oh well......

 so you need felt to make felt banners and I'm out of orange, green, purple and white...should have looked before I took the leap.

and our driveway is off the alley....and the alley was blocked all day yesterday with worker vans......

hopefully I will get to Joann Fabric by Friday.  Tucson is so different - we have two Joann stores and both are at least 25 minutes away.  

Back in Michigan I think I can count at least 5 Joann stores that were within 25 minutes of my house.

oh well......

I will leave you with this for your imagination!

bitten or smitten?

It happened again!  The Halloween bug bit me!

I saw a patchwork pumpkin and decided to cut it out of felt (one of my favorite mediums).

Decided what to use for the background.

Cut them out and got to work.

First the face was added.  Then the stitching began - applique stitch was decided after trying several others.

Little by little everything was stitched down.

A little nourishment was needed and I had the right stuff!

Several words were auditioned and you see the winner.  I just glued the letters on.

You may remember this project/kit.  I hope everyone that purchased one, finished it and remembers where it is - almost time to get it out!

How about this little gem of a brooch.  Sew much fun to make!  Did you get one when they were available?  Some people are using brooches with buttons to hold their masks when not being worn.

And I have 3 more new Halloween designs to go with the Happy banner.  They are all cut out and waiting for me to add faces.  Stop back soon to meet   "EEK",  "BOO" and "SCARY".

 

fallish weather a welcome relief!

 finally!  cooler weather.  hazy skies due to wild fires so the sun isn't beating down.  a nice breeze.we didn't get any rain during this year's Monsoon  so things are very dry and dusty.found these little window dies.

ideas are spinning through my head.  thinking about a little Halloween book.  I also have the very old die set from Sizzix called "SugarPlum".  That set is now out on the worktable along with orange, black cardstock and lots of Halloween paper scraps.  hmmmm....

a football game is on but its just not the same without the Spartans.  Stay safe boys.....

and our lunch.....

I'm not a fan of hotdogs but a Sonoran hot dog is mighty good......

grilled dog wrapped in bacon

grilled and fresh chopped onions

pinto beans

chopped tomatoes

mustard

mayo

green sauce

all stuffed into a delicious toasty sweet bun - not your usual hot dog bun...these are specially made in bakeries for sonoran dogs.

real treats!  sometimes I get one minus the dog and bacon.  

work? not really - more like fun

not sure if I showed the finished pocket journal, so here are a few glimpses.  there are at least four pocket pages and several blank journal pages are sewn in.

The cover is embossed.  and all the papers are coffee stained with a vanilla-cinnamon-almond very light scent.  vintage tatting and buttons, little ledger papers are also vintage (from my dad's stash!).

when I saw these poppy stamp dies, I decided ( over many days) I needed them.  they are adorable!

then I needed the new prima Christmas paper pad - this is just one paper.  all are soooo cute.  won't the rudolph die (in pinks) look perfect with it? this is a sample from the 6 x 6 pad.

here they are, in action.  this little spot is 3 1/2 x 4.  mixed with the t. holtz flowers.  

and here is a mock-up of my next project.  it just happened to be in pink but I'm thinking more halloweenish or maybe Thanksgivingish.  I was playing with different sizes.  this model helped me with the size I want.  

and, after all it's only paper.  this cost about 9 cents and about 30 minutes.

hmmmm.....a shadowbox,  a candy box, a book box......wait and see!

yep, Denver got snow and we hardly broke 90 degrees today.  it was almost cool when I ran this morning (74 degrees).  hasn't been that cool since March!

margie

hazy skies - red sun but what's next????

the wild fires in California and northern Arizona are creating lots of haze for us here in Tucson.
The sun comes up bright red and sets like its on fire.
What creates a beautiful sight here is so devastating.......

And next up:  SNOW!!  Well not for us but relatively close by.  We will enjoy the cooler temps though.  hottest August in a looooong time.

I have a few shares ready for tomorrow.
stop back again.

fun technique - an oldie but a goodie for a cloudy, rainy day.....

just stopping in to share.
Check out Jennifer Mcguire's blog for a fun, easy distress ink technique today.

make a few cards, bookmarks, little notebooks, folders with this one and give them away!

a little 3 x 3 box ready for filling with yummy treats

all decorated in halloween.....

yep, it's two trays deep....the top swings out to reveal another box below.

and I used spiced marmalade to add an orangy glow to the kraft papers' edges.

trick or treat!!

last one I promise (maybe)

I'll be making more for halloween but wait til you see the newest project I made for candy filling...(.sneak peek below)

I just love being able to go to the "Card Box" when I have family/friends I want to send a little hug to.  These are all set to go.  After all why do we make them if we don't use them.  It's not like we're gonna run out so send a card TODAY!  Give someone a reason to smile....

see you  back here for more pics.

Today is Mask making day.

margie

another one done.....

one more go make and I will have enough to "gift" my neighbors, filled with just the right amount of goodies.
Will your neighbors be as lucky?
Want a kit, complete with all the papers (cut to size), die cuts and embellishments for one along with the directions so you can make more? 

$8
let me know! 
Autumn/Halloween/Christmas theme - pick one....

Happy Fall Y'all!

You probably know that Halloween and Valentines Day are two of my favorite crafting times of the year.

This Flip and Twist card was easy to make and uses scraps (again!).  

I will post directions soon.  So collect your papers, including a piece of 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock that matches your scraps, some ribbon, adhesives, ruler, pencil and bone folder.

And another little gratitude journal.  We all need to remember that we have things to be thankful for this year....lots of pockets and flips to hold those thoughts.

And how about this gift holder - perfect for BOOing your family, friends and neighbors.  Again, a nice thought everyone would love to receive.  Fill it with goodies, hang it on their door, ring the bell and run!!

Just the right size for a few little treats.

This may become a kit with all the papers needed for one and directions so you can re-create more.  What do you think? Interested??  Halloween/Fall/Thanksgiving/Christmas themes......

Let me know if you are and I will get started!

We finally got some rain last night and watched a spectacular lightning show with surround sound on our front porch.  Something we never tire of here in the old pueblo......