Brew Up Some Fun

Hi!  Today was a blah day.  I'm still in a funk, but as much as I was tempted to just mindlessly scroll through social media tonight and get nothing else accomplished, I resisted.  Along with a few household chores, I also sat down to craft for Day 6 of my 13 Days of Halloween.  Of course, I'm late posting it, but not by much.  And in my defense it's still the 24th in some time zones!  *wink*

Day 6: Brew Up Some Fun

I colored one of the adorable witches from the Happy Boo To You clear stamp set by La-La Land Crafts.  I then fussy cut the image and mounted it on foam squares.  I created a little Halloween scene using all LLLC dies for a fun card in traditional Halloween colors!  The sentiment is from a LLLC set called Trick or Sweets.

I will try to get a couple more cards in before the baking frenzy begins but it's now the weekend before Halloween and there's lots going on!  Stay tuned to see what my Halloween loving heart is up to!

{hugs}
Regan

Haunted

Day 5: Haunted

Hello. I had hoped to do some crafting to share with you for today, but I'm afraid all I have is a coloring.  And a sad story to share.  It's been a rough week.  Our Syrian hamster, Dark Matter, hadn't seemed well lately and appeared to be getting worse.  I took him to the vet for a check-up yesterday.  We were devastated to discover that he had a tumor in his stomach.  We made the difficult decision to say goodbye to him today.  Let me tell you when I said "yes" to my son's pet store request on a whim 8 months ago, I had no idea I would fall head over heels for a rodent.  But I did.  And today my heart broke.  

He was such a sweet little hammy. So full of personality.  I would let him run around my son's room every night and he'd scamper over and around me.  He was a climber. - the comforter, clothes, the curtains.  He would succeed on occasion and then climb into my hands to get down again.  And I wasn't even mad when he climbed into the bookcase and I found he'd chewed my childhood books.  I KNEW he was too quiet that day!  Most days he ate better than we did!  He was so so loved and will be missed immensely.  For one so small, he made a big impact and has left a big emptiness.  My son has taken it hard as well.  He's only 10 and DM was his and a source of comfort in his room.  It's so hard to watch your child experience the death of a beloved pet.

I guess I'm sharing because it's therapeutic for me to write.  It's my favorite season and only a handful of days from my favorite holiday.  I would normally be giddy with excitement, but today I'm just - haunted.  The vet said it was nothing we did or didn't do and we couldn't have known or prevented it.  Still, I can't help feeling guilty, wishing we'd made more of the time we had with him.  Just wishing we'd had more time.

Here are some photos of Dark Matter (aka DM) and where we buried him at my parents' house.  I'm also sharing the image I colored the other night when I was sick with worry over him and could't sleep.  She's called Wraith Mae from Some Odd Girl.  If there is somewhere we go after death, I hope he's happy there.  And if not, I hope at least he wasn't in pain at the end and that sweet nothingness brought him peace.  Either way I hope his little hamster brain somehow knew how very very much we loved him.  People will say "It's just a hamster" but our pets are family and grief is grief.  It's real and it is not diminished or less real or important because it was an animal that left us.  We love you, DM!  

Thanks for reading and I hope to be back with more creative posts soon.

{hugs}
Regan

Happy Fright Night

Hey!  Hope everyone is having a good week so far. Mine isn't going quite as planned, but I'm hanging in there.  I'm cutting it close, but I'm here with Day 4 of my 13 Days of Halloween!

Day 4: Happy Fright Night

I have been enjoying making Halloween cards with the Some Odd Girl images I had already colored in my stash, but last night I couldn't sleep so I got up and colored two more images.  Today's card features one of them.  This is Vampiress and I gave her blue hair because I can and she seemed cool like that.  All dies are La-La Land Crafts EXCEPT the awesome coffin is from Michaels' Recollections brand, the "fright" is from the Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlits set called Vintage Spirits, and Drip Edge is also a Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlits die.  I created the sentiment by combining stamps from a Michaels Recollections set with the diecut word.

This one was a lot of fun!  Hopefully I'll have more Halloween goodness to share with you tomorrow!  Have a fang-tastic day!

Thanks!

{hugs}
Regan

Sinister Sweets and Chalkboard Art

Hi again!  My son wasn't feeling well today so he stayed home from school.  I was presented with an unexpected day off and I used it for self care as well.  Working six days, my Sundays are usually full of dishes and laundry.  Today I watched a movie and took a nap.  I had hoped to get some coloring or papercrafting in but it never happened.  I did however, do some holiday baking.  And a very basic, and somewhat lame, attempt at chalkboard art.  But hey, you gotta start somewhere!

