Get Your "Spook" On!

Can you believe it's already October 9??!! I have SO much to do this month, and I'm not quite sure where to fit it all in! Let's talk Halloween costumes. My daughter Ainsleigh has decided to be Mario...quick and simple! (thanks hun...you've saved me a ton of work here!) We found some old jean overalls and I bought a red long-sleeved shirt to go with them. I've picked up some fleece to make the hat and all that's left are the white gloves and a moustache. My son Nathan is another story altogether. He's in grade 12 this year, and has decided that he and his three friends should "go out with a bang". Let me first tell you that Nathan is a big goof...which he totally gets from me. :) He has decided that they should go as the Teletubbies this year. SERIOUSLY?? Yup, as if I didn't get enough of that dumb show when the kids were little, lol. So, out to the fabric store I went with my mom in tow (who has kindly offered to help make the costumes) to buy metres of fleece in purple, red, green and yellow. Sigh...I guess it's probably a good thing to use my sewing machine for something other than cards once in a while, lol. I will be sure to post pics of the kids this year, because I'm sure you're all anxious to see a group of 17 year old boys struttin' their stuff as the Teletubbies!

We have a new challenge up at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog today. The fantabulous Andrea has challenged us all to make a "SPOOOOKY" project...just perfect Halloween! (if I already had the costumes done I'd be tempted to scrapbook a page of my 17 year old boy as Tinky Winky...not much is scarier than that! :s ) I decided to ink up a couple of Kimmie's Halloween stamps that I haven't had the chance to play with yet. This ghoulish duo is Hattie and Horace...I love the spider webs that artist Annie Rodrigue included on these stamps! That fabulous paper is from the My Mind's Eye "Haunted" collection. I LOVE this paper...what you can't tell from the picture is that the black chandeliers are flocked! I thought the chandeliers suited Hattie and Horace's formal attire quite nicely...can't you see them haunting an old Victorian mansion?? I'm thinking of Sirius Black's house in the Harry Potter series...and old dusty mansion that belonged to a well-to-do old family. A house full of rich history, creepy old paintings, ornate decor, antiques, thick velvety draperies...can you imagine it? Perhaps Hattie and Horace were former residents of this house who just don't want to leave, destined to haunt the halls in their gown and top hat for eternity. (Umm...for the record, I do not believe in ghosts. But creating a story behind your cards is always fun!)

Hattie and Horace were stamped on Neenah Smooth cardstock with Memento Ink and coloured with a rather large assortment of Copic markers. After I was done colouring with the markers, I used a paper blending stump and a black Conte crayon to deepen the shading...and it also adds a "smokier" effect to the shading. The background was created with Distress Inks in Black Soot and Antique Linen applied with an Inkssentials Blending Tool and a make-up sponge. The black ribbon was tied with my Bow Easy.

Copics: Skin: C1, C3, BV00, BV23, BV31, BV17, colourless blender Hair: C7, C5, C3, C1, B60 Hattie's Dress and Horace's Pants( er, tail???): B99, B97, B95, B93, B91, C5, E50, E47, E43, E42, E41 Horace's Vest and Hattie's Flower: R59, R46, R22, C5 Horace's shirt: E50, E47, E42 Horace's Tie and Hattie's Leaf: G20, G82, G99 (Black Conte Crayon was applied with a paper blending stump throughout the entire image)

Now, if you're not a big scaredy-cat (which I totally am, lol...no scary movies for me!), then head on over to the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps blog to check out the spooky creations by the Krafty Girls and our fabulous Krafty Guests! If you play along with the challenge this week, you could be the lucky winner of the the stamp featured on Andrea's freakishly fantastic card...but you must make sure to use a Kraftin' Kimmie stamp on your project to be eligible. In need of a new stamp?? Go shopping at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Online Store!

Anybody planning on going to Scrapfest next weekend in Oshawa? A few of us Krafty Girls are heading down with Kimmie to help out...if you're going, make sure to stop by the Kraftin' Kimmie booth and say hi!

Thanks so much for stopping by friends, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Blessings,

Melanie



Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Hattie" and "Horace"
Ink: Memento, Copics, Distress Ink
Paper: MME, Neenah, Bazzill
Embellishments: Ribbon
Tools: Bow Easy