HALLOWEEN HOME DECOR

Don’t rush to the store for Halloween decorations!  There are so many simple ways to create your own home décor pieces for this spooky holiday!  This Halloween Décor Set includes a fun decorative frame and a coordinating candy jar.  Learn how to turn a simple frame into a Halloween home décor piece you can be proud of!  In this tutorial you will learn how to color coordinate your Whisper White Thick Baker’s Twine and how to create adorable ghosts using your Owl Builder Punch.  Happy Halloween!

This fantastic project, which was designed by Michelle, is the September Bonus project at Craft Project Central.  Qualifying for the bonus project tutorial is easy . . . just subscribe to two or more months in a row, put the Craft Project Central badge on your blog, or refer a friend to the site.  When your friend subscribes, just let us know. 

CANDY CANE LANE CHRISTMAS GIFT ENSEMBLE

Simple and sweet projects for Christmas Gift Giving using the Candy Cane Lane Suite.  These projects will allow you to give everyone a little something to show you’re thinking of them at Christmas time.  Make up several in advance so you always have one ready for the postman, neighbor or co-worker.

The tutorial for this ensemble, which was designed by Beth, can be found at Craft Project Central.

HALLOWEEN PARTY ENSEMBLE

Capture the spirit of Halloween with this party ensemble. It has everything you need to get ready for a spooky Halloween party that is totally delightful and not at all frightful!  Remember, if you don’t celebrate Halloween, this project can be easily customizable for any occasion by simply changing the designer series paper and the stamp sets. 

 

The tutorial for this festive ensemble, which was designed by Liz, can be found at Craft Project Central.

SPOOKY FUN PARTY ENSEMBLE

Bats and witches and things that go “bump!” in the night – it’s time for Halloween. Create spooky fun party favors and decorations with the Spooky Fun Stamp Set and Halloween Scenes Edgelits Dies from the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Catalog. The gatefold card can be used as a greeting card or as a party invitation. If you decide not to host a party, the luminaries will light the way for trick-or-treaters and the favors can be your treats for the goblins and ghosts at your door. The best thing about this project is that you can substitute another bundle and turn it into an ensemble for any holiday or celebration.

The tutorial for this festive ensemble, which was designed by Buffy Cooper, can be found at Craft Project Central.

PAISLEY PARTY ENSEMBLE

Do you love to entertain?  Whether it’s a small gathering or a formal meal, this tutorial has a few special touches for you to make.  This ensemble provides those little things that you can turn to time and time again whether you’re having friends over for nibbles and drinks or for a celebratory meal. There’s even some packaging included so that your guests don’t go home empty handed.

The tutorial for this awesome party ensemble, which was designed by Sara Levin, can be found at Craft Project Central.

NEW BABY BUNDLE

If you know someone expecting a baby, this bundle with a "baby napping" plaque to hang outside the door and the coordinating gift box and matching thank you notes will be a welcome gift for the new mom.

The tutorial for this gorgeous project, which was designed by Billie Moan, can be found at Craft Project Central.

 

 

BOXES & BAGS & TIE-ON TAGS

Fall is just around the corner…and that means the holiday season is not far behind…when homemade packaging makes everything special!  This project features leaves, acorns and pine boughs to create bags and boxes and a fun tie on tag…one for each season.  Now’s the time to gather your papers, punches and dies and get a head start on your holidays with this easy and fun project!

 

Don't the boxes look adorable???  Sue Plote embellished them beautifully!  There is a lot to take away from the tutorial, which you will find at Craft Project Central.

MEET RAMSOUR

We recently welcomed a puppy into our home.  On August 29th to be exact.  After quite a lengthy time of talking about it and thinking about it, the decision was made to find a Border Collie.  For a year or so, my son has looked into many aspects of being a dog owner and characteristics to be expected from certain breeds and how to train, etc., so we didn't enter this new phase lightly.  During the "thinking about it" phase, I kept saying that I didn't want something to take care of.  I didn't care if my son (who lives with us) got a puppy--just don't count on me to be a caregiver.  On Sunday, August 28th, my son and I made the 7-hour trip to middle Tennessee and stayed overnight at a really nice Courtyard.  We drove 45 minutes the next morning to finally meet this little guy:

The drive home took 9 long hours, and Ramsour (pronounced Ram-zer) was a most excellent traveling companion!  We stopped a couple of times along the way so he could stretch his legs, have some water, and potty.  He's been on one other short road trip since coming to live with us, and he was fantastic!  The three of us are in love with him!  His potty training is going so well (better than  I expected), and he's already learned some obedience commands.  Ramsour is a loving little guy who appreciates affection, and he never minds if you bring him something to chew, chew, chew, chew, chew.  While he is learning to obey our commands, we are learning to understand some of his whines, whimpers, and barks.  It's been quite interesting to see things through his eyes as he discovers the world--what intrigues him, scares him, his likes and dislikes.  He has a favorite place to lay in the mulch bed--and that's where his favorite stick lays waiting for him on each outing.  Having Ramsour is much like having a baby/toddler/teenager all wrapped into one adorable furry package.

How did he come to be named Ramsour?  Well . . . remember I mentioned that my son did a LOT of research before we made the leap to get a puppy?  Somewhere along the way, he read about the Battle of Ramsour's Mill, which took place in the county where we live.  It is written that the troops gathered for that battle on June 19, 1780.  June 19 is not only my son's birthday, but Ramsour's as well!  Isn't that a cool coincidence?  Since there were some interesting parallels to June 19th and the Battle of Ramsour's Mill, that's how we came to have a puppy named Ramsour.

