Happy Halloween

It's a rainy Halloween here.

Happy Halloween

A Truckload of Pumpkins

Here is my version of a truckload of pumpkins as inspired by The Farm Chicks. My vintage toy truck makes a perfect candy dish and I love the combination of aqua and orange together.

Boo!!!

It's Halloween! It is grey and rainy here in the midwest. But that is nothing new - it's generally is either rainy or cold (or both!) around here on October 31st. I remember many a Halloween back in the day when I was all excited to put on my costume, only to have to cover it with either a winter coat or raincoat while we went trick-or-treating! 

This year is especially fun because it's my grandson Jase's very first Halloween! My daughter took this photo early this morning. I think he a makes a darn cute little Jase-n-stein! 

Happy Halloween!

Curiosity Swap Reveal:Part Two

In my previous post I showed you what I sent off to Amy and Kathy for Heather's Inspiration Box Swap-Curiosity Edition. And now I will share all the fun Halloween goodies I received in exchange from the girls.

So many fun things to play with and use in my Halloween creations! I cannot wait to get started! Thanks so much to Amy and Kathy. And a BIG hug goes out to Heather for organizing the swap. It's been a real treat!!!

Curiosity Swap Reveal:Part One

Earlier this month I took park in Speckled Egg's Curiosity Inspiration Box Swap. These matchbox swaps of Heather's are one of my favorites because they are small and you get lots of new goodies to create with. This edition had a Halloween theme which was just perfect for this time of the year. The box pictured above was what I sent to my swap partners, Kathy and Amy. I covered the boxes with black and white damask patterned paper topped with a big polka dot flower rosette, black vintage lace and spooky skeleton.

On the ends I added some Tim Holtz Halloween tissue tape

and a vintage black button.

I stuffed the inside with as many Halloween goodies as I could.

And before I sealed the packed I tucked in a

secret surprise treat for each of the girls as well.

Next time I'll share what Amy and Kathy sent me!

Surprise Mail!

While I was spending time at the cottage the past couple of weeks, my mail was piling up at the post office here at home. I picked it up yesterday and sorted it into piles all over the living room floor. . . advertisements, letters, bills (yuk!), magazines, etc. And what do I find in the magazine pile? This lovely pastel pink summer issue of Somerset Studio Gallery. The mailing label said it was an "artcomp" issue, which means there is something of mine inside! After flipping through the pages, I found this little Halloween assemblage of mine on page 50! Woo-hoo ~ what a nice surprise!!!

It's always an honor to be featured in Stampington's beautiful magazines along with talented artists like Becky Shander, Karla Nathan, Jeanne Oliver, Ruth Rae, and Linda Harre, whose art is also pictured in this issue.

The Morning After

Did you all have a fun Halloween? We didn't have one single trick-or-treater come to our door! Can you believe that? Well, that's ok - there's more candy for my DH and I - not that we need all those extra calories. We didn't buy that much candy to begin with because it seems like there are fewer and fewer goblins coming around each year. It's kind of sad :(

But we did have these two cuties stop by wearing their Halloween attire. Hank was a hot dog this year.
And Shooter was a big orange pumpkin. They were so disappointed that no kids came by to see them in their costumes. But they went home with Busy Bones, so they forgot about the lack of visitors real quick!

Now it's time to take down the Halloween decor and start crafting and decorating for Thanksgiving. By the way, all Halloween items in my Etsy Shop have been marked down - be sure to check the sale out by clicking here.

Shopping and Crafting

Free Shipping on all Halloween Items in my Etsy Shop!!!

Art & Crafting Books - $5.00 each! Click here for all the details.

Great Prices on Cookbook Destash! Click here for details!

~ Photo Courtesy of Cindy Gilstrap ~

Learn how to make these lovely paper-crafting accessories for your Thanksgiving table by following Cindy's tutorial on the Joli Paquet blog here.

Do You Dare?

~ Photo courtesy of Cerri Campbell ~

Cerri says it only takes 30 minutes to make this sweet sparkly Halloween shadowbox. Who can resist a challenge like that? So get out your stop-watch and give it a try! She has all the directions for you on the Joli Paquet blog right here.

Fall Color

~ Photo courtesy of Kelly Green ~

The fun continues over at Joli Paquet. Kelly from Blue Bird Nest shows us how to make this beautiful autumn collage which you can display all season long by clicking here!

And it's not too late to pick up some fun Halloween goodies in my Etsy Shop. I am shipping out items within 24 hours of receiving orders, so you still have time left!

Halloween Shopping

Finally, it's here!!! My Etsy Shop update for Halloween is up and running.

And the special feature is my brand new Joli Paquet Kit available here.

And be sure to hop on over here to see what the other Joli Paquet artists have brewed up for you!

Spooky!

~ Photo courtesy of Brandy Faulkner ~

Isn't this Halloween project fabulous?

Brandy shows us all how to make it over on the Joli Paquet Blog.

Note: I hit a teeny-tiny snag with my shop update, so look for it later in the week.

Bewitching Time is Here!

It's hard to believe, but Halloween is right around the corner. And to help you make some crafty decorations for this haunting holiday, my friends and I have been brewing up some special fun and frightful projects for you. It all starts tomorrow, October 5th at Joli Paquet. Don't be afraid. . . click right here, if you dare!

And look for an update in my Etsy Shop tomorrow too!

This and That

I love how my new crop of flat leaf parsley is growing. The first batch, shown here with other herbs, didn't make it earlier this year so I'm giving it a second try. I hope I can keep this batch alive!
Yesterday I had a nice long telephone chat with a long time friend from my college days. So much has happened in both of our families this summer that it was nice to finally have time to catch up. We're planning to continue our conversation when we meet for breakfast later in the month.

This is what I've been working on this week. Sorry, but this is all I can show you for now. I'll be sure to share the final project when the time is right.

Tuesday Tidbits

Here's a few of the things I've been working on lately. The little collages above are available now in my Etsy Shop. I'll be adding more of them to the shop as I complete them.
And this is a little peek at something else that I am working on - I can't show the whole thing right now...it's a surprise!!!

Finally, I've got a SALE going on right now in my Etsy Shop. All Halloween items are marked down 50%.