Icky, Spooky, Creepy Halloween Wall Decor

Halloween is so much more fun as a parent -- I think that's why I've been really excited about decorating for the holiday this year.  My little guy is totally into spotting pumpkin and ghost decorations in neighbors' yards, so I decided to make a wall hanging to put on our front door:

 Here's some close-ups of each panel:

Project Details:

• Papers - patterned paper from ATD - Spookytown Collection; cardstocks by Recollections
• Cricut Cuts - background panels from Elegant Edges, page 25; all other cuts from Mini Monsters - spider, page 54; ghost, page 42; pumpkin, page 61; spider web, page 74; trees, page 73; fence, page 72; "icky", page 28; "spooky", page 42; "creepy", page 31
• Embossing - pumpkin with Cuttlebug's Distressed Stripes; spider belly with Cuttlebug's Spots & Dots; spider's bow with The Paper Studio's Doodle Borders
• Other - pre-made glitter bow by Momentum; inking with black Stampabilities ink pad, green and purple Colorbox ink pads, and ultramarine and butterscotch Le Plume II markers; buttons and petal embellishments by Recollections; googly eyes from Target $1 Spot; spider, spider's bow, ghost, and pumpkin on pop-dots

I hung the project on little man's bedroom door to get a good photo with a solid white background -- and now he thinks it belongs there!  I'll have to sneak it to the front door when he goes down for a nap.

I hope you like my project.  It's definitely the most ambitious Cricut adventure I've had since my retreat last month.  And now I'm in the Halloween spirit!

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

BBTB2:  Crafty Sprouts Contest - Halloween Project with Purple
Cooking with Cricut:  Challenge #56 - Purple and Green
Cricut 360º:  Spooky Halloween Blog Hop & Challenge
Decorate to Celebrate:  Challenge #11 - Halloween Party
My Sheri Crafts:  Challenge #71 - It's the Great Pumpkin!
Paper Playtime:  Challenge #58 - Say It with Sentiments - Use Buttons and Bows

So Thoughtful Circle Card

Please don't be alarmed, but this post will be my last until next weekend.  A dear childhood friend and her three year-old son are coming to visit this week, so I'm in the process of packing up my craft goodies.  (Oh, how I wish for a craft room...)  If we need the guest room for my parents, I typically move everything to the living room since my mom and I would a-Cricut anyway.  But all these papercrafting tools are just too tempting for two little boys -- so into plastic boxes it all will go.

It's actually my first time to store everything since I began papercrafting.  Four months ago, it fit in one flat, under-the-bed container; now, I've got to make a Target run for at least two more boxes.  Wow...

But at least I'm going out with a bang.  I made one last card this evening, and I'm loving how it turned out:

Card Details:

• Card Base - scalloped round card by Studio G (5" diameter)
• Papers - all papers from My Mind's Eye: Magnolia; except green cardstock which is from The Paper Studio
• Cricut Cuts - <flower2> cut from Simply Charmed, page 39, only base and layers 1 and 2; circle mats cut with Layer 3 of <flower2>
• Cuttlebug Embossing - green leaves with Victoria
• Other - petal and gemstone embellishments by Recollections; inking with red, orange, and green Colorbox ink pads; sentiment stamp by Studio G

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

Cricut360:  Challenge #2 - Circle Thank You Card
Die Cuttin' Divas:  Challenge #22 - Sketch Week
M.A.G. Challenge by the Page:  Challenge #34 - Simply Charmed

Love Bug Easel Card

I'm really excited to show you the project I made today.  Not only is it my first easel card, but it's also my entry for the CRICUT 360º design team call.

The only stipulations for the call were to make a card or layout using lime green and a bug.  Here's my result:

Card Details:

• Card Base - easel card (5.5x5.5")
• Paper - all patterned paper from American Crafts Play Paperpack; solids from The Paper Studio cardstock and textured cardstock
• Cricut Cuts - bugs from Simply Charmed, page 31; "love bug" sentiment from Create a Critter, page 66 (phrase), heart embellishment from Create a Critter, page 64 (phrase).
• Cuttlebug Embossing - dark green layer of bugs with Distressed Stripes
• Other - ribbon by CelebrateIt Basic Narrows; doodling with white Gelly Roll pen; inking along dark pink edges with Le Plume II scarlet marker; inside sentiment created on my computer; pop-dots elevate the bugs, sentiment, and two layers of heart embellishment.

One additional detail is the hearts on the bugs' backs.  I added an extra, off-set heart layer (light pink) to the image.  Without it, the dark green would have been the highlight showing through the top heart, and it just didn't look right to me.

I thought a lot about my hubby while working on this card, and now it's sitting on the entryway table so he can see it as soon as he walks in from work!

Sonia and Nana, CRICUT 360º Hosts,
It would be an honor to participate on your design team.  I'm a newbie (got my Cricut Expression in March), but I've grown so much in my papercrafting skills by participating in challenge blogs.  Now I'd love to give back and inspire others -- especially others who are just getting started!  My work is completely Cricut and Cuttlebug-focused (no stamping), which I feel shows the complete range of what one can do with a Cricut and a little imagination.  I also love to do scrapbook layouts and would bring those types of projects to your forum.  Thank you for considering me!
Sincerely, Jessica