September Holiday Open House Link Party!

 Welcome! Link up whatever you want to feature. Holiday, not holiday, home decor , cards, jewelry, decorations, apparel...if you made it, link it. No advertising or etsy stores though pretty please?

• Recipes welcome...especially chocolate! 
• Link to your specific post, not your general blog
• Link party will run from Friday to Sunday with giveaway winner selected on Monday

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!!!

In order to keep the selection of the giveaway winner simple using random.org, you MUST leave  a comment.  You don't have to link up anything, but you MUST leave a comment. Even if you link up you (say it with me ) MUST leave a comment.  Additional entries if:

• You are a follower of The Answer Is Chocolate (leave comment saying so)
• You blog / tweet / facebook about the link party and giveaway ( leave one comment for each thing you do)

Please go and visit each other's links and share some bloggy comment love!

SO Excited! Open House Tomorrow and Giveaway Details Today!!!

I'm channeling Paula Deen..."Hey Y'all".

I'm so so excited that tomorrow is my third "Open House" link party; that I get to celebrate reaching 300 followers, and a wonderful giveaway!!! So now the details.

Open House Link Party!

• Link up whatever you want to feature. Holiday, not holiday, home decor , cards, jewelry, decorations, apparel...if you made it, link it. No advertising or etsy stores though pretty please?
• Recipes welcome...especially chocolate! 
• Link to your specific post, not your general blog
• Link party will run from Friday to Sunday with giveaway winner selected on Monday

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!!!

In order to keep the selection of the giveaway winner simple using random.org, you MUST leave  a comment.  You don't have to link up anything, but you MUST leave a comment. Even if you link up you (say it with me ) MUST leave a comment.  Additional entries if:

• You are a follower of The Answer Is Chocolate (leave comment saying so)
• You blog / tweet / facebook about the link party and giveaway ( leave one comment for each thing you do)

Now on to the good stuff!!! The giveaway will consist of two fun things! My friend Cindy, whom I have known since our kids started first grade together (and now they're HS Seniors yikes!), is an Independent Rep for Silpada Sterling Silver Jewelry and has kindly offered as a giveaway a $25 gift certificate!!! If you are not familiar with Silpada , their jewelry is gorgeous and I love that they provide entrepreneurial opportunities for women!  Look at some of their gorgeous stuff!

 

 

 

You can browse through their current catalog at Cindy's site here

But wait, that's not all! I've been so delighted with the wonderful feedback you've given me on my Stashbusting projects, so I thought it might be fun to share a few things from the closet of magical mystery! So in addition to getting to shop for some jewelry, the winner will also receive some "stash"!

This collection includes the owl and raven images ( from The Graphics Fairy) printed on clear label paper; a sheet of the vinyl I used on my upcycled cabinet door; a package of Magenta peel offs; a paper mache star like the one from my Witch Wand,  and other misc embellishments.

Thanks again for making this one of the most fun experiences I've had, ever! See you tomorrow!

Stashbusting September Project #9: Nevermore and MORE!

After a day that started off rather stressful at work and seemed headed for worse, I am excited to head towards the end of the day on much brighter notes. First, I'm happy with the way something I made tonight turned out ( arent we all our own harshest critics?) and second, I got a note from Michelle at Someday Crafts that she was featuring my "Witchy Boots", and third and very exciting....I reached 300 Followers today!!!! Woo-hoo!!! Thank you all you wonderful chocoholics out there who have decided to follow my chocolate fueled ramblings. I will announce a fun giveaway tomorrow, and don't forget to link up to my Open House on Friday!!!

Since I was in an unpleasant mood when I started this project, I didn't take pix along the way. The steps are the same as the Owl project from last night. I love Edgar Allen Poe and wanted to do something for Halloween based on "The Raven". Of course The Graphics Fairy didn't disappoint but I also found some cool skulls at The Vintage Moth. So here 'tis. 

"Quoth the Raven, Nevermore"

Materials:

• Canvas Art Board
• Burlap design scrapbook paper
• Scrapbook paper scrap
• Black stamping ink
• Cream acrylic paint
• Avery clear label paper
• K&Co adhesive borders
• Mod Podge

I mounted the skulls on some scrap cardstock, trimmed, and adhered with foam dots for more dimension:

And I just wouldn't be me w/out some bling. Shouldn't skully eyes glisten?!

The birdcage is also from The Graphics Fairy. Off to find some chocolate!

Linking Up At:

 

 

Stashbusting September Project #8: Owl Scare You

This was a relatively quick project...the longest thing was waiting for the Mod Podge to dry and I probably never wait as long as I'm supposed to. The minute it's touchable, I'm back messing with it. This started out as something else which I still plan to do so I'm not saying what. But then Karen, the wonderfully sparkly and generous Graphics Fairy ( I think she really does have wings) put this up, and that was that!

