Halloween Treat Holders

What a crazy weekend! I just got back from the Regional Convention in Kansas City - and we had a blast! I was able to attend, (a little last minute!) with a friend of mine - Amy N. Originally I was going to the lake with my Bunco group, but due to some friends coming in from out of town had to cancel. Then, they changed their plans and were coming in earlier, and since Amy had decided she would go with me, I opted to go to convention. It's much more fun to go with a friend! We had a great time! As she said, having someone that shares your crazyness is double the fun!




Well, one of the things that was very popular at the Regional Convention was anything with a Frankenstein face on it! They were on notepad holders, treat holders, card fronts, - anything that held still long enough to get stamped! I can now understand why - you just can't help but love making these guys! They are SO cute! So, this is my version of him - there are so many of them out there, but I changed the nose on mine - probably someone else has thought to use this punch too, but I think I'm being original, so forgive me if I'm not!

There is very little stamping involved in making these. You really only need a good collection of punches. You do use the ink to shade and contour the punched out pieces, which adds to the personality of the face.


From the side you can see that it holds a small bag of M&M's in a little box. Notice the brads that I used for bolts? Cute huh? I can't remember where I saw this box template - I've been doing too much surfing lately - so if it's your's email me and I'll add a link in to your blog.

Ok, so now let me show you where this project led me. I got my creative juices flowing and couldn't stop, so I made some friends for Mr. Frankie. See - it really is a sickness!


Introducing - Vampy and Ms. Witch! I think they turned out SO cute! The witch is a little more involved, but she had to have some spunk, being the only female of the group!









Again, using mostly punches- all from Stampin UP! by the way!- you can create the cutest things - now I know that these are originals! I did use the witch's hat from a stamp set in our new Halloween collection, Eat, Drink, and Be Scary from the new Holiday mini Catalog that becomes available tomorrow. I'm posting it today in the sidebar so you have a day to peruse it before placing your orders here. Just go to the link and click on Shop Now. I keep having other faces pop into my head that want to be created -ghost, pumpkin, scarecrow? There are so many possibilities!

Hope you enjoy my symptoms! I don't even want to tell you how late I was up last night! When you get those creative thoughts flowing it's hard to stop! Watch for a notice for upcoming Halloween project classes that are coming out soon! You won't want to miss them!

Stampin smiles,

Susan

Alzheimer's Awareness

On one of my favorite blog's to visit, My Blog by Cammie, there is a wonderful opportunity to win some fabulous blog candy that you won't want to miss in recognition of World Alzheimer Day. This is the card that I made for my entry! I also have a friend that takes care of a parent with this disease, so I'm sending another version to them as well. I used Old Olive, Tangerine Tango and Chocolate Chip CS from Stampin UP! Haiku Designer Series Paper, Choc Chip Ribbon, Whisper White Craft ink and Stampin Pastels.

On another note, thank you to all that attended the Open House this weekend! It was at times very busy, but we had lots of fun! I do still have some retired stamp sets available as well as single stamps for sale, so if you are interested, let me know!

Smiles,

Suz

Sneak Peek #8 and #9

OMG - tomorrow is the day of the Open House! Where has the time gone - and how am I going to get my house ready!!!! I've been so busy stamping fun things that I've neglected my cleaning, so hopefully I'll have all my energy ready today!

This project utilized a retired set by Stampin UP! called "Carved and Candlelit" I love pumpkins, so even though I don't demonstrate with this set anymore, I still use it each fall! I've filled this box with a wonderful trail mix - for your health conscious friends that you want to treat this year!










These candy tins will be available in limited quantities and various sizes. Filled with chocolates they make an elegant treat for your favorite trickster! I used the set "Spooky Treats" from Papertrey Ink with Stampin UP!'s Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive and Really Rust ink colors for a more subtle fall color palette.

Some of my items will be available to purchase immediately tomorrow, but many of them will be ordered and delivered to you once completed. Unlike a craft show where I have to have many things pre-made for strangers to buy, having my friends come to my home allows me to know exactly how many items I'm going to need to make each year. So think ahead about your annual parties that you attend over the holidays and what you might want to take as thank yous to your hostesses and come ready to shop! I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow!

Susan

Sneak Peek #7

Wow! Only 3 more days to go before the big Open House! I hope you're as excited as I am! Despite being a little fatigued, I'm really having fun getting everything together!

Everyone loves these chapstick holders as a fun treat to give out as an alternative to candy!

One thing I will have at my Open House that hasn't made it out in the mail yet is the Holiday Mini Catalog. There are some really wonderful holiday sets in there that go all the way through Valentines Day! Don't get so immersed in Halloween that you forget that NOW is the perfect time to start working on your Christmas Cards, and looking for that perfect image is the best way to start! If you can't find it in our Mini Catalog, you may not find it anywhere!

