Screaming Color!

For H{ippity} Hop Monday, just click here

Before I share the rest of this little project I have got

to share what's been happening since I got my new laptop.

Skype!

Need I say more?????

It began with a simple cross-town chat with my daughter

who then proceeded to Skype me each time one of my

grandsons came in the door so they could give it a try.

How fun!

Then, I was able to spend some time with my team mate

from The Play Date Cafe, Savannah O'Gwynn

over the weekend.  We quickly decided to conduct our

own 'personal' play dates via Skype.

 All in the name of creativity, right?!

Then today, my bestie Sarah, who most of you know

is from the UK and is my PDCC partner made her

very first Skype connection....with me!

So I am pretty sure there is no stopping us now!

I had a lot of fun putting the elements together for this

spooky little scene.  My friend Michele at Studio MSG

is a designer over at the DeNami Designs and is the host

for the current challenge, which happens to a color challenge.

I love a good 'color splash' and this one

ScReaMeD HalloweeN !!!!!

(get it.....?)

I purchased a new stamp set from Martha Stewart

that I loved SO much, I paid full price!

I put it to work immediately and came up with this

simply layered design.

You may recognize the border as a 'Martha' as well.

It was really fun once I started adding the bits of

'bling'

to the chandelier, the chair and the spider's line.

(bad photo...but it really sparkles.....)

Always happy to support new challenges and I can't

resist a good 'color challenge'!

I also know that Paige is asking for 100% stamped
cards this week over at the CARDS blog.
This one sure qualifies, so I am going to give this
a go over there as well.

I was wondering...

(since you're here and you were going to leave a comment anyway, right?)

What are your favorite colors to use for Halloween projects?

Do you still kinda like the black and orange look?

Or how about something with deep purple?

Sure appreciate you taking a moment to share!

Autumn Breezes...

Happy Labor Day to all of my U.S. friends!

Have you had a busy, long weekend?

My husband treated me to a little 'crafty' shopping in the

Chicago suburbs on Friday and the rest of the weekend

was spent playing with my new goodies.

Not only is it Labor Day Monday, it's also

H{ippity} Hop Monday!

This is the day that you can visit the Ippity Blog

and check out a fabulous list of Ippity 'chicks'

who both sell and play with these wonderful stamps.

The weather this weekend was unSEASONably cool.

We experienced temps down in the 40's at night

and only high 60's in the day.  They assure us that the

80 degree days will return shortly, but while I had a

 taste of autumn, I was inspired to use the

'Fall for You' set from Ippity for this card.

This is a terrific set with so many possibilities.

Look at all those images!

 

This set is available here in my Ippity shop.

for only $21.99 (reg. retail $24)

This great price INCLUDES postage!

Why not treat yourself to this fun set to create

unique and versatile cards for autumn and beyond?!

 

To order, just email me at julieranae@hotmail.com

I accept PayPal as well as USPS and Walmart money orders.

Make sure you hop on over to the Ippity Blog and check out

all of the other creative folks who are joining in today's

H{ippity} Hop!

 

I am also thrilled to have had last week's creation

featured on the Ippity Blog as one of Kelly's favs.

In case you missed it.....

Click here to see more of Kelly's favorites

Thanks for stopping by today...it's always great to hear from you!

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.

The Play Date Cafe Challenge PDCC45

I am so glad to introduce these colors to you for

this week's new challenge at The Play Date Cafe.

Please make sure you make a trip over to see

the amazing inspiration by our design team

and

meet our new Private Blend Designer

Andrea Ewen

and

our Celebrity Guest Designer

Sankari Wegman

So much talent in one little Cafe....

BOO 2 You - WaltzingMouse Sketch Challenge

I spent a little time last night playing with a few

ideas for the current WaltzingMouse Sketch Challenge.

I took a few liberties with the sketch by turning it

on it's side (sort of) and not making it an actual card.

I had so much fun with this.

The chipboard background is from one of my

Crafty Secrets Vintage Postcard Sets.

I covered it with Martha Stewart Halloween paper

and then layered Spellbinders Die Cuts (Labels 4)

on top with dimensional tape (so it's not flat).

One of my new favorite punches is the

'Vampire Bat' from EK Success.

I punched it twice from another Martha design

and layered it to give dimension.

The fabby alphabet letters are 'Thickers'

from American Crafts.  The ribbon is

from an old SEI mini SB kit that I have been

hanging onto for the perfect fit...this was it!

There is SO MUCH BOO on this

it's CrAzY (click HERE to find out more).

So here is what I want to know....

What is the latest BOO you have used in a project?

