Animal magic of the Quirky variety.

Yes it's reminder time already, you have until Saturday 26th to play along with Lyn's animal magic challenge, and any animals are allowed (birds too).

I think this image and sentiment from one of our sponsors, Bugaboo, is so funny I just had to show you. I've seen Christmas biscuits and stacks of "tins" (well rapidly shrinking plastic tubs these days) of chocolates already in the Coop shop!

This set is called Halloween Christmas Owl Trio, and is a bargain, use it with or without the sentiment.

This is a one layer card.

These cuties have fluttered into the following challenges:

Addicted to stamps - make your mark (Wed)

Crafty Gals - anything goes (Wed)

I love Promarkers - Autumn (Wed)

My time to craft - owls (Sat)

Creative Card Crew - Fall (Tues 29th)

Creative fingers - #93 anything goes

It had to be followed by a Christmas card really, and I used Snowflake Silhouette Reindeer for this card, the image is shadowed with lilac Promarker and covered with glitter film available from Little Clair. I die cut a fancy frame  out of glitter paper using a Spellbinders card creator set, and the words with an Xcut set. I added a gem star and some Crafty Ribbons ribbon.

Hop on over to Quirky Crafts challenge blog to see some more gorgeous examples, and to play along and maybe win a prize from one of our three wonderful sponsors.

This card has flown into the following challenges:

Papertake Weekly - Animal Magic (Tues)

Allsorts - Sparkle (Sat)

Catch the Bug - Sketch Sunday

Christmas Card Challenges - photo inspiration (Sun)

Glitter and Sparkle - #155 Die cuts or punches (Sun)

The Craft Barn - snowflakes (Sun)

Cards Galore - anything goes (Sept)

Digi Chooseday - Monochromatic (6th Oct)

Halloween

I just decorated the small hall by the front door this year. Portrait of the relatives, with battery operated tea light, and my pet spiders in their web.

Front door from the inside, it looked better outside but it was pouring with rain, I wasn't going out in that! Our only visitors arrived around 5pm and it was still light, the weather put any more off  I think, so lots of treats left! Treat bags (the empty kind) were 8 for £1 in Sainsburys and Wilkinsons, and only 75p for 12 bags in Asda, well done Asda!

Wandering round the shopping mall were lots of ghouls, wizards and witches, it was good fun, and I didn't even remember my phone so I couldn't take any photos, even the shop staff were dressed up.

Here is one last spooky card, this time with the haunted house die (the pre-Tim Holtz one) and the ghosts, with some batty ribbon from Crafty Ribbons and the spider's web embossed gold card. Hero Arts greeting again.

Spooky goings on

I know it is a bit late but I have just made some Halloween cards for the shop! I had two there, and took in a third only to find one had sold of the two, so I thought I would make a few more especially when I looked in my die box and found loads of great dies to use.
I die cut the black scalloped cards with Sizzix Bigz XL small scalloped card. I had some black envelopes that fit this card perfectly. I used the Payperbox script paper and the crow from  Tim Holtz die. This card has a pumpkin sequin added.

I die cut the inserts in parchment paper and stamped Happy Halloween with a Hero Arts stamp from a clear set. The inserts done this way show a little on the outside but I think that is O.K. what do you think?

This one has the Tim Holtz scaredy cat from the same die as the crow, and a ghost from a Bigz ghost die. I had the ghosts cut out ready for a different card then thought they would work well with the cat, well something must have scared it!

This is the crow without pumpkin, I think I like it better this way.

Finally a Tim Holtz die again, candelabra and spider from the same die. I used a cream card blank and cut a square of green to mat the gold spider's web card onto, and added witch eyelets in each corner. I cut the candelabra out in black and white then cut off the white candles to add, the flame was coloured with Promarkers. I added a black sparkly paper insert with a parchment panel stamped with the same greeting as the rest and I stamped the envelope with spiders webs.

The black cards are £1.50 and the candelabra card is £2.50 available in Made in Bradford on Avon shop right now.

I have entered the following challenges:

My Time to Craft - Halloween, ends 2nd Nov

Glue Arts - BOO ME

To be booed by Glue Arts and possibly receive some Halloween candy you need to post this ghost and then go post a reply on the Glue Arts blog so they can come visit.

Scaredy cats

I'm in the mood for magic! Well it is nearly Halloween. These two very different cats are looking very spooky too. I found I had the gold embossed spiders web card which I had forgotten about so decided to use it, I also had a little heap of Halloween brads. Cat in a Hat is Penny Black, and he is coloured with Pro Markers and Trias, and some Stickles Ice glitter glue. The shapes are cut with two different Nestabilities label sets. The spooky edges are cut with my Fiskars rotary trimmer. Ribbon is Papermania.

Card two features fluffles as a vampire! same card, edge punched with a Martha Stewart punch, Nesties again, and bat sequins.  The Happy Halloween on both cards is from a Sizzix stamp set, and I stamped inside the second card too but forgot to take a photo.

Quirky Crafts Weekly Challenge 14

Look at this great prize which you could win if you enter Challenge 14. 

Challenge 14 over on Quirky Crafts Forum is to create a project with a Halloween or autumn theme. This is my attempt! I used Annie by Charmed Delectable Stamps (in fact this stamp is called elegant Annie), gave her a die cut witches hat and pumpkin, and the leaves, ghost eyelets, Papermania ribbon, Hero Arts Boo and spider and web stamps from the Owloween set, and the bats are sequins. Black blooms, and Making Memories swirly brad, with glitter paper in the background, and grey paper. Does Annie look spooky?

It's Halloween!

Here is my very little pumpkin head, which let me down by going out when I did have some little trick or treaters visit, so he has to have his hat at an angle to let the air in. Smell the pumpkin singeing anyone?

You can see how small he is, those are regular size bricks behind him!

The other photo looks very spooky, the camera shook a bit and gave me an interesting light effect.

The last spooky picture is of my messy craft room, the tidy bit! I just added this wonderful cobweb I snapped outside suspended from the light and pergola I wasn't sure it would work reduced but I am happy with it.