Halloween Peeking Out All Over!

As mentioned in my previous post, it's that time of year when I get to make Halloween cards...ones I truly enjoy so I can let my imagination run away!  My next card is for DD#2, my youngest daughter, and her husband.  Since there is a man involved, I had to stay away from anything too feminine!

My son-in-law is a Halloween and theme park enthusiast!  The two of them just returned from a five-day Halloween adventure vacation to the Los Angeles area, visiting Halloween horror events and Halloween themed parks and thrill rides.  Warner Bros. Halloween Horror Nights was their primary attraction visited.

I actually started their card well over a month ago after I checking out several Splitcoaststamper challenges before I finally settled on the card layout I wanted to use, but I was unhappy with where it was going so I stopped and only recently got back to it.  I revisited the SCS challenges and finally felt like I knew where I was headed!  I incorporated four common Halloween images usually seen on the Day of the Dead and ones that I was fairly sure they saw in many different versions while on their vacation.  I ended up pretty happy with the results and was pretty sure they would enjoy it as well.  Take a peek below at the finished card:

I found a verse that was perfect for the card, with a few modification, but ended up having to hand-write it because my printer was on the fritz!

Ingredients:  Papers: Stampin' Up cs--Basic Black, Lucky Limeade, Very Vanilla; Bazzill cs--Yam; American Crafts POW Glitter Paper--Caramel; Best Creations Glitter paper--Lime; Pattern Paper--Doodlebug Designs/Ghost & Ghouls--Spookie Sprinkles (confetti), Host of Ghosts (stripe).  Dies:  Impression Obsession: Halloween Cutout Circles; Stampin' Up--Layering Circles; Little B--Halloween Phrases.  Punches: Martha Stewart edger--Cathedral Lace; Stampin' Up--Curvy Corners (inside-retired).  Embellishments: Offray Sheer Stripe--Yellow-Green; Recollections--purple mini rhinestones.  Verse/ modified by Chatterbox.  Size: 4-3/4 x 6 inches. 

Birthday Hugs!

One of my dearest friends celebrates her birthday in April; therefore, a birthday card is definitely in order!  Since my right knee replacement, I have not been back to my crafting table for several reasons:  1) it is still early in recovery to have my knee in an unelevated position and bent to 90 degrees for any great length of time; 2) stair climbing, where my crafting table is located, is still quite painful and difficult; and 3) lengthy standing and getting up and down from a seated position repeatedly is painful and difficult.  So, needing this card, I decided now was the time.  All this said, I did get the card done, but now I think a day of elevated recliner rest is needed.

Take a peek below at Sandy's finished birthday card; the inside verse and design follows; and if interested, "The Card Story" can be seen even farther down.

Ingredients:  Papers: Recollections Kraft pack; Stampin' Up cardstocks--Crisp Cantaloupe, Very Vanilla; DCWV French Country stack; scanned music sheet on vanilla cs (butterflies).  Dies:  Spellbinders Labels 17.  Punches:  Martha Stewart--Monarch Butterfly; Three-in-One Butterflies; Stampin' Up--Elegant Butterfly.  Pearls: Stampin' Up.  Offray Ribbon Roses.  Hug Snug Apricot Seam Ribbon.  Maya Arts Jute Twine.  Stash: Black & Rhinestone button trim.  Chatterbox verse/ computer-prepared.  Size: 4-5/8" x 5-7/8".

The Card Story

I have had the layout for Sandy's card in my mind's eye for several months, and just before surgery, I made a quick sketch in my layout idea book for future reference.  I also knew I wanted butterflies and music paper on the front and on the butterflies.  Before I actually began, I checked a few SCS challenges to give me some inspiration for the colors I might use with my music paper. 

I had the idea of a two-panel veritical layout, but I wanted the edge to be curvy rather than just boxy straight lines, but did not have a wavy edged border die that would work where the two patterned papers would meet.  Then, I had a "light-bulb moment". . . I thought maybe a decorative rectangle or square die might work if I only ran it partially through the Big Shot.  I found the Spellbinders Labels 17 fit my idea and the biggest die in these nested dies would be large enough for the height I wanted my card to be.  

Take a peak at the card above and note where the black music paper meets the floral rose patterned paper.  I die-cut my "rose" paper only allowing part of the die to enter under the Big Shot roller press and then cut the top and bottom straight just after the corner curve was complete with my paper cutter.  A smile appeared, showing how pleased I was about how well it worked and how good it looked with the two papers joined together!

