A Little Stroll Down 'Creepy Lane'

Yeah I know...Halloween again!

There is so much fun new 'stuff' out there

this year and I have been treating myself to

some of it  : ) 

I just love this little sign...

Really does make you wonder what's lurking

in the shadows...down the lane....

This new 'Creepy Lane' set from Inkadinkado

is terrific!  I am not usually one to create a

scene, literally or artistically, but I couldn't

help myself here.  

The 'batty moon' image is from Artful Inkables.

It remains one of my favorite and most

versatile stamps for the season.

Not sure if I mentioned it or not, but I was so inspired

by some of the artwork in the current issue of

Stampington's 'Take Ten'...this black 'shading'

which creates such depth.  Think it will become a 

regular in my technique arsenal.

Here's another quick little card I threw together...

You may recognize the image on the right as one of the new

stamps from Ippity's 'That's Creepy' set...love it!

The sentiment is from the Inkadinkado set used above.

So I mentioned that I have been 'treating' myself to some new

goodies for the fall and halloween season...today I snatched up

the last set of new Martha Stewart stamps called

'Vampire' at the local Mike's...even paid full price for them

because I had to have them...just need to get my hands

on the wrought iron fence border punch!

Of course, I have been gushing about my

Vampire Bat punch from EK Success.

I have also been buying more designer papers than I will

ever need or use, but I love the colors and designs

that are new this year.

So what about you?

What stamps, papers, punches and products are

you treating yourself to?

I would love to know....

please leave a comment and share.

I love knowing you were here.

A Little Spooky Stamping

If you are looking for the

EtsyInspired Challenge,

click here!

Thought I would share with you a little

'spooky' stamping I've been doing.

I totally CASED this card when I was at

my 'not-so-local' scrapbooking store.

I was on a mission to pick up some of the new

fall stamps from The Memory Box collection

and I scored big time!

There was a card on display that used this 'lighting' technique

and I knew I wanted to re-create it.

This gorgeous paper is part of the Memory Box fall

collection.  I stamped the lamp post with kitty in a strategic

place on the paper and then proceeded to 'freehand'

the branches to go 'through' the light.

The moon with bats image (and the sentiment used below) 

are from Artful Inkables.

Here's another variation on the same theme...

Hope you enjoyed a little 'spookiness'.

I know we are still in the thick of summer,

but I just couldn't wait to have a little play

with this fantastic collection.

Down on the Farm With Artful INKables

This week's post for Artful INKables was a fun project to do. This card was inspired by the brand new AI rubber stamp set 'Down on the Farm'. This 11-piece set has a little something for many occasions. So I hope you will 'giddy on up' to Arful INKables and order this set for yourself! For more inspiring projects, visit the AI blog.

It's Artful INKables Blog Hop Time Again!

Welcome to the Artful INKables Blog Hop!

Did you stop by here after visiting the AI blog? If not, make sure you start from the beginning at Artful INKables
then proceed from there.
That way, you won't miss any of the great projects.
Today, the AI Design Team is featuring the
release of TWO BRAND NEW STAMP SETS

For this project, I used the very sweet, all occasion set called 'A Bird's Song'.
Eight great stamps make up this set...a beautiful addition
for your stamp collection.
I am not typically one who does a lot of 'coloring',
but this set makes it SO EASY!

Each blog on the hop will feature one of the new sets and an
opportunity to win BOTH!
Just stop by EACH blog on the hop,
leave a comment and cross your fingers!

That's all there is to it!

I'm so glad you stopped by! I hope while you're here, you will considering becoming a regular follower of The Open Window. We are getting ready to kick off our new Play Date Challenges and we'd love for you to play along...and you can enter for blog candy....HERE!
In the meantime....I will be back a little later today
with a feature on Sarah, another of our fab designers for
The Play Date Cafe Challenge, so make sure you stop back in a bit!

Your next stop on the hop is Holly's blog...
tell her Hi from The Open Window!

Dots and Diamonds...It's an Artful INKables Christmas

It's that time again...my weekly post for Artful INKables.
This set from AI has so many sweet images, but I must say that I love these little gift packages. They can definitely be used for any occasion.

Some of the little 'extras' on this project include using patterned paper from FooFaLa to raise the package 'off the page', sweet little pearls as bow centers and the fun button woven with dotted ribbon. The diamond pattern background was stamped as a repeat pattern using a Studio G $1 stamp. I try to not use other brands when I feature AI, but it just matched the project TOO well!

