witticisms by Jess Witty

August 13, 2012

Halloween Inspiration



Hello, all!

It's about that time... Papertrey Ink's first group post of the August release! 
Today the design team will be featuring three of this years Halloween sets (all available for purchase beginning August 15th).

Part of me loves getting to work on Halloween ideas early... but the part of me that *loves* summer is still writing this post outside while I watch the kiddos in the pool :)  To get me in the Halloween spirit I determined that I must start with a sweet.  Of course ;)


I made it into a spooky sweet by using the new Happy Haunting set.  Using the coordinating ghost die was the perfect way to add a simple but spooky touch.  I just cut a panel of white cardstock to fit in the medium glassine bag and cut the ghost out of the bottom corner. 

Happy Haunting comes with lots of little options for the ghost details... I went for classic on this one.  It's stamped right on top of the bag with PTI's True Black ink.  The bags are slippery when you're stamping on them, so the key is to move slowly, press down gently, and pull the block straight back up.

The negative image makes for a fun detail... love that it gives a peek of the chocolate bar inside...


The Tag Sale #5 die makes just the right spot for the spooktacular sentiment.  I used the new Orange Zest patterned paper for the tag and trimmed the top off with a pair of pinking sheers to echo the zig zag at the bottom of the ghost. A little stitching at the top of the bag keeps everything together.

Sidenote... totally *loving* these patterned papers lately.  Really a go-to basic for me now.  If you haven't tried one or aren't sure about patterned paper in general, I'd say go for it... and that's coming from a girl who definitely keeps the craft supplies to a minimum.  (The polka dots and stripes are my favorites, but probably just because they are a bit more in line with my personal style.)  You'll especially love them for projects like this one where you might make multiples. 



Next I pulled out the new Tremendous Treats: Halloween set for this little cutie...


And along with it, I used one of my favorites from this release... the new Spider Web Trio dies. 
*love*

Love it embossed like this (this post has the details on embossing using dies), but I also tried cutting some webs from silver glitter paper... yeah, love that, too. 


It makes the perfect little home for this cutie pie spider... love his little big/small eyes!  I stamped him on Smokey Shadow cardstock and heat embossed him using some black embossing powder to give him a little shine. 

A few Copic marker details (I used the three Smokey Shadow Copics) gave him a little depth and a white gel pen brightened up his eyes.

I finished it up with a strip of the new Royal Velvet patterned paper and a few little buttons for some balance...




And one last Halloween treat... a little bottle tag using the new Mr.Bones set...


This is a simple and fun one, too.

The "come as you aren't" sentiment is so clever that I wanted to figure out an equally clever way to use it with Mr.Bones.  To start off, I die cut the wine bottle tag from both a piece of Simply Chartreuse patterned paper and vellum and adhered them together.  A little snip on the vellum layer lets you see the patterned paper underneath.   


Mr.Bones got die cut an stamped as well and also received a few Copic highlights. I placed him on the patterned paper layer and stamped the sentiment on the vellum layer along with the pumpkin. 

You can lift the vellum layer up to see that Mr.Pumkin Head is just Mr.Bones costume... love that ;)




Suitably spooky for you??  I tend to be more on the cute side of Halloween than the spooky side... evidence here...


That would be me and the hubs last year disguised as Mary Poppins and Bert the chimney sweep. Those of you with kids (or children of the 80's) will recognize my kiddos as Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach :) (Note the spot on hat that I crafted myself, of course, haha!)


And the year before we went as the cast of Peter Pan, complete with Peter Pan (and homemade suede hat), Captain Hook (yeah... made that one from quite a few thrifted finds... the leather "boots" made from a thrifted pair of leather pants were a fave), Wendy, Tinkerbell, and Tick Tock the alligator.


