Halloween - Part 1

Hi everyone!

If you decided in a last minute to decorate your home for Halloween, like I did this morning, you can find some Halloween Decorating ideas from my previous years that might help you to make cheap and easy to make decorations in a short time.

Here are direct links:

• Halloween 2015
• Halloween 2014: 
• Part 1
• Part 2

 

Video from Halloween 2014
Music:
"Evening of Chaos" Kevin MacLeod   

(incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

That's all for now. Off to finish decorating and to bake some muffins. Enjoy and smile!

Milka

Bat About You Card (Kitty Bee Designs Spotlight)

Hi everyone! :o)

Today is my turn to be on the spotlight over at Kitty Bee Designs and I made this Bat About You Card.

I made this card for my honey, for our aniversary. We start dating on Halloween night 10 years ago. :o)

To make this card I was inspired with several cards:

• layout inspired with my own, Mr. Bitty Halloween Card
• scene, theme, color scheme and sentiment inspired with a super adorable card made by Francine Vuillème of 1001 cartes
• watercolor technique and pop up elements inspired with my own, Follow Your Dreams Card

I used an adorable 'Mr. Bitty' image. He is so cute and fun!! :o)

I made a layout on my computer (MS Word - Insert - Picture - Insert - Shape - Oval) and printed it out on a thick watercolor paper panel and stamped some hearts on the panel. I printed one more bat and stamped hearts on a watercolor paper scrap, because I wanted dimension on my card and I went with paper piecing. 

I also wrote a sentiment on my computer (MS Word - Insert - Text Box; text box color: black, font color: white) and printed it out on the watercolor paper scrap.

I used same watercolor paper for all elements, because I like it's texture and I wanted all elemnts to have same texture. This watercolor paper is my favorite paper ever!! I got couple of sheets from my friend while I was staying in Ivanić-Grad last week. As soon as I find out what that paper is (company name and type), I'm getting bunch of it. :o)

As always when I print images, I left everything dry for an hour before coloring. This prevents ink smering when watercoloring. I also try to avoid lines while coloring to prevent ink smearing.

I colored everything in watercolor technique using Distress Inks. First I colored a blue background and after drying, the Moon. I splattered whole panel with water and dried it. I colored bat and hearts with black marker, because it looks nicer and gives extra shade to paper pieced images.

Then I colored bat and hearts stamped on paper scraps also in watercolor technique using Distress Inks. I fussy cut them out, colored edges with black marker and glued them over the black images on the panel.

At the end I put all elements together. I glued the panel on a top folded white card base, cut out the baner shape for my sentiment, colored edges with black marker, glued 3-D foams on the back of the banner and placed it on the card. A bit of gloss resin on Mr. Bitty's eyes to create glossy accents and my card was finished. :o)

Dimensions: 99 mm x 131 mm (3 15/16" x 5 3/16")

List of supplies:

• Kitty Bee Designs 'Mr. Bitty' digital stamp
• 'A Little Pot' free font from Kevin&Amanda
• Jane's Doodles 'Double Trouble' stamp set (hearts)
• white cardstock paper (card base)
• thick watercolor paper (panel, sentiment, images) Canson XL Mixed Media Paper, 300 g
• printer
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Tim Holtz's Distress Inks:
• Mustard Seed
• Spiced Marmalade
• Candied Apple
• Blueprint Sketch
• Hickory Smoke
• Black Soot
• Staedtler Lumocolor permanent black pen S (superfine) 0.4 mm
• Staedtler Lumocolor permanent black pen F (fine) 0.6 mm
• Stabilo Pen (Marker), Black 68/46
• Unibal Signo White
• UHU liquid glue
• double sided strong adhesive tape
• Gloss Resin Super Clear
• 3-D foam squares (5 mm x 5 mm x 2 mm)
• scissors
• acrylic block (102 mm x 102 mm)
• Sigma Rotary Paper Trimmer
• Fiskars High Precission Personal Paper Trimmer
• Marabu fine rounded paint brush no. #2
• Marabu fine rounded paint brush no. #0
• Marabu fine rounded paint brush no. 3/0
• Marabu fine rounded paint brush no. 5/0
• Ranger Heat It Craft Tool
• crafting needle
• water
• paper towels

