Northwest Stamper

Category: Halloween

  • Quick and Easy Halloween Treat Bags – Fun n’ Crafty Blog Hop

    Quick and Easy Halloween Treat Bags – Fun n’ Crafty Blog Hop

    Fun n Crafty Blog Hop Team Badge

    I’m so excited to be getting back to blogging and get started by sharing a fun and EASY project ideas as part of the Fun n’ Crafty Stampers Blog Hop this month!  Though I haven’t been blogging for a while, I have been doing lots of creating for my local classes, retreat, and demonstrator training event – all of which have taken place in the last month or so.  So, when it was time for a blog hop with the theme Fall and Halloween, it was the perfect kick off to get back into sharing here with you!

    Easy Halloween Treat Bag using Gusseted Bags!

    Now, I know some people are big Halloween people and make and send Halloween cards… and if that is you, I think that is awesome!  For me, I love to make Halloween cards and projects, but the ones that seem to actually get the most use turn out to be anything that involves candy.  Because who doesn’t love getting candy, especially when it is wrapped up all cute!

    So, I came across this idea from Patty Bennett for using designer paper inside one of Stampin’ Up’s 3″x6″ Gusseted Bags to create an easy treat bag and I just had to create my own version!AScored Spooky Night designer paper in a 3"x6" gusseted bag from Stampin' Up

    All you have to do is :

    1. cut a 2 7/8″ strip of your favorite designer paper to 7″
    2. score at 1″ from the top
    3. Slide the patterned paper into the bag (make sure it is tucked into the back gusset)
    4. add your treats
    5. and fold over at the score line to seal things up!

    I recommend sealing it closed by either using some Fast Fuse adhesive or simple stapling the flap down. Once you have your treats safely tucked away – and didn’t I tell you that this was a super quick and easy project – you can decorate the front as much or as little as you want.Spooky Cat Halloween Treat Tag using Everyday Label Punch
    I grabbed the new Spooky Cat stamp set and stamped the spiderweb treat tag onto a piece of scrap Very Vanilla cardstock.  Then I added the Happy Halloween sentiment (also from the same stamp set) in contrasting Pumpkin Pie ink.

    Now the best part is that this tag image, stamps out PERFECTLY using the Everyday Label punch!   Then you can just add some black rhinestones on each side for a fun tag.  I also wanted to use some of the Vintage Crochet Trim for a little fun behind it.  I just taped the ribbon to the back of the tag before adhering it to the front of the bag.

    Quick and Easy Halloween gusseted treat bag with Spooky Night paper

    These treat bags are perfect for parties or handing out to friends and co-workers

    Quick, easy, and cost effective too!  The gusseted bags are only $4.50 for 25 bags!  Plus, you can get up to 48 pieces of the right size patterned paper from one pack of designer paper!  So, one pack of patterned paper, one set of bags, and some candy and you are set for a party worth of trick or treaters!

    Check out more great ideas in the Fun n’ Crafty Group Blog Hop

    Thanks for checking out my project and taking part in our blog hop! If you want to try this at home – and I encourage you to do so – card dimensions and supplies are listed for you at the bottom of this post.

    There are more amazing ideas and inspiration you don’t want to miss. If you just started, make sure to hop back and check out the cute creations by Merit and then continue on to Susan’s blog.
    *** Please leave a comment at the end of this post and on the blog hop stops, and let us know what you think!***

    1. Tobe – The Craft Sea
    2. Christine – Artful Musings
    3. Merit – MB Squared Designs
    4. Jennifer – NW Stamper<—YOU ARE HERE
    5. Susan – Stampin’ By the SF Bay

    Fun N Crafty Blog Hop - Visit Previous Blog
    Fun N Crafty Blog Hop - Visit Next Blog

    Make this project at home! Here is what you’ll need:

    • Spooky Night designer paper (potions) – 2 7/8″ x 7″, scored at 1″
    • Very Vanilla cardstock – scraps to punch out the Everyday Label punch
    • Vintage Crochet Trim – 8″

