Jolly Halloween Owl Mini Book

I was so proud to complete this project. For those who know me Halloween is one of my most favorite holidays. Some people may assume that Halloween has to be scary and gory but I beg to differ. For my album I used Graphic 45's Happy Haunting and Maya Road owl shaped chipboard album. I also used Glossy accents, Crackle accents, rhinestones, Prima  and Reflections flowers, Dittos glimmer sprays and Star Dust Stickles.

 

To achieve the look of feathers on the cover of the album I cut the petals of some Prima flowers and layered them following the pre-embossed design that was on the album cover, for the eyes I layered 3 different sizes of flowers. Once all the flowers and the petals we adhered I sprayed it with a combination of black and purple glimmer spray, once dry I added yellow rhinestones for the eyes. The beak I used a touch of orange paint then filled it in with Glossy accents. I cut out the "Happy Haunting" banner from the paper adhered it with pop dots for dimension and finished off with Stickles.

All the pages have some sort of 3D elements to them. On the top the witch on the left and the stamps on the right are secured with pop dots. Also I used star shaped rhinestones and Stickles.
The pages below have some "popped" elements as well and I also used Crackle accents, purple rhinestones, some leftover Prima flower petals from the cover and Stickles.

 Close up of the popped up element

This witch was no joke to fussy cut but she looks amazing flying over the moon. I love the moon graphic he's just so jolly. On the page below the clock is my favorite, the pumpkin that hangs below it I made it an actual moving pendulum. The particular page that I used features the clock and pumpkin pendulum but I just had to figure out how I could make it a moving part.

 Swing pumpkin pendulum

 Who could be scared of this adorable witch and her little kitty. Halloween should be for the children to celebrate dressing up and going Trick-or-Treating. At least that's how it was for me, we would go door to door and not be afraid. Now a days the kids go to the mall or some other Church or City Park function.

 Close up of the layered flowers the were sprayed with black glimmer.

This is the back page of my mini book. The quotation say " Hallowe'en greeting. Good luck and good cheer. May these be the spirits that haunt you all year... 

Indeed, good luck, good cheer... Happy Haunting!

I totally stink at the blogging thing

So I totally stink at the blogging thing.... My failed promise to keep on top of this thing went by the way side. I have been creative though... here are some pics of my latest adventures in crafting.

 I bought a K & Co. Halloween paper pad last year and was totally inspired to create these Halloween Cards with it.
In the nick of time this past holiday season I started to create had made ornaments. I love how these came out. It's fun to find little treasures to add to them. I'm looking forward to making some more this season.

There will be more to come... My best friend and I have been taking the Stamp of the Month classes with Jean at the Paper Niche and we have an amazing collection of card to show off.
TTFN

Oh No! I let cob webs grow again on my blog

OMG I know, I know, I'm horrible at this keeping up with a blog thing. I'm also horrible at getting thank you notes out to all who attended my son's 1st birthday. Well since July 21, 2011 was my last post of course a ton has happened. My baby is no longer a baby he's a big boy, walking and getting into all kinds of things. I have devoted more time to my business and I have made wonderful connections both locally and nationally. I even had a great idea for a new business venture. So with all these goings on no wonder I let my poor blog go by the way side. For shame on me. However, since there have been creative things still going on I will have to dedicate some time to showing them off.


Stay tuned......

Getting creative with the Hubs

So earlier this month my Hubby tells me he'd like to get in to scrapbooking and "do what I do" ... What the February?? He wants to be "creative"?? This is awesome!!! So we checked out this months class calendar at the Paper Niche and decided on two classes we'd like to take. The first was the Stamp of the Month class featuring the Inky Antics HoneyPOP Collection taught by Jean. It was great, we had to opportunity to make two cards using the Inky Antics HoneyPOP stamps, honeycomb tissue paper pads and Copic markers. I still can't get over how interested the Hubs was about the class, and Jean is an excellent teacher very patient, especially when we were running behind and had to switch trays with our other class mates.



