Bwahahah on your Birthdeay

     Yes, another Exploding Box card - I love making these!!!  Some people walk through the craft store looking for paper - I walk through the craft stores and my head explodes with ideas for these boxes.
     I know some people born on Halloween and thought this would be a fun card idea.  The skull is actually sitting on a spring type topper - LOL - I got the spring  from a Christmas decoration I picked up for another exploding box card that I took apart to use the pieces and the spring was left over - can we say re-purpose!!! Waste not want not.
     The headstone and coffin are digital stamps from Tiddly Inks - she has the most adorable images. These were intended to be used with her cute little witch, but they worked perfectly here.
     I couldn't help myself with the lid - the hand looking like bones was the perfect topper.  This one is going in my Etsy Shop - already working on a Christmas one, then I need to stock a few more cakes - it is such fun to be busy creating.
    The sentiment in the card reads (starting on the top panel) "It would be a grave mistake - not not wish you Happy Birthday"

     Thanks for stopping by to look.  Of course it goes without saying that I used my Silhouette Cameo to produce many of the pieces for this, including the sentiments with the digital stamps on them.

Materials:  Silhouette Cameo, card stock, embellishments from Michaels, Googly eyes, Tiddly Ink Digital Stamps, Copic Markers, Recollections embellishments. 

Exploding Barn

     My daughter and I made our yearly trek to the White Stallion Ranch to do some horseback riding.  There are about 18 of us who meet there each December from all over the US and world (England, Germany, Channel Islands, Minnesota, California, New Jersey, D.C. Tennessee - we adopted a visiting Australian this year as well). Every year we celebrate the birthday of a lovely lady named TJ.  This year we knew we would be celebrating number 75 with her.  Such a birthday called for a special card.  Months ago I began dreaming the idea up in my head for an explosion box card AND FINALLY just before Thanksgiving I had time to sit and play.
     With the help of my Silhouette Cameo I was able to design a cake (my own design) and a barn style cover for the box (again my own design).  The barn door is a cut file designed by Cali Arroyo, and the cactus and wheel are a cut file design by Jamie Cripps.   The sweet horse on top of the cake and peeking out the window is a digital stamp from Clear Dollar Stamps.   

     After designing this cake and frosting on my Silhouette Cameo.... I decorated it with a personalized message for TJ!!  Every cowgirl needs some 'bling' and TJ's is on her cake - since the whole theme was barn oriented I placed the cake on some hay!  

     I couldn't carry the card around the ranch and get signatures on the sly (given its size) so I created individual cards that I could slide out of the fences and carry around with a pen in a zip lock bag.  This allowed me to get lots of good wishes for her on both sides of the inserts.  

     Below is TJ getting ready to open her explosion box card - she was so excited by all the people who left her messages and Birthday wishes and she is ALWAYS so complimentary about the cards I make her....this one was a huge surprise to her.  

     It was great fun making a card like this for such a special lady.....BTW she is wearing antlers because I couldn't find a tiara at the grocery store in Marana and holiday antlers were as close as I could come.  She is a great sport.  

     Going to post this on the Silhouette challenge this month for 3-D  --  I love making 3-D cards and using my Silhouette has made them even more fun. I am posting this over at the Silhouette Challenge for 3-d and anything but a card for December - think about joining in on the fun.  

Supplies:  Silhouette Cameo, Rhinestones, Embellishments, Memory Box  fence, Clear Dollar Digital Stamp, Copic markers

Challenges:  Silhouette #8 3D

Happy Haunting

     Oh yes, it was a busy Monday in my little stamp castle......one might be a little confused looking around wondering whether it is Halloween or Christmas, but the stamps and paper were flying.  This little treasure was made using the Spellbinders Radiant Rectangles die .  I love creating cards that are in an unusual shape, I especially like creating cards that just don't look like cards!  This one comes with its own easel stand (that I designed on my Silhouette Cameo).  I was tickled recently when I read a post from another stamper who said she sends an easel with all of her cards as she considers each to be a work of art. The idea was conceived from a card I Pinned by 01Tink  - while I LOVED her idea as a Sympathy card, I knew it would work for some holidays as well.  The idea became a reality after a recent trip to my fave stamp store Impressive Ideas, in Roswell, GA - it is where I purchased the Authentique paper that I used in this and another project I'll post below.  This won't quite fit in a conventional envelope so I made a box to send it in. I rolled the sides of each page on the rounded edge of my counter top and used some Collal glue (a silicone based glue, also purchased at Impressive Ideas) to keep the pages opened.

     My next project was made with purchases from Impressive Ideas as well, and inspired by the coffin they had created and had on display.  I purchased the wood coffin that measures approximately 6 x 3 inches.  I painted them black and then (with the use of my Silhouette) cut various papers from Graphics 45 and Authentique to decorate them.  I can't tell you the fun I had at Michael's picking up some goodies like the spiders for the inside.

    This is the outside back of one, and front of another.  Honest to goodness they are soooo cute and were such fun to make.

     I cut out some of the cute little witches, the moon and the clock from the Graphics 45 paper (I think some of this has been discontinued).  The bat background is from the Authentique pad I purchased.  The sides of the coffins are covered as well - just a blast to put together, can't wait to put them in the mail.

    Thanks for stopping by and Happy Haunting!!

Supplies:  Graphics 45 Paper, Authentique Paper, Embellishments from Michael's, Silhouette, Various $1.00 sentiment dies from JoAnn's, Collal Glue, Scissors