     

    Supply List

    Spooky Cat Photopolymer Stamp Set

    $17.00

    Everyday Label Punch

    $18.00

    Spooky Night Designer Series Paper

    $11.00

    Vintage Crochet Trim

    $6.00

    Black Rhinestone Jewels

    $5.00

    Gusseted Cellophane Bags

    $4.50

    Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

    $9.00

    Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad

    $6.50

    Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

    $6.00

    Stampin' Trimmer

    $30.00

    Fast Fuse Adhesive

    $10.00

  • Spooky Fun Halloween Treat Bag–A Quick and Easy Idea!

    Spooky Fun Halloween Treat Bag–A Quick and Easy Idea!

    Well, I don’t know about you, but turns out the end of summer and the start of the school year is actually a really busy time of year.  Who knew?!  (Probably about a billion parents out there, but this one was obliviously unaware how as your kids grow out of toddlerhood, things get crazier, and not calmer).  Smile

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    Well, now that we are finally settling back in our routines, I figured it was time to dust off the ol’ blog because boy oh boy, I’ve been creating some fun projects that I can’t wait to share with you.  We are crafters, creating is fun… sharing with people who understand crafting is even more fun!

    First off, I’m also going to let folks know that I’m also getting back into sharing with my newsletter too!  In fact, later today I hope to have my next one out with a NEW free project tutorial, Holiday Catalog Product Sampler details, and more!  So, if you aren’t already on the list, make sure you get signed up today – get on the list here.

    Secondly, since I haven’t mentioned it here before, if you didn’t know… the Stampin’ Up Holiday Catalog went live this month.  There are so many awesome bundles and cute projects in there, that you totally should check it out.  If you have ordered from me in the last year, you should have gotten a copy mailed to you already.  If you didn’t get your copy, or would like a copy and don’t have a demonstrator you already order with, just let me know at jennifer@nwstamper.com and I’ll get you all set up!

    2016 Holiday Catalog cover

    2016 Holiday Catalog PDF

    Alright, want to see a project using new Holiday Catalog goodies?  Well, let me share with you one of the projects I created for my Northwest Stamp & Share demonstrator event at the end of August.  This was an event with 60+ demonstrators from the Northwest area where we share inspiration, business ideas, and just formed more community bonds.  It was great.  Well, I created 4 make & take projects including this one:

    I used the Petite Cafe Bags from the Annual catalog as my base bag.  They are cute and easy, plus they are food-safe on the inside so you can drop in any treat you have.  Plus you can stamp on the front like I did with the pumpkins from the Spooky Fun stamp set from the Holiday Catalog.

    Then it is just a matter of making the front cute too!  I just used a couple pieces of paper and a stamp set and it turned out like this!

    I had one of the new Halloween Night designer paper pieces that I cut into a 1 1/2″ strip and punched the end with the Banner Triple punch.  Then I cut a 2″ strip of Pumpkin Pie cardstock and stamped fun halloween faces from that same Spooky Fun stamp set before punching the end with that same Banner Punch.

    TIP: When making a background design with those halloween faces, put all three on the clear block at the same time and then you can treat it like one bigger stamp for faster stamping.

    Adhere everything to the front of the bag and then wrap a long length of the Halloween Night baker’s twine around the top and tie a bow for a cute final touch.

     

    And while this is fun as a Halloween back, you could easily change up the stamp set and the pattern paper to make it a Christmas or Birthday treat back.  Think about what event you need a treat bag for and use the same layout and it will be perfect for any occasion!

