Gretchen Barron: Today's Featured DSP -- Ghostly Greetings!

How much fun is this Designer Series Paper -- Ghostly Greetings! It's great for cards and scrapbook pages and REALLY fabulous for Halloween Paper Crafts. The coordinating colors are Basic Black, Basic Gray, Pumpkin Pie and Kiwi Kiss. For a larger look at all 12 prints in this collection, click on the thumbnail image.

This card begins with a base of Basic Black and a layer of Pumpkin Pie. On top of that are 2 of the Designer Series Paper Prints. A length of 1/4" Black Grosgrain ribbon is tied around the strip of Spooky Sayings. The little spider from Batty for You is stamped on Whisper White with Black Stazon ink and punched out with the 1 1/4" Circle Punch. It is mounted on a 1 3/8" circle of Pumpkin Pie and a Black Scallop Circle Punch. The white dots are applied using a Signo White Gel Pen. it is mounted using Dimensionals on layers of Kiwi Kiss and Basic Black. You can see another of the DSP prints inside the card -- a dotted spider web! But, that's not all that inside the card ...

Look what crawled inside! There's a bunch of Itty Bitty spiders and they are spinning their web! This is just too much fun, isn't it? I saw this technique demonstrated this summer when I attended the Stampin' Up! Convention and knew that I would need to try it. And it's super easy to do! You punch 2 circles with the new 1 3/4" Circle Punch and then you cut them into a spiral (don't' make them too narrow or they will be hard to glue down). You carefully glue down the tips of the spirals on the bottom inside of the card (I used Mini Glue Dots for this). Then you apply 1 Mini Glue Dot to the very inside of the spiral (on the top), carefully close the card and press down. The spirals automatically align themselves so that when you open the card, the spirals "spiral" out. At that point, you can put anything you want onto the spirals -- spiders, butterflies, flower, bees, balloons, party hats, beer mugs (that was one I saw at Convention) ... the possibilities are endless! Try this fun technique -- you'll be surprised how fun and easy it is!

Well, I've been playing with my Big Shot again. Remember you will be able to purchase this from me beginning Tuesday, September 2nd. We have a great bundle promotion for you which I will be sharing with you very soon. The Ghostly Greetings DSP seemed to be the perfect choice for this darling little Halloween Treat Basket. This is one of the exclusive Stampin' Up! Bigz Dies that you can purchase for the Big Shot. All the pieces are on one die -- just one pass through the machine and you've cut out all your pieces to make this darling little basket. Imagine it decorated with spring colors and flowers for Easter or May Day! Or what about for Christmas or the 4th of July or for Birthday Party treats! The possibilities are truly endless!

This little gem was made with one of the Ghostly Greetings DSP prints -- Skulls and Crossbones on one side and a Kiwi Kiss stripe on the other. I put the basket together using Sticky Strip adhesive, tied on a bow of 5/8" Kiwi Kiss Double Striped Ribbon and added a tag made with the Scallop Circle, 1 1/4 and 1 3/8" Circle Punches at the coordinating stamp from Batty for You. You would not believe how quick and easy this project was to make!

Stay tuned -- there are more Big Shot surprises to share!

If you would like to order the Designer Series Paper and Ribbon Sampler Kits, I've extended the deadline so it's not too late to order. This is a great way to get a little bit of everything without having to buy complete packages of paper or spools of ribbon. Deadline for ordering the Sampler Kits is Thursday, September 4th at 11:59 p.m. (central time). Click on the links above for more information.

Well, gotta go play some more with the Big Shot (and mow the lawn and do some laundry and run some errands ...). I hope to see you back soon! Blessings, Gretchen