Flea Market Finds Inspiration

A few weeks ago I hit the local flea market with the gals. I love browsing the different stalls and usually end up with all kinds of odds and ends. Thankfully this time round we went late in the day so we had a limited amount of time before the vendors closed up shop. This kept me focused because I really just wanted to find some old sheet music and books for my crafting. I scored. Yay me! And since then all my goodies have been sitting neglected on my scrap table until this past weekend which started out grey and rainy; a perfect day to neglect chores in favor of spending some time crafting. I'd been thinking tags for some goody bags I want to put together and thought some of that old sheet music would make a good base. This is the result.

Recognize the ghost? Yeah, I had a few extras from my card making so it didn't take much effort to create my first tag. The spider and bat are ek punches. The bat I embossed using on of my cuttlebug folders and the spider I flocked. What a mess! Now I remember why I don't pull out the flocking very often but well worth the mess this time round. Up close this guy looks pretty creepy. 

I layered the bat and spider cuts several times to give them some extra stability since they extend off the tag. The pumpkin is a Quickutz die I modified slightly. A little inking around the edges for depth, a twisty vine and a bit of bling and ... done. I'm going to use black crinkle ribbon to tie them to my treat bags.

Apples

Another find during my recent clean up. Like the pumpkins these apples were tucked away in one of my many craft boxes. I stained the base with walnut ink and once dry covered them with some scraps I had saved from a recent layout. Since I mainly scrap 8.5" x 11" I have bins full of paper trimming and am always happy when I can put my bits and pieces to good use.

I embellished them with leaves punched from an ek success then added a homemade button and some ribbon trim. The apples have a hole to string ribbon or twine for hanging but have a base thick enough to stand on their own. And I think for the moment, that's how I'll leave them.

And since I was hitting my scrap bin I decided to continue with my apples theme and punched a bunch using my MS apple punch.

I layered the cuts to get the stem and leaf detail. So much easier than trying to work with tiny pieces that never seem to want to stay put. I also like the added thickness which gives them a little depth and makes them sturdy like a thin chipboard. Perfect for use on a card or embellishing a harvest layout.

The Yang

So I got side tracked. It started with a little straightening and ended up with a full cleaning and organization binge of my scrap room. It was long over due. I'm messy. Okay, understatement. I'm a very messy crafter & scrapper. Once I get into a project all kinds of things come out of the bins, boxes and cubby holes and take up residence on my scrap table. Before you know it I'm working in a 5"x5" space. And while I craft messy my creative motivation requires a clean, clutter free zone to fully function. The ying and the yang in constant battle. The yang is a hard task master but there are benefits...like these 2 wooden pumpkins.

I can't say for sure how long they've languished in one of my cupboards but it's safe to it's been awhile; definitely time to rescue them, dress 'em up and place them on display. I stained them brown using some old walnut ink then used my favorite Making Memories Halloween line from a couple years back to cover the base. A little inking around the edges, embossing to bring out the detail and some crinkle ribbon to complete the project. Perfect for a kitchen window or maybe hanging from a drawer pull.

Witch Hat

It's been a busy weekend. Between errands, parties and house cleaning I managed to find a bit of time to craft and even got a couple of layouts completed. Good thing because I'm always feeling behind in that area.

Today I'm sharing another Halloween card. This one is using Papertrey Gridlines, one of my all time favorite sets. Instead of using the gridline guide stamp I scored my paper at 3/4" intervals on a diagonal and used the score lines as my guide for stamping the background.

I stacked several layers for the witch hat then used my glue pen to create and glitter a polka dot pattern then mounted it on Spellbinder's Labels One die. I glittered the outside rim and added a few gems to gives some additional sparkle. And of course I had to use a border punch; I'm totally addicted to those and use them every chance I can. A bit of crinkle ribbon and viola...another card completed.

Boo!

Another card to share. This one is using an old Quickutz ghost die, Spellbinders Labels 4 die and some old MM and Jenni Bowlin scraps. The ghost shape just cried out for a little boo banner. It took some experimenting and a bit of patience but I love the results.

The ghost die and inner label are layered to give the card some dimensions but just a little which makes it totally suitable for mailing. Enjoy!

Creepy Crawlies

The spirit of All Hallows Eve has struck. Unusual to be sure since I rarely start crafting seasonal items until we're practically sitting on top of a holiday. I don't know if it's all the fun new Halloween papers hitting the shelves or the recent discovery of a bunch of creepy crawlies in my basement...eewww...but a spooky mojo has definitely taken up residence in my scrap room. Take a peek.

This little guy was cut using my cricut and MTC. I made several cuts, layered them to give me the sturdiness of a thin chipboard piece, then went to town with some black glitter. Let me tell you, he's a whole lot cuter than the ones I swept up in the basement.