Fall is for pumpkins!

Hi everyone!  Thanks so much for stopping by today.  I do appreciate it. 

My favorite paper arts store, The Queen's Ink, in Savage Mill, Maryland had a challenge for fall.  We had to create a project that had a pumpkin in it, or be a pumpkin.  Patti, the owner and a good friend, has had these challenges before at Christmas time.  They are really fun and people come up with some great ideas.  She's working on a new challenge for this Christmas and I can't wait to see what she decides on.  Anyway, here is my entry.

 

 

I had a paper mache pumpkin that I wanted to decorate and when Patti sent out the word about this challenge I was ready!  I inked, distressed, stamped and crumpled manila card stock and ran it through the die cut machine with the Tim Holtz tattered leaves die.  I used a punch to cut little daisy flowers out of the left overs from cutting the leaves, and I gathered some paper and velvet leaves from the stash.  I cut a few small flourishes with an old Sizzix die and found a card with a cute little squirrel that just had to be added to the mix.  The squirrel was my husband's idea because he always calls our daughter the little red squirrel because of her red hair. 

 

Once I had gathered all my leaves and other embellishments, I went to work on the pumpkin.  I used a coat of Ginger Peach Silks to cover the pumpkin and the added color with Spiced Pumpkin and Nutmeg.  Once it was all dry I highlighted it with Gold Gilders Paste.  I wrapped the stem in a crinkled tissue paper that I've had for years.  It's copper color and I added some green gold metallic wax paste to highlight it.  When everything was dry I started gluing on the leaves and embellishments.  I had some sticky backed rhinestone flourishes that I scattered around the pumpkin and glued the leaves and paper flourishes over them.  I used some sparkle sticker dots from Kaiser Craft and some other stickers to add dimension to the leaves.  I was really pleased with the way this turned out.  I had envisioned this for a while so I was happy that I was able to recreate what I was thinking. 

 

 

Here are a few details which are self-explanatory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, that's my pumpkin with its garland of leaves!  It wasn't the winner, but the winner was a fantastic Steampunk pumpkin!  And, Patti, who is a very generous friend to all her customers, gave everyone who entered 10 Queen Bucks to spend in the store!  They were presented in the most fabulous envelopes that Patti made out of Authentique Halloween papers.  I love the envelope as much as the Queen Bucks!!  Unfortunately, I haven't taken a picture of the envelope!  I must do that!

 

Thanks again for visiting.  I hope you have a great weekend.  

 



 

 





The Last Fall Post

We're into December and I'm busy working on Christmas projects, beading and paper.  I love making decorations, especially ornaments, for my family and for the house.  I try to start early in the year, but I don't get very far. I need the immediacy of the the holiday season to spark ideas.  But, before I put Fall behind me this year I wanted to share some of the tags I've made for the Fall/Thanksgiving season since it's one of my favorite times of the year.   There will be several pictures but not much commentary.  I'm just sharing!







Two Thanksgiving Tags, one from last year and one from this year.

The metal leaves on this one have been enameled with embossing powder.  A cool technique!



Well, that's it!  All the Fall things have been put away until next year. I'm on to Christmas and I'll be sharing some of the ornaments and other things I've made and am still planning to work on. 

Have a great Sunday and thanks for stopping by.

Two Fall Necklaces...

and a pair of earrings!

As you all know by now, I love Fall.  I've made things to decorate the house for years.  I've also made jewelry over the years using the motifs and colors I love so much.  Two of my favorites are these necklaces. 

  I'm really a seed bead person.  But, I'm beginning to try my hand at wirework.  I like a lot of wire jewelry that's out there, and I've taken a few classes, which I've really enjoyed.  Both of these necklaces were a lot of fun to make.  The one on the left used some pieces from the My Elements line and a few recycled pieces from old jewelry.  I decided to try some wire working to make a clasp to match the black chain.  And, that was really fun!  I used 22 gauge black wire to make a loop and hook.  The second necklace made use of some of my collection of lucite leaves.  I love lucite beads, flowers and leaves.  I think Beadin' Path http://www.beadinpath.com/ has the best selection of lucite, and that's where these leaves came from.  I used copper chain, along with Swarovski column beads to add sparkle.  When I finished the necklace, I decided to use the remaining chain and crystal columns to make a pair of earrings. 

I'll leave you with some close ups.  Enjoy  your day and make art!





Changing seasons

Fall is definitely in the air.   After our incredibly hot summer, we've had a string of lovely days!  We've been able to work in the garden, getting back to projects we had to give up by the end of June because of the heat.  The vegetables are loving it, as well as the roses.  All in all, a very welcome change.

And, I've begun thinking about my fall projects.  I've started working on a fun project that I've been planning all summer.  I'll just give you a tease here.  You'll have to check back to see the finished product.  In the meantime, enjoy the beautiful weather.  I hope you're inspired to create something fun to celebrate the season.

Can you see the hint?

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a wonderful day.