Last Halloween post of 2009...

As promised... photos via candlelight: 

http://haunteddesignhouse.blogspot.com/2009/10/all-hallows-eve-2009.html
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Halloween decor pics...

Several people have asked for a lookie-see at my Halloweenie diggs... I posted a few photos of the house on my other blog here:  http://haunteddesignhouse.blogspot.com/2009/10/all-hallows-eve-2009-well-all-hallows.html

Happy Halloween!

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Boo Sprite Girl... in the pink

Well, kids... the big day is almost here!  I didn't get much of anything done today, so I have a ton of work ahead of me tomorrow... spiderwebs, creepy black vines, the big mummy... yikes.  I won't bother dusting anything... that will just add to the ambiance, right?  ;)

Ok, tonight's card is a whole lotta Ca-yoot-ness (right, Patti J.?)  ;)  I know this little sprite isn't too spooky, but she's a little grungey.. does that count?  I think I would look like this if I put a bow in my hair, too ;)  Although, I don't wear dresses... or pink... and I have a mouth & nose...

Stamps (TAC):  Spunky Sprite Girls, retired sentiment
Paper:  Brighten My Day, White UltraSmooth cardstock, DCWV card base
Ink:  Noir Palette
Colorant:  Prismacolors w/mineral oil blending
Other:  misc. ribbons, Bazzill & misc. florals,  jewel

I think I'll be off for the night... to let the images of ghosties & goblins dance about in my skull  ;)

BTW:  let's get some more players in this week's Macabre Monday challenge, people!  Don't you want to win some Halloweenie goodies?!!!

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Lookie lookie...

More Happy Mail from another TAC Angel demonstrator!  I'm telling you, the gals (& few guys) that are demos for TAC are some of the NICEST people ever.  This group of Halloweenie yummies is from

Suzanne Edwards... Thanks Suzanne! 

From Recollections:  pom pom spidey stickers, brads, paper ribbon, fabric trims/ribbons, and some REALLY cool metal charms.  And the cutest handmade vampire card... she said this package of goodies is because I am so kind to everyone...

{psssst, Suzanne... you are TOTALLY blowing my cover here, girl... you are supposed to keep that on the D.L. ;)}

Thanks again, Suzanne!  And if you would like to pop by her blog and show her some luvin', that would be great ;)
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creepy-cute...

Today's post is here:  

http://haunteddesignhouse.blogspot.com/2009/10/macabre-monday-011-lurid-love-my.html

I hope to see you join in on the challenge over on my Haunted blog... I'll be doing a bonus drawing for all those that participate this week!

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Miss me?

Ok, so I'm over the cold, but I had a crop vendor gig yesterday, so had to prep this week.  And you DO realize this is Halloween WEEK, right?  Only SIX MORE DAYS!  Yeay!  So I may not be posting much AGAIN this week... but I still have preparations to make.


So it may surprise you to be viewing a Christmas card right now.  ;)  Well, sometimes I stare at my countless stamp sets and wait for one to jump out and scream "pick me, pick me!"  I had stamped off a bunch of images ahead of time, so I can just grab 'em... at last weekend's craft fair, I had PLENTY of time to color (dammit).  

Stamps:  Vintage Santa, Tag Tidbits, Date Disks
Paper:  Reece SWIC, Kraft, Reece & Hemmingway cardstocks
Ink:  Noir Palette
Other:  Reece Ribbon, sanding block, distresser, foam tape

I've been wanting to see this santa in an aqua coat as soon as I saw him.  I've seen some wonderful "woodland santas" with aqua or green coats and I just love it.  It tones down the image so that his face is seen more than a bright red coat!

The Date Disks fit PERFECTLY on this Reece tag... fab, isn't it?!   And the santa looks so jovial and merry... hence the sentiment in the circle.  "Be Merry Day"... kinda nice, no?

A little side note about the Crop-n-doodle-do Crop... it was an absolute blast!  Angelia & Maria, the coordinators, and all of the crop ladies were so much fun!  If you ever get a chance to attend one of their crops, don't miss it... great food, roomy crop space, goodie bags... fun fun fun.  Follow the link and then click on "Event Calendar" to find out dates.

What do you think?
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WTH?

Yes, yes... I know... I'm totally behind in my blog posting as of late, but this cold is totally kickin' my boo-tay.  As I write this, my head is foggy and I can't breathe through my nose... don't you hate that?  Needless to say, if my writing skills are a little lacking tonight, you know why :)  Not that they're that great normally... I'm just sayin'.

Since I haven't been feelin' so hot, I decided to post these four quickie cards that I originally was planning on hiding.  They are super simple... not too detailed... but sometimes you just gotta suck it up and go with it :)

Stamps:  Joy of Christmas, Hello Snow (retired)
Paper:  White UltraSmooth, olive, misc. brown & purple cardstocks
Ink:  Iris & Burnt Umber Palettes, a retired TAC chalk ink
Other:  Scor-Pal & Scor-bug, misc. ribbon

These little babies get me four more cards closer to my goal of 75 handmade winter holiday cards this year!  Only 10 left to go!  Yeay!

