Countdown to Halloween

That’s the project for this week.

Last Friday over at My Pink Stamper, Karlee gave out a challenge to make a project using envelopes. You can see her project over on her blog: Karlee Krafts. I wanted to participate, but the ole idea machine was not functioning. So after walking on the treadmill, which did nothing for the brain but lots for my very out of shape body, I headed to the shower. Now some of my most brilliant ideas come to me while in the shower. Don’t think about that too much.

I’ve wanted to make an advent calendar for the grandkids, but I couldn’t really come up with solutions to that desire. So while I was showering, I thought why not make a mini album that would be a countdown to whatever. I know Oct is just a bare 4 days away, but then it was 1 whole week and I thought I could just manage it. Now . . . have I told you that I am a very slow paper crafter and scrapbooker. Snail slow! Anyway that’s what I am doing for you this week. I’m going to take you through the process of putting the whole thing together. From beginning to end, I’ll show you my stumbling and fits and starts.

Here’s a picture of the outside which will help you see where I am going with this project.

One of my goals lately has been to use what I have. I have a lot! So the first place I went when I started this project was to my fat folder of Halloween and Fall papers. Some of it was from my very first purchases of scrapbooking paper. Those of you who have been scrapping for a long while may remember those Leisure Arts books of paper. I think it was Leisure Arts. I had a bunch of that paper and I had many times almost tossed it. However, I didn’t and I am NOT a paper hoarder!!!!!! Well, maybe I am, but not a bad one. ;o) Along with that bunch of paper I also had some Hobby Lobby brand Halloween paper. Then there was a DCWV stack of fall papers, maybe two, and last year’s Debbie Mumm’s Holiday stack. Any way I had plenty of paper although some of it was a little corny! Get it corn—fall—scarecrow--Halloween. . .

I cut all the paper at 6x6 and then glued all the pages back to back with Fabri Tac which is great for this type of project because it adds strength to the pages and yet does not curl or make the paper wrinkle. I used a cut up Cheez Its box for the chipboard in the cover.

Cheez Its are the bomb. I love them. Don’t make fun of me. Processed cheese, white flour and fat plus some processing chemicals! Can’t get better. Now you know why the treadmill is so important.

Then I inked and faux stitched all the pages. Oh and don’t look at my really yucky cutting mat!

Between the previous picture and the next one, not only did I faux stitch and ink the pages, but I sanded the edges so that all the edges that didn’t quite match up disappeared.

And here’s where the envelopes came into the project.

I sealed them all before I did anything else to them. Notice the stain on them. Coffee, ‘nuff said! They were still fine for this project since they wouldn’t really be seen and there aren’t any photo sensitive issues in this project. They are just standard mailing envelopes.

Then I cut paper to cover them-- 3 3/4x6 1/2. Again with the yucky cutting mat. Sorry. I do mend my ways later.

Then I cut them in half. The measurement is 3 1/4.

I bound the album at this point because point I’ve had trouble getting the pages in my bind it all once I get the pages all embellished. However, you can wait if you don’t use a bind it all and are using some other method of binding.

I also inked and faux stitched all the envelopes. See, no yucky cutting mat!

This leads me to where I am right now. I’ve started on the next steps and will share those with you tomorrow.

Until then, may each of you get time to scrapbook today. Use up those supplies!