Happy Halloween!

Hope everyone has the best Halloween with lots of candy! (pic of my girls above.)

Numbers Altered Journal Pages

Perfect numbers like perfect men, are very rare. ~ Rene Descartes

I'm back in the Altered journal racket again. The ladies from Altered Gypsy are having a swap. You can see the start of my journal here (pardon the bare accessories). I received my first book to work on, a few weeks ago. Yesterday I brought a pile-o-supplies upstairs to play with while the kids worked on homeschool work. This worked out quite well. I'll have to do this again.

Barb's book theme is Numbers. Her book pages were already made of gorgeously designed paper (can't remember the company) and I just enhanced them. I used the quote above on one of the front pages. (The right side folds out to reveal the other spread.)

I'm close to thinking its done. For now. I may set it aside for a few days and then take a final look at it to see if it needs improvement. Any suggestions?

I was contacted by my local Etsy group to see if they could use my Halloween Banner Tutorial to put up on their KCEtsy blog. Of course I was happy about that! You can see it shown on their blog, and in the meantime take advantage of entering their drawing for this week's free prize from a talented Etsy artist. I love buying from other artists. I usually do a big chunk of my Christmas shopping at Etsy. I'm slowly adding to my supplies store and arts store found on Etsy as well. I'm looking forward to a wonderful Christmas season.

Halloween House

This is the final project from last year. It's a spooky Haunted Halloween house. Make one of your own! Let me know if you do, I wanna see!

This week's Halloween project was a fun one. Like I've said before, I'm not much of a Halloween decorator. So I thought, if I'm making things for Terrorific Tuesdays, I'd like items that I'll use over and over and fit my style. I don't like to have stuff around that doesn't have a purpose (DH, stop laughing. I meant stuff I make.) This is a house frame for my dd's Halloween costume picture. I'll just need to print it and slip it in the frame!

I found the cutest paper mache' house shape at Michaels (it's about 8" tall) last week. I could just see it as a haunted house! My friend Barb mailed me the adorable skeleton and my new favorite tool (the glue pen) and I put them to good use here. The circles on the sides and around the diamond paper, I glittered with the pen and a jar of shinies. The pretty purple paper (YES Rhonda, its purple, are you shocked?) is wrapping paper from Borders that you can buy in sheets. My dd frowned at me when I pulled out the white fencing. She said 'that's the fencing you won't let me use outside for my fairy houses!' Yes, I'm that mean a mother. I've been hoarding it. But just to show there were no hard feelings, she made the pumpkin for me to add to my house. I consider it the perfect touch.

What's your favorite part of Halloween?
I love carving the pumpkins, cooking the seeds and eating pumpkin candies too.

Halloween Banner Tutorial

Here is a repeat post of a Halloween Banner I made last year. Let me know if you make one! I wanna see!

My last piece for Terrorific Tuesdays is something I've been working on for weeks, just never finding the time. I did it in pieces. A Halloween banner. Do you get the emails from the Dover company? They send weekly emails about their products, and give you samples to save to your computer and use in art. One week there were vintage Halloween postcards. Yum! I saved a lot of those! But you could use images you find on the internet, copied from books or draw your own! This is a very simple project, one my little dd helped with as well.

This is a great design to use for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentines, even July 4th! Have fun creating and remember to let me know if you make something. I wanna see.

Supplies:
3 pieces Orange 8 1/2 x 11" cardstock
9 Vintage Halloween postcards or something similar, cut to 3 1/2 x 5" size
Background stamp (mine is like architecture iron work)
Black stazon ink pad
Embroidery floss (I used orange and dark brown)
Decorative Scissors (I used a 'victorian' style)
5 ft Ribbon (mine has pumpkins on it)
Chipboard letters, stickers or rubons spelling HALLOWEEN
Glitter glue (I used clear)
Poker tool or use a bigger needle
Needle & Scissors
Glue & Exacto Knife