I will be demonstrating our new Big Shot cutting system at my house on Saturday as well, so if you've never seen one, and would like to learn more about how easy it can make all your scrapbooking and craft making, you won't want to miss a chance to crank that handle in person! The machine and / or dies would make a great addition to your crafting tools and are available just in time for Christmas! Tell your hubby to get one ordered from me to put under the tree!


Smiles,

Susan

Sneak Peek #6

Here is an item that is one of my favorites to make for the holiday season. What a great gift to give to a party hostess when you arrive at their door! My version has a spiced tea mix and some muffins in it for them to enjoy as they unwind the next morning. I had made a bunch of these a couple of years past, and was reminded of how great they are on Lauren's blog. She has some really cute ideas over there, so make sure to check her out!

I used the Batty Boo stamp set from Stampin UP! - I seem to really like that one, and use it frequently! It lends itself perfectly to gift packaging. This one says "The ghostess with the mostess". It may find its way into being a hostess gift for any October workshops that are scheduled, so get on my calendar now! I will only have a few of these available Sat. but you can order them for the upcoming holidays, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'll have a sample of all three versions out to see.

On another note, I seem to have given in to the "crud" that I've been fighting for weeks now. I knew it would happen when I finished the concert, since I had been burning the candle on both ends! So, I had to go get some Rx help today to boost my immune system. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be much better - there's still so much to do before Saturdays Open House! I hope many of you will be there!

Smiles,

Susan

Sneak Peek #5

What an exhausting day! After being on my feet for nearly 6 hours straight yesterday, I decided that I would spend today on my feet again, this time preparing dinner for Dave's birthday. We decided to have a practice Thanksgiving dinner (even though I don't need the practice!). It's just one of our favorite meals, and with the cold front moving in, and enough time before the holidays to want it again, it seemed like the perfect time! The only change was having the chocolate cake instead of the pies! It was really yummy, but I now have Turkey-coma added to my reasons for going to bed early tonight~!

These cute little pouches are made with some papers from Martha Stewart Crafts I bought last fall. One of my friends suggested that they would make wonderful packaging for gift cards - because they are small, yet nicer than a mere envelope. Let's face it - sometimes the nicest gifts we get are the chance to go splurge on ourselves by way of a gift card, but an envelope doesn't convey the value of that gift AT ALL! So, this is a much nicer presentation! I have some of these made up in birthday papers as well, so they are not just Halloween! But what a great teacher gift!

Going off to bed early now! Hoping to be fully functional tomorrow - I've got some really cute items to finish up for photographing tomorrow, so I need my inspiration sleep!

Till then,

Susan

Sneak Peek #4

Well, it's late, but it's still the 4th day of our countdown, so here is your sneak peek for the day! These are some cute treat boxes I made using some box templates that were formerly offered by Stampin UP! I will actually have some of those old kits available for sale, since I bought so many of them when they were available, and can spare a few! I used our Batty for You stamp for the message clips and highlighted some of the circles with Stickles for some bling! They are really cute in person - very sparkly - you'll just have to come see!


Here's the reason I'm posting so late tonight - it was the day of my chorus' big performance! We
actually did 2 shows, these are pictures from the matinee. You can see the link to their website if you're interested over in my sidebar under St. Louis Harmony Chorus. We had such a great show, with lots of guest appearances by local quartets that are so fabulous. Anyway, I've really enjoyed being a part of this wonderful group. I had a lot of friends attend the show today - all from church, and many singers in the choir with me! Can you find me? I'm on the top far right. No, that's not because they're trying to hide me, although in these pictures they were having technical difficulties with getting the curtain open all the way, so I did have a bit of a shadow on me. Actually, our chorus is the Region 5 Champions and we are competing in Hawaii in November for the International title, and if you aren't going to Hawaii, they place you out on the ends. That way, the group that is going is center, and they are used to those postitions for competition. Placement can change the choreography that you do during the show.
This particular number is our tribute to Bob Fosse, the choreographer that did "Chicago" and many of Liza Minelli's shows.













Here is a picture of Lauren and I after the show. I think the real
reason people came to see me in the show was to see those fake eyelashes! It was like having caterpillars on my eyelids!

It was fun, but now back to normal life! We have another show coming up at the Sheldon for Christmas, so if you are in the area, ask me about tickets!

See you tomorrow!

Susan

Sneak Peek #3

Wow! Notice any changes to my blog? I certainly hope so with as late as I stayed up last night! Looking at HTML code after midnight is not a good idea for your sanity! I hope you find it more useful - please make sure to check out some of the links that I've included in the sidebar. Today's project is a great gift to take to a Holiday party. Our Fall party schedule has really increased over the past year - we attend an annual Scarecrow stuffing party at some friends house that is a hoot! Another friend hosts an adult costume party each year, and there's no telling what costumes you might see there! I've used these pouches on many different bottles - on water they are great with single serving drink mix envelopes included. On a bottle or 6 pack of seasonal ale they are a great way to include a granola bar or a mini bag of popcorn, and they make a cute gift presentation on a bottle of wine with maybe some of the wine glass charms included that match!

