Peek-a-Boo Pals: Spooktacular {Avery Elle}

Hello friends,

Happy Monday! I am on the Avery Elle blog today with a card featuring the adorable Peek-a-Boo Pals Spooktacular stamp set. It's almost fall, and it's time to start thinking about cards and paper crafting for the upcoming fall holidays, including one of my favorites, Halloween!

I blended a panel of water color card stock with Distress Oxide ink in Spiced Marmalade and stamped the sentiment with Onyx Black Versafine ink. Next, I stamped, colored and die cut the Peek-a-Boo Pals. I wanted to tuck the pals behind something spooky, so I used the new Snow Scene Elle-ments die as a cauldron, complete with bubbles and creepy googley eyes!

I trimmed the bottom edge of the Snow Scene cauldron and framed the blended panel with the Wonky Scalloped Frames Elle-ments die. I tucked the Spooktacular Pals behind the cauldron and glued their hands to the edge. As a finishing touch, I added the stamped and die cut stars.  Do you think the Snow Scene Elle-ments die works as a boiling cauldron? It's fun to find "outside the box" uses for crafty supplies.

Supplies: 

Peek-a-Boo Pals: Spooktacular

Die- Peek-a-Boo Pals: Spooktacular Elle-ments

Die- Snow Scene Elle-ments

Die- Wonky Scalloped Frame Elle-ments

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a Spooktacular day! 

Katie

Welcome Home Halloween House {Avery Elle}

Hello friends,

It's Welcome Home Seasons Week on the Avery Elle blog!  I am sharing this Halloween House created with the Welcome Home Seasons stamp set.  I adore the original Welcome Home stamp set.  It's so fun to play architect and home designers with stamps and paper.  Now that October is here, I thought I ought to decorate the house for the upcoming Halloween holiday!

I used a combination of images from the Welcome Home and the Welcome Home Seasons stamp sets to create the house.  I love how the yellow door and windows pop against the gray house.   The ghost and cobwebs are adorably spooky- not scary- which is how I like my Halloween!

Adding some detail to the roof line with a white gel pen really brought out the decorative accents on the roof. I colored the potted plants with violet Copic markers and hung a wreath on the front door as a finishing touch.

Supplies:

Welcome Home Seasons stamp set

Die- Welcome Home Seasons Elle-ments

Welcome Home stamp set

Die- Welcome Home Elle-ments

Die- Pierced Banner Layers Elle-ments

Now I am definitely in the spirit to decorate my own house for Halloween.  Don't forget to check out the Avery Elle blog this week for even more inspiration featuring the Welcome Home Seasons stamp set!

Thanks for popping in!

Katie 

Introducing Trick or Treat, Little Gifts Die and Tiny Pumpkin Face Die {Waffle Flower Crafts}

Hello friends,

Today Waffle Flower Crafts is formally introducing the first stamps and dies of the autumn release, so I am popping in today with some cards to share with you using the new release!

Trick or Treat anyone?  This card features the Little Gifts stamp set and new coordinating die along with the Tiny Pumpkin Face Die.  For the ghost bag, I just flipped the eyes and mouth upside down and all of a sudden the pumpkin face looks quite sinister and spooky!

This card used the new Trick of Treat stamp set and coordinating dies.  I loosely watercolored a fall-looking background before adhering the watercolored pumpkins to the panel. I also used the Tiny Pumpkin Dace Die on this card.  I may be slightly obsessed with this die- it's the cutest!

Finally, my last card today uses the Trick or Treat stamp set and dies.  I sponged Distress Ink onto watercolor paper before spattering it with white ink.  A punched and inked circle serves as the moon illuminating the path of those batty bats.

Well that's all for me today, but be sure to stop by the Waffle Flower blog for all the details and even more ideas and inspiration featuring the upcoming release.  I will be back tomorrow with more Waffle Flower inspiration and ideas to share.

Thanks for stopping by!