I hope you will join us at midnight as the Artful INKables blog hop begins! For me, that is in just a few hours. At that time, you will get to see the newest AI rubber stamp sets and have a chance to win both sets as they are unveiled one-by-one by each of my talented design team-mates.

Getting To Know You...Part 2

It has been so absolutely wonderful hearing from all of you regarding the new design team.
Most of us met as strangers and have become quick friends as we go through this new journey together. Now it's time to share with you a little about Sandi.

I met Sandi as an early follower of my blog. You might know her as Celticwoman. She has been a constant supporter here at The Open Window. I was so happy to find out one day that I had become the winner of some blog candy she was giving away! What I loved even more is that it was a handcrafted journal that is even more beautiful than the photo, which you can see here. If you love color...if you love TO color, then you will love following Sandi and being inspired by her...let's hear from her:

Sandi writes: Hello, welcome, I am so excited to be here to help kick off a great weekly challenge. My name is Sandi Kelly, I live outside of Sacramento but must be part Irish Gypsy because I have lived on every coast line of these great United States, although
I was born just north of Chicago.
I am married to my high school sweetheart and together we are care givers to 3 knawrly cats. They will come and get you when they want to be let outside, if you do not respond within 5mins. they will begin a destructive attack to get your attention.

Color and paper have been passions of mine
for as long as I can remember.
I was an exhibiting watercolor artist for many years in Laguna Beach and Fair Oaks, CA but gave it up for a little slower pace of creativity.
There is barely a day that
I do not spend in my studio, rising at 3AM,
I normally create
until about 1:30 or 2PM.
My object of passion at this time are my
Copic Markers and Airbrush System,
oh my goodness the color!

So...that's Sandi...hope that gives you a glimpse into what you can expect from
her fabulous challenges.
Tomorrow, you will meet our
UK/European designer, Sarah!

BLOG CANDY GIVEAWAY...Just a reminder! If you haven't grabbed your Play Date Cafe button yet, there is still plenty of time. You will find it to your right, the one that says 'I Play at the Play Date Cafe'. Copy and paste it to your sidebar, leave me a comment and let me know...that's it. The 'candy' is a surprise, but I promise, YOU WILL LOVE IT! Even more importantly, we hope you are planning to play along when the challenges start and PLEASE...share the news with your friends. Deadline for the blog candy is Wednesday, October 21st.

I will be back a bit later with a new post and a new project from Arful INKables as well as

information on the AI blog hop,

which begins at midnight! See ya then!

A Holiday Treat For You

This week's Artful INKables post is a bit outside of the ol' box for me. Characters are not my strong suit when it comes to designing, but I think this little guy seems quite happy.

'Holiday Treats & Tails' is one of the new seasonal offerings from AI.
I used a number of embellishments including ribbon, buttons, rhinestones and glitter. I also popped the candy cane, the beaver's tail and teeth and the presents off the page with foam tape. I used chalks for most of the coloring.

Hope you will check out the Artful INKables blog and website for some rubber stamping fun!

Think Ink Challenge - Make it Sparkle!

Here it is...this week's Artful INKable's Think Ink Challenge...
Make it Sparkle!
The design team host for this is Lisa Kind at Kind Creations. Her challenge to you is to create something that
'sparkles and shimmers'...that's it...easy-peasy!

For these tags, I featured AI's newest holiday set Holiday Treats & Tails. Using 2 different Nestibilities Tag templates, I layered them using Basic Grey's Eskimo Kisses Paper Collection.
The sparkles come from Crystal AND Diamond Stickles, added not only to the edges but also to the holly leaves and 'berry' brads. A little American Crafts ribbon finishes them off.

I hope you will get over to the AI blog for all the details on how to enter the challenge. The winner will receive a grab bag of AI rubber stamps...SEE YOU THERE!

Ready for Fall...Vintage-Style

I can't tell you how much I love these new papers from
My Mind's Eye Spider's Web Collection.
After rounding off the corners of my base card, I distressed the edges using a sanding file and then began layering my papers and elements. You may recognize that gold-striped paper from the GCD'S Provence Collection...that's sure getting a lot of mileage!

The frame was cut from some of Martha Stewart's Halloween paper and I used The Paper Company's 'Fall' sentiment. Top off with some vintage lace, fabulous ribbon, Prima Flowers, brads and pearls and a glittered leaf (cut from the Spellbinders Leaves Set) and you have yourself a very unique card for the fall season.

I mentioned earlier that I would be sharing my post for Artful INKables tonight, but my camera battery completely died. So tomorrow's errands will include purchasing a new battery and then I will be back with some fabulous gift tags using
AI's newest Holiday rubber stamp set.
See you tomorrow!