I hope you enjoyed my KBD spotlight card for this month. Check out more cute images at the Kitty Bee Designs Etsy Store, Kitty Bee Designs Blog and Kitty Bee Designs FB. :o)

I'm entering my card to following challenges:

Note: bold text and challenge badge (if any) are direct links to the current challenge and blog badge (if any) is a direct link to blog or challenge home page.

1) Addicted to Stamps and More,Challenge #217 - Make Your Mark

This is my 1st entry to this challenge.

2) Cards und More Shop Blog, Challenge no. 5 - Anything Goes
This is my 7th entry to this challenge.

3) Crafty Creations Challenges, Watercolor
This is my 1st entry to this challenge.

4) Craft Your Passion Challenges, Challenge #335 - Always Anything Goes

This is my 1st entry to this challenge.

5) Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps, Wonderful Wednesday Challenge, Anything Goes
This is my 1st entry to this challenge.

6) Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, Anything Goes

This is my 1st entry to this challenge.

Thank you for stopping by and your kind feedback. Enjoy and smile! :o)

Milka

Guest Artist: Neha Bhatt (I Love Math Challenge #3)

Hi everyone! :o)

I hope you're all doing great! There are still ten more days to join the third I Love Math Challenge. :o)

I am very honored to host very talented Guest Artist today, Neha Bhatt.

Neha is amazing artist and super friendly person from India, owner of Periwinkle Creations.

I'm so happy we made friends. Neha and I are in the same Design Team at Jane's Doodles. Her creations are so inspiring! Neha supports my challenge from it's beginning with her amazing creations. I was overwhelmed when she accepted my invitation to join me in this challenge and also for challenges yet to come. Next year Neha will be joining I Love Math Challenge as a Designer Collaborator, which means you will see her creations in each challenge. Wooohooo!!! :o)


And now to Neha's inspiration card...

Here is what Neha said:

"Hey Friends,

Here I am again with a card for Milka’s awesome I Love Math Challenge # 3.  She is a super cool person and  I love her math challenges. It is a great way to give a workout to our creative brain!

This time, the math part is ‘triangle’. So you have to create a birthday card which has to be CAS and have to have Triangle shape as focal point or very dominating. 

Birthday and triangle ...easy I said...:) I used hand cut birthday hat as my focal point which fits the bill. I coloured it using hand torn paper stripe and distress inks. I also incorporated triangles in form of banners and background stamping. I cut the white panel and sentiment stripe also at an angle to enhance the triangle, geometric feel. All such small details are very useful to set the tone of your card and to make the focal point stronger.  To make the birthday hat more prominent – I added the banners behind it and cut the panel little shy than hat’s top which will give illusion of hat being huge! Does it do that?

I had fun designing for this challenge. I hope you aso will give it a try. Thanks a lot Milka for having me as guest DT. Love you. Hugs!"

And here is GORGEOUS Neha's card! LOVE it sooooo much!!! :o)

When Neha sent me photo of the card my jaw dropped. STUNNING!!! Awesome color combination, gorgeous color tones, so many details but still CAS design and so many different triangles! LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! :o) And yes, hat looks huge. :o)

Here is a close up photo of Neha's card.

Thank you so much Neha for joining the challenge and inspiration! I'm so happy you'll be joining me through the next year. :o)

Now it's your turn...

Create something using the inspiration board (you must meet all criteria shown on inspiration board) and link up your project below.

Design: Clean and Simple (CAS)

Definition from CAS(E) this Sketch:

1. Usually only one layer but can include a simple layer or two. 

2. A lot of open space sometimes called "white space" can include subtle color, texture or pattern. 

3. Only one focal point. Embellishments should only support not dominate your card. (Exception to this rule is that you've made the focal point an embellishment and not an image.)

