13 Days of October Madness

There are those who eat, breathe & sleep Christmas - red & green all year round. I'm one of the growing number whose favorite holiday & time of year is Halloween & fall. To celebrate my favorite season, I'm throwing a party...13 days of craft & decor fun & I hope you'll join me!

Today also happens to be World Card Making Day, & even though I'm not much of a card maker, I couldn't pass up the chance to make a Halloween card. Here's the final product:

I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. Here's how I did it:

Materials Needed:

Premade card (5x7, black from Hobby Lobby)

Lace & Ribbon trim

Strip of patterned paper

2 pages from a hard back book, cut into 4 squares, 2 3/4" each

Hat pin

2" Circle punch & black cardstock

Halloween sentiment stickers
Black ink pad

Tattered Angels Black Magic mist

Double sided tape, ribbon glue, pop dots

I knew I wanted a rosette made from book pages, (an old Edgar Allen Poe book I bought cheap from a used bookstore - Perfect!) so I cut my 4 squares & assembled the rosette. I inked the edges & creases with black Staz-On ink. Then I determined the background, settling on a fairly monochromatic scheme with one pop of color. Going with the Poe scheme, I went with blacks, grays, and faded white. I adhered the harlequin strip of ribbon horizontally across the card, & added the lace for texture. The lace was white, but I sprayed it w/ the Tattered Angels mistingspray to turn it grayish black. (An easy fix btw!) After gluing on the lace beneath the harlequin ribbon, I used pop dots to glue down the rosette on the right edge of the card. The large orange flower is a Bazzill product, which I understand they've discont'd to my dismay. I love the size! All I did to add the bling was use Tim Holtz' Crystal Stickles along the embossed parts - and instant bling! More pop dots to hold the flower down. Punch the black cardstock circle, adhere the Happy Halloween sticker (from Michaels!) & use pop dots & glue to center of flower.

The hat pin is an embellishment I'm still learning to make, but it's perfect for a Gothic/Victorian Halloween look. Spear the hat pin between the flower & paper rosette, and that's it! What do yoy think? I'd love to see what Halloween cards you come up with! Leave a comment with a link to your blog & I'll stop by!

Happy Crafting ~

Stephanie

Dog Days of Summer Blog Hop

A new month calls for a new blog hop with the Creative Scrapbooking Divas! Did you know the CS Divas have a blog hop the first Saturday of the month? They are so much fun and there are usually several fun prizes to be won! This month's blog hop is inspired by summer, and so are our projects!

If you're just joining us now, you can start at the beginning by going to Luisa's blog & visiting each site on the hop so you'll be eligible to win the CS Divas Grand Prize!

Here's how you earn your chance to win:

a. leave a comment on each site of the hop

b. leave a comment on the CS Divas web site when you're done!

You can earn extra tickets to win by also -

a. becoming a follower on our blog

b. become a fan on our Facebook page

c. add your own summer project on our website using Mr. Linky.

One more thing before we see my project - our blog tour list -

Luisa's Blog: Creative Designs by Luisa: http://creativedesignsbyluisa.com/

Sandy's Scrapbook Blessings

Stephanie: You are here!

Pam: Dreams and Memories at http://dreamersklub.blogspot.com/

Jessica's Craft Shaque: http://jessicascraftshaque@blogspot.com

Alecia's blog: http://freakalecias.blogspot.com/

For me, summer brings to mind the carefree and innocent images of the past as well as some of my favorite summer activities. I combined both of these in a quick and simple banner. Here's the project as a whole -

The images I saved from the internet at Plan 59, and the flash cards are from a downloaded set of 12 flashcards I purchased from an Etsy Store called Hudson's Holidays. (if you've never heard of etsy, you're missing out! Etsy is an on line market place for individuals to open their own cyber store fronts & sell handmade goods) The kids and I went through the flashcards and they picked out their favorites. Then I simply punched holes in each card/pic, strung them together and raided my ribbon stash for colorful bits that I tied between everything. My kids and I have had the best time this summer enjoying everything from our banner: sunshine, popsicles, swimming, & summertime! What do you love about summertime? Create your own project and and link it up by August 9th 7pm Eastern time on our Creative Scrapbooking Divas Blog to get two tickets and be entered to win our blog hop prize!