Color Dare Challenge #36

Just a quick post for now...my offering from
The Color Dare Design Team.
The last of the 'summer-y' colors as fall is now here.
I hope you will take on the challenge.
Stop over at The Color Dare Blog for all the details. Starting this week, Riley will be recognizing her top 3 picks from your entries, so get going and get on it!

I will be back a bit later with my post for this week's
Artful INKables Design Team....stay tuned!

Think Ink Challenge - Scary Stuff!

Back with one more challenge for you today....this one comes from the design team of Artful INKables rubber stamps. So what's the deal? This was the 'Think Ink Tuesday' Challenge,which was a 'Recipe Challenge' issued by AI's very own Jackie Rakoski over at Stampin' Sister. The recipe consists of:

1 image
2 different ribbons
3 layers
and any type of scallops

I stuck 'fairly' close to the recipe. I had to resist the urge to include a very scary greeting and I did add a little 'light' to the windows, which may or may not be acceptable....old habits die hard, I guess! I decided to '3-D' the haunted mansion and I thought the Martha Stewart Spider Web was the perfect 'scallop' for a scary greeting. The orange polka dot ribbon was just a store find, but the deep purple with metallic threads is a May Arts ribbon which you can also grab from AI.

Hope you will pop over to the AI Blog and see what others are doing and get in on the challenge. One lucky entry will win a fabulous prize from Artful INKables, so get all the details there!

So today is the official 'day before my birthday' celebration. Now you would think that this idea would have originated from my very own brain...you know....drag out the birthday celebration as long as possible, but it really wasn't. Beginning this morning, I am awakened with my morning 'smooch' from Paul with the words 'Happy Day-Before-Your-Birthday'...tomorrow it will be the usual....and then Friday, it will end with 'Happy Day After-Your-Birthday'. Ya know, now that I think about it, I MAY have been the one who started all this when it was HIS birthday...
oh well, anyway....

I enjoyed a couple of hours this morning with my youngest grandson and spent time with camera in hand. Yes, I do have a few shots to share with you because they will be something we can ALL appreciate, children or not! Then from there, I was treated to lunch at The Cracker Barrel by my mom. My son Alex and the aforementioned Alex, jr also came along, so it was a lovely time. From there, my mom and I stopped off at a new little bakery and cafe and each grabbed a cup of wonderful coffee. I found myself walking out of the cafe with quite a large 'birthday' cupcake for dessert. Then my mom and I came back to my home for a little while. She was anxious to see all the projects I have been working on. She used to do quite a bit of rubber stamping when I had my store, so she has a real appreciation for the love that I give to each card. She left with one or two in hand!

Tomorrow, the actual real day that I am supposed to celebrate, I will be back to share a few photos with you, hopefully another project and of course, my favorites list for this week. Paul has the next couple of days off and I have BIG plans to do a little 'paper, rubber stamp, glitter, embellishments, etc shopping
as we head out of town.
OH! I received a lovely, LOVELY surprise gift in the mail today from one of my dearest friends....not someone who I have known all my life, but someone I have come to love since the first week of this blog. I will share that gift with you tomorrow as well.
Have a great night!

It's Beginning to Look....Well, You Know...

No....I am not quite ready for the Christmas Season, but I was really in the mood to make tags and 'glittered things' all weekend, so this is where I landed.

I must say that as we officially welcome autumn to our lives, it won't be long before we are totally focused on holiday projects.
Have you already planned out your holiday cards? I'm not there yet, but when I get the inspiration, there will be no stopping me!

I really enjoyed making these projects. This beautiful patterned paper from Foo-Fa-La was so easy to play with.



I have been using a lot of vintage buttons on my cards lately, too.

The other bits 'n' pieces to these projects include the Spellbinder's Snowflakes and lots of glitter!






The tags include the Martha Stewart Arctic Snowflake punch and Nestibilities scalloped circles and the tag template from Cuttlebug's Happy Halloween set.

So....I hope you enjoyed a little peek into the holidays with me. I am excited to be able to share this season with you as it approaches.

I am now off to finish my project for the 'Think Ink Tuesday Challenge' over at Artful INKables. I hope you will stop back tomorrow and see the results. In the meantime, I hope you will consider taking the challenge yourself.
Stop over at the AI blog and get all the details!

Are You Ready for All Kinds of Scary?

