Halloween Card and Treat Bag

This was a card design for our church card ministry and I decided to do a treat bag design as well. (That gave me a little more room to add spooky elements, like the spider and paper-pieced pumpkin.) I punched black paper with that Creative Memories punch that does the buckles and little squares. I cut away a section of the grid that comes out of the punch and the great thing is, the more crooked you cut, the cuter the windows are!

I love this palette for Halloween. If you are looking for spooky treat ideas, you've got to check out my friend Barb. She's concocting very creepy crafts in her Craft Cave!

We craft every month on the first Thursday from 7-9 pm and the following Friday from 1-3 pm at Joy Lutheran Church. There are always great seasonal ideas and it's fun and FREE!

Special Delivery Cards

We've also been making lots of baby cards at church lately. I colored these with the simple watercolor technique.
 The other designs we've been doing a lot of are sympathy cards. I personally had to send some sympathy cards, as well as attend a funeral this week. I explained to my two older kids (who attended the funeral with us) that life--in the grand scheme of things--is a balance of sweetness and sorrow. Without rain, we would have no sunshine.

In good times and bad, I turn to my studio to express to those around me a simple sentiment that I hope will help them weather the tough times and celebrate the wonderful things that bless their lives. It reminds me of the Irish blessing, which I'll close with today:

"May the trails rise to meet you,
The sun warm your face,
The rain fall gently upon your fields
And the wind be ever at your back "