Halloween Greetings

Well, it's hot here- it was 106 degrees yesterday. As a matter of fact, it's hotter now than is has been all summer! Great time to stay inside and work on holiday projects, right? 

Heather at My Artistic Adventures created a darling sheet of vintage Halloween tickets to use on cards and other projects.  She is hosting Challenge #9 - starting today - and has made a digital collage sheet which is available on her etsy page, along with her other digi collage sheets. You've got to take a peek! Everything is so cute. Being on the Design Team, I get first crack at Heather's creations. I printed out this collage sheet and went to work...ok, it isn't really work when you are having so much fun!

Here is my Halloween card, but with so many tickets on the sheet I'll be making treat bags, post cards and include a few on upcoming scrapbook pages.

 Me and My Big Ideas 

and Martha Stewart Halloween pads

Spellbinders Nestabilities 

Tim Holtz clock die

orange tulle

silk maple leaf

This card folds flat for mailing but stands

 up like a pup tent. Here is the left side view.

 I love overlapping elements and combining different shades of orange.

I used orange pearls as stoppers for the front card edge to rest against when standing displayed. You can see that I decorated the inside with punched spider webs. 

Need more Halloween inspiration? Want to see what the other Design Team members made with their collage sheet? Stop by My Artistic Adventures to get your creative juices flowing - we'd love to have you play along and enter the Challenge!

sharing this post with

cottage style party
613 Avenue Create

Let It Snow!

Boy, the first few days of December are flying by at breakneck speed! Time to finish up those cards and start gift wrapping. The printable tickets above can be found at misscutiepieinspiration.blogspot.com.  I can think of half a dozen ways to use them, can't you? -  labels, tags, cards and gift bags. I am going to print some of these festive tickets out this weekend. 

We are in the middle of decorating for Christmas but are in a holding pattern until College Girl takes her semester finals next week. When she is finished, we will get the tree and she can help 'deck the halls!' Meanwhile, we attended two Christmas Tree Lighting Parties: one at the university where College Girl attends and one in Old Towne Orange at The Circle. 

   
For the university event, we arrived at 5 p.m. and browsed through the vendor tables set up around the Piazza. There was jewelry, candy, purses, coffee scented lotion, olive oil and gingerbread houses for sale. People were milling about waiting for the festivities to begin and I had a warm cup of apple cider. The university offered hot chocolate and cookies for visitors, too. There was a strolling choir dressed in Victorian clothing (above) that entertained everyone. Soon a small brass band began to play in front of the library.

Doctor Who fans will understand when I say I am glad they were not dressed in Santa suits! haha! There was a recitation of The Night Before Christmas and a visit from Santa Claus. The tall evergreen on the grass, as well as all the trees around the Piazza, were suddenly ablaze with lights. Everyone was enjoying themselves when, unexpectently, fireworks went off above our heads!

The crowd cheered! Then our host prompted us to sing Let It Snow  as it began to 'snow' - well, the snow was actually tiny bubbles but it looked magical! We had so much fun that evening. What a festive treat.

In my next post I will share photos of the other tree lighting we went to as well as some cards I made this week. Plus I have an easy and inexpensive idea for serving holiday treats with Christmas pizzaz!

Fun Freebie~

I found these sweet tickets at cutiepieinspiration.blogspot.com. Aren't they cute? How will you use them?