Secret Scrapping...Shhhhh

Well I did actually scrap a page last week. I had it almost finished Thursday night and then Friday after work I put on the final touches!!! Wanna see!? Ooops sorry, it's top secret!

Yeah, really! I can't show it to you until Saturday the 3rd when I challenge YOU to scrap a page following my own set of "rules," hee hee!!! Well I hope you are curious, and plan to tune in for the unveiling and it would be AWESOME if you play along too!

VSBN (Virtual SCRAPBOOKING Night) on Splitcoast starts Saturday 10/3/07 at 11:00 AM CST, my challenge will be the final one for the day at 9:00 PM - that's 6 challenges 2 hours apart Saturday, and then the fun starts all over again on Sunday...same schedule 11-9 CST!!!

Also, in the spirit of the upcoming Holiday, here is another somewhat "secretive scrapping thing!" My good friend and fellow SCSer posted a spooky menu for creating a page, and it's too fun!!! If you are a SCS member, just post to the thread and she'll reply with the details, if not send me an email and I'll follow up for you! Here's the link:

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7574237#post7574237

Well since I can't share anything NEW with you today, here are some fun Halloween pages I've done...enjoy!

Keeping the Creative Flow Going

I made this sketch for one of the weekly scrapbooking challenges on Splitcoast. We post 3 challenges every Friday, and I'm a junkie! This one is today's SKETCH (SBSC112)!

There was a time when I was scrapping them all every week if I could manage it. But even with my current time constraints, I never miss one! I'll be taking the girls to the pumpkin patch this weekend and I'll be using those pictures ASAP to participate in the THEME challenge too! Sadly there are plenty others that have sparked my interest, I can envision the perfect series of photos and everything, but again where's my time!? Luckily for me, and for you, I have them all saved for future scrapping endeavors, and I share them as downloads on Splitcoast as well...you just never know when you'll steal a little "me time" for scrappin! And if you're going to a crop, this can be a GREAT resource for preplanned pages!

I also want to tell you about VSBN! I've mentioned it before, because we have one every few months, and it's when I usually lay down the law with my DH (dear husband), barricade myself in my craft studio, and SCRAP!!! The next one begins with a preview Saturday October 20, 2007, at 1:00 PM Central time -- TOMORROW! A new challenge will be posted every 2 hours for a total of 4. THEN, Saturday November 3rd our BIG WEEK-END begins. There will be LOTS more challenges, including one from yours truly. Hope to "see" you there!

A Chuckle for YOU

not so CREEPY things...

Well I promised you Halloweenish things last week, but as you saw, I was knee deep in Girly things instead. It was worth it though! I'm posting a pic or two on my Yahoo blog today...man now THAT is a neglected blog!



Have I mentioned yet that i LOVE the new Designer Series Double sided paper!!! This Halloween version is too cool, the paper in the background is part of the set, along with all the patterns represented in my projects! Ain't they CUTE!? I made the treat pouch on Tuesday, but just never found the time to post it here...what'cha think? This was a really easy project I learned over a year ago from my upline, and I actually have a tutorial you can download!

I've been wanting to make a shadow box picture frame for a while now, and decided it didn't need to have a "real" photo inside. I enjoy decorating my home for Halloween and this will look great in the family room among my baby pumpkin collection and assorted candles...I might just make a couple more! It's about an inch deep and the "photo" inside is mounted on TWO cardboard squares to make it pop! The overall size is 6X6, pretty simple design I just cut cardboard with a craft knife. Here's how I did it:

TWO 6x6" cardboard pieces - Cut a 3 1/2" square piece from the center of one. Then trim the piece you removed down by half an inch to a 3x3, cover with paper and set aside. Cover the frame completely with a 6x6 piece of paper. Slit the paper in the "window" with an X from corner to corner and fold in the excess to secure. Cover the other piece front AND back.

ONE 2x2" cardboard square for under the photo mounting. Adhere to inside piece of frame in the center and then attach the 3x3 piece you covered with paper over it. This will allow the center photo to "pop." I suggest adding your photo before you "sandwich" the top and bottom of the frame together.

FOUR 1x6" strips of cardboard, glue them one by one around the edge of the top piece, on the inside. You will need to trim 2 or 3 of them slightly to make it a perfect square along the edge.

FOUR 1 1/4 x 6" strips of patterned paper to cover the sides after the whole thing is glued and set...you might take your own measurement and make sure this will cover the sides completely. I did a little stamping on the front of my frame...and I dredged the edges through my black craft pad too -- imagine that! hee hee Now it's your turn!!!

Creative Crunch!

This past week-end was MEGA busy! I had a sick little one on Friday, but managed to utilize that time to get my laundry finished and clean house in preparation for my 6 year old daughter's birthday party! Another MAJOR accomplishment was finishing these tins I'd started on Wednesday.

Sydney hand picked this patterned paper at Michael's and helped me adhere them to the tins that same night, but bedtime kept us from completing the project. On Thursday night she did the scallop pieces all by herself and I added the ribbon. I found the other sheet of paper in my stash, and picked an alpha to stamp the names with, but again bedtime crept up on us, so I didn't finish them until Friday.

The party itself was a blast!!! It was kind of a spa theme because I took the kids to a salon for a facial, and nail painting. So inside the tins I put nail polish a sleep mask, lip gloss and each tin had differing bonus items! hee hee

I also had to whip up a birthday card for my girl, and decided to finally mount and ink up a retired set I got as my final "hostess" purchase! It has a BEAUTIFUL butterfly in it after all! ;)

It's a really simple card, more doodles than stamping, but I was really happy with the result, and Sydney LOVED it!!!

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On Sunday my AWESOME sister came over and I did her One Sheet Wonder class with her one-on-one! Now THAT'S service! ;)

The project entailed cutting one sheet of 12x12 double sided designer paper into a specific configuration. Believe it or not, add 5 sheets of solid card stock, a few scraps and a mere FIVE hours later you'll get this whole set! 10 cards and this adorable tote to store them in!!! I'm totally in love with this project and look forward to applying this strategy to make additional sets! Who wouldn't LOVE to get one as a gift?

$$$Dolla Stamps$$$

You would think as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator I would be able to resist buying stamps when I find myself at a craft store...but Noooooo!!! If you are an addict, you are an ADDICT!!! hee hee
These little $1.00 cuties from Michael's just begged me to bring them home, and how could I say no!?
I also just got the new designer series Halloween paper, so I'll be sure to play with that too! :)

October is HERE!!!

Well to get you in the mood I posted a music video for my ALL TIME FAVORITE movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas! As far as crafty stuff, I'll have some cool "Halloweenish" thingies to post before the week is out, so stay tuned!!! ;)

Sally's Song-Nightmare Before Christmas