Halloween Wall Display

There are just a couple of weeks left before Halloween so I was glad to get this frame put together to hang until the holiday.  We don't do as many decorations now that our sons are adults but something like this is easy to do and adds a bit of fun for the season.

The collage frame was on sale at AC Moore for about ten dollars.  It has four vertical and three horizontal 4x6 spots for photos or decorations.  You can also turn it vertically if that suits your project or your wall space.  The dividing bars are all on the outside of the frame with a single sheet of glass below the bars.

This paper collection from Authentique called "Glowing" was the inspiration for the project.  My neighbor and I found it at our local stamp store and we loved the look and the vibrant oranges.  We both bought the same frame and got together to plan out the design and choose the images to use for each section.

We discovered something interesting while we were sorting out the papers.  Our two 6 x 6 stacks were different.  Most of the papers are overall designs with only slight variations on the page.  When we got to the spiders on the orange polka dots we found out that my two 6 x 6 sections were cut from the top of the page and hers were cut from the bottom of the page.  I had the two spiders hanging down and she had the swirls and a plain orange polka dot section.  We swapped pieces of paper to give her a spider web and me a plain polka dot piece.  I just wanted to mention this because you wouldn't be able to make exactly the same thing unless you have both pads of paper or one of the 12 x 12 sheets of this pattern.

 It was fun to work out which items to cut and where to place them.  We did all of the cuts on the E2 after reviewing the sizes with the Gypsy.

Here is the list of cuts from the Happy Hauntings cartridge:

Top left -  "eek" cut from the bloody font at one inch.

Bottom left - ghost cut at 4 inches on shift level (to get the cuts for the eyes and mouth

Top center - witch hat with spider cut at 3 1/2 inches, hat band also cut in orange (we skipped the buckle).

Center - "Boo" cut at 1 3/4 inches with shadow layer.

Bottom center - fence with a crow cut at 2 1/2 inches.

Top right - two bats, one at 2 1/4 inches and one at 1 3/4 inches (one bat flipped over after cutting)  the moon is a  2 1/2 inch circle - from any cartridge with a circle.

Bottom right - cat cut at 3 1/4 inches.

 Most of the items were cut from plain black cardstock.  The ghost, the moon and the shadow for the word "Boo" were cut from this light yellow cardstock.

 A little inking around the edges with Tim Holtz Antique Linen distress ink adds some depth to the cuts.

We didn't cut the blackout of the ghost and then realized that the bold paper would show through - which could be very "ghost-like"...

I just added a small scrap of black paper behind the head of the ghost so the face would be a bit clearer.

 Once the items were adhered to the 4 x 6 papers we were ready to put the whole piece together.

All of the pieces were cut to 4 x 6 inches, so they fit together neatly in the grid.

I used a piece of 12 x 12 cardstock to keep everything in position.  I just adhered the three center pieces and then added the side pieces, keeping the adhesive in the area that would overlap the cardstock.  The end result was one larger piece ready to place in the frame.

Balancing the elements for this sort of frame can be tricky.  We created a strong diagonal with the orange backgrounds and this is further emphasized by the pale yellow cardstock used in these three sections.  I noticed after I took these photos that the spiderweb on the witch's hat was tilted out to the left instead of hanging straight down as it does in the original design.  It echos the diagonal line (even if it was not meant to be that way!).

The construction of this frame will make it very easy for me to change things out for the next holiday.  I can keep the group of 4 x 6 pieces stored flat on the base cardstock and put them back in again next year.  I don't usually have a chance to link up to the challenges on the Cricut Circle so I am happy to be able to include this for the October Halloween Home Decor Challenge.  It is a random draw so wish me luck!

Are you still making Halloween projects or have you moved on to Christmas?  I hope you have time today to get crafty with your latest projects. Have a wonderful day!

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Fabulous Fall Frame - Disney/Pixar Blog Hop

Happy Saturday and welcome to your next stop along the Disney Pixar Blog Hop.   Thanks to Shawn and Melissa for inviting me to join in for this hop - there are lots of great projects for you to see and some prizes too!

You should have arrived here from Lori's blog.  If you are here on a regular visit and want to follow the hop, please start the hop on Shawn's blog.

If you get lost along the way you can refer to this list - there will be a second group of blogs to hop to tomorrow (Sunday).  Please click on the name to go to the blog hop post directly if you are reading this after Saturday the 24th.

