not thrilled with this but it's clean right? The stamp set is The Paper Company Studio, Jeepers Creepers again. I'm not sure if you can tell but the middle owl is popped.

Alright, I'm hoping the mojo kicks in this week. Hopefully, I'll have new and cute stuff to show. Have a great week friends!

Hallo-scream! and Vicki's Blog Candy

Another day, another Halloween card. My Halloween cards were made for the Paper Crafts magazine call. I'm not really in a Halloween mood so maybe it show. Hmm...

Ok, this card uses my Jeeper Creepers set again from The Paper Company Studio. The designer paper is some old SU I got from my friend Kim Jackson. (Thanks Kim!) The punch is EK Success. The little orange eyes are half pearls from Recollections. My FAVORITE part about this card is the Sparkly Fluff from Our Craft Lounge I used on the cat. I did the fur in black and the little nose in pink. It makes it super cute!! :) The little glittery piece is a scrap off yesterday's card.

Ok, happy Thursday everyone! I'm hosting Bunco for the first time tonight, wish me luck!

OHHHH, and Vicki has blog candy, check it out HERE.

Boo!

I realize I have the wrong holiday. I really do. But I didn't make anything for St Patrick's Day. I thought about it. But then I didn't follow through. I lose mojo after a publication call, does that happen to anyone else? I put all my energy into it and then I'm spent. What does that mean for you? A Halloween card on St Patty's Day. Better than nothing, right?

Ok, so here's my card. It's rather CAS. The stamps are from The Paper Company Studio, the set is called Jeeper's Creepers. The glitter paper is Colorbok. The DP is Basic Grey. And that's all there is to it.

Happy St Patrick's Day/Wednesday everyone!

A Couple Cards and I Was Mentioned on Moxie Fab!!

First off, did you see the Moxie Fab World blog post for today?!?! Cath mentioned me for my Fun with Floss card! :) This is the first time I've been mentioned for Moxie Fab challenges so I'm very excited! It was quite the way to start my day!

Ok, here are a couple cards I made for VSN. The first card was for the challenge to make a card based on someone in your life who inspires you and to use 3 ribbons on the card. I chose my sons as my inspiration and made a monster card. Teehee, I crack myself up. They are sweet but they are definitely little monsters! This card used The Paper Studio's Jeepers Creepers stamp set. The DP is Stampin Up. The punch is Fiskars Apron Lace. I colored the images with my Copics and some Sakura gel pen for the metallic on Frankenstein. I echoed that metallic silver on the sentiment using a silver ink.

This next card was for a VSN challenge to make a card having to do with water as a theme. I pulled out my new Paper Makeup Stamps and made this little card. The DP here is Stampin Up again. The die cut is Nesties Label 1. The ribbon is from Joann's.

Have a great week everyone! I hope you all are well! And don't forget about my fundraiser in the post directly below this one.

Softpencil Halloween Card

I love Thursday because I love Softpencil! :) It's time for another challenge and DT project! This week, Elizabeth gave us a color challenge, I've included the picture of the colors below. And it sure was a challenge for me since I usually only use a couple colors per card. But hey, that's why they call it a challenge. All the DT members are using the ADORABLE Michu Flying on a Broomstick. Did you know if you buy 3 Halloween digi stamps over at Softpencil, you get one for free?

Ok, my card is kind of more technique-y than usual this week. LOL! Though I'm not sure sponging is really a technique. I colored the image and then sponged around it in blue to give it a glow coming off the moon. Then I sponged some black around that to make a spooky Halloween sky. Then I added some Star Dust Stickles to look like stars. I finished with some ribbon. The sentiment is from Unity's Trick or Treat Peeps.

Happy Thursday everyone! Don't forget to check out the rest of the DT, they are in my sidebar. <<<<<<

Almost Halloween?!?

Can you believe it's already the 10th?!?  I can't!  My head is about to explode!  Another year is just around the corner!  And I'm SO busy from this point forward.  But I do LOVE this time of year!

I think that Brady is going to be Tigger this year.  He loves all things Disney.  It's so cute how he's becoming his own little person.  Stay tuned for pictures.