    See more holiday catalog items in the online store here

    While you are there, don’t miss out on the NEW HUGE deals on the clearance rack and the one week only special deals

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    Product List

    Spooky Fun Photopolymer Stamps

    $16.00

    Halloween Night Specialty Designer Series Paper

    $13.00

    Halloween Night Baker's Twine

    $6.00

    Banner Triple Punch

    $23.00

    Petite Café Gift Bags

    $6.00

    Pumpkin Pie 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

    $8.00

    Smoky Slate 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

    $8.00

    Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

    $9.00

    Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

    $9.00

    Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

    $6.00

    Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad

    $6.50

  • A Howl-o-Ween Trick or Treat Bag

    My kids are so excited that Halloween is just a day away – and after some last minute Halloween candy shopping, I think we are all ready to go!  Now if you are looking for something fun to do for your Halloween party or favorite trick or treaters, I thought I would share this little goodie bag I put together using the fun Howl-o-Ween bundle with my oh so favorite adorable owl!

    A few runs through the Big Shot and this comes together really easily.  Here are some Tips for making this bag:

    • Make life easy on yourself and start with the Kraft Tag-a-Bag gift bags.  They are packs of 10 ready-to-go bags that are food safe for only $3.50.  Perfect for stamping or embellishing!
    • Pick your highlighted element – the star of the bag if you will… for mine, it was the owl from the Howl-o-Ween Treat stamp set & bundle:image
    • I stamped the “treat” from the “trick or treat” sentiment onto a piece of scrap cardstock and then sponged it with Delightful Dijon ink.  Rip the ends of the white strip for a more interesting “rough edge” look before sponging!
    • Then stamp your owl and cut him out using the matching framelit.  Gotta love things that make it easy to cut out!  Now, the one thing you will notice once you do that is that when you layer your sentiment over your owl, his feet are covered up!  Now that is no good!  But it is an easy fix!Do a little surgery on your owl by cutting him in half along the top of his tummy stripes.  Then glue him to the back of your sentiment so that his arms are holding the sign and his feet are sticking out the bottom! 
    • And do you see his eyes?  How fun are those?!  Just take the White Perfect Accents and place one on top of each of his eyes, then color in the centers with a black sharpie.  Easy, almost-googlie eyes in seconds!
    • My owl needed a fun hat too… so back to the Howl-o-ween stamp set I went, and stamped the hat in Rich Razzleberry and then added some fun accents by adding Black Glimmer paper stars over the white stars!How did I get those stars you ask?  Just grab your Star confetti punch and a scrap of Black Glimmer paper and punch away! Pick up a few of the confetti pieces and glue down using the Fine Tip Glue pen or your favorite liquid glue.

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    • Finally layer everything down on your treat bag including some strips of your favorite patterned papers.  I used the In Color Envelope Paper in Delightful Dijon to add some stripes, then a tiny strip of Black Glimmer Paper covered by a piece of the Into the Woods Razzleberry ribbon.  Seriously people! This ribbon is so yummy to work with!!
    • Stamp the rest of the “Trick or” above your striped paper, add some extra confetti stars, and of course the Jack-o-lantern from the Howl-o-Ween bundle for our owl to collect his treats in! Smile 

    And if you don’t have this stamp set yet… it is still worth the add!  I know I’ll be using it for scrapbook pages since all the images are a really good size for layouts.  Plus, I’ve already seen some fun ideas that I’m going to start playing with for using the owl and hat die for Christmas and even Thanksgiving pilgrims!  So stay tuned for that!

    Reminder – Holly Jolly Christmas Card Kits are going out this weekend!  Is yours?

    Just a quick reminder that those of you who have told me you were planning on ordering your kit, don’t forget to sign up today so I can get your kit out with the rest that are going out this weekend!

    You have a few options too – kit w/ stamp set, just the kit, pdf instructions only.  So pick your favorite and RSVP now.
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    use Hostess Code FHRCKER7 to get a special thank you from me!

  • Make Your Own Punch Art Bats for Halloween

    So if you receive my Newsletter, this will look familiar because it was one of the tutorials that I shared recently. 

    And if you aren’t on my newsletter list… see what you are missing? Smile  Better hurry up and sign up here!