Thanks for visiting, now let's go see what Pam created!

And the Winner IS.....

Thanks for all the lovely comments left by all you beautiful people on the Divas blog hop! I promised some blog candy for new followers and comments and the winner is...Nannette! Special thanks to my 5 year old son Cade for helping me write down names & then picking your name out of a hat! (He had a lot of fun playing this game!) Nannette - please send me your address so you can get your goodies!

Please come back and visit again and don't forget to check out the Creative Scrapbooking Divas on our new blog!

Happy Crafting~
Stephanie

Twilight Time!

Reminder: I am offering a chance to win blog candy (free stuff!) for new followers and comments through tomorrow!

Many of you share my love for all things Twilight (and if you don't, you're missing out!) and even though I prefer the books to the movie, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to join a Twilight Tag Swap over at MAS (Mini Album Scraps). This swap takes place over the course of several months and focuses on only one movie at a time. The first swap took place in June and of course focused on Twilight, my favorite book, but least favorite movie of the series. Although we were only asked to make one tag design, but six actual tags, you'd think it would be easy. Alas, I have to make everything harder on myself. There were so many scenes from Twilight that I had to make six different tags!

Here is what I came up with:

The papers are a variety of combinations for the front, pics are all from the internet. The backs had to be decorated too, so I actually took my beat up, well read paperback copy of Twilight, scanned the pages from which the pics on each tag were taken, spritzed them with Candy Apple Red glimmer mist, added a rub on and the Twilight obsessed tag.

This was my first tag swap at MAS, and I'm so proud of how they turned out! I am working on my New Moon tags now, due August 23rd, so come back and visit to see how they turned out!

Happy Crafting!

~ Stephanie

Divalicious Christmas in July Blog Hop

Welcome to the Creative Scrapbooking Divas Christmas in July blog hop!
It may not feel like snow outside in the Northern hemisphere, but if we start our holiday projects now, we just might be ready by December! We would love for you to plan and play along! Please join us as we share with you the wonderful holiday projects of CS Divas.

If you are just now joining us, you can go to Luisa's blog to start at the beginning so you won't miss a hop stop and be eligible for the blog hop prize.
Our blog hop list:
Luisa: Creative Designs by Luisa
Sandy: Scrapbook Blessings
Stephanie: The Magic of Ordinary Days (you are here!)
Jessica: Jessica's Craft Shaque
Yolie: Just Yolie, Just Create
Vanessa: Creating Sensations
Pam: Dreamer's Klub
Alecia: Welcome to Alecia's

Don't forget to comment on the main Diva blog here when you are done for a ticket to be entered for the blog hop prize!!! I am also offering blog candy for new followers & comments!

One of my favorite Christmas traditions growing up was the advent calendar my mom bought every year with little pieces of chocolate behind those magic paper doors that every day my sisters and I couldn't wait to open! Advent calendars have come a long way since then, & for quite awhile I've wanted to make a muffin pan countdown calendar like the ones I've seen on line.
So, let's get started!