Katie

Spooky Spider Favors {Avery Elle and Halloween Week}

Hello friends,

Halloween week is coming to a close on Stamping Lightly and today I am over on the Avery Elle blog with another easy project perfect to pass out at classroom Halloween parties or even to trick or treaters.  With so much candy available during this holiday, here's an approach for a party favor that's candy-free.

I trimmed Fizz card stock into rectangles measuring approximately 2" x 2.75".  Next, I stamped the spider web image from the Boo stamp set using orange dye ink.  Using the Pinked Elle-ments die set, I die cut a pinked edge banner from black card stock and stamped and heat embossed the Boo sentiment.  I attached the banner to the cards with some adhesive and a tiny staple. 

Finally, with a craft knife, I cut a slit in the center of the spider web and inserted a black plastic spider ring.  I was able to pick up a pack of 30 rings at Five Below for a dollar, so these are super affordable favors.  You could also stamp a message on the back of the card and have your child sign his or her name- like Valentines, only scarier. :)

Well, that's all for me today.  Thank you so much for stopping by!

Katie

Happy Halloween {Take 2 Thursday}

Hello!

Happy Take 2 Thursday!  This week, my friend Lindsay Amrhein and I are playing with the Underground Card Kit from Studio Calico.  Since it's Halloween Week on the old blog, I simply had to make a Halloween card:

I die cut a panel of white cardstock with a stitched rectangle die and stamped the fronts and backs of the circles and pumpkins in assorted ink shades of quartz, rust, apricot and cantaloupe.   Next I added the stems and faces to the pumpkins with black ink.  

I stamped the sentiment and then adhered the stamped panel onto a kraft card base.  I really love how all the silly pumpkin faces turned out!  So much fun! 

That's all for me today- be sure to stop by Lindsay's blog to see what she created with this fun kit. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Katie

Classroom Treat Bags {Halloween Week}

Hello friends!

It's Halloween week at Stamping Lightly, and I am sharing easy ideas for adding a special touch to your Halloween tricks and treats.  Today- it's all about the class parties and at our elementary school, they are always looking to a generous parent or two to bring in goody bags or take home treats for the kids to enjoy after the party.  Treat bags x 20+ kids can add up pretty quickly, but by dressing up simple and small paper bags, your treats can be the hit of the party without breaking the bank.

Level one- add some stamping or drawing to a small white paper bag.  This couldn't be easier- just stamp or draw a skeleton face or even a ghost with black ink.  Fill the bag with some candy and you are good to go!

Level two- stamping and a few accents.  While you could stamp or draw a pumpkin face on any orange bag, I decided to add a few accents in the form of a stem and leaf.  While a few more steps are involved, it's still simple and easy to mass produce.  

Here are the bags together- aren't they cute?  

Supplies: 

• Stamps: Halloween Sweets and Treats (Papertrey Ink); Modern Leaves (Avery Elle)
• Bags: Micheals (orange); Canvas Corp (white)
• Other: Black and green ink, brown and green card stock

Well, that's all for me today.  Thanks for stopping by and I will see you tomorrow for a super spooky edition of Take 2 Thursday!

Until then, 

Katie

Spooky Skeleton Treat Container {Halloween Week}

Hello friends,

Halloween Week is rolling on here on Stamping Lightly and today, I am sharing an oldie, but a goodie.  This project first appeared on the pages of Paper Crafts Magazine's September/October 2012 issue- it's still available here.

This is another idea for dressing up sweets and treats or even a small trinket and it couldn't be easier. I picked up a translucent take out box at Michaels and stamped the Skeleton face from Papertrey Ink's Halloween Sweets and Treats stamp set.  Stazon ink is a must for stamping on this slick surface.  I also placed my hand inside the box when I stamped to stabilize it.  I filled the box with crumpled white tissue paper so an extra spooky look.

I stamped the sentiment on an ordinary tag that I picked up from the office supply store and tied it to the handle along with some random bits of black and white ribbon.  I added a gray button to the tag as a finishing touch.

Well, that's it for me today!  Stop back tomorrow for a few more ideas for dressing up Halloween treats! 

Katie

Batty Candy Boxes {Halloween Week}

Hello friends!

Welcome to Halloween Week at Stamping Lightly!  Yes, I know that Halloween is NEXT week, but if you are anything like me, now is the time that I start thinking about what I need to do to celebrate Halloween with the kiddos (and their classes).

All week long, I will be sharing some ideas for Halloween Tricks and Treats- simple paper crafted projects that you can easily create to add a homemade touch to your Halloween celebrations. Although I typically make a lot of cards, Halloween is ALL about the candy, so today, I am sharing a simple idea to transform a candy box into a spooky sweet bat.

You will need: 

• Black card stock
• Candy Box punch board by We R Memory Keepers
• Halloween Sweets and Treats stamp set and coordinating mega dies by Papertrey Ink
• Versamark ink
• White embossing powder
• Score Tape 
• Black and White Baker's twine

I trimmed a piece of black card stock to 7" by 5".  Using the instructions included with the punch board, I punched and scored the card stock. 

Before assembling the box, I stamped and heat embossed the bat face with white embossing powder. 

I formed the candy box into a rectangle securing it with strong adhesive- red line tape or score tape works well for this. I tied one end of the box closed with baker's twine and added a few small pieces of candy to the box before tying the other end of the box closed.  

I die cut the bat ears using the coordinating dies from the Mega Halloween Treats and Sweets die set, added a thin line of glue and inserted the ears into the seams of the box.  If you don't have these dies, you could also cut simple triangles from card stock and use them for the ears.  Likewise, If you don't have the Halloween Treats and Sweets stamp set, you can improvise with any small circle stamps or even google eyes and a white gel pen to draw the mouth.  You can make two of these batty treat boxes from one 8.5 x 11 pieces of black card stock making these cutie boxes easy and pretty economical as well. 

Well that's all for me today, but I will be back tomorrow with some more ideas for Halloween treats. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Katie

Frankenstein Treat Bag {Paper Smooches SPARKS}

Hello, hello!

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend.  It's been rainy and chilly here in Northeast Ohio- perfect fall weather for staying inside and getting my craft on.  :) Today starts another Paper Smooches SPARKS Challenge and this week is Anything Goes.  I was channelling my inner Dr. Frankenstein when I created my project this week and fashioned a monster from Paper Smooches dies.

I started with one of those cute kraft gift bags that are 3 for $1.00 at the craft store (in this case, Hobby Lobby), and I covered it with some fun polka dot paper from my stash.  Next, I die cut a tag from white card stock using the Tag Stitched Die and I die cut and adhered Boo from the Halloween Icon Dies. I tied the tag to the bag handle using some black and white baker's twine. 

I used a bunch of Paper Smooches dies to create my monster face. I put together the graphic below to show which dies were used where.  A list of the dies I used and links to the Paper Smooches store is below. 

What I love about projects like this is that they truly show how versatile dies can be when a little imagination is used.

Paper Smooches Products used: 

Halloween Icon Dies

School Icon Dies

Stitched Dies

Tag Stitched Die 

Cardbooking Dies

Ornament Dies 

Quote Tag Dies 

Borders 1 Dies

Mini Monogram stamp set

I added black enamel dots to create the eye irises and I adhered the nose with a bit of foam tape.  If you have any questions about how I created the Frankenstein's monster, just leave me a comment and I will get back to you. :)

Ready to play?  You know the routine!   You have until 11:59 PT on Saturday, October 25th to link up your take on this week's challenge to the Paper Smooches SPARKS blog for a chance to win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Paper Smooches store. Woot woot!  