    But I thought with Halloween around the corner, I’d share this on the blog so that everyone can add a little batty, spooky fun to their projects.  Like this super simple Halloween card:

    Halloween bats with butterfly punch

    All it is is a few punches, some black glimmer paper, and some ink.  But the fun part is making your own bats…. check it out:

    How to make a bat from butterfly punch

    See?  Isn’t that super easy and fun?

    Give it a try and then let me know what you think!  I’d love to hear or SEE what you created.  Feel free to leave a link to your project in the comments and I’d love to come check it out.

    Just a few reminders:

    • I’m getting ready to finish ordering the supplies for the upcoming Northwest Crafty Escape Weekend, so if you are thinking of coming, make sure you are registered!  Get details here
    • New weekly deals were posted!  Check them out here along with a few project ideas.
    • Join the cause and support Breast Cancer Research!  Make sure you are signed up to receive the October Paper Pumpkin project kit by mail & Stampin’ Up will donate $1 to the Breast Cancer Research Fund.  If you are a new subscriber, they’ll donate $2!  Learn more and sign up here

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    use Hostess Code FHRCKER7 to get a special thank you from me!

  • Get your Halloween on with this CUTE Halloween Owl from Howl-o-Ween Treat

    We all have one… that secret indulgence item that you see, and love… but aren’t quite sure how much you’ll use it.  So most of the time you talk yourself out of it, opting to save for something you are sure you will use for.  And that is totally the grown up and mature thing to do.  Smile  But every now and then, we need to splurge on ourselves.  Give ourselves a treat!  I know I often think about doing something special for my kiddos – whether it is a surprise family movie night, going out for ice cream, or letting them pick out a new outfit for the first day of school!  Which they looked so cute in by the way, don’t you think?!

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    So, what I’m saying is that it is so much easier to think of splurging on SOMEONE ELSE that we love.  But sometimes it should be your turn!  Today I’m sharing one of the first cards I made with my personal splurge from the new Stampin’ Up Holiday Catalog – the Howl-o-Ween Treats stamp set & die bundle! 

    I loved this sweet owl and even though I don’t make many Halloween cards, it made me happy every time I looked at the page in the catalog featuring this bundle, so I knew I should get it.  And I’m so glad I did!  We all can use a little extra happy in our lives, right?

    Tips for making this card:

    • When getting the stamp set, save yourself time AND money by picking up the bundle and getting the framelits to match!  You save 15% off both the stamp set and the diesimage
    • Ok, now that you know you don’t actually have to cut anything out by hand, now you can focus on the fun of picking what you want to mix and match!  In this case, I wanted the owl (I always want the owl!) and the cute pumpkin trick-or-treat bucket.  I kept it simple by stamping the owl in the new Archival Basic Grey ink and the pumpkin in Tangelo Twist.  Then just cut them out using the framelits so you can pop them up on your card using Stampin’ Dimensional foam dots.

    • I was keeping it simple, so I just stamped the “Trick or Treat” sentiment from the stamp set repeatedly down the left side of the card.  Keep it to the left edge of your card, so you have space to adhere some Very Vanilla cardstock on the right side of the card front.
    • Break things up by adding some of the Tangelo Twist striped cotton ribbon from the Annual Catalog down the center of the card to cover the edge of the Vanilla cardstock.
    • Finally, I had to add my favorite touch, the “eyeballs” in the corner!  I wanted to add something and couldn’t decide what, so I grabbed my Pearls and a black Sharpie and thought about coloring the pearls black.  However, after running the sharpie along the top of the pearls, I loved how it ended up looking like little eyeballs… doesn’t it? Smile So I didn’t bother trying to color too much and just let them add to the Halloween ambiance!


    Besides, I figure I still have Halloween treats and scrapbook pages coming up and these stamp images are big enough to be perfect for those projects as well!  Here is to a fun kick off to fall!

    Don’t forget, 1 week left to try out Paper Pumpkin project kits by mail & SAVE 50%!