WINNER OF THE FREE CRAFT PROJECT CENTRAL SUBSCRIPTION

Oops!  I totally forgot to announce the winner of the FREE Craft Project Central subscription, which I was supposed to do on September 8th.  In my blog post on the first (HERE), I promised to give a FREE one-month subscription and would draw a name from those who left a comment on the Bella & Friends ensemble that I designed.  I appreciate all of the comments!  I only have one subscription to give away, though, and it goes to . . . JACOLINE FITZGERALD!!!!  Jacoline, if you'll email me at randari at hotmail dot com, we'll get your subscription started!  Here again is a sneak peek photo of my ensemble:

 

 

FALL LEAF TREAT BOX TRIO

Get ready for Fall with this set of tempting treat holders! Each treat holder is made using the fabulous new Popcorn Box Thinlits. You’ll see how versatile these dies are when you learn how to make a Treat-Filled Popcorn Box, a Pocket Treat Holder and a Basket. Just a few quick and easy adjustments make these simple, but oh, so cute little gifties! Plus you’ll see how to adapt the new Suite Seasons Stamp Set into more general sayings for anytime use! And the coordinating card can be used with any one of the treats for gift giving!

The tutorial for this pretty and creative ensemble, which was designed by Julie Beltramo, can be found at Craft Project Central.

FLORAL METALLIC FRAME & CARD

Do you ever need a gift for an unexpected occasion? The Floral Metallic Frame will make you look like you are on top of your gift giving! The frame is filled with a variety of three-dimensional flowers in metallic colors. Plus, there is a coordinating greeting card. You will surely WOW whoever receives this gift. Metallics are the latest trend; from the fashion runways to interior design. Stampin’ Up! keeps up with current trends and offers many metallic products for paper crafters to choose from. 

 

The tutorial for this pretty project, which was designed by Sue Lehrer, can be found at Craft Project Central.

AUTUMN WREATH GREETING CARD BOX SET

Get ready for those cool autumn days with bright beautiful leaves tumbling down with this lovely set of four gift cards and a matching box. Each contains a beautiful autumn wreath featuring the Wondrous Wreath Stamp Set. This would make a quick and easy class project or hostess gift! Make one to gift to a friend or keep it just for yourself. 

The tutorial for this pretty project, which was designed by Amanda, can be found at Craft Project Central.

LOOKING FORWARD TO FALL & A DELIGHTFUL NEW SKETCH CHALLENGE

A brand new month means a brand new Creating Pretty Cards sketch challenge at Craft Project Central.  Monica Davis, the designer of this month's Sketch Challenge #63, had an element of design that I didn't expect (the window), so you'll probably want to view her step-by-step tutorial HERE.  This is what the sketch looks like:

And this is the card that I created for the challenge:

Yes, I'm sooooooooo ready for Summer to pack her bags and go, so I chose Fall-ish images for my card.  The basket image was already stamped on watercolor paper and colored, so I don't recall exactly which colors I used.  I think they were Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Tangerine Tango, Delightful Dijon, and Soft Suede.  Stampin' Up! products featured on my card include:

Stamp Sets:  Vintage Leaves, Country Livin', and Basket of Wishes

Ink:  Delightful Dijon, Old Olive, Soft Suede, Basic Black Archival

Cardstock:  Very Vanilla, Watercolor Paper, Soft Suede, Delightful Dijon

Sizzix:  Layering Circles Framelits

Accessories:  Blender Pen, Aqua Painter, Linen Thread, Stampin' Dimensionals

REMEMBER:  For every 10 cards that are uploaded for Creating Pretty Cards - Sketch Challenge #63, there will be a FREE one-month subscription given away for the awesome tutorials at Craft Project Central.  To be entered in the drawing, just follow the sketch to create a card and click this link http://craftprojectcentral.com/creating-pretty-cards-sketch-challenge-63 to upload a photo of your card.

BELLA & FRIENDS . . . AND A WINNER!!!!

Today is the beginning of a brand new month of fantastic, creative, and inspiring project tutorials at Craft Project Central, and I'm so happy to share a sneak peek photo of the ensemble that I designed this month.  But first . . . following is the introduction that I wrote for my project

 

With this tutorial, create an adorable set of cards featuring Stampin’ Up!’s Bella & Friends Stamp Set.  The tutorial includes a sweet “pizza box” to hold the cards, and there’s plenty of room for two of each card in the box!  The images in this stamp set make for such a precious set of cards—one of which is a sweet easel design—and  anyone who receives them will feel how much you care from the moment the card is pulled from the envelope.  The box itself can be re-purposed for a gift or for daily use to hold note paper. 

 

 

As usual, I will have a FREE one-month Craft Project Central subscription to give to one lucky person, and getting entered in the drawing is really easy.  Just click THIS LINK to leave a comment on my project.  On Thursday, September 8th, I will announce the winner right here on my blog, so be sure to visit on that day to see if you're the winner.

 

WINNER! WINNER! WINNER!

Many thanks to those who took the time to leave a comment HERE on the project that I designed for Craft Project Central in August!!  Random.org was used to choose the winner, and she is . . . KRIS DANSEREAU.   Kris, if you'll contact me at randari at hotmail dot com, we'll get your subscription started.