Happy Halloween...Sweets and Treats for the Children

"On Hallowe'en, Oh mercy me,

The awfullest things that one can see,

Ghosts, and goblins, and witches too,

And other things to frighten you.

Happy Halloween! This is a somber day considering the mess that Hurricane Sandy has left behind, it just doesn't feel right to be celebrating - when so many are hanging in the balance of floods, storm damage and power outages. I've made a donation to the Red Cross and prepared goodies for the lil' ghosts and goblins who will be trick or treating tonight... 

I just wanted to share this festive Halloween necklace I made for myself. This is using an adorable Altered Pages Halloween Digital Collage Sheet immortalized in shrink plastic, fuzzy fibers and a shimmery bead to top it off.

All ready to wear for Halloween. The size of my shrunken charm is about 3 1/2" tall by 2 1/4" wide.

I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday and a SpOoktacular Halloween! Sb : )

Winds of Change...It's Finally Fall - at Least for a Day or Two...

Hooray!!! I'm happy to report that fall has finally reached South Florida and this morning it's a brisk 58 degrees...time to break out the light leather jacket, boots and a scarf!

In falls finest colors: red, gold, bronze and rust - I have created a steampunk necklace using a stamped silk leaf, diecut leafs out of mica and painted vintage book paper, chain pieces, and of course...gears! I am submitting this to "Autumn Leaves" Challenge at Simon Says Stamp.

Using jewelry pliers, I opened the chain links and added gears. I also added leaf brads to repeat the leaf motif. 

I used these items from Simon Says Stamp for this project:

Ranger Walnut Stain Distress Ink, Stampers Anonymous Writing Background Stamp, Cuttlebug Leaves Die, Beadalon Tool Kit, and Judikins Diamond Glaze.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope fall is bringing you beautiful weather and colors. Have a great day! Sb : )

"BLACK" is IN! Anything But a Card Challenge #5

Today debuts a brand new Challenge...incorporate the color BLACK!!! Are you ready to CREATE and play along??? 

There's two weeks to play along and link up via inlinkz froggy. Anything But a Card Challenges is a bi-weekly challenge and today, the Design Team showcases NEW projects using a brand-new challenge of incorporating the color "BLACK". Please click here to head on over to ABAC and see all the fantastic projects shared by the fantastic design team AND submissions by all of you. I will have a project featured next Sunday for week two of the challenge. 

REMEMBER this challenge blog is ANYTHING and EVERYTHING... except for Cards. ATC's aren't greeting cards...so please link up your ATC's!!!

Anything But a Card Challenge 5 is use the COLOR BLACK!

Challenge 5 is to incorporate the color BLACK into your project. It doesn't have to be the only color, but it should compromise a good portion of it. And not to worry, this does "not" have to be spooky...but at this time of the year...it certainly could be!

Today I am sharing a halloween ATC which is monochromatic... using only Black {a little challenging}. The trick is to have contrast so that all elements are visable. This has a black cardstock base of stamped images overlayed with a stamped layer on acetate printed with my phrase "rest in pieces". I laced torn, distressed ribbon around the edges to hold the two layers together.

I hope you like my "Rest In Pieces" ATC.

I hope you are inspired to play along and I can't see what you create! Have a fantastic day!

If you are on the Eastern U.S. seaboard, I hope you are safe and sheltered from Hurricane Sandy - she is a giant, rainy mess. Please board-up, prepare and hunker down. For those of you on the Northwestern U.S. coast and B.C. and Alaska impacted by the earthquake, our thoughts and prayers are with you. Stay safe!

:) Sb

Merry Christmas with Fresh Falling Snow...Card using Unscripted Sketches #182

WOW! This week really flew by...especially with the winds of Tropical Storm Sandy! Welcome to Sketch-It Saturday with Unscripted Sketches!!! Today debuts a new sketch #182 and I'm bringing you another...can you guess...Christmas card!

This is a quick and easy card using my punches and leftovers from other projects. I have these green tree shapes leftover from handmade ornaments made for my grandmother that originated from a large sheet of green collaged and painted watercolor paper. I layered these onto a background paper that is My Mind's Eye. To add to the scene I punched out some various snowflakes - these went perfect with the patterned paper. I finished this off with "Merry Christmas" sentiment that is Cosmo Cricket and a couple of sparkly star stickers. I inked the edges of the card with "Iced Spruce" Distress Ink to accent the blustery, snowy feel. Another lovely card using my scraps :)

What is Sketch it Saturdays at Unscripted Sketches? Every Saturday morning a new sketch is posted for the week. Flip the sketch, rotate it… create a card, a scrapbook page, a wall hanging, digital, paper, fabric, paint, anything your imagination comes up with! There is no right or wrong way, as long as you are using the Unscripted sketch as the inspiration for your creation! And everyone is invited to join in the fun...and post your creation on their page for all the world to see!

