Crazy busy these days...

Just wanted to post a few cards and pics from Halloween that I never got around to sharing and a layout of pics from our costume party. What a blast! We just might have to make it an annual event. Decorating for it was the best part but taking it all down the next day was not a lot of fun.

I'm crazy busy with Christmas fast approaching and trying to make a bunch of cards and gift packaging while shopping, decorating, and just basically trying to squeeze too much into every day. We have big weekend plans in DC attending a holiday social for Jeff's new company (I could seriously get used to this whole civilian life thing) and it's just been non-stop things to take care of for the past month or so. Maybe things will slow down a bit in January. Keeping fingers crossed.

Just a quick post today...

Here's another Halloween card to share. We FINALLY got our fabulous news on Friday and now maybe life can get back on track. We are totally loving the civilian life, hubby's new job, and well...just being together and FREE!!!

Eek!

Nothing says Halloween like a black cat. We used to have one many years ago. She was a demon cat. I couldn't help but think of her while I was making this card. No more black cats ever again. Well, how bout no more cats ever again. Love em, just not in my house.

I made this invite for some friends of ours who love cats a little too much. They have 5--or maybe it's 6 now. The black cat stamp is inkadinkado(they really do Halloween right) embossed with black ep and the spider web is also Inkadinkado. Some more BG Eerie on this one, as well as the QK label die and QK Haunted font. I finally used one of my Marvy Giga punches that take up entirely too much space(the scalloped square) and played with the Martha Stewart spider web punch duo. I don't really like being confined to certain dimensions with these punch-around-the-page sets, but it's working out ok.

Just one more invite to make. I mailed off what I had done yesterday and I have 2 stragglers to get in the mail tomorrow. Then it's time for a few more Halloween cards for my niece and nephew and the start of Christmas cards for the troops. I'm excited to do my first batch for Operation Write Home. It's given me a great excuse to stock up on more Christmas stash. If you haven't heard of this great cause please visit their website here. Cutoff for Christmas cards to reach the ladies who mail out the packages of cards is Nov. 1st.

I've been a bad girl...

Instead of finishing my party invites, I hit the road yesterday in desperate need of a shopping fix to take my mind off life for a little while. I still can't share any good news seeing as how the powers-that-be are still holding our lives hostage and don't appear to want to speed the bureaucratic mess up in the foreseeable future. S0--I thought my stress levels that have been pretty darn high for the past 3 months would be all but forgotten about by now but no--I was forced to shop my worries away.

I got some fun new toys though! Some new Cuttlebug embossing folders, more Powder Keg embossing powders, some Graphic45 Christmas papers, some flower soft(had to see what all the fuss was about) and more nesties.

I have a few cards completed that I haven't shared yet, but I'll space them out and just share this one today. The inspiration for this card came from SCS here This black cat stamp is from that Inkadinkado Scary Night Halloween set and I added some diamond stickles to the tail. More BG Eerie and of course, that cute QK label die again. I used the argyle cb embossing folder along the bottom.

It's another nasty rainy chilly day here again so I'm off to work in my scrappy zone all weekend. Hope you enjoy yours too!

Once upon a midnight dreary...

...I created this spooky raven card with the most awesome Halloween stamp set ever!! (this is Inkadinkado Scary Night in case you find yourself dying to buy this set) It also includes the creepy skull and a fabulous black cat that I'll share in tomorrow's post.

More BG Eerie on this one. While I loved this spooky tree scene pp, I had no idea exactly how to use this on a card. Then--stepped a stately raven. I'm really happy with how this turned out, ok I'll stop gushing now. The spires on the gate screamed EK fleur de lis border punch and I can't say enough how awesome those QK CC labels are. If you don't have them by the end of this week, you should seriously have your head checked. I know, I know, you already have the SU TopNote die AND the Nesties Labels 8, you say?? Nope, sorry. These QK labels are a necessary addition to your obnoxious label fetish. They're--for lack of a better description--squished. Totally different from the others. Well, not totally. In fact, not really that much different, but they do cut that thin border strip as well and your nesties don't do that. When oh when is QK gonna contact me for that sales rep position??

Anyways, I stamped the raven image in Versamark and embossed with black Powder Keg ep and sponged a little SU almost amethyst over top. The sentiment was embossed with Powder Keg's Jackpot ep. It's difficult to photograph the varying colors in this ep, but it has tones of purple and silver and sparkly stuff and was just what I was looking for to fit the feel of this card. I was never much into embossing until I discovered that little company and their unique powders. They're truly gorgeous.

Gotta run. Our invite list got longer(thanks Jeff) and I have to crank out more cards!