4. Usually no embellishments but can include something minimal. (1 or 2 embellishments) 

5. Minimal color palette. (up to 3 colors in general)

6. Simple, uncluttered, quick and easy to create.

Theme: Birthday

Add a sentiment to your card, create triangle shaped balloons, create birthday party scrapbook page... possibilities are endless, but remember to keep it CAS.

Geometric shape: Triangle

A triangle is a 3-sided polygon. Every triangle has three sides and three angles.
Use a triangle or triangles on your creation. Triangles must be in a focal point of your work.
Triangle shaped card is welcome, but is not a focal point. If you decide to go with triangle shaped card, be sure to include triangles on your card.
Exception: photography on a scrapbook page can be in a focal point.

The challenge is to combine three criteria shown on inspiration board I created, as listed above: CAS design, birthday theme and triangles. 
The challenge is not number three or your own combination of three of something.

Challenge Starts: October 7th 2016, 8:00 PM CEST (UTC +2)

Challenge Ends: November 7th, 7:55 PM CET (UTC +1)

Challenge rules:

1. Create any kind of project (card, ATC, tag, scrapbook page...), as loong as it meets all three criteria shown on Inspiration Board.
2. Design: clean and simple (CAS)
3. Theme: Birthday
4. Focal point: triangle / triangles
5. Your creation must be new. Please do not link creation that has been posted prior to the day of the challenge.
6. Projects must be handmade!
7. Any stamp company/artist is welcome.
8. You must be a blog follower. If you are following me via e-mail, please leave me a comment.
9. Mention the challenge in your blog post and link back to the challenge.
10. Display Inspiration Board in your blog post.
11. Link up as many projects as you want.
12. You are welcome to combine your project to as many challenges as you want.
13. No blog hop and direct selling links are allowed here.
14. Link your direct blog post and not your entire blog, so I could locate your creation.
15. Please turn off word verification.
16. Have fun!

I reserve the right to remove links that do not comply with challenge rules.

Prize: 

One Jane's Doodles stamp set of winners choice. Guest Artist Neha Bhatt and I will select two favorite projects each (TOP 4), which will be featured here on my blog on November 27th 2016. Among TOP 4, there will be a random draw (using Random.org) for one lucky winner who will then receive the prize. :o)

I hope you got inspired with Neha's card. I did! Be sure to visit Neha's blog, Periwinkle Creations, and see her gorgeous creations. :o)

Thank you for visiting today. Neha and I can't wait to see your creations! Enjoy and smile! :o)

Milka

An InLinkz Link-up

Jane's Doodles Release Blog Hop

Hi everyone! :o)

Welcome to a Jane's Doodles Release Blog Hop. Today we are featuring ADORABLE new stamp set released into the store, Unicorn. Love!!! :o)

Unicorn

For today's Blog Hop I made this Follow Your Dreams Card.

How I made my card...

I stamped a sentiment, Moon, stars and Unicorn on a watercolor paper panel and colored the background in watercolor technique. I stamped more images on a different watercolor paper, colored them in watercolor technique, fussy cut them out and colored all edges with black marker. Then I glued the panel on a card base and glued colored images on the card using different thickness 3-D foams and glue. I wanted different levels of dimension on my card.

Lastly I drew black frame around the scene I created and my card was finished.

Techniques: stamping, watercolor, fussy cutting, doodling

Dimensions:  101 mm x  133 mm (4" x 5 1/4")

At the bottom of this post you can find all supplies I used for making this card. :o)

Last week I was staying at my parents in Ivanić-Grad. I took 'Unicorn' stamp set with me so my nieces Tea (6) and Nika (2) could play with these adorable stamps too. Tea stamped her own scenes and colored them with colored pencils and distress inks. Nika told me what and where to stamp for her (unicorn which she called "horsey") and she colored him with colored pencils.

Tea (6)

Nika (2)

Nika & Tea

And now to the Blog Hop prize...