Shawn   http://craftychicsblog.blogspot.com/
Melissa  http://www.disneydreamerdesigns.blogspot.com/
Tami   http://tamiscraftconnection.blogspot.com/
Ellen   http://cardmonkey-business.blogspot.com/ 
Madison   http://www.funkycards.blogspot.com/
Kristal   http://www.gettingcricky.com/
Christina   http://www.creationswithchristina.com/
Jenny   http://www.crazyaboutcricut.blogspot.com/
Lori   http://scrappinmystressaway.blogspot.com/
Diane   http://www.capadiadesign.com/  (you are HERE)
Amy   http://amychomas.blogspot.com/
Kathy   http://kathyscozies.blogspot.com/

The Disney Cricut cartridges contain many layered images of characters from various movies.  These are fun to make (as long as you don't try to make them too small!).  My children are grown and I don't often need to make these characters but I do enjoy the cartridges for all of the great extras that they contain.

 

When I realized that this would be a Fall hop, I immediately thought of the frames on the Pooh and Friends cartridge - they are on the last four key positions as shown above.

There is a cute snowflake frame...

 

A rustic wood frame...

 A pretty frame made from a ring of flowers...

 

...and this lovely frame for a Fall photo.  This is one of my favorites and I had the perfect photo to fit inside.

 

I chose four shades of DCWV Shimmer cardstock and a heavy brown Bazzill cardstock of the base.

 

I set the size at 11 inches and cut the base.  The cartridge will cut webbing lines to show you where to place all of the other cuts.

 

Once you have set the dial size, do not change it - just continue to cut all of the layers in the colors you have chosen.  For this frame there are four extra layers to cut.  Here are all of the cuts from the Shimmer cardstock.

 

The DCWV cardstock has a white core which I find distracting so I chose ink colors to coordinate with the layers so I could ink the edges.

Inking also adds some nice dimension to the leaf shapes (bottom cut has been inked, top cut is direct from the mat).

Before adhering the top pieces, I do a "dry run" and place them all in the proper spots on the frame.  Then I can lift them off and flip them over to apply adhesive.  Some of these shapes are unusual and this helps avoid confusion about which side to stick down.  I use the Creative Memories Precision Point Adhesive pens for odd shaped cuts like these.   These are not particularly tiny cuts, but the odd shapes make this adhesive a good choice - you can just scribble it on!  I let it set until it is nearly clear to avoid smearing.  The adhesive will also be repositionable when you let it dry to clear before adhering.

Here is the completed frame with all of the Shimmer layers added.  It looks fine like this but I decided to add a few bits of sparkle.  I had the Fall Medley from Creative Charms in my stash so I decided to add these leaves in some of the open spaces.

The Shimmer cardstock and the sparkly leaf gems make a very pretty and festive frame.  I placed the decorated frame on another piece of Shimmer cardstock in a deep purple.

 I auditioned my photo before adding the gems.  I didn't like the way the red leaf overlapped the photo and the photos had some distracting tree trunks and the edge of a building at the top left so I made a few adjustments.
 

 

I did some more editing and cloned some leaves to cover the tree trunk.  I also printed the second photo on glossy instead of matte photo paper.  The revised photo is on the right.

I realized that one turn of the frame would solve my problem with the protruding leaf.  When I checked the booklet, I saw that it was designed with the leaf in the top left corner - so that worked for me!  The full page looks quite nice in this simple black frame.  This type of frame is sold inexpensively at the large chain craft stores and is sized at 12 x 12 for record album covers or scrapbook pages.

A more elaborate frame gives a totally different look to the project.

I had another project in mind to share but this post is far too long already.  Here is a peek at the design I made - can you tell which cartridge I used?  I'll probably post the finished project in a week or so...

A Special Disney Thank You Gift...

I'd like to thank you for coming along to the hop and I have a gift for one lucky hopper!  This is the Creative Memories Disney Magic Maker  punch which sells for $21.   You can see more about it on my Creative Memories personal website HERE.

This punch creates a Mickey head and a Sparkle star (think Tinkerbell and other fairies). 

In order to be included for a chance to win this punch, please leave a comment on this post and tell me.  I would love to have you follow my blog (top right corner) and/or subscribe to the email feed (HERE) if you would like to keep up with my posts.  I post daily and you never know what you will find here (!) but it is usually something crafty... I have been blogging for over three years and there is lots of information and inspiration to be found in the older posts so feel free to browse around.

I will use Random.org to choose a winner and I'll post the winner next Tuesday night.

