Happy Halloween

Hi my friends, it's the last day of October, All Hallow's Eve, the night when the ghosts and ghouls come out to play. I haven't been very productive in the Halloween makes department this year because the cubbyhole has been turned into a Christmas Card mass production factory but I'll tell you about that in a minute. Instead, I'm sharing some of my favourite Halloween makes from the archives, click on the links for all the details.

Halloween Artist Trading Cards

Defying Gravity

Hubble, Bubble, Toil & Trouble

Mrs McWitch Is Off To A Party

Too Cute To Spook

R.I.P Mr Undertaker

and finishing off with the most recent

If You Go Down To The Woods Today

OK, back to the mass production tale. My Grandson Brodie is fundraising for his World Challenge 2021 trip to Machu Picchu and I've been helping out making packs of cards for him to sell at a local Christmas Craft Fair. The Merry Misfits stamp set from Tim Holtz and Stampers Anonymous is one of my favourites from this year's Christmas collection but probably wasn't the wisest choice for mass production involving lots of masking, stamping and colouring.

But hey ho, once I'd completed all the stamping, there was no turning back, it was time to put on my girl knickers and get stuck in and who knew that the Tim Holtz Travel Glass Media Mat would make the perfect "sits on my knee comfortably" colouring/matting and layering, while watching TV, work station and the kitchen table would become the google-eye drying station.

By the time I reached the finishing line, I was every bit as googly eyed as these adorable characters so note to self: keep it simple for the next batch.

Have some spooktacular fun tonight whether you're out and about trick or treating or just snuggled up on the sofa enjoying a Halloween film and some candy treats.

Hugs Kath xxx

AALL&Create - Cute and Quirky

Hi folks, I'm sharing some of the samples I made for the AALL&Create One Day Special Show on Hochanda with the adorable cute and quirky #261 Heart and Home and #263 Magical House stamp sets designed by the lovely and very talented Tracy Evans and my favourite AALL&Create #39 Lotza Dotz Stencil.

I used Tea Dye and Bundled Sage Distress Oxide inks for the background and colouring on the house

Stamping and masking with Hickory Smoke Distress Archival with Candied Apple and Hickory Smoke Distress Oxide stencilled accents

I used Faded Jeans Distress Oxide to create the background and colour the house along with Candied Apple and Spiced Marmalade and applied Ranger Opague Texture Paste through the Lotza Dotz stencil.

Hugs Kath xxx

I'll be back tomorrow to share some of my favourite Halloween projects from years past.

In the meantime, Happy Crafting

Hugs Kath xxx

*** Where available I use compensated affiliate links which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can find my affiliate and product disclosure HERE

Simon Says - Art Journaling

Hi Everyone...welcome to another week on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog. Thank you for joining us for last week's challenge and we hope you can join us this week too because

and the theme for this week is...

ART JOURNALING

I looked out my Dylusions 8" x 8" Black Creative Journal and with Halloween only a few days away, created a spooky fun page using Tim Holtz Idea-ology Blackout KraftStock - no need to be skimpy with the black now, so I threw caution to the wind and used 2 sheets.

I began by tearing 3 sides of the Blackout Kraftstock sheets so that they would fit the journal pages leaving a border around the edges and, in the words of my adorable Professor, sanded the snot out of them to reveal the kraft core.

I die-cut a circle from card stock to use as a stencil and applied layers of Dina Wakley Media White Gesso using Ranger Cut-n-Dry to create a moon.

I applied White Gesso to the Dots background stamp from Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Dots and Circles, stamped randomly on the pages and washed the stamp immediately in warm soapy water.

I inked the Circles background with Carved Pumpkin Distress Oxide ink and heat embossed with Ranger Superfine Clear Embossing Powder.

I stamped the branch image from Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Mr Bones, a favourite from last year's Halloween release, with Distress Black Soot Archival and also heat embossed with Ranger Superfine Clear Embossing Powder. I die-cut the poinsettia flower from craft foam using Tim Holtz/Sizzix Large Funky Festive Thinlits, fixed to an acrylic block with a glue dot, inked with White Gesso and stamped on the pages.