My butterflies were the next item to work out.  I decided to punch my butterflies out of cream background music paper that I made by scanning a song sheet onto a piece of vanilla cs with my printer.  My butterfly punch that was just the right size for my little square mats is the Martha Stewart "Monarch" punch with lacy holes in the butterfly wings.  It was pretty, but it some color peaking through the lacy holes, but I did not have a solid butterfly that matched the "Monarch" shape.  Another "light-bulb moment" when I thought of trying the solid Stampin' Up "Elegant Butterfly" punch, which is a bit smaller and has a totally different wing shape than my Monarchs.  It didn't really seem to matter about the shape as long as it filled most of the lacy holes on the wings and as a bonus, I really like the little bit of the cantaloupe cs peaking out on the bottom of the wing.  From this point, the card fell together like clockwork, and I was totally happy with the results as I think my friend will be.

Best of 2017 Favorites @ Splitcoaststampers!

I'm in 7th Heaven!!!!  I've had nine of my 2017 cards chosen in the Splitcoaststampers' Favorites - Best of 2017 recently, and three of these were chosen twice!   I also had one card chosen in the CAS Favorites - Best of 2017.  Now that was really a surprise, because rarely do I make a clean and simple card!  I'm speechless and so grateful to the wonderful and crafty multitudes at Splitcoaststampers for giving me so many honors.  

As I have had my cardmaking curtailed in mid-December due some severe hand problems, especially the left, and a right knee flair up, I've been kind of down a bit without my hobby to entertain me.  I've also been absentee blog posting as some may have noticed.  With that said, I thought I would post those cards BESTed again for your browsing!  

Favorites - Best of 2017 Cards

Let It All Hang Out Birthday - posted 8/28/17

 Blog link: https://chatterboxcreations-1.blogspot.com/2017/08/let-it-all-hang-out-birthday.html

 First Christmas for a Little Husky Named Zhanna! - posted 9/4/17 (chose 2 times)

Blog Link: https://chatterboxcreations-1.blogspot.com/2017/09/first-christmas-for-little-husky-named.html

Christmas Card from an Oldie But Goodie! - posted 9/8/17 (chosen 2 times)

Blog Link: https://chatterboxcreations-1.blogspot.com/2017/09/christmas-card-from-oldie-but-goodie.html

Improving on the Christmas Oldie But Goodie! - posted 9/12/17 (chosen 2 times)

Blog Link: https://chatterboxcreations-1.blogspot.com/2017/09/improving-on-christmas-oldie-but-goodie.html

A Dedicated 12th Woman Seahawks Fan Birthday! - posted 11/5/17.

Blog Link: https://chatterboxcreations-1.blogspot.com/2017/11/a-dedicated-12th-woman-seahawks-fan.html

My Son's First Father's Day! - posted 6/18/17.  (inspiration from Dar Peterson).

Blog Link: https://chatterboxcreations-1.blogspot.com/2017/06/my-sons-first-fathers-day.html 

Anniversary Twosome Sail with the Breeze! - posted 7/31/18

Blog Link: https://chatterboxcreations-1.blogspot.com/2017/07/an-anniversary-twosome-sail-with-breeze.html

Birthday Jazz for Youngest Son! - posted 9/15/17

Blog Link: https://chatterboxcreations-1.blogspot.com/2017/09/birthday-jazz-for-youngest-son.html

A Peek at Fall! - posted 9/20/17
Blog Link:  https://chatterboxcreations-1.blogspot.com/2017/09/a-peek-at-fall.html

CAS Favorites - Best of 2017 Cards

New Hat for Spooky Kitty! - posted 10/27/17

Blog Link: https://chatterboxcreations-1.blogspot.com/2015/10/new-kitty-face-card.html

Birthday Jazz for Youngest Son!

SMILES ABOUND!  

THIS CARD IS NAMED A

SPLITCOASTSTAMPERS FAVORITE OF THE

WEEK ENDING - SEPTEMBER 16, 2017!!

When making birthday cards for people I know well, I try to choose a theme for the card that relates to that person in some way.  For my youngest son, and the youngest of my four children, I thought I would make a card focusing on his talent as a musician.

During his youth, in elementary school and as a teenager, he was very much into music.  He first learned how to play the clarinet and was promoted the next year to a saxophone.  He was really very good and became a member of the jazz band and concert orchestra starting in his junior high years.  With the jazz band, his focus was on his alto sax, but for concert orchestra, you could see him on his sax, playing the oboe, or any of a variety of other reed instruments in which the orchestra might be short of instruments for a particular piece of music.  Mark was a quick study and able to pick up many other reed instruments very rapidly.

I wanted to enter Mark's card into several challenges at Splitcoaststampers, so I did a little research before beginning.  The result was a Nu-Jazz style focus, using black, white, cream, tans, and reds.  "The Story" follows below if you are interested in more tidbits about the whys and wherefores of this birthday card.  Meanwhile, take a peek just below at the musical, jazz card that I ended up making for Mark's birthday...I think he will really like it!