These were the first set of cards we made. Mine is the one on the right which was like the sample Jean had presented, the left one is Hubby's he was creative and chose a different color for the frosting. We used the Copic sketch markers to color in the cupcakes, cherries and the chickie birds. We had never used Copics before, ( I know hard to believe cause I work at the Niche) but it's true I tried to resist the temptation of adding yet another tool to the arsenal of creativity. Jean's one class has me hooked so needless to say I'll have to invest in a few. I digress...



These are the insides of our cards, mine is the one on the top, I over achieved and added a little highlight to the cherry on top. The Inky Antics rubber stamp sets have all the images you need to create these adorable cards. In the set of stamps are the patters to cut the honeycomb paper to create the center cupcake. As Jean showed us we had to make sure we line up the stamp a certain way to ensure when the cards are opened the honeycomb paper opens the right way creating the effect of a frosted cupcake with a cherry on top.

The second cards we made, which truth be told had us hooked to take the class, were these ever so cute monkey cards. Since almost everything we have for the baby is monkey themed we're always on the lookout for any and everything monkey. We made these cards the same as before using the Inky Antics HoneyPOP collection, the honeycomb paper and Copic markers. This second time around we were "pros" and delved a little deeper into what we could create with the stamps and coloring with the Copics.



So the left side is the Hubby's and the right is mine, his own was more like Jean's sample and I got a little more confident with the Copic markers. You can tell by the close up that I added some rosy cheeks and by using a darker brown added some shadows by the monkey's ears and under his chin. The inside is where we had the most fun...



The Hubs had the brilliant idea of saying "Why don't we add falling bananas since the monkey looks like he's shaking the tree"!!! I knew I married this man for a reason!!! In the stamp set were individual bananas and leaves we configured them on our acrylic block and stamped away. After all it was a Stamp of the Month class. The Hubby's is on the top by this time he already glued in his tree so it was hard to stamp around it. I of course had to over achieve again, mine has more leaves and bananas since I had not glued my tree in to place when he had his masterful idea. We colored in the leaves and the bananas with the Copic markers. Our class mates were impressed with the idea of adding the additional leaves and fruit that one even took a picture of our cards. We were very happy to have taken this class and had the chance to share it with some talented ladies. If you ever have the opportunity to take a class at the Paper Niche I hope you consider one of Jean's Stamp of the Month classes. Thanks again Jean! I'll blog about the second class the Hubby and I are taking later. Check out the this link to learn more about the Inky Antics HoneyPOP collection. http://www.inkyantics.com/honeypop.htm

SMASH the baby...

Ok so before you go calling DCF on me, the baby is fine. Better than fine, really he's amazing! He's rolling over, and squealing. He's even trying to eat with a spoon. So why is the title of this post "SMASH the baby"? I'm talking about the new trend in scrapbooking.

K&Co. came out with this "SMASH" Book, really you can "SMASH" with any type of journal but I like the K&Co kind because they have different accouterments that you can use to "SMASH" the things that you like. The greatest thing is, you can "SMASH" anything, from your family photos, things that inspire you, ideas that you may have for just about anything.

I have choosen to "SMASH" Darin because it's a quick way to get my creative fix during one of his infrequent naps. Plus, I think it is a great memento for him to have when he gets older to remind him just how much joy he has brought to my life. Take a look at some of the pages I have created.



As you can see, the books come with pre-designed base pages and you just add your ideas and photos on top, you have the freedom to incorporate the pre-printed designs or just cover it up. There is no right or wrong way. A great feature that comes with the book is the "nifty" pen and glue stick combo. You can use the glue stick to adhere the item of your choice then use the pen to make your notations.

There are several different journals to choose from and each book has a different themed pages. The pages are so unique which are great for me because I have the worst hand writing, but with the "SMASH" books, I don't have to be perfect. Oh, and if you like to doodle the pen is perfect for that. Some of the accessories include black & white polka dotted tape, mini envelopes to hold the smallest inspirations, page clips and page tabs to section off your "SMASH" book. I have to say "SMASHing" the baby is quite fun I had to get the Hubs one.

