Happy HALLOWEEN Ladies!! Hope you are all having fun out and about with your little monsters. Tomorrow is Digital Scrapbooking Day (DSD) . It’s actually a real day – I’m not just making it up. LOL! So sleep in and then send the kids to sort their candy and come and check out all the new loot here at PC!!! Woot! Woot!

Pick up the new Kooky Spooky Paper and Element Pack and of course you cannot MISS the Feltabet Alphabet – Spooks set. The google eyes and dragon scales are included separately so taht you can decorate your own words/letters however you want. PLUS the cutest monster doodles around are in an exclusive add-on mini kit called Monster Mash. Pick it ALL up in the Halloween GRAB BAG here.

PLUS! Mint Chick Shanta Silver designed these ADORABLE mini treat bags. I created the ones in the product demo below and was soooo thrilled with how they turned out. LOVE them! Check out Shanta’s creative designs below (the cute colorful ones). These are so awesome because you can either totally design your own OR use the 8.5×11″ print ready project sheets with the papers AND tags shown in the demo to create the exact bags pictured. I’ll be putting out a set with Christmas, Birthday, Valentines Day papers too, so if you’d like them pre-desgined for you….STAY TUNED!

PLUS! Don’t miss Cindy and Trisha’s PRE-MADE ALBUMS. Perfect holiday and birthday gifts for the inlaws. AND (yes, there’s more!) Check back over the weekend for a BRAND new FALL kit!

Ciao for now!

Boo Card
By: Claire Skeps

I love interactive cards and books. However, sometimes figuring them out and doing them could take a degree in Engineering. But there is no need to be afraid of them. I went over some fun and easy ways to make some Pop Up Cards in my last post. So to follow up, here is another easy and fun way to make your message pop!

1. Create two 5×5 documents for the inside. Add orange and black paper from Witches Brew on both with the black up against the side of the document so when you add them together on the card they will make a 5×10 black square. Create word art by typing “But don’t you love it when it is!” with “1942 Report” font onto the green paper from Canvas Basics, Fresh and cutting into a strip. Add your new word art strip to one of the inside pieces.

2. Create another 5×5 document for the outside. Add the paper, word art, flourish, and pumpkin from Witches Brew.

3. Open the template (see download below) and clip the black paper from Witches Brew to the shape. Size the BOO from the Yellow Plastic Alpha by enlarging the letters to 150 Percent.

4. Print and cut out the Inside, Outside, Shape, and Letters. Create a 5×5 Card from Cardstock. Glue the Outside and Inside pieces.

5. Score the middle and sides of the shape. Glue the letters to the top of the shape. Line it up the middle score of the template to the fold in the card.

6. Place towards the top of the card and make sure the letters don’t stick out of the bottom of the card when it is closed. Glue the side flaps down.

You can use the shape to create all kinds of fun cards. You can add “Happy Birthday” instead of “Boo” or “Congratulations.” So easy you can try it today.

::DOWNLOAD POP-UP SHAPE

Share your pop up cards (for ANY occasion) in the gallery with us! We’d love to see what you create. And remember to leave the website space blank when leaving a comment so the spam filters don’t get ya! ;)

Using IrfanView to Open and Save Layered Files as JPEGs

It’s Megan again! I’m here with a quick tip on saving your layered files as JPEGs for printing or for web.

Sometimes, my scrap program (Photoshop Elements 5) can be slow to load layered files. I don’t always save full size or web sized JPEGs right after I create my pages, so I have found IrfanView. It is a free program capable of opening all kinds of different images, including your layered PSD and TIF files. I can simply right click on my layered file in Windows Explorer and select Open With>IrfanView. Unlike PSE, it opens the file in seconds. You can then save it as a full size JPEG or resize for web. I always use IrfanView to resize for web because my pages come out clearer than when I save for web with PSE.

I have found this to be a valuable resource and a great time saver!
I hope you find it useful too!

Aloha Mint Fans, it’s Joscie with a quick little mini book.  I got this new Sizzix Die that cuts a fancy label shape and I knew immediately I’d like to use it to make my own chipboard mini book. Since it’s Halloween time, I figured, why not do a little mini book featuring the costumes of Halloweens gone by? 

click images to enlarge

First I designed each page in PSE with a Halloween costume picture or jack-o-lantern picture.

I added Halloween wordfetti from the Witches Brew kit and a little number to represent the year.  I also added the name of the picture on the bottom of the wordfetti.  When I was satisfied with all the digital elements, I printed them on matte photo paper. 