Ingredients:  Papers: Stampin' Up--Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler cardstocks; Recollections--Antique Parchment stack.  Patterned paper: Graphic 45--Fashionista Collection/ Debutante (stripe); A Proper Gentleman (paisley).  Googled digital images.  Ink: Colorbox Chestnut Roam (age distressing).  Dies: Reverse Confetti--Edge Essential (black square edges); My Favorite Things--First Place Ribbon (fishtail).  Darice Foam Sheets.  Pink Posh: sequins.  Stash: black/ gold metallic baker's twine.  Knit fabric covered button.  Computer-made sentiment (Font: Budmo Jiggler/ 32).  Stampin'Up Marker: Cherry Cobbler (sentiment circles colored...very difficult to see).  Size:  5" x 6-1/4".

"The Story"

Because I wanted this to be a birthday card for son, Mark, about his musical talent, but I also wanted to enter it into SCS challenges, I did a little research on the challenges available before beginning my card.  For the Alphabet Challenge - Round 7, I needed a card using some element that starts with the Letter N, with the double challenge that it be "not feminine."  Well, that one was easy...a card for Mark would not be feminine and because his jazz band played a great variety of types of jazz, including the Nu-Jazz style, my card would focus on that style of jazz.

The second challenge I wanted to enter is the Inspiration Challenge, using inspiration from the website Design Seeds and their color palettes.  From their coffee hues, I decided to make my card, black, white, creams, tans, and reds.

The third challenge that would work well is the Mix-Ability Challenge, which requires the card to focus on Black, White, and "Read" All Over...a challenge all about colors as well.

The fourth and final challenge is the Featured Stamper, who is Rachel (stampinrachel).  The goal is to visit the Featured Stamper's gallery and find a card for inspiration in making your own card.  I chose a card from Rachel's gallery that used the inchie-style for the layout.  It was the inspiration to use that style in my card as well...check out Rachel's card with this link: Winter Thank You by stampinrachel.

Sugar & Spice & Everything Nice!

I have another grand-niece, and her name is Farrah.  She is my sixth little niece and my sister's sixth granddaughter!  This little one belongs to my sister's youngest boy (of four children), and she is his second daughter!  Are you confused or what???

For this baby girl, I wanted to use my Cottage Cutz baby clothes dies, which I purchased at least two years ago and have never used them.  I cased a card by Jeannie Donnelly where she used the clothing dies in the "inchies" format, and I thought it was just too cute.  I really liked the inchies idea, but changed mine just a bit.  I used the bib from the Fancy Baby Border, scalloped squares for my inchies, and made them smaller in diameter.  I decided to simplify my sentiment frame, and not added  flowers, making my card less fussy.   

One thing I did find was that to accommodate the clothing dies, you had to use a square at least 1-3/4 inches in diameter, thus my card ended up 6-1/2 inches square.  Because of the amount of room around the clothing, I believe the card that I cased had to have been made with a 2-inch postage-edged square die, which would make that card a minimum of 7-1/2 inches square.  I decided that was just TOO big...my 6-1/2 inches is already pretty darn big!  

I am quite pleased with the outcome of my LARGE card, and I think little Farrah and her parents will like it as well.  Take a look below at the inside and outside of my little baby card.

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up cardstock: Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Pretty in Pink.  Recollections: Glitter paper (iridescent). Patterns:  K&Co.-Susan Wright Spring Blossom Stack; DCWV Preppy Princess Stack;  Recollections-Southern Hospitality/ Southern Belle; Paper Pizazz/ Soft Tints Yellow/Pink Gingham; Recollections-Dots, Stripes & Plaids stack; Prima-Divine Collection/ Epigram; SU-Love Blossoms Stack (bib).  Stampin' Up Ink:  Pretty-in-Pink, Melon Mambo.  Dies: Spellbinders Nested Scallop Squares (1-3/4" dia.); Memory Box-Typewriter Upper Alphabet; Cottage Cutz-Baby Girls' Clothes/ Fancy Baby Border.  EK Punch: Scalloped Corners-Large.  Size: 6-1/2" square.  

Spooky Inchies Halloween Mini Card Album!

My final card for my youngest son and his wife will be another paper bag mini album card with purple as the color of choice as purple is one of Ginger's favorite colors.  Secretly, I also wanted to use the purple patterned paper with the witch's hats and cauldrons scattered about.  

I so love this retired stamp set, Spooky Bingo Bits, especially the cute little witch, haunted house, and goofy bat, my three favorite images.  These images make such a great inchies card!  This being my fifth paper bag mini album, it went together very quickly, and I was very please with my centerfold witch's shoes and broom acting as her hat hanger.  A little idea I cooked up.  I think Mark and Ginger will like their little Halloween mini album card. . .don't you!