Dusting off the cobwebs . . .

Um . . . Talk about being neglectful. I have not posted anything since October 6, 2010. Really!! Well, much has happened since then; I finally had the chance to take an ATC class with Luci at the Paper Niche. The holidays came and went, a new year passed by and I gave birth to my son 3 weeks early. Darin Augustino Reyes decided he wanted out on January 22nd, one day premature but healthy and strong as ever.



Now I know I dedicated this blog to all things creative. So, I'm taking liberty with the "creativity" side and since I helped create Darin, as a new mother there are a few things that have occurred that I had to write about. I'll spare the details of the pains of labor and delivery because really, when you tell people you’re pregnant, the women with the worst stories insist on telling you theirs. Don't get me wrong I found all the stories I've heard to be very insightful. Some of them useful, as I birthed another human being. For instance how to push. I did not take any of the birthing classes nor did I watch the DVD that my best friend so thoughtfully burned for me. So when it was time to push, it took a few to get the hang of it. Yes it is painful, yes the epidural works wonders.

I'm an educated person, I have a BA in Graphic Design (I don't like to throw it around) however the best way to feel like a complete idiot is to take your new baby out for the first time in public and attempt to unload them from the car. It took a good 10 minutes to figure out how to unfold his stroller, as people were staring some possibly even snickered. The next issue was how to maneuver said stroller as I opened doors and tried not to run my foot over. I should have purchased it earlier so I would have practiced how to push this thing. Yes, I believe the should have a stroller steering course cause I sure needed it. I sort of kinda still do. Of course, the highlight of ending my adventure was folding the stroller and getting it back into the trunk of my car. I'm still having issues with the folding stroller back part too. I'm sure the veteran Moms are laughing while reading this.



Bottles, bottle everywhere but mom could use one with a good stiff drink. In my younger wilder days I toyed with the idea of becoming a bar tender. The idea of mixing drinks, adding fruity garnish and pretty umbrellas to them, working the fast pace of a weekend crowd looking some courage in a bottle always intrigued me. Well, I got my wish so to speak, not mixing up intoxicating libations but baby formula. The evening routine of setting up Darin's nightly bottles reminds me of a bar keep filling her orders. The bottle system we’re using has 4 components that need to be broken down and put together for each bottle, at first I was careful and took my time added just the right amount of water. Now, I set up 3 bottles in 20 seconds flat, it’s like a “G” rated version of the movie “Cocktail”.

I read in a book that “As soon as you see your baby for the first time you’ll fall in love with them”. I read in another book that the writer “Was not sure how you could fall in love with a person you just met, even if you gave birth to them”. For me I didn’t have to fall in love with Darin. I just loved him. As natural and simple as that, I didn’t have to try to feel anything. It just is, and I treasure every little moment we have. What I have learned so far as a new Mother, your time is not your own and to get over it quickly because there is someone who is more dependant on you than anyone else you will meet in this lifetime. Also, 8 hours of sleep is for sissies.

Scary Class at the Paper Niche

I was so happy that I had the chance to take this class at the Paper Niche on Tuesday. It's the "Scary home decor" with Barbara. What a fun and inspiring class. Barbara taught us her techniques to decorate simple wood letters with paint, paper and embellishments to create this "scary" sign. She also introduced UTEE (ultra thick embossing enamel) and glass etching. I had never worked with UTEE before, but after this class I know my next purchase will be a melting pot and UTEE, it is so simple to use but is so versatile to create embellishments.

If you are free on Saturday the 16th, Barbara is offering this class again from 9am - 1pm at the Paper Niche. Log on to www.paperniche.com for more information on this and all the other classes offer in October.

P.S. After class stop by the Ft. Lauderdale Christian School's Annual Craft Fair, my company, The Water Bottle Soap Co. will be there from 9am - 4pm. Shop early for the holidays and support local businesses.