Pocket Letters Galore

It's been a while since I updated!  I've been spending most of my times swapping Pocket Letters and ATCs with my new pals at Swap-Bot.

Here are some of my most recent swaps - please forgive the photo quality, those shiny folders are a bitch to photograph.

This one is my favorite by far:


Classic Monster

Here are some others:


Owl Pocket Letter


Halloween

I'm also swapping ATCs, handmade postcards and I'm working on my collage skills.  What is up with that?!

If you'd like to swap, let me know.

Thanks for looking!

Pocket Letters

So I recently found a new craft - Pocket Letters!  You can check out the basics via the creator, Janette Lane, on her blog here.

I joined her Pocket Letter Pal network and agreed to my first Halloween themed swap.  I decided to go cute and went to town - I started with some Project Life Halloween cards that I had for unknown reasons since I don't actually scrapbook.  I was thinking I'd do ATCs but then I decided I wanted my swap partner to be to use the supplies on the front of the pockets as well as the back (I'm not sure if that's the intent, but I liked it).

Here's the front:

And here's the back:

  

In my first pocket, I did some ATC papers wrapped ribbon and added a handmade matchbook to the back.  The next pocket is my glitter/confetti pocket - I think I may have muddied this up a little to much with glitter.  It's sealed with washi, so I may redo it before I send it out.  My swap partner is momma to some fancy rat babes, so I made her a rat pocket with chipboard rats on the front that she can remove and some stickers, labels and a few tickets in back.

   

The second row has a spider charm, some black and orange rhinestones with spider and web die cuts and some hand-dyed crinkle ribbon and washi tape in the back.  I'll put my letter behind the card with the owl.  I'm not sure if I should add more the front pockets in this row?

The last row has my swap partner's initials, some more removable die cuts and a free floating bat.  Additional pumpkin and bat themed papers, ribbon and embellishments are tucked in back.  I made some really cute little file folders too.

I can't wait to get started on my next one - it's an owl theme!

I'm entering the above into the following challenges:
Hiding in My Craftroom - HMCR218 - Any Holiday (Halloween)
Corrosive Challenges - Halloween Bingo - Bat, Free Space, Moon  (CORROSIVE233)

Thanks for stopping by!

HDH - Famous Last Words

I'm back.... I was actually back two weeks ago, I was just too scattered after the holidays to post.

Of course, I'm jumping right in with a new Macabre Monday from Haunted Design House.  This time we need to use a famous last line from a favourite book, poem, or movie.  Go even one better, and use a death bed confession or last utterance.

I decided on Emily Dickenson; her last spoken words were "I must go in, the fog is rising" which is kinda creepy.   I wasn't sure what to do, so I went with a memorial type photo that someone might have on their wall of a deceased loved one.

The frame was originally white, which I antiqued with some brown stain.  But then I dropped it and it broke. <sigh>  When I put it back together, you could see the seams, so I painted the entire thing matte black.  UGH.  Sadly, I didn't have anything to make it shiny again, so I rubbed an old chapstick all over it.  Gross but it works.  I added a little bit of gold burnish to the edges and the  flower, which I made with some extremely flammable material and a candle. Yay me for not burning down the house!  Done!  And.... wow, kinda boring. 

So, back to the drawing board.  I decided to go to my favorite movies for inspiration.  One of my Top 10 Things Chriss Loves to Watch Over & Over is The Omen.  Who doesn't enjoy a little antichrist now and then??  And inspiration struck - remember this little piece?  It's my scrapbook page of Damien - so I made another.  I may have to put together a book...

I love it! I used the Nanny's last line "It's all for you!" which she says right before she hangs herself as Damien's birthday present. 

I made the background in Word, using the prophecy that Bugenhagen recites and is used on one of the film posters, added the biblical quote, 666 and printed it on a lightly stamped background paper.   I love my graveyard die cut and the sparkly ribbon added just the right amount of fun for me. 

A friend saw it, said, "Oh, that's really pretty" and then "Wait, what the hell is going on?"  That's my favorite sort of creepy - the kind that slips in under the radar.

Enjoy and thanks for looking!

HDH - Vile Vintage (see warning!)

Wow, I'm clocking in an entire day early over at Haunted Design House for the latest Monday Macabre - Vile Vintage - take something vile and make it appear vintage, or maybe use something vintage that would be considered vile! 

So, the only thing I could think of that was vile and vintage were post-mortem portraits which, for those innocent souls who follow me, are photos taken of loved ones once they've passed on.  (Please note this warning - there are photos of dead children below.)

I tried to keep everything Victorian era'ish.  I started with a plain brown slide mailer and gave it a quick black wash, then stamped a Victorian pattern using Brilliance ink to give it some background texture and then wrapped it in some beautiful grey satin ribbon.  The flower was made with hand-dyed loose petals from Michael's - they melt and curl nicely when you use a match.  I backed a pre-made frame with some flocked paper and a cross charm, which I added the stone to. 

Here's the inside:

The pictures don't actually belong together, but it seemed serendipitous when I found two different photos with twins.  I framed the photo on the left with black scrap and used it across the bottom on the right along with a small cross between the babies.  I accidentally broke one of the slides with my tea cup, but decided it added to feel of the piece and broke the other one as well. 

It's not really vile to me, but I'm sure someone is horrified on my behalf, so I hope that counts. 

Thanks for looking!

Gingersnap Creations Art Exchange - Magnets

Gingersnap Creations is having another art exchange - Encouraging Words Refrigerator Magnets.  I decided to try for a heart theme and set about making my magnets. 