Yup... we're totally dorks.
And my husband is, obviously, quite good at taking one for the team :)

Any thoughts on what this party of 5 should do for this year??  I'm open to suggestions :)


For even more Halloween fun, be sure to check out the rest of the PTI team...
Nichole Heady
Cristina Kowalczyk
Erin Lincoln


And I'll see you back here tomorrow.
Same bat time, same bat channel :)

{Spooktacular} treat bag
Supplies not available now but available 7/15: 
Stamps - Happy Haunting
Die -Happy Haunting
Supplies available now:


{Spidery Trick or Treat} card
Supplies not available now but available 7/15: 
Stamps -Tremendous Treats: Halloween
Die - Spider Web Trio 
Supplies available now:
Other -white gel pen


{Come As You Aren't} tag
Supplies not available now but available 7/15: 
Stamps -Mr. Bones
Die -Mr. Bones
Supplies available now:

15 comments:

Leigh Penner said...

Wow, Jess, where do I begin?
Your projects are all so fabulous and creative! I love each and every one of them!
And I love your "group costumes"! I usually let the kids pick (although last year I was Hedwig and my daughter was Pigwidgen to my son's Harry Potter, but my other son's Clone Trooper didn't fit in so well... ;) ) Can't wait to see what you come up with this year!

Marilyn in Michigan said...

Love your cute projects, Jess. Many years ago, I made "Wizard of Oz" costumes for the kids I babysat for. For the 4 kids, we had Dorothy (I had to sew the jumper at the day of as the little girl wasn't sure she wanted to do this), the Tin Man (using lots of aluminum foil and a painted cardboard box for the body), the Cowardly Lion (made from an old fuzzy robe that I dyed a golden brown color), and the Scarecrow (stuffing it with paper shreds). It really was a cute project.

Cindy H. said...

Love all your projects, Jess! I especially love how clever the tag is:) Your Halloween costumes are all fabulous and I just wish I had 1/10th of your creativity. You're amazing!!

Celestial Charms said...

Lovely projects, especially that little ghost treat bag. Adorable!
Maureen

Connie and Jack said...

What darling and creative projects! Love that you put a pumpkin head on the skeleton.
-- Connie C.

Jill Norwood said...

Jess your projects are gorgeous! You always inspire me! And I adore the photos from your Halloween costumes! My son made a black paper mustache and put on a red shirt and an old black wool hat of mine and walked up to me and said, "Hey Mom, I'm Mario" one day this summer. His girl friend from up the street had made a paper crown and she was princess peach - I quickly grabbed my camera and captured the moment! I just loved seeing your family photos and kids dressed up as Mario and Luigi! I wish I had some good ideas for you for this year but I can't think of a thing! ;)

Gina said...

Oh my gosh, Jess!!! The projects are so, so fabulous! And I love that your husband will "take one for the team" on Halloween. What a great guy.

So, here are a few thoughts:
Dorothy, the lion, the scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Wizard

Scooby, Freddy, Velma, Daphne and Shaggy

Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy and either Pluto or Goofy

Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Spiderman

Meredith MacRitchie said...

My favourite part of this post was your halloween photos!! I LOVE MARY POPPINS!!!! My oldest is obsessed with Peter Pan, and often dresses up as Wendy (in an old nighty her grandmother gave her, stiched up to be the right length). She would *love* if we all dressed up accordingly! I'll be sure to show her your photo...

I love the last tag you made - dressing up the Mr. Bones image to suit the sentiment - so perfect!!

Mary Lou Kemp said...

Your projects are adorable, especially the skeleton with the pumpkin head. I also love that your shared pictures of your halloween costumes. You are very creative!!

conil said...

Fabulous, adorable, fun creations and the pictures are a great bonus.

Susan Gosman said...

Your treat bag is "simply" great. Thanks for the great idea - and for posting the pics of your family.

Noreen said...

What fun projects! The embossed spider web is clever - like the real thing, it's not too obvious.

pamela said...

Your costumes are HILARIOUS! Perhaps Harry Potter and the rest of the gang for this year?

And that second card :) Super cute!

Paulette S said...

Talk about Witty. LOL I LOVE all of your projects from today and yesterday! How fun that your whole team dresses up for Halloween. Thank you for all of your fun projects. I love seeing what inspired you to create.

Unknown said...

ok, dorks or not - I TOTALLY love your halloween pics :)that is awesome. I love halloween, but have never been much for dressing up. Decorating, yes, but I never feel creative enough to come up with a clever costume (or theme! ha) Totally loving all of your creations, too. Fantastic! Your use of vellum, and the glassine bags is awesome. Thanks for sharing!!!