I just gotta say...I am having so much fun with this brand new 'Halloween Hauntings' rubber stamp set from Artful INKables. There are 11 fabulous images to choose from...I used 4 on this fun little tag. Along with the new patterned papers from Making Memories, a vintage button and some 'scary' ribbon,
it's a pretty simple 'make'.

Well, we are half way through the week...how is yours shaping up? Mine has been busy with business and personal things. Yesterday I gave you my morning 'play-by-play' and my UK friend Cal said that I have now "set the bar" for getting things done. As productive as yesterday was, today couldn't have been any more opposite, so I guess it was just a one time thing.

I want to thank those of you who expressed interest in The Play Date Design Team. I will be contacting each one of you personally over the next few days. I think it is going to be so much fun as we begin to present a new color challenge site
right here at The Open Window.

I mentioned last week that I was contemplating a move of my 'New Favorite Blogs' list to Thursday nights...and I have indeed decided to do just that. So beginning tomorrow night, you will find the feature being called 'Julie Ranae's THURSDAY night Favs'. I have a fabulous list for you tomorrow night, so I hope you will come by. I am hoping to post to you during the day as well as I get to share a 'little' news & photo about my 6 yr old grandson, CJ...can you guess what it might be? If you have been following along for the past week, it shouldn't be too hard.

Still would like to hear more from you regarding your 'favorite styles I have dared NOT try'. We talked a little about it yesterday, but if you missed it, just click here.
Look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Just Catchin' Up...ETSY SALE!

So is it just me or am I giving you a lot of 'sneak peeks' lately? This one is because The Color Dare Challenge doesn't start until Wednesday, so I can't reveal all, but I sure hope you stop by and enter this week. More on that Wednesday.

How about the Artful INKables Blog Hop today? Did you make it around? If not, there is still plenty of time. The deadline to win the BRAND NEW STAMP SETS is midnight, Sept 17. All it takes is stopping by each blog (only 11 in all), leave a note saying you stopped by and that's it.

I know my posts have been a bit more sporadic the past few days, but I promise you all is well at The Open Window. In fact, I have been busy with my hands in a number of different projects. As many of you know, we have a current design team call out and the new 'Play Date' Challenges will be starting soon. I am working on a blog makeover to accomodate all the fun things that are around the corner as well as constructing a separate blog for online workshops. So hang in there with me, because without you, it would be a very, lonely journey!

One more thing before I get back to my work table....I have decided to offer my current inventory of cards in my ETSY STORE at a 15% discount. I have a whole new batch of things to get on over the next couple of weeks and I would like to clear out some of my inventory. Most of these cards have been featured on my blog and are ready to go complete with a coordinating envelope. SO....until Friday, Sept 18th, anything you purchase from my Etsy store will be 15% OFF. The current prices listed are BEFORE the discount, so if you see something you like, put it in your shopping cart then let me know when you are ready to checkout.

Contact me directly at paul.julie1102@sbcglobal.net for invoice or questions.

In the meantime....have a great night and I will be back for a chat tomorrow!

Artful Inkables Blog Hop Time!

Welcome to the Artful INKables Blog Hop!

Did you stop by here after visiting the AI blog? If not, make sure you start from the beginning at Artful INKables
then proceed from there.
That way, you won't miss any of the great projects.

Today, the AI Design Team is featuring the
release of TWO BRAND NEW STAMP SETS

Each blog on the hop will feature one of the new sets and an
opportunity to win BOTH!
Just stop by each blog on the hop, leave a comment
and cross your fingers!

That's all there is to it!The new set that I am featuring today is called
'Halloween Hauntings'.
HOW MUCH FUN IS THIS, HUH?! I even included some fabulous new May Arts ribbon which is ALSO available from AI.
The metallic threads really sets it apart.

There are so many creative possibilities with this 11 pc set,
so make sure you add it to your shopping cart over at AI.

I'm so glad you stopped by! I hope while you're here, you will considering becoming a regular follower of The Open Window. There's something new almost everyday and quite frankly,
we have a lot fun!
Your next stop on the hop is
Jackie's blog just click here!

In the meantime....I will be back a little later today
with an update from my studio

A Day in the Life and Another Sneaky-Peek!

I am looking forward to a fabulous date with my husband as we are off to a wedding later today and will be gone at the reception most of the evening. I am feverishly working to get the wedding card completed so today I am going to give you another little 'taste' of the brand new, hot-off-the-press sets which will be featured during the next Artful INKables Blog Hop, Monday, Sept 14th. Hope you will join the rest of the design team, and yours truly of course, for all the fun. More details tomorrow!