I also printed two sheets of SK8r Boy orange dotted paper for the covers.  I trimmed into 4.5” strips and run them through the big shot to die cut the pictures.

I also cut 5 label shapes out of chipboard.

I adhered the pictures to the chipboard using a glue stick and brayer.

I punched a hole with a crop-a-dile and set a large eyelet in each page.

I used a binder ring to hold the pages together.

I added a piece of Making Memories ribbon to the ring and glittered letters to the cover.  I attached a felt flower and brad to the cover with a dimensional glue dot.  I stamped the back cover with a personalized stamp.

You could do this project with ready made chipboard albums if you don’t have access to a die cutting machine.  I hope you’ll try it out and share your results~ J

Tay (Adobe*Addict) here again to help you put together your hybrid shopping list so that you can get in on all the happy crafty hybrid fun! Don’t be scared – there’s nothing to it- just a few supplies, some creativity and a room to make a mess of. So get a pen and paper and let’s go shopping! Here’s a list of things you’ll need:

The following supplies are available online and at most craft stores.
THE ESSENTIALS:

1. CUTTING
X-acto Knife & Self-Healing Cutting Matt or a Cutting Machine
Fine-Tip Scissors

2. PASTING 
Dry Adhesive (Mini Glue Dots or Mounting Squares/Tape Runner/Dot Dispenser)
Wet Adhesive (Zig Pen, Mod Podge)
3-Dimensional Glue Dots/Foam Squares/Pop Dots)

3. EMBELLISHMENTS
Ribbon (Different Colors and thicknesses)
Brads, eyelets, rhinestones, and flowers
Solid Cardstock (any size, any color)

4. OPTIONAL EXTRAS
Stamping Ink (black, brown & bright colors of your choice)
Acrylic Craft Paints (any color, any brand)

5. OPTIONAL TOOLS
Sponge Brush/Paint Brush
Corner Rounding Punch
Jumbo Circle Punch
Hot Glue Gun
Sandpaper or Sanding Sponge

Have we forgotten something you just can’t craft without?
Leave a comment and tell us the products you love!
* Leave the website field blank so the spam filter doesn’t get ya*

Mary Jo created this incredibly ADORABLE Halloween craft and I am so VERY lucky that she actually sent me the finished product in the mail! It’s even more AMAZING in real life and will be permanently displayed on my office shelf from now on. I LOVE IT!!!!! You are going to want to give this one a try ;)

Halloween Witch Hat
By: Mary Jo Johnston

I just love Halloween and all of the fantastic decorations available. Not to mention, Miss Mint’s fantastic Witches Brew Kit! I used the kit to create this centerpiece for my kitchen island. Print a couple of your favorite papers from the kit, grab your supplies from the list below and you can create one too!

Supplies Used:
Paper Mache Cone (styrofoam or wooden will also work)
6 ¾” Wooden Disk
Decorate Fall and Halloween Picks
Wired Ribbon
Paint (optional)
Stapler and Color Staples
Glue
(2) Papers from the Peppermint Creative Witches Brew Paper Pack
(1) Word Art from the Peppermint Creative Witches Brew Element Pack

1. Print (2) of your favorite papers from the Witches Brew Paper Pack. I used two coordinating papers, but you can use the same paper if you like.

2. Cover the cone with one of the papers, trimming any excess from the bottom. Don’t worry about being precise or covering the cone to the bottom edge; we’ll cover that up later with the wired ribbon. Adhere the paper with a thin layer of glue. Set aside to dry.

3. Using the second piece of paper, trace the wooden disk and cut out the circle.

4. Optional – paint the edge all the way around the wooden disk to match the paper. This will give you a more finished look since we’re only covering the top side of the disk.

5. Adhere the circle to the top of the disk with a thin layer of glue. Set aside to dry.

6. Once the cone has dried, take the wired ribbon and staple the end to the back side of your cone (the back side will be where the paper seams meet). I used colored staples to match my ribbon so they would be less noticeable.

7. “Scrunch” the ribbon in folded pleats and continue to staple all the way around the hat. Cut the ribbon.

8. Cut a short piece of ribbon and tie into a bow. Staple the bow to the side of your hat.

9. Next, print your favorite word art from the Witches Brew Element Pack and trim to tag size.

10. Tuck the tag behind the bow and secure with a small amount of glue.

11. Choose a small fall pick, beads or leaves and secure with glue behind the bow.

12. Run a generous amount of glue around the bottom rim of the hat and secure it to the wooded disk (the base). Let dry overnight.