I'd already started with this:

Canvas Art Board, Scrapbook Paper

and Mod Podged the paper to the canvas board. It was too "clean" so I stippled some black stamping ink around the edges and then wiped some cream acrylic paint on and off.

Still needed something so I plopped on some gold paint ( I just use my wadded up paper towel from having rinsed my Mod Podge brush).  And it still needed something else, so I went to the Bin o Scraps and added a paper scrap. Then I imported / resized the pic from The Graphics Fairy and printed on to Avery clear label paper. On a BSB ( Before Stash Busting) trip to Michaels ( I'll be back...I promise...wait for me!) I'd picked up a vinyl embellishment on clearance and it screamed at me "pick me..pick me" so I did. I trimmed around the graphic and I was ready to put it all together:

 

Ready to put it all together but never finished without some bling! So Mr. Owl needed some gold rhinetones for his eyes, and his perch needed some clear ones ( they just don't show up well in the pic) and I had some Magenta Peel offs I added to the corners. Oh and a "BOO" leftover from another project. Thank you Graphics Fairy! 

Linking Up At:

 

Stashbusting September Project #7: Witch Wand

I love the Wizard of Oz, but true confession time...I always had a soft spot for the Wicked Witch even before I read "Wicked". Same with Disney villains...I think it's the colors because the villains always have the colors that appeal to me like black, purple, lime green and did I mention black? BUT...I always liked Glenda's wand. So when you make stuff, you make what you want! And when you're stashbusting, you work with what you have.

Exhibit A:

Bin O Scraps

Fished out some black with gold star pieces:

along with a leftover paper mache star ornament and a dowel. Traced the star on the backside of the starry paper, cut out two. Painted the edges of the star gold (along with the dowel).  Then went back to the Bin O Scraps and found some Halloweeny papers which along with the star cut outs, I Mod Podged onto the paper mache ornament.

From the remaining Halloweeny scraps, made a paper flower for the center, added an orange button. Not enough. Added a black button. Not enough. Added gold rhinestones. OK.  The "wand" part didn't go as planned so I ended up skewering the star...literally...a bamboo skewer. From the kitchen. It went easily into the star but it wasn't strong enough to be a good wand so I hot glued it to the dowel and then wrapped the piggy backed skewer dowel portion with ribbon.

Embellished with some more ribbon and some starry wire garland I picked up last year on sale at Paper Source. Things like this are the reason I'm stashbusting. No comment Mr. Chocolate! Tied a length of tulle where the ribbon wrapping ended. Another button. Another rhinestone.

I'm not sure I "love, love" it, but it'll do.   OK, you all have convinced me that I do love it! Thanks :)

Linking Up At:

It's My Party And I'll Change It If I Want To :)

When I did my first linky party a couple of months ago, I had the idea that it would have a holiday theme. BUT... I've come to the conclusion that's too limiting and confusing and I got several comments like "I'd love to link up but I don't have any holiday projects" . So starting this month, I'm having a monthly "OPEN HOUSE" where you can just drop by and link up whatever you've done lately. Easy peasy. I figure in the heavy holiday months, that theme will take care of itself right? So join me on the third Friday of every month (September 17 this month) for a link-up-whatever-you-like Open House okay?

I admire all of you who can manage this on a  weekly basis. Maybe someday!!

Stashbusting September Project #6: These Boots Are Made For Witchin'

So my husband had these pants. Got your attention? It is about a pair of my husband's old pants that a couple of months ago, he put by the door to go to Goodwill. I thought they were too far gone for GW because the hems were all frayed but rather than toss them, of course I saw them as fabric. For what I didn't know...yet.

Since I've been doing some Halloween prep, I decided I wanted a pair of witch boots. Just seemed like a fun idea. I figured I bust some of my felt stash and then I saw the pants! They're nice cotton twill..perfect for witch boot stockings right? Out came the scissors and off came the legs. I now have a pair of shorts left. Any hoo... I downloaded a pattern from the internet and lengthened it a bit because while I'm short, my imaginary witch is tall!

Sewed the basic boot together :

Kicking Up My Heels!

Got busy with some embellishments, including a pair of earrings that for reasons I will never know were included in a jar of old chandelier crystals I bought at an antique store. I had some fabric flowers left over from another project so on those went. I had some fabric scaps sitting around so those became some more flowers. I figured I was on a flower theme here so out came some paper flowers from my embellishment bin and on those went. Of course what's a witch without some bling, so in the middle of the flowers went buttons and in the middle of the buttons went rhinestones.

Ripped some strips of scrap fabric to make "belts" for my boots and here's where the earrings came in to dress up the "belts".

Finished them off with some raffia handles so I can hang them up. I may leave them here on my end caps:

Or I may add them to a garland I've yet to make for my mantle.

Linking Up At: