Autumn Crafts

Autumn is my favorite season, and this year has been very busy.  My DH had knee surgery so I have been taking care of him, but oddly enough, it has afforded me a lot of extra time.  I have been taking full advantage and have accomplished several projects that I am happy to share.

First, a set of "Thank You" cards I made using Crate Paper's Farmhouse Collection paper and stickers.

Next is a masculine card I made using the Graphic 45 "A Proper Gentlemen" paper collection.  I cased this card from the May/June 2011 issue of Paper Crafts magazine.

 

For my halloween layout, I used paper from two different paper collections;  Teresa Collins "Haunted Hallows" paper, stickers and brads and "The Apothecary Emporium" paper and stickers from Echo Park.  I love all the papers in both collections since I am a traditional halloween color person, plus, I thought all the papers blended well together.

Another layout I created from the new Stampin' Up! paper called Spice Cake.  I love this paper collection and it also has matching fabric!  I made a pretty flower embellishment by cutting a 1 1/2" strip of the fabric and edging it with pinking shears.  I ran a quick basting stitch along one edge, pulled it tight to make the flower.  I also made a rosette from Melissa Frances crochet trim and topped it off with a large brad I made with coordinating paper.  The tiny little clothes pins are also from Stampin' Up! and the banners were cut using Papertrey Inks banner builder series dies.

Lastly I made some little treat boxes to send some goodies in.  I made a little pull tab from black grosgrain ribbon to pull it open.  I thought this might be easier for little hands.

 

Ghosties High Tea

WOYWW #74


Before I get to my desk this week, I would like to share some "quirky" traditions that my family celebrates this time of year.  First off you must understand that my family on my mother's side, the Fitzgerald's, are Irish through and through, so I grew up observing  family customs that have been passed down through the generations.  My husband's family, the Maclaskey's, are Scottish, so we have combined our unique family traditions to celebrate with our child so that he too may pass them along to his children. 
It is customary for me to make a special meal to celebrate All Hallows Eve and this includes colcannon.  Though it is something I make quite regularly throughout the year, I do make sure it is included with our Halloween meal since it has always been that way in my family.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with colcannon, it is basically equal amounts of boiled cabbage and boiled potatoes mashed together with some cream and served with a "puddle" of butter in the center.  At times I will alter the basic recipe somewhat and make what my grandmother called "mash-of-nines" which adds carrots, turnips and a leek to the potato/cabbage mix. 
After our dinner, around 8:00,  we enjoyed "Ghoulies and Ghosties High Tea".  (High tea generally refers to tea that is taken after dinner as opposed to in the afternoon.)

Edit:  Mandi pointed out below that she thought High Tea was served with savories and cakes and afternoon tea is served with cakes and she is absolutely right.  High Tea is traditionally served with savories such as sausages, fish, etc. and in my case, colcannon,  and sandwiches and a simple dessert.  The term "High Tea" was used for tea served at dinner time and sometimes IS dinner because it was served at the high dining table rather than a low coffee table or parlor table but High Tea can be taken at any time of the day and as early as noon.  Afternoon tea is the more formal of the two and the most elegant.  It is usually served with a light meal with the best linens and silver.  So you aren't wrong at all Mandi!  :)

This year we had a sweet chocolate mint tea to coincide with the sweet treats given on Halloween.   I also made an apple pastry to symbolize the completed harvest and as a substitute for the custom of dookin for apples because we really didn't want to plunge our face into a cold tub of water this year.  (Sorry granddad.)
Halloween in our family is much more than trick or treating, it is about remembering our loved ones who have gone before us and paying tribute to our ancestors who have passed down our "quirky" customs.
And at last, I will leave you all with a look at my workdesk.  Honestly it really isn't much to speak of this week.  I am working on the Fall layout I will be teaching this evening in class.  Technically I had them finished last week, but I managed to put the left page into an ink pad and it was ruined.   I used my heat gun to heat the adhesive and salvage as many elements as I could.  Fortunately I had only to remake my base page and then re-attach the additional pieces.
I highly encourage you to visit Julia's Stamping Ground, the mastermind behind WOYWW, to have a candid peek into the workspaces of many creative souls.
Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Trick or Treats?

WOYWW #73
H2H Challenge - Halloween Theme


I may be cheating a bit by combining two posts into one, but I have been overloaded with things needing to be done around here.  As you may notice, I have already cleaned up my desk and checked it off my "to do" list.  Another project completed are the goody bags I made for my nieces and nephews, 8 total (one has been mailed out).  I used primarily CTMH paper from Hooligans to make the bags, but I was running short since I have also made cards and 4 layouts from one Hooligans paper pack, so two of the bags are made using paper from My Mind's Eye.  The images are all digi-stamps which I colored using copics and the pocket was made with an unknown spider's web stamp which I stamped onto vellum with Versamark ink, then embossed with black embossing power.  I cut out the web and attached it to the bag to make the little pocket to hold the name cards.  The bag is made from a Sizzix die using my Cuttlebug.  Hope you all have a wonderful week! 

Supplies:

Paper:  Hooligans Level 2 Paper Pack and The Spider's Web from My Mind's Eye, Vellum, Neenah white cardstock

Inks:  Versamark and Copic markers

Stamps:  Digi-stamps "Charcoal" from Pollycraft and "Devil Billy" and "Wilma the Witch" from Digital Delights, unknown clear spider's web stamp

Misc:  CTMH black embossing powder and CTMH black brads

Tools:  Cuttlebug and Sizzix gift bag die

What's On My Workdesk, er, deck? Wednesday?

This week on my workdesk, well, my deck for the sunlight to take the photo, is a Halloween banner I totally CASE'd.

This banner was created by a very talented lady, Hilary Kanwischer, and was featured in the October 2010 issue of Scrapbooks, etc. Please take a moment and hop over to Hilary's blog here and check out her amazing work!  Check out her original banner here.  I used most of the same supplies that Hilary did though I did have to substitute a few things with what I had on hand.  I really like how mine turned out, but of course it isn't as cute as Hilary's.  Thanks for stopping by and just for the record, this project WAS on my workdesk before I took it outside to be photographed.