Pumpkin Patch

The layout for today is similar to the one that I posted last Friday. They have the same paper and embellishments, only laid out in a different way. I could give you some speech about doing it so that you could see that with only a few minor changes you can get a vastly different look to any page opening up a world of endless possibilities....but let's face it, the real reason they are so similar is that today I was feeling uninspired and genuinely not in the mood to craft. I have mentioned before that lately I can't seem to get myself out of my own head when the people that I love and care about are going through stuff, my tendencies are to completely immerse myself into their problem so that I feel like the same thing is happening to me. I don't know why I do this!!

Anywho, I did make some small changes to the layout today. I used some pumpkins that I made (using the same technique that I used last Friday, only this time I used circle punches instead of oval) that are quite a bit smaller than before and made using patterned paper instead of a solid color. I also added a journaling space to this one to help fill out and balance the bottom of the page.

Pumpkin Door Wreath

Today I am feeling lazy. It is a cold and dreary day. All I want to do is curl up in my bed with a good book or a movie and not move. I don't know if it was all the excitement from Saturday's party (which was a blast by the way) or the sullen mood from Sunday (I had to go to a memorial service for a family member who passed away) but the last couple of days I have found it hard to motivate myself. The weather hasn't helped the situation any either, but since it is fall in the midwest it is not likely to improve that much for a while.

Every couple of months I try to change out the wreath that hangs on my front door so that it reflects the mood and tone of the season or holiday. But, since so much has been going on in my life lately I haven't had a chance to sit down and make a new door wreath until now, and I would say that it is BEYOND past due, since the wreath currently on my front door is from JULY.

When I think of fall, one of the first things that comes to mind is PUMPKINS. These orange little gourds are simply everywhere. So, why not on my front door? I had an idea of what I wanted it to look like in my head, (a piece of cardstock cut out in the shape of a pumpkin with orange rosettes glued onto it) so all I had to do was create it. Sounds simple, right? Well it would have been if my mom hadn't burst out laughing at my attempt to draw a pumpkin template. That plus the fact that simply cutting it out of a 12 x 12 piece of cardstock would have made the overall wreath rather small on the door. I was truly stumped. What do I do now? Luckily, my mom came through and saved the project with the perfect solution, to use a placemat or something that is already shaped like a pumpkin instead. So, off to the Dollar Tree I went and as luck would have it within 10 seconds of walking in the door I found EXACTLY what I was looking for.

I used some scrap cardstock to fill in the eyes, nose and mouth of the pumpkin and set to gluing on the rosettes. I have to say the final result looks exactly like the one that I had created in my head. I love when things work out!

Thankful For You

Happy Fall Y'all. It is officially November so in my book that means that fall is settling in. It is time to start a new blog series since our month of Halloween is over. As I mentioned in Tuesday's post I will be spending the month of November sharing different fall related projects and decor.

The layout for today is titled 'Thankful for You'. Once again I found a piece of patterned cardstock that I wanted to showcase by just adding photo mats, but the star of the page (in my opinion) is the pumpkins that I made to fill in around the photos. I found a tutorial on YouTube quite a while ago (if you are interested, try searching for pumpkin punch art.)

Who are you most thankful for?

For me, It is my mom. She is my rock and my best friend. Tomorrow is our annual Halloween Murder Mystery Party and I have spent the day setting up for it and making some desserts to share with my guests (posts about all decor and food will be coming but not until after the new year). My mom, bless her heart has been trying to help me where she can even though she hasn't been feeling very well since her colonoscopy.

Ghosty Circle

Happy Halloween!! The day is finally here and all of the adorable ghost, goblins, vampires and witches will come out of the graveyard and knock on your door begging for candy. What is everyone doing for Halloween? What costume are you going to wear? Do you get many trick-or-treaters that come to your door on Halloween night? We don't. We are lucky if we get one kid that comes to our door. So instead I buy a bag of candy and end up eating it by myself. Oh well, more for me so I'm not complaining.

There is not a whole lot to say about today's card except that it is probably one of my favorites for this month. I love the look of a thick black outline against the patterned paper! And, like I have mentioned several times this month, I am trying to use up some of my stash of Halloween supplies. So, these adorable little glittery ghosts just had to make an appearance. I hope you like this card as much as I do!