So what is a very proud 'mema' to do when her oldest grandson comes and says 'Mema...I have a loose tooth and the new one is coming right behind it!'. The answer: Take a picture! We spent the late-morning with our grandson CJ at his school lunch 'picnic'. The weather was spot-on perfect and by request, I made CJ his very favorite 'mema's toasty cheese sandwiches' for our lunch. Paul and I loved the opportunity to go, especially because Mallory just could not get off work from the hospital. I took lots of pictures for her, but I could not resist sharing these with you.

He loved showing off his in-coming tooth, so I just kept snapping until he finally closed his mouth! He loves 'spiking' his own hair every morning...he is very proud!

Excuse the 'glass-glare' but it was so sunny and lovely out and I just love the face on this child, so thought I would end our time together sharing this photo with you. He is our first grandchild and the one who profoundly changed all our lives. I don't know what his future holds, but God does and I know CJ is capable of some pretty awesome things! I hope you will stay tuned!

Another Sneak Peak in the Window! DESIGN TEAM CALL

Hey everyone! After THREE posts yesterday, want to give you a breather....but can't let the day go by without sharing a 'sneak peek' of one of the newest rubber stamp sets from Artful INKables. Mark your calendars....the next AI Blog Hop is Monday, Sept 14th! You won't want to miss the upcoming seasonal releases!

And just a quick reminder...I have received a number of blog submissions for The Open Window Design Team Call, but there is still plenty of time for you to submit. Click here for all the details.

Back to chat with you tomorrow....have a great rest of your day!

Think Ink Challenge - Are You Up For It?

Hey guys....back with my Artful INKables offering for this week.
It coincides with the Think Ink Tuesday Challenge.
The challenge for this time was to create a bag or box...and as you can see, I chose a sweet little bag using
the 'Fun & Friendly' set from AI.

I used a fabulous gift bag template from Anna Griffin, which is easy- peasy! The patterned paper is from Dena's Closet by FooFaLa. Of course, I had to break out 'The Bug' and the Spellbinders Nestibilities Scalloped Circles, a couple of rhinestones for bling and I found this adorable ribbon at Hobby Lobby...
HALF PRICE, of course!

You still have until midnight, Monday Sept 14th to enter your project. The randomly chosen winner will
receive a rubber stamp grab bag from Artful INKables.
While you're at it, check out AI's BRAND NEW WEBSITE! The links for all your needs are as easy as a click. Make sure you check out the Design Team bios, too!
You'll FINALLY see more than just my peepers!
Back soon with yet another challenge and an announcement!

Sneak Peek #2 - Tag Swap & DESIGN TEAM CALL

Here you go! Sneak Peek #2 of these fabulous tags from our swap. So let's see...what little 'hint' can I give you about each creator. Well, one of these great designers is truly a 'paper' artist but NOT a rubber stamper. One of these ladies lives only about 10 miles from me and one of these designers will be on the new Open Window Design Team!

That's all I can tell you for now. I want to each participant to be surprised when the tags arrive in their mailboxes. So when I know they have gotten there safe and sound, I will reveal the entire collection to you, including my offering for the swap.

Now....I mentioned a moment ago one of our swap participants is on the new Open Window Design Team....the good news for YOU is that there are still a couple of openings so I am officially announcing our very first Design Team Call.














This team will be responsible for designing and hosting a weekly challenge, called 'The Play Date'. You will need to be available to particpate once a week, with hosting responsibilities once a month.

Now...I need for you to know that this is a design team STRICTLY for fun...there is no tangible or monetary reward, but I am looking for sponsors not only for prizes, but for possible features of their stamps and/or products. So if you know of any manufacturers of wholesalers/retailers that are looking for a new and fun way to promote their products, please point them to The Open Window.

So here is all you need to do: Send an email to paul.julie1102@sbcglobal.net with your name/address/phone/blog site address. That's it! If you have additional photos of cards/projects or online galleries that you are particularly proud of, please include those, but I can easily make a decision based off of your blog entries. You will be required to submit photos of your projects that I will feature on my blog, so your photo capabilities need to be of a good quality.

It's a very short deadline for submissions...September 16th....there are only 2 openings and I am SO looking forward to seeing who comes forward for the challenge!

Although there is no tangible reward for now, I will provide a Play Date DT logo for your blog and winners of the challenges will also have a 'winner' badge to display.

Well....I need to put the finishing touches on my Artful INKables design for tomorrow's post, so I need to go for now. I heard that the new AI website, which has been under a little bit of construction, should be up and running just in time for you to stop by after tomorrow's post. See you then!