LINK UP Party on Monday

Shawn and Melissa have added something new to this hop - there will be a link up party on Monday the 26th.  Here is the information about the Link Up party:

For everyone that has been asking if they can join in the Disney Pixar Blog Hops by being a stop in the hop, here is your chance!  On September 26th, the day after the official hop, we are going to have a Disney Pixar Hop Link Up Party!  We want to see your Disney Pixar inspired scrapbook layouts, cards and other creations . . . The “other” category can include banners, cake/cupcake decorations, centerpieces, wall décor, party favors . . . anything at all.

To include your projects in the Disney Pixar Hop Link Up Party go to
http://craftychicsblog.blogspot.com/ to post a link to Scrapbook Layouts

http://disneydreamerdesigns.blogspot.com/ to post your Cards

http://www.lovetocrop.com/ to post any other creations

Yes, you can post a project at each site, as long as it fits the category being featured on that site.

This will be a great way for us to showcase the work by our followers!  It will allow people to preview your project and then go to your blog to learn more about you and the project you created.

Thanks for visiting - the next stop is Amy's Blog - have fun!

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Decorative Initial Block Frame

This is a quick and simple project that makes a nice "little gift" for any occasion.  It is also a great way to recycle some old acrylic box frames that are still in good condition.

This type of frame can often be found at rummage sales and yard sales.  I bought this entire box full of frames this year for 25 cents to a dollar each.  The frames are also readily available new at craft and discount stores.

If you find these frames in the larger sizes and they are too scratched up to use as frames they make great "drawers" to hold your wood mounted stamps.

I cut pieces of cardstock from the DCWV Nana's Nursery Baby Girl mat stack, measuring them to fit the top and sides exactly.  The "K" is from the Storybook Cricut cartridge.

I had intended to have the side pieces inside the frame, however, I discovered that they made the insert too thick to fit in the rigid plastic box.  So I adhered them to the outer edges.  This is a decorative piece and not meant to be handled a lot so they will be fine on the outside.

Here is a closer view of the top edge.  The side cardstock and the initial are smooth and the floral background is a glittered cardstock.

A ribbon tied around the box looks pretty and serves as a reinforcement for the edge pieces to stay put.  O tied a knot at the top to prevent the bow from coming undone too easily and then tied a fussy bow.

 Here is the box frame with the tied and trimmed bow.  It is fine like this but I thought some added bling would make it seem more special and look nice sitting on a shelf and catching the light.

I added two sizes of the green gradient gem stickers from Creative Charms to the strong left side of the "K" in an alternating pattern.

This will look very cute and girly sitting on 13 year old "K's" shelf - I hope she likes it!

This sort of project is easy to make and easy to personalize for anyone.  Most people seem to like gifts that are made with personalization that makes the gift unique to them.  If you have a lot of frames, you could also spell out an entire name or word.

Our construction project started on Tuesday so I am going to have some challenges in making my projects and posting on my blog.  It is exciting to have things happening - I just have to get more done on the inside!

Happy first full day of Summer - the kids in our town still have school until Friday - I am sure they are ready to leave and start vacationing!

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Some Pretty Frames with Creative Charms

Today it is my turn to post on the Creative Charms blog.  Please be sure to stop over to see what all of the Design Team members have been up to lately.  I decorated some frames that would make nice Mother's Day gifts.

This is a simple acrylic table top frame (5 x 7 inches).  It could be used for a photo or a calendar.

I cut a lot more of the spiral shapes from Core'dinations cardstock.  All of the directions for making these flowers are at THIS POST.

The flowers were a little more difficult to roll up since the cardstock is thicker than the paper I used for the pastel set.  Here they are rolled, but not yet hot glued so some of them are unraveling a bit.

Adding a Gradient Gem Brad to the each center gives the flowers a lot more personality!

This sweet frame was so quick and easy to make.  I found these plain white frames at IKEA for 99 cents.

Here is the label with all of the information in case you want to try to find these at your IKEA store.  The frames are two sided and I have more plans for them that I'll be sharing soon.

I used glue dots to attach the flowers to the frame.  Sometimes you have to look carefully to determine the "right side" of the flowers.

I think the blue and white combination is so fresh and pretty!

 

This card features the Knitted Strawberries which are part of the May Kit of the Month. You can find more details about it HERE.

 If you are an email subscriber be sure to scroll down - there should be two posts in today's email.

link to discussion Day #3 - Time to Craft

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