In the end, I used up quite a bit of my Halloween stash but I still have A LOT left. I decided that I wouldn't buy any new supplies this year (even on clearance) since I still have so much. Plus, I am trying to reorganize my supplies in my craft room and I didn't want to have to find a place to store anymore Halloween items. And, who knows maybe next year they will come out with some stuff that I simply can't refuse. 

I hope that you have all enjoyed this month long buildup to Halloween and the different projects that I created. I sure had a lot of fun creating them. On Friday we will be starting a new series for the month of November, focusing on all things Fall, Autumn and Thankful. 

Witch Cauldron Party

Today's scrapbook layout is another example of layout in WITCH (yes, I know that I spelled it wrong but I couldn't resist) the patterned paper does most, if not all, of the work. I have been super busy lately trying to get my party details planned out and decorations made that I also forgot about making a layout today. I try to have most of my projects made a week or two in advance so that I'm not scrambling for ideas at the last minute. I don't know about you, but when I know something has to be done quickly, that is when I tend to blank out and get uninspired. But, since I have been so busy I nearly forgot that I needed to make a new layout. So, I decided to once again flip through my countless paper pads and see if something inspired me. I stumbled across this cute witch paper and knew that it would make a cute and FAST layout. I adhered two 4 x 6 inch horizontal photo mats and was about to call the layout done when I remembered that I have several sheets of stickers that I am trying to use up. I pulled them out to see what stickers if any would be fitting and found this great "The Witch's Night Party" sticker that I felt finishes the page. I also found several bat stickers that I added to the moon for a spooky effect, although they are slightly too large. I made three copies of this layout, like I have done with several other layouts this month, because there were three identical sheets of this witch paper. I kept them all the same except that for two of them I went through my stamp sets and found a small bat that I stamped in black ink on the moon instead of using the stickers. I actually like the stamped bats better than the stickers. What do you all think? Only four more days until Halloween, have you finalized your plans yet? How many of you are going to your Halloween party this weekend instead?

Open If You Dare

Their are only 7 more days until Halloween, are you getting excited yet? It sounds funny but I am now getting excited for Halloween to be over, simply because I have zero plans for Halloween and also because my big Halloween event will be taking place on November 4th instead. Each year for the past three I have hosted a Murder Mystery Party for my family and friends, and it is a blast. We all wear costumes for our characters and I make lunch/dinner for everyone themed to that years party. This year the party is all about Mardi Gras so it is sure to be fun.

But, enough about me. Let's talk poison, which is the theme of today's card. While going through my scraps from projects I have made in the past I discovered several cutouts full of poisons or potions. I matted them with some orange cardstock just so that the poison panel would stand out more against the background paper. I also looked through my many stamps (which took a while) for a stamp that would make a fitting sentiment. I found this scroll-like frame that says "open if you dare" and I felt that it would be cute when paired with the bottles.

In other news, my cousin and his wife celebrated the birth of their son yesterday and we are all so happy. He is a beautiful, happy and healthy baby boy and we are all so glad that he is finally here. Welcome to the world baby Zion!

Beary Witchy Cauldron

Hey ghouls and goblins, I know, super cheesy greeting right but it was my mom's suggestion so I thought what the heck, there are only 11 more days until Halloween, why not be a little cheesy.

I have been living in my head a lot lately and it puts me in a rather depressed and anxious state. I don't know why I allow other peoples thoughts and opinions effect me so much but they do and I am trying my hardest to work through it. I just can't make myself understand why no one wants to be around or understand when I am going through hard times but they sure expect me to be there for them when they need a shoulder. Isn't it supposed to go both ways?

Anyway, enough angst so let's move on. I want to share with you another scrapbook layout that I made and I am totally in love with!  The giant bear was cut out using my all time favorite Cricut cartridge, Teddy Bear Parade. She is super adorable and for a little added pizzazz I added some shimmer to her outfit, her broom and the acidic vapor rising up out of her bubbling cauldron. To me this layout just screams HALLOWEEN!