You should see my desk. It looks like a Whirling Dervish came through. I’ve hauled out paper and pens, circle cutters and glue, rubber stamps, ink pads and ribbon. It’s been a crafty October so far.
Crafting and a tidy work space do not go hand-in-hand. Unfortunately I do not have a dedicated craft space so I make do. I’m crafting using the corner of my desk, a small pop up table and my in box. Since Mike is out of the country for ten days, I called squatters rights on his side of our shared desk as well. After repeatedly misplacing, then later unearthing my reading glasses, I’ve added “granny chain” to my shopping list. In the midst of all this chaos I’m having a blast.
Earlier this month, I took a class with my sister at The Island Creative Escapes. During the four-hour class, we learned a variety of mixed-media techniques while creating a “Haunted Pumpkin Patch”. You know me and pumpkins.
“Haunted Pumpkin Patch” mixed media class by Richele Christensen
Designer and blogger, Richele Christensen, lead the class. She’s a project manager and designer for Tim Holtz. All of the products are available through an assortment of Tim Holtz products. They provided a kit for all of the attendees, and then we shared a basket of inks and other tools.
Mixed media detail (top half)
Mixed media detail (bottom half)
We came home with a cute mixed media canvas and a variety of ideas along with a leftover sheet of rub-on decals and a packets of paper ephemera. Those leftovers were my starting point for a rainy day afternoon of card-making. Yes…it rained!
When our boys were young, I hosted a Halloween party every year for the neighborhood children. It went on for nearly a decade. So in addition to the leftover ephemera pack from class, I have Halloween-themed rubber stamps, materials from a teacher’s supply store, and an assortment of paper from the make-and-take crafts.
Decorated pumpkins: Halloween 2008
I used these over-sized shapes for the inside of the tri-fold cards:
Leftover Halloween shapes from the teachers supply store, scored, cut and placed on the inside of a tri-fold card
This is what the cards look like when closed:
Tri-fold cards: Black card stock, spider web Washi tape, Tim Holtz vintage cat ephemera
I had fun making my own envelopes.
Leftover bat shapes and assorted paper get a new life as envelopes for some of the cards
I like the way the scrap of lace looks over the purple paper. I had just enough for one card.
This scrap of black lace was a bow on our class supply kit. I wrapped it around a scrap of purple paper, added a dangling spider charm and attached it to a black card. Scraps of the same paper decorate the envelope. The ghost is inside.
There is something to be said for loosening up on a practice card or two. I often have a hard time getting started, then an equally challenging time stopping. Who wants to fold laundry when a role of Washi tape is calling your name?
I moved from idea to idea, using the supplies and tools that I have on hand. At last I was in the zone.
Check out some of these beautiful creations:
Dawn at Petals. Paper. Simple Thyme
Kelly at Kelly’s Korner
Pauline at The Contented Crafter
Gardening Nirvana 