What do you think?
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October Angel Art Blog Hop

I totally messed up and didn't create anything for a lovely October TAC Angel bloghop... I know, I know... I am a bad bad BAD Angel.  Although, I have never claimed to NOT have little red horns holding up my halo ;)   So, please go visit these lovely ladies and show them some luvin'... blog comment style.  :)

Laurie
Kim
Angela
Shirley
Julie
Jen
Trudy
Teresa
Diane
Rita W
Bridget
Jamie
Suzanne
Stacy

Friday quickie...

Today I'm sharing another Scrap Pile card.  Any little bit of patterned paper or cardstock that is left over from a previous creation gets thrown in, and it just keeps getting bigger!  I do tend to search through it on new projects to see if there is "just that size" of a piece, so that's keeps the pile pared down as much as possible.  :)

Stamps:  Trendy Greetings, Goodness of God (retired)
Paper:  Willoughby SWIC & Cardstock
Ink:  Burnt Umber Palette
Other:  Mega Square & Scallop square punches, paper piercer, sponge

I created the little scallop strips by inserting a cardstock strip into only part of the punch... kinda 'up, over and down' kinda thing :)

That's it for today, peeps.  I've got that craft fair Saturday & Sunday, and we are lucky enough that we can set up tonight... this allows more sleep in the morning :)  And you know I'm all about that!  Anyway, I'm sure you won't be hearing from me for a few days, and I wish I could have shared something a little more pumped up, but thems the breaks, baby ;)
 

What do you think?
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Happy Mail :)

Look at the lovelies that I snatched out of the mailbox when I got home this evening!  Let me just say, TAC Angels are THE BEST!

Kim Sears sent me a witchy card, a beyond-uber-cool cardstock background made with glue & Pearl-Ex, and some Halloween Fries :)  Kim said that when she saw the creepy box o' flanges, she thought of me... awwwwwwwww... how sweet, right?  ;)  

Kim IS so sweet... last year she sent me a chipboard Christmas "Joy" book to alter... you can see it finished here:  
http://fosterdesignhouse.blogspot.com/2008/11/i-know-i-know-where-heck-have-i-been.html
I know!  Thanks, Kim!!!

Next up, from Patti J., super cute Halloweenie pizza box with skelly tag.  Then on the INSIDE, first is this:


... because I am sooooooooo angelic, right?  ;)  And then under the tissue paper is THIS!!!

...creepy-cool, right?!  Again, Patti said she thought of me when out shopping and came across this.  Because though I am so totally into creepy Halloween spiders, we all know a girl needs a little bling-i-ness in her life ;)  Thanks so much, Patti!!

Last month, Seleise sent me this totally cute green piggie card and mummy bag.  And inside the mummy bag?

...yeay!  More stamps!  More for my ever-growing collection!  These are great because they are smaller images... perfect to sneek in here or there ;)

THEN, Rita W. sent me this freakin' awesome necklace!  The pendant is made from a piece of a Scrabble game!  Told ya'... kewl!  Thanks, Rita!!

And finally, from Melisa, I was given THIS!!!  We took part in a Art Share, and she made this altered hardboard canvas.  It is beyond fantastic, and the pictures do not do it justice at all.  Crackle paint, glitter, heat embossing... there is a TON of detail on this little beauty.  

I have it propped up in a creepy iron easel that I can see from my studio table... I love it!  Thank you so much, Melisa!!!



Whew.  How's that for a crazy-long post!  I just want to once again thank all of these sweet ladies for all of my Happy Mail!


What do you think?
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Haunted Design House Macabre Monday #009...

For today's post, please go here:

http://haunteddesignhouse.blogspot.com/2009/10/macabre-monday-009-eerie-inspiration.html

It's a pretty fun Halloween challenge today, so pop over and join in!

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CKC, quickies and craft fairs...

How's that title grab ya'?!  Today was soooo much fun!  A few Angels and I got together and went to the CKC vendor faire and then onto a whole day of running around & shopping... what could be better?  :)  

I feel so bad for my WOSFF (web-o-sphere friend forever) Laurie & her buddy Serena... they were up at like 4am to drive from Hutchinson.  I don't think I could have done it... I am sooooooooooooo not the morning person.  ugh.  You girls rock;)

I spent way too much money on more junk I don't need, but sometimes you just have to do that.  There is something to be said about Retail Therapy... I'm just sayin'.

On to the fun stuff!  Another no-layer card today.  I tried to dress it up a little with the embossed piercing from the Scor-bug, and it does shimmer nicely in real life from the Brilliance ink & Stardust glitter pens.