I die-cut the other layer of the poinsettia flower from orange Classic Kraftstock, fixed in place with Distress Collage Medium Matte and added Idea-ology Creepy Eyes.

Then I spotted these Idea-ology Halloween Transparent Alpha Tiles from another previous release. Are you guilty too of hoarding stuff and never get round to using it?

I applied White Gesso to the reverse of the tiles so that the letters would pop on the page

I die-cut the ghosts from Distress Watercolor card using Tim Holtz/Sizzix Frightful Things Thinlits, shaded the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Oxide ink and fixed the tiles and ghosts in place with Distress Collage Medium Matte.

 I added Clippings Stickers from the Idea-ology Curiosities Sticker Book

I die-cut "FUN" from orange Classic KraftStock and white card using Tim Holtz/Sizzix Handmade BigZ XL die and fixed in place slightly offset

I added the pages to the journal and doodled around the tiles, the clippings stickers and the edges of the pages.

You can find all the products I used over at Simon Says Stamp, just click on the links below

Why don't you pop over to the Monday Challenge Blog and check out the amazing creations from my very talented Design Team mates and as always you all have the chance to win a $50 gift voucher to spend at Simon Says Stamp. You have until Monday 8am Ohio time...1pm UK time...2 pm CET to join in...

You can also follow Simon Says Stamp on Instagram

and if you use Instagram...

please add #sssmchallenge to your entry uploads so we can see them on there too

I look forward to seeing what you create this week...

Have Fun and Happy Crafting

Hugs Kath xxx

*** Where available I use compensated affiliate links which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can find my affiliate and product disclosure HERE.

AALL&Create - One Day Special

Hi folks, I've been out of action this week after a bit of a run in with the handle of the oven door on Friday night resulting in a head wound and loads of blood requiring a visit to A&E and a tube of super glue but I'm feeling almost tickety boo again and ready to get back in the cubbyhole and tackle the much neglected crafty list of things to do. Today I'm sharing two of the samples I made for the AALL&Create One Day Special on Hochanda last weekend with stamp sets designed by the lovely and very talented Tracy Evans. The One Day Special sold out in 11 minutes so well done to all the lucky stampers who will soon be having as much fun as I did with the ODS stamp sets and huge congratulations to Tracy for two amazing and inspiring days of demos.

I masked off the edges of Distress Watercolor card, trimmed to 8" square and used #39 Stencil Lotza Dotz with Ranger Transparent Gloss Texture Paste to create a resist pattern. Once dry, I coloured the background with Rusty Hinge and Tea Dye Distress Oxide inks using mini round blending tools and spritzed with water to create that waterdroplet effect. I stamped the images from #230 On Dragonfly Wings with Versafine Clair Nocturne and added splatters of Antiqued Bronze Distress Mica Spray. I removed the masking tape, doodled around the edges with a Sakura Black Micron Pen and added highlights with a Sakura White Gelly Roll Pen.

I trimmed Kraft Card to measure 4.1/2" x 6.1/2", die cut a circle from Distress Watercolor card, coloured the edges with Peeled Paint Distress Oxide ink using a mini round blending tool and fixed in place with Distress Collage Medium Matte. I stamped the numbers image from #234 Brush Flower with Peeled Paint Distress Oxide ink randomly over the background and the flower image inked with Versafine Clair Nocturne. I added Ranger Opague Texture Paste through Stencil #39 Lotza Dotz and stapled the kraft panel to a panel of Black Classic Kraft Stock. I stamped the sentiment on to a scrap of Distress Watercolor card, coloured the edges, fixed with a staple and matted the panel on to a 5" x 7" white card blank.

You can find the stamps I used and a list of worldwide stockists at AALL&Create

I'll be back soon to share more One Day Special samples, in the meantime, I have a hot date over at my adorable Professor's studio tonight for the Facebook Live launch of the final 12 colours of Distress Oxide Sprays - 9.00am PST or 5.00pm if you're in the UK. I've booked my front row seat so why don't you join me. Have a great weekend and I'll see you on Monday to share my DT project for the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.

Hugs Kath xxx

*** Where available I use compensated affiliate links which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can find my affiliate and product disclosure HERE