Day 3: Sinister Sweets

I made pumpkin bread mini loaves.

And creepy finger sugar cookies.

Here's that chalkboard "art".

I should probably stick with papercrafts!  Lol My baked goods taste good, but are never much to look at.  And the chalkboard was a quick doodle.  Thanks for having a peek and hope your day was creep-tastic!

{hugs}
Regan

Bride of Frankie

Hi!  Back with my second day on our countdown to Halloween!

Day 2: Bride of Frankie

Mini Bride of Frankenstein is another Some Odd Girl image I had colored awhile ago who is finally finding a home on a card!  All dies are from La-La Land Crafts.

I was Mrs. Frankenstein for Halloween the year my son was little Frankenstein.  He was only 2 years old and the cutest Frankenstein I've ever seen!  It snowed that year (usually early) and, if memory serves, we had at least a foot of white stuff on the ground for Halloween.  Some communities had downed trees and/or lost power.  Trick or Treating was delayed in many communities because of it.  I was not too happy, Halloween being my favorite holiday, but it worked out.  We ended up going trick or treating twice!  I couldn't find any pictures of me in my costume but here's Kayne as The Monster.

Thanks for taking a look!  I'm off to be productive and maybe get my Halloween crafting in so I have something to share with you tomorrow!  Hope your day is frightfully fun!

{hugs}
Regan

Wicked

Hello!  I've been in a crafting slump this year!  To attempt to revitalize myself I am challenging myself to post a Halloween coloring, card, or creation (baking counts too) for the next thirteen days as we countdown to Halloween!

Day 1: Wicked

I colored Witchy Mae some time ago during one of the Some Odd Girl coloring challenges (which I was too lame to participate in this time) and I'm finally getting her on a card! Dies are a mix of La-La Land Crafts, Spellbinders, SugarPea Designs, and Stampin' Up.

Halloween is my favorite holiday and even though I was tired from a long work week it made me happy to create this card!  

I'm almost ready for Halloween!  Are you?  I've been decorated since late August but I keep adding things!  Costumes were finally sorted today and candy was purchased for those who visit our house on Halloween night!

Do you have your costumes planned in advance? Or are you last minute kind of people?  I drive my son nuts when I start talking about costumes in July, but it has to be done!  Lol

Have a Spook-tacular day!  Check back tomorrow to see how I do with my challenge...

{hugs}
Regan

Halloween Swap

Hi!  I haven't been blogging much.  In fact, I have been rather terrible at it lately.  But I did want to share the awesome Halloween Swap I did with the fabulous Godiva's Dream!  (Her cards are exquisite, by the way!) We each agreed on a dollar amount and then purchased some Halloween goodies for the other.  We were to each include a handmade card as well.  I received my box first.  And let me tell you, it did not disappoint!  I literally squealed with delight at the entire contents of my package!  Besides her card, I think my favorite item was the witches brew cauldron mug! Here's a photo of my spook-tacular goodies!

I sent my box off a week late (typical! Lol) but it arrived in less than a week to the UK so now I can share what I made and sent!

We both love artist Annie Rodrigue who creates the Moonlight Whispers line of characters.  It's no surprise we chose to create with her images!  I made a card featuring clear stamp Pumpkin Brains.  She is colored with Copics and fussy cut.  All of the dies used dies are from La-La Land Crafts.  The sentiment is from a retired set called Ghoulish Label by My Favorite Things Stamps.  

I also made a fun little banner using two more of Annie's images.  I colored and fussy cut digital image Witch & Wine and retired Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps red rubber image Magical Mathilda.  The dies are a mix of My Favorite Things Stamps and La-La Land Crafts.  I must confess, after I hung it on my mantle to photograph it I had a moment or two where I was tempted to keep it for myself!  Haha!  I guess that means I need to make another one!

I tried to include crafty goodness that I thought she would enjoy.  I shipped off two 6x6 Halloween paper pads, stickers, glitter, a coffin die, socks, a lanyard, and candy.

I had so much fun doing this swap!  Halloween is my favorite holiday and it was such a treat to share it with someone else who is as obsessed as I am!  Lol 

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you have a frightfully fabulous day!

{hugs}
Regan