Halloween treats.

Its felt like I've been busy all day and am now looking forward to the kiddies bedtime so I can relax .... well, sort of, I've still got to make a pressie for tomorrow.
Today I have ..

Made skeleton cakes, similar to those featured on .hand.made.heart.felted...

Carved a pumpkin and also rubbed cinnamon, ginger and cloves into the lid

(also as featured on .hand.made.heart.felted)

It smelt GORGEOUS, a lovely warm, seasonal scent that filled the house.

Helped the kiddies make and decorate gingerbread pumpkins, ghosts and houses.

Oh, and of course we all got dressed up

Spooky papercrafting

Its that time of year that everything goes a little bit spookier. I love this time of year, its when I get the chance to buy some of my favouritist goodies - plenty of skulls, bats and black lace work in the shops.

In our house we use a mixture of both Halloween and Samhain traditions, and both are a great excuse to get the kids being crafty (like they need an excuse!). This is what Zack has been upto this morning...

They are cubees. I discovered Cubeecraft while looking around deviant art, I discovered some Dr Who templates Cyber Drone had created and looked around others he had made. These are only 3 of many, and I LOVE the skeleton. They are quite simple to put together, and Cyberdrone allows you to download them for free. If you follow his links you will be led it a world of fascinating cube shaped people and creatures, well worth a look around!

SWIDIC: Challenge 10

The theme this fortnight is Layers.
The DT were given some gorgeous purple digi papers called Zen Papers by JLJ Designs, this fortnights sponsor - these are all colour coordinated and the patterns fit in well with each other making it very easy to layer them up on a page like I did.

The background sheet is cream and textured; I edged it with a purple ink pad to brink the colours together, I also did this on each of the sheets of paper I backed the main photo onto. I then placed a chipboard frame on top.
The title "Princess" is a rub on.

So hows about coming over to Scrapping With I Did It Creations and join in with a layered scrapbook page, you could win $5 to spend on JLJ designs.

White Pumpkins

As Halloween is fast approaching I thought I'd share with you something I've been playing with

White & black pumpkins seem to have become fashionable in America last year, they look fabulous so I thought I'd try my own. There were no pumpkins in the shops when I wanted to have a try and being a rather impatient person once I've got an idea I opted for Squash instead.

I spray painted them in white and then used a combination of peel offs I had made and black marker pen to create the designs.

Though I love the finished design I did learn a few things ... squash skin needs to breath, because of this it will blow bubbles in the spray paint coating. Peel offs are quite difficult to apply to uneven, rounded surfaces and if not careful will lift the spray paint.

Once halloween is over I shall be keeping my eyes on the shops for reduced ceramic/ornamental pumpkins to do this again in a more permanent context for next year as I think they are sooooo pretty.

Lou's Monochrome Challenge

Over at Creative Craft World Lou has set the challenge to use black, white and silver - perfect cold, spooky colours I thought!

I had an idea in my head but had unfortunately run out of black 12x12s (aghhhhhhhhh!!!!) so had to try & find another way to get my idea to work (once its in my head it wont go away until I actually get it done).

I found this sheet which I'd decided ages ago I couldnt envisage myself using, but my idea would cover the majority of the picture leaving the black around the edges.

I stamped it in silver and white with a flourish stamp giving it a ghostly, foggy feel.

I then spent AGES cutting out gravestones out of grey paper, then aging them with black ink & writing on the odd couple

I layered a few of the gravestones up with the odd paper ghost and skeleton (quickutz die cuts)

By creasing a couple of lines on the gravestones & then inking it gave the look of cracks on them.

I then added the photo of Zack being a vampire and the continued layering over the bottom of the photo using foam pads to give it more depth, along with foam ghosts and skeleton.

I added the date & journalling to a couple of gravestones before adding these and then finished up the background with stamped ghosts (using a foam die cut ghost as a stamp), and the moon (cut a circular whole from paper and used ink pads to colour within)

When all was dry I finished off the whole design with a few foam bats in front of the moon & silver Thickers for the title 'Fang'tastic

I wish to enter this in....

Creative Craft World - Lou's Monochrome Challenge
Oh la la creations - Nothing Floral

Halloween party anyone?

I Did It, Stitchy Bear Did It, U Do It 2 Forum
is hosting a halloween party from October 29 - 31
There will be challenges, games, all night crop

where you can have lots of fun and win prizes.

Scrapping with I did it Creations - Challenge 9

We're in that time of year again when all the ghost & ghouls come out to play.... at least thats where my thoughts are turning to. I have sorted all my past Halloween photos out to do some scrapping, so when I got the latest challenge from Scrappng With I did Creations I was like woohoo!!! Make a page of Halloween or other holiday .... The Design Team we're also sent some GORGEOUS digital papers to use by Stampin Dragon Designs, all in beautiful oranges of different shades and patterns.

I made slits in a sheet of paper and weaved the digital papers I'd printed and made into strips.
The main photo was mounted twice (me about to devour a cuddly mouse), and the smaller photo, along with the cat picture was mounted once onto black. For the journalling (merely my name & date) I stamped a piece of fawn paper & then aged it with brown ink.

The photos are of me at the age of 8, dressed unusually as a cat for Halloween, I say unusually as I much prefered to dress as a witch when younger, & then a devil when older.

Fancy joining us in this challenge at Scrapping with I did it Creations? You could win 3 digital stamps  of your own choice from Stampin Dragon Designs (shame I cant enter :( You have until October the 25th to enter.

Apple & Pear Crumble

I used this recipe to make Apple & Pear crumble We found it far too sweet, and if I find something too sweet you know its tooth rottingly sweet! We actually found putting custard on it made it less sweet.

Pink Mask

After seeing the previous mask I made (see here) Tams asked if I could make a pink one she could buy for her daughter so I set about making this one ...

I got the feathers from a feather boa, and the stick from a balloon holder which I then wrapped in ribbon. The butterfly is from an old hairclip which I put new wire & pink beads on. This was stuck onto 3 pink roses surrounded by leaves.

I then sent it off to give Tams & her daughter a surprise - I'm not sure how long it'll last in the hands of a 3 year old as its predominantely made out of card & paper but I'm sure she'll have lots of fun finding out.

Nightmare before christmas trainers

While looking around Primark I spotted a pair of trainers for £4 BARGAIN!! I loved the shape of them but not the pattern so I bought them with the thought of painting them.

So several days, strips of masking tape & layers of fabric paint later I had a pair of Nightmare before Christmas, Jack& Zero trainers.

I learnt masking tape is fab for getting lines straight & red marking pen will bleed through the paint no matter how many years I use, doh!!!

Frosted Designs DT call

Frosted Designs is looking for some happy lil crafters to join their team for 6 months.
If your interested pop on over to their blog for more details.

Rainmacs candy

The delightful & talented Sarah over at Rainmacs place is giving away some lovely candy to one of her lucky followers. You've got to be in it to win it :)

I would advise any one interested in cardmaking to have a good look around Sarahs blog, she makes the most beautiful cards - I am the proud owner of a few Rainmac Originals myself :)