Thanks for stopping by - hope you have a wonderfully creative weekend! 

 : ) Sb

Someone is SCREAMING Steampunk for Leslie Rahye's Spooky Halloween Steampunk Bloghop

The big SpOoktacular that is Halloween is almost here!!! Thanks for stopping by my stop on Leslie-Rahye's Very Spooky Halloween Steampunk Blog Hop! This is another celebration of Steampunk in a series of bloghops hosted by LeslieRayhe. CLICK HERE to see last month's hop!

"E...E...K!!!" Screams my Halloween Wall Hanging with hand-colored alcohol ink dripping letters. The tulle bows, lime green grosgrain ribbon, webbing and fun fur complete this SpOoky Cute Decor!

The best part... I made it myself with Amazing Mold Putty and Amazing Casting Resin along with a few craft supplies I already have around the house. CLICK HERE to see the how-to.

Please scroll down to click on the squares below to continue to all the fantastic artists on the hop! Thanks for stopping by. I invite you to join me here TOMORROW for Sketch-it Saturday...and Sunday brings a brand new CHALLENGE for ANYTHING BUT A CARD CHALLENGES. Sb : )

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Strike a Pose Mr. Grinch! It's Festive Friday Number 20!!!

Welcome to the twentieth installment of Terri Sproul's 2012 Festive Friday Bloghop. Halloween is just a few days away and the holiday rush will be ON. I'm all done with my Christmas cards and now that the Halloween Hurrah is through, I'm moving on to handmade gifts.

You should have arrived here from Terri's Page. To get back to the beginning of the bloghop CLICK HERE.

I made this fun "Merry Grinchmas" Christmas card using my never-ending Grinch Papercrafting kit. The background paper is two-tone green of "Sir Grinchiness" and I layered some border scraps to give this die cut smiling Grinch a place to rest. This is one of my favorite cards made with these goodies.

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Thanks for visiting!!!

The next stop on the Festive Friday Bloghop

is Angela at Midnight Crafting - CLICK HERE.

Have a fantastic Friday...and a wonderful day! Sb :)

Fall is Fashionable with Steampunk Fall Jewelry to Adorn Anything But A Card Challenge #4

Welcome to FALL!!! Thanks for stopping by today!

It's week number two of the "Fall/Halloween" challenge at "ANYTHING BUT A CARD"!!! ABAC is a bi-weekly challenge and today, the Design Team showcases NEW projects using the current "Fall/Halloween" Challenge number FOUR. Head on over to ABAC and see all the fantastic projects shared by the fantastic design team AND submissions by all of you. The best part...there's still another week to play along and link up via inlinkz froggy.

Anything But a Card Challenge 4 is use Fall/Halloween Theme!

For this challenge use a FALL/Halloween theme for your project. Create with a Fall/Halloween inspired theme or use earthy colors of the season {reds, browns,golds, greens, yellows, rusts}. This challenge theme is so much fun! I hope you are playing along!

Here's more about my Fall/Halloween project for ABAC Challenge #4.

I have created a piece of FALL jewelry in my finest STEAMPUNKERY - a necklace using chain pieces, a stamped silk leaf, a diecut leaf out of mica and painted vintage book paper, and of course...gears! I started with a red silk leaf and I stamped a flourishy script text onto it. I die cut a leaf out of painted book paper and also a piece of mica using my Cuttlebug Leaf/embossing combo set. I ran the mica through again in the embossing folder. It worked - BUT - it did break my leaf into a couple of pieces. So I glued it to my book page leaf with Diamond Glaze. It's still a little delicate, but it's not going anywhere. The next time I'm playing with my resin, I'm going to pour some over it so that it's permanently preserved.

Now for the WISHBONE...yep - I made that, too! I cast a real dried/bleached wishbone in Amazing Mold Putty and cast it in Amazing Casting Resin colored with Alumilite Metallic Powders for resin. Please CLICK HERE to see how-to.

Using jewelry pliers, I opened the chain links and added gears between the links. The leafs are brads that I affixed by bending the arms on the brad around the chain link.