Our generous Jane will be giving away one stamp set of winners choice from the Jane's Doodles store to one lucky winner. All you have to do is leave a comment on all blogs along the Hop for your chance to win. 

Here is the Blog Hop order:

Jane
Neha
Me (Milka)
Vesna
Marion
Zrinka
Ange
Kaja

Vika
Jennifer McGuire (Guest Designer)

Jane's Doodles

Jane will announce winner tomorrow, Friday, October 28th (edited) on Saturday, October 29th. Also, Jane is having 20% off sale on all clear stamp sets.

I hope you enjoyed on my stop today. Link to this post will be in a right sidebar (Featured Post), until Blog Hop ends.

Now hop over to Vesna's blog and see what she created for today's hop.

Thank you for visiting and your kind feedback. Happy hopping and good luck to all! :o)

Milka

List of supplies:

• Jane's Doodles 'Unicorn' stamp set
• white cardstock paper (card base)
• white watercolor paper (images)
• thick textured watercolor paper (panel; got couple of sheets from my friend; it's amazing) Canson XL Mixed Media Paper, 300 g
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Tim Holtz's Distress Inks
• Mustard Seed
• Blueprint Sketch
• Hickory Smoke
• Black Soot
• Stabilo Pen (Marker) 68/46, Black
• Staedtler Lumocolor permanent black pen F (fine) 0.6 mm
• UHU liquid glue
• double sided strong adhesive tape
• foam tape 1 mm thick
• 3-D foam squares, 5 mm x 5 mm x 2 mm
• 3-D foam squares, 5 mm x 5 mm x 3 mm
• Fiskars High Precission Personal Paper Trimmer
• Sigma Rotary Paper Trimmer
• scissors
• acrylic block (102 mm x 102 mm)
• Marabu rounded fine paint brush no. #2
• Marabu rounded fine paint brush no. #0
• Marabu rounded fine paint brush no. 3/0
• Marabu rounded fine paint brush no. 5/0
• Ranger Heat it Craft Tool
• paper towels
• water

Christmas Tree Card (Fairy Tale Challenge #154)

Hi everyone! :o)

Today a new challenge started at Fairy Tale Challenge Blog.

Our theme for this fortnight is #154, Monochromatic.

This time our lucky winner will win this little clear stamp set.

For this challenge I made this Christmas Tree Card. :o)

I used my favorite Winter themed design paper, Crafter's Companion Bebunni Christmas Designer Paper, and GORGEOUS 'Christmas Trees' ARTploarations Stencil. I won this stencil and beautiful clear stamp at STAMPlorations as a July CAS card challenge winner. :o)

I cut out a design paper panel and spread structure paste through the stencil directly on the panel. I left it dry through the night. Next day, I distressed edges of the panel using scissors. When I was satisfied with distressing, I glued the panel on a white top folded card base and my card was finished. :o)

Dimensions: 108 mm x 139 mm (4 1/4" x 5 1/2")

List of supplies:

• Crafter's Companion Bebunni Christmas 6" x 6" Designer Paper
• white cardstock paper
• 'Christmas Trees' ARTploarations Stencil
• Marabu Light Structure Paste (805)
• UHU liquid glue
• Fiskars High Precision Personal Paper Trimmer
• scissors
• palette knife (spatula) no. #1
• microfiber cloth (for cleaning) 

I hope you liked my project for this fortnight and got inspired. Stop by the Fairy Tale Challenge Blog and see gorgeous creations my Design Team Mates made for this challenge. Do join us, we can't wait to see your projects. :o)

I'm entering my card to following challenges:

Note: bold text and challenge badge (if any) are direct links to the current challenge and blog badge (if any) is a direct link to blog or challenge home page.

1) Cards und More Shop Blog, Challenge no. 5 - Anything Goes
This is my 6th entry to this challenge.

2) STAMPlorations Never-ending Anything Goes Challenge
This is my 1st entry to this challenge. (1163)

3) 613 Avenue Create, Challenge #190 - Anything Goes

This is my 8th and last entry to this challenge.