1. Take orange cardstock, fold and rip into 4 even pieces. Cut the 2 long sides with the decorative scissors. I cut off just enough to make the decorative edge but not enough to cut off width.
2. Using the background stamp, stamp with the black ink, onto the orange cardstock pieces. Ink the edges of the stamped pieces as well.
3. Cut out your postcards to a 3 1/2 x 5" size and glue vertically on the stamped cardstock. I put my glue about 1" in on each side of the postcard. Don't glue all the way to the edges. It makes the next step harder.
4. Take your poking tool or bigger needle and evenly spoke holes around the edge of the postcard (mine are almost 1/2" apart.)
5. Thread a larger needle with embroidery thread (I did not split mine, I used all 6 strands.) Stitch around the entire postcard. This is so simple, my 9 yr old dd was able to help me.
6. Using the exacto knife, cut about 1/2" down on the postcard section of your pieces, a 1/2" vertical slit on the left and right side. This will be so you can thread your ribbon through for your hanger.
7. Thread your ribbon through so the middle of the ribbon is behind the postcard. Make sure you have about 5+ inches extra on each end of your banner.
8. Adhere the chipboard (or sticker/rubons) to the bottom left corner of the postcards, spelling out Halloween.
9. Using the glitter glue, choose parts of your postcards to highlight with glitter.
10. Hang up wherever you desire!

Winner & Spicy Women Book

First off, the winner of the aforementioned Halloweenish Journal. Thanks to all those who visited and entered! Random.org has chosen the 10th entry which is:

{Scrap} Through This

Congrats. I'll contact you and get your mailing address so I can get it out to you. Have fun using it!

Now, onto my slackerness. I joined the Altered Gypsy Altered Book swap. Due out mid September. Yes, I'm aware of what month it is. I have calendars everywhere. Even on the ole' cell phone! Just haven't had the time or inclination to create. Last night I figured it was now or never. No sense in holding up the group anymore. My theme is 'Spicy Women'. Think Tallulah Bankhead, May West, Kathryn Hepburn, Ingrid Bergman, Sophia Loren, Bette Davis type women from the past. Just strong willed determined smart women, kwim?

I don't know why this translated in my head into a form fitting bustier with body parts about to fall out. Don't know how the ensuing artists are going to work in it, probably taking the cover off while they work. The accoutrements in the brassiere are made of styrofoam balls; covered in tissue papers and painted with pale pinks and glitterfied. Don't you wish yours could look like that? I know I do! (Except you guys out there, probably not your style. lol) I'm excited to see what art appears in my book!

The extra pages are a sign in page, and a pocket with different stickers, sayings and words for the artists' use. Got my sewing machine to sew through paper. Just can't get it to sew through fabric yet (stupid tension, can't find the book.)

Is it Spicy enough?

Halloween Journal Giveaway

This is an attempt to make something Halloween related. All images and the words stamp are from Red Lead. Not sure what kind of book you might need for this holiday. Maybe to keep a list of costumes you like, projects you want to make or favorite halloween recipes? Actually, the only thing that makes it halloweeny is the orange paper behind. I'm sure it can be used all year around for the creative soul.

Seeing as today is my birthday, we won't talk about the number although it's a nice round one, I'm giving away this little creation. (Notice the labelholder? You can put your name in there.) My favorite part, although you can't really see in the picture, is the black fabric. It has criss cross ribbing in the design. Nice to the touch. I love the burnt edges (yes, actual fire used) on the dictionary page in the middle. No, I did not burn down the studio. Just smoked it up a bit.

For 1 entry: Leave a link to your blog or an email where I can contact you if you're the winner. Tell me about a project you're making for an upcoming holiday (or a favorite you have seen.) I'll draw a winner this weekend.

For a 2nd entry: follow my blog in the NetworkedBlogs box on the left. Let me know in a separate posting that you did this and you'll be entered a 2nd time!

For a 3rd entry: blog, twitter or facebook this giveaway! Let me know you did so.

Have fun!

Halloween Projects Repost - Banner

It's been busy around here and art has not been my pleasure for weeks. I was wanting to make beautiful Halloween items, much like my friend Audrey has been cranking out, to decorate my house but as of yet, no time. Until I can, I thought I'd repost projects from last year.

Halloween Banner. I really enjoyed making this banner and hung it on my door for the duration of October. I need to go dig it out and put it back on the door. For instructions see last year's post.

It's almost time for a pumpkin patch visit. I know the little one is looking forward to picking out some pumpkins for the front porch. I'd also like to visit a local store, Curious Sofa. I was visiting their blog yesterday and they have a fabulous Halloween display going on. Check out this creation! The owner said she picked up doll heads all summer just for this decoration! Now that's some good planning!

What plans do you have for this year's Halloween?