Card Front


Card Center


Card Back

Recipe:  SU cardstocks: Basic Black, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White.  DCWV Halloween & Fall - 2011; Bewitched Mat Stack: stripe/ argyle (pocket).  White paper sack: 9" x 4-3/4" (Michaels).  Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black.  Stamps:  SU--Spooky Bingo Bits (Annual 2011-12), Wicked Cool (Annual 2011-12),  Tee-Hee-Hee (2014 Holiday); Martha Stewart--Carnival (spooky).  Dies:  Spellbinder--Inverted Scallop Squares #3/#4, Labels 11 (tag); Sizzlits--Halloween Set #2 (beware).  Punch:  Modern Labels.  Stickers: Martha Stewart bats.  Ribbon: Recollections Haunted.  Spider-web netting (JoAnns).  SU 3/8" dotted ribbon (colored with Copics).  Recollections rhinestones.  SU Dazzling Details (adhesive glitter).

Spooky Halloween Mini Album Card!

I so enjoyed finished my little witch's accessories mini album card for my friend Liz, that I thought I'd make another for my friend, Sandy.  One of Stampin' Up's stamp sets for Halloween that I've always thought were very, very cute was the Spooky Bingo Bits, which retired after the 2011-12 annual catalog.  I made a Halloween inchies card using this stamp set several years ago, but used four different bits.  I really wanted to use it again, and thought an inchies cover would make a cute mini album card.  This time, I thought I would be focused on the little witch and spooky things related to her, so I chose the witch, her black cat, her haunted house, and her friend, Mr. Bat.  I wanted to double mat my inchies to set them off more and to add more color interest.  I used the Spellbinders Inverted Scallop Squares for the mat, which remind me a lot of the postage stamp effect, but more pointy, and maybe more apropos for Halloween???

After I made the decision to do red-orange and black mats for the inchies, I went ahead and put them together because I thought it would make it easier to decide on paper patterns that I thought would coordinate and blend well together.  I went back to my stash of old papers, feeling I should really use some of this stuff that I have had around for three or four years now.  There are so many patterns in the DCWV Halloween/Fall stacks, and I have two: the 2011 and 2012 versions!  I found five patterns that I thought went well together and also worked with my inchies.

Next, I had to decide on embellishments to accents each of the four pages.  It is surprising that even with oodles of Hall0ween embellishments, papers, punches, etc., it's still a challenge to make choices.  I'm pretty happy with my little card-book, and I think my friend, Sandy, will enjoy it as well, letting her know that she is well thought of!

Inchie Front Cover

Middle - Page 2/ Page 3

Back Cover

Recipe:  Papers:  SU Black/ Whisper White cs; Bazzill Navel cs;  DCWV Halloween & Fall (2011/ 2012); Core'dinations - Black Tie Glitter; Making Memories Halloween Journaling Book (houses pinked pocket).  White paper sack: 9" x 4-3/4" (Michaels).  SU stamps:  Spooky Bingo Bits.  Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black.  Copic: 100/Black.  Dies:  Spellbinders - Inversted Scallop Squares #3/#4; Labels 11 (tag); Sizzix - Wingo Dingo Alphabet.  Die-cuts:  K&Company (Spooky); Martha Stewart--Haunted (raven); Creatology foam cat.   Punches:  WRMK Deco Corner Chomper.  Other:  SU - Baker's Twine; Celebrate - 3/8" solid-sheet ribbon; Recollections - charcoal rhinestones.

Mr. Moustache Birthday Card!

Happy Days!  This card was chosen as a

SPLITCOASTSTAMPERS FAVORITE OF

WEEK ENDING - DECEMBER 29, 2013

Two of my husband's brothers celebrate their birthdays on the same day...January 5th!  I had been wanting to make a masculine card featuring a moustache, and as brother, Joe, has had a moustache regularly for going on ten or more years, his birthday was the perfect excuse!  I had seen several cards over the last few years featuring Stampin' Up's Mocha Morning designer paper using postage stamp squares (the inchie style) and loved the look of it.  I wanted a larger card (big surprise) than an A2 size that is usually used by most SU designers.  I also like more layering than is typically used with most inchie cards, so came up with the idea of combining inchies and banners together.  Here is the result of inchies, banners, and Mr. Moustache!  I hope Joe enjoys his card.

Below is the inside of the Mr. Moustache card showing the design to coordinate with the style of the card.

Recipe:  Stampin' Up products:  Early Espresso cs, Crumb Cake cs, Very Vanilla cs, Basic Black cs, Pink Pirouette cs, Regal Rose cs (ret.), Mocha Morning dsp; Punches: Postage Stamp square, 1" square, Bird Building (moustache), 1/2" circle, 3/4" circle, small oval, Ex. lrg. oval, Decorative Label; Framelit: Banners (modified). MayArts twine. Stash: buttons. Computer-made sentiment. (Mr. Moustache and sentiment are popped).  Inside: EK Fancy Corner punch. SU Mocha Morning dsp.  (SplitcoastStampers Thread: December 29, 2013/ #52).