Thank you for stopping by and your kind feedback. Enjoy and smile! :o)

Milka

Blue Birthday Cake Card (Jane's Doodles DT Spotlight)

Hi everyone! :o)

On Friday, October 21st, was my turn to be on the spotlight over at Jane's Doodles and I made this Blue Birthday Cake Card.

For this card I used adorable Jane's Doodles 'CAKE!' stamp set. :o)

My first intention was to make CAS, one layer card with a sentiment only. I heat embossed a sentiment on a card base and started blending Distress Ink around the sentiment. I messed it up and didn't like it at all, but I didn't want to throw it away. I cut card base on two parts, to get two panels, and heat embossed a cake from the set on the panel I started to work on. I masked the cake image and removed a plate, because it looks more masculine without the plate to me.

I blended whole panel with Distress Ink, splattered the panel with water and repeated the process until I was satisfied with the color. I splattered the panel with same Distress Ink mixed with water using paint brushes and colored some parts of the cake to make them darker.

When I was satisfied with the panel, I distressed edges using scissors. I did same on the white panel.

Lastly I glued two panels on a white top folded card base, drew stitches and added some highlights to the image and my card was finished. :o)

Card base dimensions: 95 mm x 127 mm (3 3/4" x 5")

List of supplies:

• Jane's Doodles 'CAKE!' stamp set
• white cardstock paper
• Tsukineko VersaMark Watermark Stamp Pad
• WOW! Embossing Powder (Opaque Bright White, Regular, WL01R)
• Tim Holtz's Distress Ink Mermaid Lagoon
• Uniball Signo White
• UHU liquid glue
• Fiskars High Precission Personal Paper Trimmer
• acrylic block (102 mm x 102 mm)
• scissors
• Marabu fine rounded paint brush no. #0
• Marabu fine rounded paint brush no. #2
• Ranger Mini Ink Blending Tool
• Ranger Heat It Craft Tool
• powder bag
• water
• paper towels

I'm entering my card to following challenges:

Note: bold text and challenge badge (if any) are direct links to the current challenge and blog badge (if any) is a direct link to blog or challenge home page.

1) Cards und More Shop Blog, Challenge no. 5 - Anything Goes
This is my 5th entry to this challenge.

2) 613 Avenue Create, Challenge #190 - Anything Goes

This is my 7th entry to this challenge.

Thank you for visiting and your kind feedback. Enjoy and smile! :o)


Milka

2nd Bloggoversary Giveaway Winners

Hello everyone! :o)

I hope you're all doing great. I spent week at my parents in Ivanic-Grad and while I was there caught such a bad cold. Foggy all the time. Last night I returned home. Tea, honey, a lot of sleep, sea air and Sun and I feel better now. I'm still coughing, but I can breathe and think now. :o)

Thank you all for joining my 2nd Blogowersary Giveaway and your sweet comments.

Anybody who left a comment on giveaway post and is a follower of my blog was eligible for one prize. 

First prize for one lucky winner is one Jane's Doodles stamp set of winners choice, kindly provided by Jane. Thank you Jane!!

And the winner chosen by Random.org is

(Random.org capture deleted)

#xxxx

Second prize for one lucky winner is one Kitty Bee Designs digital stamp and one Sasayaki Glitter digital stamp, both of winners choice, kindly provided by Kitty Bee Designs and Sasayaki Glitter. Thank you so much Ladies!!

  

And the winner chosen by Random.org is

(Random.org capture deleted)

#xxxx

Congratulations to both winners!!! :o)

Please contact me in next two weeks to claim your prize (email: milkagubo81 (at) gmail (dot) com).


Thank you for stopping by. Enjoy and smile! :o)

Milka




Update (May 4th, 2018):
In line with Data Protection and Privacy Policy Statement, I've deleted winners' names from this post and all comments that would reveal winners' names. This post will not be deleted from this blog.