    Get a fun project kit in your mail each month with Paper Pumpkin and have everything ready for you to get started creating!  You get:

    • a project kit with all papers and embellishments precut and ready for you to create with
    • an exclusive stamp set
    • 1-2 ink pad squares (different colors each month!)
    • a clear block to use with your stamps your first month

    It is a surprise each month what you are going to get, but when it is on sale for only $10/mo INCLUDING SHIPPING for your first 2 months, it is totally worth giving a try!  Right?  You can skip a month or cancel at anytime.  So why not?

    September’s kit I’ve seen and it is a fun fall treat bag project – so if you are only into cards, might I suggest signing up NOW so you can get the savings and then you can just skip September (sign up and then go back to your account page and say “skip this month”) and be ready for the fun in November and December.  If you love little 3D projects and fun treat ideas, then you don’t want to miss out on September. 

    Get the deal and sign up here

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    Project Supplies Used:
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  • Getting Out of a Crafting Slump w/ a Holiday Catalog Hop!

    I know me, and once I let life overwhelm me and I set my crafting aside because I’m busy trying to deal with the house, family, etc; I find myself getting into a crafting slump.  You know, that time when you look at your craft supplies, get so excited to create something cute (or find yourself needing that last minute birthday card) and you sit down at your table….. and just stare at your supplies.

    That was me.  I saw so many great ideas at convention, had some cool topics for blog posts, but was having the hardest time finding the mojo to get started.

    But – that is why I said YES! when I was invited to join the Stylin’ Stampin’ Squad and their monthly blog hops.  Because I know me and to get me out of my slump, I needed a theme to focus on and a deadline that I had to get it done by. Smile  And it worked for me!  I sat down with a few ideas, started pulling out some paper and by the time I was done with my first card I had ideas for a few more and couldn’t wait to have time to play more!

    August Blog Hop – Holiday Catalog Projects

    Card 1 – A Stenciled Halloween

    When I first checked out the Holiday Catalog, I wasn’t too excited by the Build-a-Banner kits.  But then I saw all the fun projects created with them at convention and I had a major change of heart.  I love the banners and can’t wait to make my first one, but I was even MORE excited by the stencils!  I know, I know, there isn’t anything new about stencils, but –hey- they are new to me! Smile 

    And for my first attempt with them, I figured why not try to do some heat embossing while I’m at it?  I don’t own any current halloween stamps but I loved the fact that I could still do spooky without even needing a stamp at all!

    So to make the “boo” on my cardfront, I tapped and smeared VersaMark ink over the stenciled opening (starting with the “b”) and quickly picked up the stencil, sprinkled white embossing powder, and heated with my heat gun.  Then repeat for each letter as you go through the word.

     how to heat emboss with stencils

    The rest of the card came together quickly as well because I used the new Witches Brew designer paper which had those cool orange spiders in the perfect spacing for me.  Sponge the edge with some White craft ink and layer over a Basic Gray cardbase and you are done! 

    Card 2 – Bow Tie Celebration!

    But one card just wasn’t enough for me.  I told you, when I was done I had more ideas I wanted to play with.  Well, this next card was using the new Gift Bow Bigz Die.  I had seen a card by Ronda Wade that had a more flat looking bow and I wanted to try to create one myself.  Ta-da!

    The neat thing about this bow is that all the pieces for it is cut out of 1-sheet of designer paper from the new Season of Style designer series stack (you know, those paper stacks that are 4.5” x 6.5”?)

    See, check it out

    gift bow cut outs

    Then all you have to do is cut that top die cut shape in half to make your two flat bow “loops”.  I found that if you lined up a flat edge at 2” you will cut straight down the middle too.

    cutting to make a flat bow

     

    I glued my bow together with sticky strip and Stampin’ Dimensionals and adhered it over some of the new Burlap Ribbon.  Finally, I stamped my sentiment from Seasonal Sayings but thought it needed some extra pop so I coated it with Crystal Effects.  Makes it feel more like a celebration to me. Smile 

    And with that, I even created one more card for tomorrow’s blog post and I’m back in the groove!