Leave a comment below and let me know...it's so fun

to what you are doing in your creative space : )

Back tonight with an all new Play Date Cafe Challenge

with Celebrity Guest Sankari Wegman!

Happy H{ippity} Hop Halloween!

So glad to be back with you for 

H{ippity} Hop Monday!

I have a few different projects to share with you and

a special offer waiting for you at the end.

Before we get too far down the road, make sure

you stop by the Ippity blog to see all the great

Ippity 'chicks' and 'fans' who are hopping along today.

I have to say that I love the colors used here.

Fresh, bold and yet, subtle.

The Ippity stamps/sets that were used here:

 Dots for Sure

Thoughts from the Past

The Simple Things

The extras include DP from GCD Studios, 'Stylized Flowers'

EF from Cuttlebug, rick-rack and flower from Prima.

Now for a little Halloween inspiration.....

It's always fun to work make cards for this creepy holiday

using non-traditional colors.  Besides the stamped images, I think

the most effective part of this card is the shaded border.  I used

Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Spiced Marmalade.

The Ippity stamps/sets that were used here:

That's Creepy

 Book It

The extras include spider web border punch from Martha Stewart,

spider web image from Inkadinkado and copper mini brads.

Lastly, this little layered card.

The Ippity stamps/sets that were used here:

That's Creepy

Totally Happy

The extras include the same Distress Ink used on the previous card

as well as the little spider web image and a crackle background from

Paper Inspirations.

Here is a quick peek at the Ippity stamps/sets

along with my Ippity bonus deal of the week!

How would you like to have all of these

fantabulous stamps for just $49!!!

You absolutely can!

(that's $15 off the msrp)

Order this week, and you will also receive

a bonus embellishment package.

To order, simply email me at
julieranae@hotmail.com
and tell me you want The Ippity Bonus Deal.
(this offer is not listed in my Ippity store, you must email me)
I accept PayPal as well as USPS & Walmart money orders

You TOO can have fun with Ippity stamps

and remember, this specific offer is
only available here 

at Julie's Open Window.

To see more Ippity stamps available

Just click HERE!

Just Sittin' Here Waiting for Autumn...

Well, I am making no secret of the fact that I am

very excited

for fall to roll around.
Mind you, as much as that is my favorite time of the year,
it's also a stark reminder of what's comes shortly after.
The brutal midwest winters are just not my thing
as I get older.  But I digress....

Thought I would share a couple of cards with you
today that are pretty different from one another.

I couldn't wait to have a play with my new 'Vampire Bat' punch
from EK Success.  The paper is from Martha Stewart.
You may recognize the Basic Grey in the background.  This is
from last year's 'Eerie' collection,  but it is one of my favorites.
I cut out some concentric circles using Spellbinders dies and
just 'layered it all up'.
The stamped 'Spooky' is from Inkadinkado (I think).

As the cast of Monty Python would say...

'Now for something completely different'

Thought I needed to pay homage to summertime as it is
still August, even if it's only just....
Everyone's summer favorite this year has been the
'On the Boardwalk' series from Graphic45.
These papers make it SO easy to put together fast but fun
cards because everything is SO coordinated.

Outside of a little sewing, I just added brads (see photo above)
and Stickles for embellishment.

Paige over at the CARDS challenge is calling for cards
with 'one word greetings' so I thought I would share both
of these little projects there as well.

It's Emmy Night and one of my favorite funny men,

Jimmy Fallon

is hosting, so it's going to be a party in my house.
Yes, I do watch all of the pre-show 'stuff'.
Love the red carpet...will watch 'E's' coverage
with Guiliana (whom I adore) and Ryan.

Just glad I have my H{ippity} Hop ready to go
for tomorrow's posting because I will be just a bit
sidetracked tonight.

Hope you will leave a comment and let me know
you were here...I LoVe to hear from you!

Enjoy your Sunday!

Better Late Than Never...

This past week, I was unable to complete a project for

the current challenge over at The Play Date Cafe.

You may have read that my computer crashed and learning

my way around my very first laptop was pretty time consuming.

Anyway...I managed to get a little something done and wanted

to share it with you just in case you were on the fence

about these wild and crazy colors...

I was totally inspired by a project I spotted in the

current 'CardMaker' magazine and thought it might be

a good way to incorporate the colors.

Most of the DP that was used on this was from

GCD Studios.  The stem is paper from Heidi Grace.

  The leaf images are from Inkadinkado were stamped using 

Ranger's Adirondack ink in 'Caramel'.

Here is a reminder of the 'color story' for this week.....

There is still plenty of time to play along with us.

Stop by The Play Date Cafe and check out the

amazing inspiration from the

world's best design team!