Stamps:  Edge Designs, Simply Christmas (retired)
Paper:  White UltraSmooth & Kraft cardstocks
Ink:  Sky Blue & Coffee Bean Brilliance
Other:  Scor-Pal & Scor-bug, Christmas Red Stickles, Stardust glitter pens

By the way... I know it is a little short notice, but I will be a vendor at an upcoming craft fair next weekend, October 17th & 18th at Prince of Peace off of Mur-len & 143rd Street in Olathe.  So, if you are in the area and would like to see or PURCHASE ;) some of my handmade goodness, please pop in!  For more info, just shoot me an email and I'll give you the details!



AND I will be a vendor at the Crop-n-Doodle-Do crop in Spring Hill on October 24th!  There is still time to sign up, so if you need to get some scrappy time in, please come and join the fun!


What do you think?
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Ghoulish gourds all in a row...

I thought I'd share another little treat project today.  How cute is this little row of pumpkins?!  It's very basic and super easy to make, and I'll be selling a few of these at an upcoming craft fair.  Sorry about the photos... it was cloudy when I snapped them.

I created a little accordian-folded divider so that the little guys wouldn't move around in the box.  May I just say:  the Scor-Pal makes crafty life so easy sometimes!  I created a template, however it is not to scale... but it is so seriously easy you can just line it up on the SP and go to town:

This box feels nice and sturdy because I have an extra side piece that folds over... this also creates a nice finished top edge.  I did trim a smidgen off of the outer piece that folds over and in so it would fit correctly.  The acetate lid is created with the same box bottom template, except omit the two outer 1" x 5-1/4" sections.  I just used a mini glue dot to secure each flap so that there would be minimal adhesive that would show.  You could also use an eyelet if you wanted a more polished appearance.

I wrapped the little pumpkins in food safe plastic before putting them into the box... this will keep them fresher and cardstock won't stick to them!  Supplies:  TAC's promotional stamp set More Bone Appetit, Penelope & kraft cardstocks, copper eyelet, acetate, and some paper ribbon raffia.



What do you think?!
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SCORE!

This past weekend was the annual Girls' Weekend with my aunt in BFE Kansas!  It is always so much fun!  My mom, two sisters and I all piled in mom's huge truck and went on the short trek to Aunt Linda's somewhere in the countryside near Abilene.

I've got to retrieve the photos of Linda's house from my sister... I forgot my camera, so I snatched hers so I could take pictures of the cute old farmhouse.  My aunt always has it decorated so homey... she totally should have been a consultant for that kind of thing.

She knows her antiques, and finds awesome deals on all kinds of treasures ;)  She found an old old Civil war stove (I think that's what she said it was) at a yard sale for $25... yes, it needed a lot of work, but you should see it now!  Fantastic.

The photos you see today are some of my lovelies that I purchased this weekend.  We love going into Abilene to the antique shops & boutiques.  Our favorite (can't remember the name!) still has this awesome old wooden nuts/bolts cabinet with a TON of drawers that I saw and wanted last year... if only I had a spare $3000 laying around ;)

I snagged a couple of old wooden cassette holders that are perfect for holding ink pads... $1 each!  The large one I have now cost me $20.  The birdcage was one my aunt had... I've already taken the woven wooden strips off the bottom. 
I've got a creepy black owl that will look nicely in there ;)

I've been starting to collect old wooden spools & bobbins. They are so cool looking, and with my latest hand dyed silk ribbon fetish, they will come in handy for storage!  I am once again re-thinking my ribbon & button storage, and so I picked up a bunch of Ball jars.  I've already got some ribbon on wooden clothespins and that is working nicely... it will look really pretty in all of the large jars I already have.  

I found a few old tonic and medicine bottles that I plan to witch-out, a cool wire basket, some vintage fabrics, and a Ball jar full of vintage buttons.  I did see ANY old card file drawers that I saw all over last year... I was hoping to score a few more of those.

The last photos are of some cool letter press metal dies I scored!  I'm going to display the whole grouping together except for the copper owl.  He'll go alongside some other copper stuff I have.

It's so weird to see how my tastes change over time.  I remember a day when there would have been NO WAY I would have any antique-y schtuff laying around.  Mod mod mod, baby.  Wait... does this mean I'm getting old?  ;)

What do you think?
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Halloweenie Project Playlist on TAC's website...

Ok, so I haven't been posting much lately, right?  Well, part of the reason is because I was busy creating these lovelies:  http://www.theangelcompany.net/PromoProjectPlaylist.html !  Click on the Fall Into Fabulous title to see the stamp specials, and click on the individual photos (including the Boo-berry one) for a closer look at the projects :)


I had an absolute blast, and these stamp sets make me want to host a Halloweenie bash even more than before!  I LOVE how the two mummy things turned out... so much fun!  I think I'll be doing several of these projects to sell at my upcoming craft fair booth... most definitely.


Thanks for looking!  And if you have any questions on recipes, etc., just email me and ask!


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