What are you making??? You still have a week to link up your FALL or HALLOWEEN creations and I will be looking at them ALL. I love seeing all of the creative ideas everyone is sharing! The next Challenge will debut on Sunday, October 28th. With Halloween just around the corner...I wonder what challenge the dark and devious crafty divas will present??? Remember...The only thing NOT allowed is a card! Sb : )

"NO PEEKING" Until Sketch-It Saturday with Unscripted Sketches #181

It's finally the weekend again...welcome to Sketch-It Saturday with Unscripted Sketches!!! Today debuts a new sketch #181 and this week we have an additional "PIGGYBACK" challenge to use MOVEMENT. See if you can make something pop up, swing out, lift, hidden pocket, etc. It would work for scrapbook pages, cards and even frame-able items. So I made a pull-up accordion concealed behind a my patterned paper present. I invite you to play along...

**A TIP** You can make a quick and easy hidden journaling space by folding a cardstock into an accordion. I concealed my embellished accordion behind a faux present fashioned out of American Crafts patterned paper and ribbon.

On the inside...I used a Daisy D's rub-on; "Twas the Night Before Christmas" phrasing combined with Mr. Green himself trying to sneek away with the loot! The Grinch and the stars are stickers from my Grinch papercrafting kit. This makes another adorable Christmas card which will be perfect to hold a gift card.

What is Sketch it Saturdays at Unscripted Sketches? Every Saturday morning a new sketch is posted for the week. Flip the sketch, rotate it… create a card, a scrapbook page, a wall hanging, digital, paper, fabric, paint, anything your imagination comes up with! There is no right or wrong way, as long as you are using the Unscripted sketch as the inspiration for your creation! And everyone is invited to join in the fun...and post your creation on their page for all the world to see!

Thanks for stopping by - hope you have a fabulous weekend! 

 : ) Sb

Season's Greetings Amongst Shimmery Trees with Unscripted Sketches #180

What do you do with that festive Christmas Red and Green glittery border paper? I cut it up to make this card for this week's Sketch-it Saturday with Unscripted Sketches Sketch #180.

**A TIP** If you have a striped border-like patterned paper that's not useable as a background...cut it up into pieces for embellishments!

The background is a scrap from another card layered with a green cardstock for my border embellishments. A quick and festive card finished off with a coordinating American Crafts ribbon.

What is Sketch it Saturdays at Unscripted Sketches? Every Saturday morning a new sketch is posted for the week. Flip the sketch, rotate it… create a card, a scrapbook page, a wall hanging, digital, paper, fabric, paint, anything your imagination comes up with! There is no right or wrong way, as long as you are using the Unscripted sketch as the inspiration for your creation! And everyone is invited to join in the fun...and post your creation on their page for all the world to see!

Have a great weekend!  : ) Sb 

Festive Friday #19 is Here...Just two Months to Go!!!

Welcome to the nineteenth installment of Terri Sproul's 2012 Festive Friday Bloghop. October is here and Halloween is fast approaching. I'm so glad I've been part of this bloghop all year because I am ahead of the Holiday rush for once.

You should have arrived here from Terri's Page. To get back to the beginning of the bloghop CLICK HERE.

This week's the GRINCH has returned. I have to say I am really getting my money's worth out of the Grinch Paper Crafting Kit I bought in January on clearance. This card is so quick and easy! It's a popped up sticker from my kit layered over two wonky cut scraps and some loopy lace with Miracle Tape holding this altogether. Another card completed featuring my favorite Holiday HERO!!!

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Thanks for visiting!!!

The next stop on the Festive Friday Bloghop

is Angela at Midnight Crafting - CLICK HERE.

Have a fantastic Friday...and a wonderful day! Sb :)

World Cardmaking Day Recap...a Whirlwind of Creativity Shared all Day

Here's a recap of the Demo's I had last Saturday for World Cardmaking Day! It was so much fun and a whirlwind of creativity was shared by all. I have tons of ideas an inspiration to keep me busy at least through the holidays.

Impromtu Flower Soft Demo - 2pm  CLICK HERE

Throw-Away Collage Demo - 3:30pm  CLICK HERE

Impromtu Highlighter Background Demo CLICK HERE

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DEMOS for The ODD Show Live

World Cardmaking Day Extravaganza

2 pm Demo

Highlighter Backgrounds 

Super Easy!!! All you do is color a piece of cardstock with the highlighter marker, completely covering sheet. Instead of just making it plain and solid, I have made wave patterns and bubbles with my strokes. To get variations of color, build up one or two additional strokes of color. This makes a fantastic watery background for my seahorse stamp. CLICK HERE to see how-to for what I did on mini notebook shown.

Here's the completed background of just blue highlighter pen.

**A NOTE** I used a smooth finish natural ivory colored cardstock as my base.

4:30pm Demo
Stamping with Blue Painter's Tape

I shared a quick and easy technique using a household item in everyone's garage...BLUE PAINTERS TAPE!!! With this you can make a beautiful and dramatic background. The one I demonstrated is STEAMPUNK theme using stamps from Viva Las Vegastamps!.