Be sure to check out the amazing inspiration from the other members of the SPARKS design team playing along with this week's challenge: 

Larissa Heskett
Lori Tecler
Lynn Mangan
Savannah O'Gwynn

I can't wait to see what you create!
Thanks for stopping by!
Katie

Faboolous {Paper Smooches SPARKS}

Hello friends, 

I am popping in today to share a card I made for this week's Paper Smooches SPARKS Challenge.  This week is a sketch challenge and here's my take: 

I started with a white card stock base and stamped the monster from the August TAM stamp set, Ghoulfriends.  Next I trimmed a piece of white card stock at an angle, die cut a stitching line using the Stitched dies.  I stamped the next monster on the angled panel and repeated the process again.  

I stamped the sentiment in black ink and then adhered all the panels to the card base with foam tape.  Here's a look at this week's inspiration sketch:

Ready to play? You know the routine! You have until 11:59 PT on Saturday, October 4 link up your take on this week's challenge to the Paper Smooches SPARKS blog for a chance to win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Paper Smooches store. Woot woot!  

Well that's all for me today!  I am off to get this in the mail! Be sure to check out inspiration from the awesome members of the Paper Smooches SPARKS team playing along with this week's challenge:

Katie Gehring

Lori Tecler

Lynn Mangan

Vera Wirianta Yates

Savannah O'Gwynn 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Katie

A pair of Halloween Cards

Hello lovelies!

I am on the Neat and Tangled blog today and I am just popping in to share a couple of Halloween cards I made with the super cute Graveyard Shift and Halloween Scene stamp sets.

First up, I tried my hand at the chalkboard technique using Halloween Scene.

I embossed the images with white embossing powder and added some sketch marks with a white pencil.  A few smudges of white ink enhance that chalkboard look. 

My second card features Graveyard Shift.  

I covered a black card base with patterned paper.  Next, I stamped the super cutie skeleton on white cardstock and trimmed it with scallops.  I die cut a bracket edge from orange patterned paper wrapped it with twine and adhered it to the card.  I stamped the sentiment on a die cut banner and affixed it to the card. A candy corn button was added as a finishing touch. 

Well, that's all for me today!  Have a great weekend!

Katie

Halloween Hoop-Dee-Do!

Hello folks!

I am over at the Neat and Tangled blog today sharing a little project I made with the adorable Halloween Scene.  Here's a little sneaky peak:

Please stop over and check it out!  Have a happy and safe Halloween!

Katie

Bewitched

Good morning!

Halloween is just a few short days away and the excitement is palatable around here- along with the girls trying so hard to finalize their costume selections.  I wanted to share a card I made a few weeks ago that was inspired by one of the sketch challenges currently appearing in the September/October issue of Paper Crafts Magazine.

I stamped the images from Waltzingmouse Stamps on a piece of soft stone cardstock and added some ink to "ground" the images.  The window frame was made from PTI's block alpha die- cut twice.  I just trimmed around the die negatives and voila, instant window frame. This was attached to a card base that I covered with patterned paper from American Crafts.   I stamped the sentiment on a tag and finished the card off with a couple buttons. 

Thank you so much for stopping by today.  I hope you have a fantastic day! 

Here's the Trick- No Orange

Hello friends!

I am playing along today with the Casual Friday's Challenge #24.  This week's challenge was to create a Halloween card without the use of that Halloween staple and go to color- orange.

And here is my card:

Best Witches

I was at Michael's on Friday picking up Paige from a birthday party and I spied the cutest little goblins in the dollar stamp bin and I couldn't resist getting this little witch.  A couple of her friends- namely a monster and vampire came home with me too.  I will post cards featuring these guys soon- I promise.  With the little witch as my focal point, I created a card using blues, greens, grays, and purple- no orange!  If you have a minute this week to play along, link up your card to the CAS-ual Fridays blog!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day!

Katie

Supplies: 

• Cardstock: Black, white, green, teal- Hollos paper
• Stamps: Michaels (witch), Amuse Studio (zig-zag stitch) and Papertrey Ink (Sentiment)
• Button and twine: Papertrey Ink
• Ink: Verafine Black and Memento Grape Jelly