The stamps used today are called Spooky Sweets from Papertrey Ink. This is one of my favorite stamp companies (behind Stampin UP! of course!) Nicole has a wonderful clean style that really fills some niche markets for me.

I will continue to post sneak peeks over the weekend, but check back frequently since this is the weekend of my big show with the St. Louis Harmony Chorus ! We have a technical rehearsal today at the civic center and then 2 shows tomorrow that are 2 hours each! I have a lot of wonderful, supportive friends who are coming to see the performance - or maybe it's just to see me in fake eyelashes! So, between all the excitement I will update the sneak peeks, but it may be late at night!

Happy Stamping!

Susan

Sneak Peek # 2

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays! I think it is a carry over from childhood where you get to pretend to be anything you want and no one thinks you're crazy! It's also a time to let your creativity shoot for the stars! I saw these broom bags last year in Martha Stewart magazine's Halloween edition, and I coordinated a fundraiser at our youth group at church to make them in a larger size - which they will be doing again this year, if anyone is interested in them! I have modified them for my show to a smaller size. The larger bag here holds a handful of treats, while the smallest one only holds a single nugget of chocolate. They make great "bewitching" bags to leave a surprise treat for someone, or would make fabulous treats for place settings at a halloween dinner.

Don't forget to stop by again tomorrow for another sneak peek as we count down to my Open House on the 20th! I picked the 20th because it is the 20th anniversary this year for Stampin UP! One of the exciting things that they have made available this year is online ordering! So, if any of you are interested in ordering your own stamping, scrapbooking or other paper craft supplies, please click on my demonstrator link under blogs in the column on the right and you can access our online catalog and order directly from me! Of course, if you would ever like to book a workshop to learn how to make some of these wonderful treats yourself, just give me a call! The contact information is there as well.

Happy Stamping! Don't forget to save the date for the 20th and stop by!

Susan

Open House Sneak Peek #1

I finally got it loaded! It took me forever to get the watermark on the image and get it to upload...technical difficulties!

So, here it is! The first time I have actually designed a template from scratch! Nothing to fancy mind you, but you have to start somewhere and I think these turned out darn cute! I used the "Batty For You" stamp set, the Kiwi Kiss in-color cardstock, the scallop circle punch, and the designer series paper Ghostly Greetings. All from Stampin UP! of course! I will be offering these as pudding treats, as well as for applesauce for the fall at my Open House on Sat. Sept. 20. I will also offer them without the treat, in 6-packs for you to put your own treats in as you wish - maybe you prefer jello or fruit cups? All will fit! They would make great treats for friends, classmates, etc... for the holiday season.

Make sure to stop by each day as I will be giving a sneak peek each day until the 20th!

Susan

Vacation 2008

I think I'm going to have to rename this blog "whenever-I-can-get-to-it" impressions now that school has resumed! I feel so behind in all that we've been doing! Let me start catching up with a review of what we did over the summer. We had planned on going out west this year, but with the cost of gas, and the schedule that Dave has had traveling, it just didn't seem possible. So, we opted to "piggy-back" on his final week of classes for the NECHLI program, which happened to be in DC. So, we took a week and went out to PA to stay in a condo offered to us by my alternate parents, Larry and Nancy Heacock. It was a blissful week in Blue Knob PA, where we were able to enjoy the quiet mountains. The kids love the nature parks, especially looking for crawdads in the streams! Jason puts his scout know-how to good use when we're on hikes!

We visited the Altoona railway yard museum and the Horseshoe Bend. It's difficult to show a photo with a good perspective of this train-man's mecca, but SO very impressive in person. We paid our respects at the Flight 93 Memorial, which is currently a work in progress, but very poignant. And of course, always in search of a National Park that we haven't received a stamp from, we went to the Johnstown Flood National Memorial which was very well preserved and included a nature walk out onto the old earthen dam that failed.

Then we headed into DC for Dave's class. While he worked away, the kids and I toured DC. This time we focused on the Smithsonian Museums, which we had not done 3 years ago when we did the monuments. We also were able to visit the National Archives, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the Holocaust Museum (briefly) and the Georgetown area. The kids and I took one night and went up to Annapolis to have dinner with the Heacocks, at their son's house - and the next day out for lunch with their eldest sons family.

I will have more updates coming soon - mixed in with some sneak peeks for my upcoming craft show / open house, so make sure to stop by each day!

Susan