    So if you are in a mojo slump, here is my challenge to you!

    1. Visit the incredibly talented stampers participating in this month’s blog hop (see the full list below)
    2. Find 30 minutes this week and head to your craft room
    3. Pick an item you were excited to purchase, but haven’t even used it yet! 
    4. Create something, anything, even if you have no idea what to make, start cutting and stamping using the item you picked.  Copy a project you’ve seen on the hop or visit one of the many great challenge blogs and inspiration blogs out there to help get you started if you need it.
    5. Finish and share your project by 8/16! 
      Show it to a friend, post it on Facebook, or come back and leave a comment that you’ve completed the challenge and share it with me!  Feel free to link to your project too so we can see what creative project you’ve created.

    Ready to be inspired?

    Check out all of the great talent in this month’s line up!

    Blog Hop Participants:

    Enjoy and have fun creating!

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  • Happy Halloween! Plus some tips for your Artist’s Tray

    Halloween is finally here and while I didn’t get all of the projects I meant to get done for Halloween, I did have some fun this weekend getting ready with the kids.  I love the fun crafts and activities that go with the holiday season.  In this case, carving pumpkins, painting little pumpkins,IMAG0631

     

    or in Caitlin’s case, trying to eat the paint for painting pumpkins! 🙂

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    But I also thought I would share my Halloween craft project, too.  This is the Halloween Artist’s Tray project that Stampin’ Up! offered as part of a promotion when you joined Stampin’ Up! (or had someone join your group during the promo period).  It was way cuter in person than I expected and I got some friends together to make it.

    Halloween Printer's Tray

     

    Artist Tray Tips:

    I thought I would share some tips that I discovered while making the tray, in case you have this project at home still to make or you want to make something similar!

    • I adhered all of my inserts to my tray using slim velcro dots.  This was to make it easier to pull out and replace the inserts with a different holiday or design so I can use this tray year round.  Then I can reuse the inserts each year. In this picture, I took a slim velcro dot and cut it in half so it would hold the top and the bottom of the paper down.  The easiest way to apply your velcro is to stick both sides of the velcro together and put them into the tray.  You’ll have adhesive exposed, and then you can just press your paper into the space and know your velcro will be lined up.


      Halloween Printer's Tray close up

    • Use a stamp-a-ma-jig and grid paper if you care about precision in lining up your images (like the gravestone images in the bottom left space).  I positioned my paper in the center of the grid paper, so my paper was always lined up the same way and used the stamp-a-ma-jig to make sure I was stamping the same depth in each time.
    • When making your rosettes, use hot glue to hold them together.  If you use the silicone mat, it is SUPER EASY and NO MESS!!  I’m serious, I was a little afraid of my hot glue gun but the mat made it so easy and I LOVE it! 
    • And one more rosette tip, if you have to make a half rosette (like the orange one in the bottom right), you will have to hold it in a half circle shape and add lots of glue.  Make sure you squeeze the center together tightly!  I didn’t and my rosette was too big. Oops!
    • The project called for a bow in the Striped Satin ribbon near the polka dot designer series paper.  Normally I don’t have a problem with bows…. um, this time…. I couldn’t make a nice bow no matter what I did!  So, if it doesn’t work for you, chuck it!  You don’t need a bow for a cute project. 🙂
    • Ok, last tip – When you hang your banners from the top of the tray handle and adhere to the back of the tray, your banners may or may not hang how you like.  I ended up using a glue dot to hold the middle banner in place on one of the tray lips so I knew it would hang how I like.

    Alright, so those are my tips for now.  I’ll be making more inserts and can’t wait to share them with you in the future.  If there is interest, I’ll put together some kits for you to make your own as well!

     

    But until, then, have a very Happy and Safe Halloween!  From me and my monsters, to you. 🙂

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