I did a shaker magnet.

I tried a new technique (the 'puddle' of white embossing power with the sentiment 'embossed' in it).

I used my new Papertrey Ink set for the first time.  I love this house!

And then I stalled.  I had the quote: "A friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart."  The sentiment was too large, I didn't like the color on the vellum, I couldn't think of anything else to do, blah blah.  I dithered and I dallied and I finally came up with a magnet that was... done.  I didn't love it, I didn't hate it.  I hung them all on the fridge to test the magnet adhesive overnight.  

This afternoon, I started taking pictures.  I did the first three and went I went for the fourth...it wasn't there.  The magnet was still on the fridge but the actual piece was missing.  I asked hubby if he'd seen it - nope.  I searched high and low - it's not under the fridge (yes, I made hubby move it), it didn't fall down the side, it's not on the counter. It's gone.  There are two suspects who have a long criminal history when it comes to crafting mishaps but this is impressive, even for them.

They're not talking, of course.  I suspect the mystery may never be solved.  So, I'm off to make another magnet!  I think I'll have to give the heart theme a pass this time and skip the fridge test. 

Wish me luck!!

Red and Gold Gingersnap Creations Challenge

Where has the time gone? It's been almost three weeks since my last post.   Yikes!  In my defense, I got my first ever stamp order from Papertrey Ink, and for me, new stamps equals 0 creations because I spend all my time touching and ooohing and fondling and aaahing and rearranging all my other stamp sets and very little time actually stamping.

But! I did manage to get photos of this this beastie.  Here's my Red & Gold color challenge for Gingersnap Creations.  I used several papers/labels that I purchased from Collage Stuff (definitely check out her page - she has some cool swaps going on).  

I painted a slide mailer gold and layered my Asian papers, added a few punched flowers, a charm and some gold embossing powder.  The spine is covered in red velvet ribbon (which you handily can't see) and accented with a takeout chopstick from a local eatery.  I simply cut it down to size with my husband's bolt cutters and then sanded the end until I was happy.  Distress ink aged it nicely and I wrapped it in some gold cord.  I had a rough time getting it to stick to the spine so I ended up having to use hot glue.    

Inside are some more papers that I accented with Asian labels, a crackle stamp, clear embossing powder, more distress ink and some plastic slides.  The labels were glossy and didn't really take the distressing ink that way I would have liked.  I should have distressed first and then embossed.

I'm unsuprisingly incapable of not adding black to red, so I snuck in some black fibers and ivory beads with my gold and red tassels.  

As always, thanks for stopping by and enjoy!

Gingersnap Coaster Exchange!

My husband has had strep throat and an ear infection for the past two weeks and I'm exhausted.   I haven't got to craft at all, so I'm just going to post the coasters that I made for the Gingersnap Creations yahoo group Coaster swap.  The theme was hearts.

This one took me the most time - the entire thing is hand punched hearts and then each heart was individually curled with a awl and then glued down. 

This beast was a pain - I had the coolest gold paper incorporated but I decided at the last minute to add some gold embossing powder to cover up any glue overlap.  When I used my heat gun, all the gold bits melted and I had to go back in with a glue pen and more embossing powder.   Note to self: don't apply heat to things that melt!

Years ago, I purchased a shoebox full of stamps at a garage sale.  The stamps are still attached to envelopes, so I sat in front of the tv and peeled stamps off bit of paper and sorted them by color during a horror movie marathon.  Go Friday the 13th!    

Last, but not least, is this cute little clown girl.  The background was embossed with a Tim Holtz folder and then randomly heat embossed.   I was in the throes of a short-lived ruffle fascination for this one and the one above.   I have odd interests. LOL! 

Enjoy and thank you for looking!!

Alas Poor Yorick!

This is my entry for the Alas Poor Yorick challenge (skulls) over at Haunted Design House.  The winner gets to go shopping at Creepy Glowbugg's etsy shoppe which makes me all twitterpatted because I have a huge crafting crush on her stuff.

I decided I wanted to try something that associated with beauty and delicateness but with a creepy edge; so here's my Skull Moth.

I stamped and cut out 19 skulls and assembled them on a chipboard butterfly shape that I had prepared by coloring with walnut ink and gothic writing.  Each skulls is on a pop dot and curled a little bit for a little dimension.  I added the spine, did a little glossy accents and popped on the pearls.  I wanted the antennae to be moth-y looking, but I'm not sure if it worked.    Sadly, all my stamps are unmounted and I have no idea where they came from. 

Thanks for looking!!

Challenge Macabre Monday - Forever Mine

I recently found the Haunted Design House blog and fell totally in love.  For those of you who are new to me, I love horror and macabre and blood and wheeeeeeee!!!!!!  I'll have to post my Christmas cards with the rabid dog sometime.....

Anyway! Haunted Design House had a challenge - Love Bites - that I just had to do. 

I'm disappointed with how poorly the blood shows up on the heart, I think it's because I took the picture in natural daylight but the ones inside were too dark.  But I do love this.  Sadly, the heart is an unmounted stamp and I have no idea where I got it; it's extremely detailed but stamps so perfectly when I use Versafine.   

Enjoy!!!

Butterfly Escape

So, I have another project that I did recently but I'm not convinced about the finished result.  It's missing something but I'm not sure what.

I would love any suggestions or thoughts.  I did the bamboo with my Sizzix and spritzed them with Walnut Ink and various embossing powders.  The postcards are from a lot I purchased on eBay last year. 

It just needs something....

Thanks for looking and enjoy!