Supplies:
1 - 24 count mini muffin pan (got mine from Wal-Mart!)
Scraps of paper (however you choose to make yours; I used 24 different patterns, but you could do a repeating pattern of the same papers)
Magnets (from your fridge or craft store)
Alpha stickers/rub-ons
Pencil/pen
Scissors
Glue (Elmer's Craft Bond Rubber Cement
Punches, embellishments
Let's Get to Work:
1. First I measured the opening of the muffin wells (2") & made my circles a little bigger (2 1/4") so they would clearly fit over the opening instead of falling in.
2. I picked my papers & cut each circle by hand instead of using my Cricut so I could place the patterns exactly where I wanted them.
3. I decided to make my calendar vertical instead of horizontal, choice is yours!
4. Next I figured out the layout of my circles & numbered them on the backs so I wouldn't forget or lose my place.
5. Once all my circles were cut, I set them aside & grabbed my magnets. Using the same 2 1/4" circle pattern, I traced 24 circles from the magnets. Cut around the circle two times, making the circumference just a bit smaller so the edges don't show once glued to the patterned paper.
6. In order to protect your work surface, place a mat (I use a large sheet of foam from Hobby Lobby) on your table before you start gluing.
7. Use the rubber cement to glue the magnet to the patterned paper. Important: always make sure you're placing the glue on the non-magnetized side! (when you're gluing 24 circles it's easy to just glue without thinking!)
8. Lay your glued/magnetized circles on your muffin pan & choose your alphas for each circle.
9. Embellish
10. Display: You can either place your advent calendar on a stand or drill a hole/holes in the top to draw ribbon through and hang wherever you choose.
What I'll be putting in my calendar:
1. Candy placed in one well per row. (hey - it's for the kids!) 2. Write your wish list to Santa & mail it. 3. Hop on one foot & sing Jingle Bells. 4. Send Christmas cards to troops overseas. 5. Read the Angel visits Mary (Mark 1:1-8). 6. Drink Hot Chocolate. 7. Watch Polar Express. 8. Create a mural of the nativity scene. 9. Buy a new Christmas book to add to our collection. 10. Bake Christmas cookies! 11. Wear Christmas pajamas & take pictures by the tree. 12. Memorize Bible verses from Luke chapter 2. 13. Visit a local Christmas tree farm & buy fresh boughs to make the house smell good. 14. Drive around neighborhoods & look at Christmas lights. 15. Make family Christmas ornaments for 2011. 16. Build a gingerbread house. 17. Make food for Santa's reindeer. 18. Attend Christmas Eve services at church.

I would love to see what you come up with! For two tickets to win the CS Divas blog hop prize, please post your entries using Mr. Linky by July 12th, 7pm eastern, to be entered to win the hop prize.
Thanks for hopping and have a Divalicious Christmas!
(Remember - post a comment at the Divas blog letting us know that you've left comments on all the Diva blogs for a ticket to win! Thanks for stopping by, leaving a comment or becoming a follower! Winner of the blog candy will be announced in one week! (going out of town next week!) Let's head over to Jessica's blog now!
Happy Crafting!
~ Stephanie

Blog Happy

Hello Friends and Family!

Just wanted to take a moment and let you know about an exciting event in my scrappy life - the new blog for the Creative Scrapbooking Divas! I'm in my second term on the design team with these ladies and I have to tell you, it's so much fun and they are all so friendly! I hope you'll follow us on our new blog http://creativescrapbookingdivas.blogspot.com/! We will continue to have awesome challenges, prizes, tutorials, tips and inspiration here and we hope you'll come play along with us!

I will still be working with the Fun Techniques and Products group, and my bio. goes up July 13th. The fun has already begun and gets even better with a Divalicous Christmas in July blog hop set for July 9th. Please visit our blog for all the details. I know there will be prizes and blog candy involved. :) Leave us some love on our new blog and come get creative with us!

Happy Crafting ~

Stephanie

Homecoming

Well, it's been almost one week since my husband returned from his 23 days of Army Reserve training, and the kids and I are so glad to have him back! Although we made it work with him gone, I am happy he didn't have to be gone longer. I know compared to deployments these past few weeks may not seem like a long time, but it is the longest length of time since Cade was born that we have been apart. Here are a few images of his return:

I am so proud of him, and the example of honor, duty, country that he is setting for our children. This Fourth of July weekend I am so thankful for the men and women who volunteer to serve and protect our country, and for their families who sacrifice their loved ones so we may continue to live freely.

Hooah!

~ Stephanie