To see the full how-to and my finished piece...CLICK HERE to jump on over to the Viva Las Vegastamps! Blog!

7pm demo
Mosaic Technique

To see the full how-to and my finished piece...CLICK HERE to jump on over to the Viva Las Vegastamps! Blog!

Hope you're having a great Thursday! See you tomorrow for Festive Friday :) Sb

He's Always Watching....especially for Unscripted Sketches #179

Looks WHO'S back!!! Yep - you guessed it ...my Holiday HERO...MR. GRINCH!!! I made a festive Christmas Red and Green card using this week's Sketch-it Saturday with Unscripted Sketches Sketch #179.

**A TIP** I didn't have a large enough piece of the background patterned paper to cover the entire card...so I cut it in half and let the borders fill in on top... ta-da!!!

All of this is created from leftovers and scraps from other projects made from my Grinch Papercrafting kit. The Grinch featured in the circles is a two-piece die-cut from the kit. I layered a green circle for added contrast. Love him and another card in the bin ready for mailing. Only 76 days until Christmas - are you doing you holiday crafting yet???

What is Sketch it Saturdays at Unscripted Sketches? Every Saturday morning a new sketch is posted for the week. Flip the sketch, rotate it… create a card, a scrapbook page, a wall hanging, digital, paper, fabric, paint, anything your imagination comes up with! There is no right or wrong way, as long as you are using the Unscripted sketch as the inspiration for your creation! And everyone is invited to join in the fun...and post your creation on their page for all the world to see!

Have a fabulous Tuesday!  : ) Sb 

Announcing the Altered Pages Fall/Halloween Bloghop Winners!!!

Thanks to everyone for visiting the Altered Pages Fabulous Fall / Spooky Halloween Blog Hop! It was a cornucopia full of ALTERED inspiration! Today I am announcing the winners from my stop on the hop that will receive a FREE digital collage sheet from AlteredPages.com.

THE WINNER(S) ARE...

CarlaOctober 5, 2012 7:54 PM

So cool! I love the ribbon around the hat and of course that spider! 

Nan GOctober 5, 2012 7:46 PM Love the sparkly spider and on a very pretty hat! New follower from AP blog hop.

Congratulations Carla and Nan G!!! Please email me at sbartist1107 at yahoo dot com to claim your prize!

The grand prize winner will receive a Scissor Mouse from AlteredPages.com will be announced on the Altered Pages Artsociates Blog. Was it you???

If you missed the hop...you can still view it {that's the beauty of the World Wide Web}! Please scroll down to click on the squares below to view all the fantastic inspiration on the hop! Sb : )

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Of CORSET'S time to "THINK PINK" and a New Challenge with Altered Pages!!!

Its the second Monday of the month and time for Altered Pages to present a new challenge. Since it is October and Breast Cancer Awareness Month it's only fitting that we're GOING PINK at Altered Pages! So the new Altered Pages Challenge - Think Pink!

Breast cancer touches so many lives and has such a profound impact on not only the women it effects but everyone who knows and loves them. Please take a moment and read this touching, personal post by Jean Moore (the owner and mind behind Altered Pages) ~ Sunday's in Arizona by Jean. It helps put a face to all the numbers and statistics that reporters like to throw around this time of year.

The AP Design Team has also been challenged

to "THINK PINK" and to help inspire you...

I have broken out my beautiful inks, papers and ribbons from AlteredPages.com along with my dies and embossing folders to create a "Corset" pin to wear for the month. This is full of uber PINKNESS, decadent ribbons and it's even all laced up for the cause! To see all of our pink projects please check out the right hand side bar of the Challenge Blog.

NOW - IT'S YOUR TURN to PLAY ALONG! 

Think Pink and design a tag, card or anything else centered around Breast Cancer Awareness. Please be sure to create using your products from AlteredPages.com. Then simply post it on your blog or on-line album somewhere, come back and post a link on the Altered Pages Challenge Blog page before October 31st. 

We understand that sometimes things get busy but you'd still like to participate in the challenge. So, while your project doesn't have to be made specifically for this challenge your pink project should be something current (like made within the last month or so) to be eligible for one of the prizes. 

There will be one grand prize winner who will receive this amazing PINK package of goodies and AlteredPages.com will also away a collage sheet to three honorable mention projects as well. 

Now it's time get creating and have some fun! I want to see your PINK creations! Simply click on the Challenge Page Tab at the top of the Altered Pages Blog and link up your entry with the InLinkz Tool at the bottom of the page. I hope that you'll join us!!!

Have a super creative day :) Sb