Curt's Best Shots Slideshow

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

THE WEDNESDAY EVENING POST FOR SEPTEMBER 14TH, 2011

Hey All!

I've been waiting for you!  So glad you could come by and see me!  And may I say, you are looking absolutely fabulous!  Honestly, I've not seen you look better!


OK, I've got 4 cards to post tonight.  This is a good balance of regular cards and Halloween cards.  Yes Bonnie, you have a couple of non-Halloween cards you can look at!  LOL  So, let's take a look, shall we???


One of the things I love most about Halloween (and there is a ton I love) are "haunted houses".  The creepier the better.  When I was younger, I used to love to go visit the local haunted houses for a fun scare.  So, I wanted to create a card that had a haunted house.  I sponged the background first then stamped the image with Staz-On jet black.  This image is by Martha Stewart.  I then added the background papers and separated them with a MS border punch (which reminds me of an old iron fence that would be in front of a haunted mansion.  I then took a black and white striped ribbon and used distress inks on it to give it a dirty, moldy look.  The skeleton key is an actual key (plastic) that I attached with dimensionals.  Stamped, matted, and attached the greeting and done.

I wanted to use that silhouette cat stamp for a Halloween card too.  When I first saw the cat stamp, I thought that the pose of the cat reminded me of it balancing something on its nose.  So, I came up with this:
I created the background paper using a There She Goes bat stamp.  I sponged the background with distress inks then stamped the cat, pumpkin, and raven.  Stamped a few extra bats, matted the image, tied a small black bow, and done.  I really do like how this turned out.  I can imagine using this cat stamp again for a Fall card where a leaf is landing on his nose.  

OK, the next one is a thank you card I made for a sweet neighbor lady who took me out to dinner for my birthday. . .I know, it was in June, but we just got around to it last week.  LOL  Here is the card I made her:
The focal image is embossed in gold ep.  I always forget about my metallic eps.  The background paper is from (I believe) DCWV.  I don't know who the stamp is by.  It is actually a single fern stem that I stamped twice.  This was such a quick and easy card to do.  I need to make a few more of these to have on hand.


The last card for tonight is also a thank you card:
I don't know about you, but I like to do my note cards, thank you cards, and other cards in the spirit of the season.  Since it is now Fall (in my mind anyway!) all occasion cards will carry that theme.  Again, a very simple and quick card.  Don't know who the stamp is by (it's from a set I got when I first started).  I stamped the same image on 3 panels in 3 different colors of distress inks.  Matted them and tied some twine to the end panels and then stamped the simple thanks sentiment on the middle panel.  Popped up the panels on foam squares and done.  This is also for a very sweet neighbor who fixed Jay and me a wonderful dinner.  She made us Italian Beef in the crock pot and it was to die for.  One of the best meals I've had in a long time.  Thanks Nina!  It was so nice of you to do.  You'll probably see this card here before you get it! LOL


OK, now for the pic of the week.  Because Halloween is coming, the picture of the week will reflect a Halloween theme from this post forward through Halloween.  The picture will show scary looking things, or things that remind me of Halloween, or things that have Halloween colors, etc.  So here is the first of the series.


PIC OF THE WEEK
This is kinda creepy eh? This photo was not altered at all.  It was a cloudy day and the faint light was just enough to highlight the strands of this wonderful web against the blackish grey of the tree line in the distance.  Great Halloween pic huh?

Thanks for coming by.  You know how much I love having you here.  I'm off to take a look at what you have all been up to.  Can't wait to see.  And welcome to my new followers!  Thanks so much for thinking my blog is worthy to follow.  That means a lot to me!  Glad to have you here.

Love you guys!


Hugs,


Curt


"God, please help me be the person that my dogs think I am."

54 comments:

Dawn's Creative Chalet said...

I adore your Halloween cards.. how cute!! I too, love spooky haunted houses :) Thank you for some great Halloween inspiration! Inky Hugs, Dawn

Ted said...

Curt! Hello friend! It's been a while but I'm back among the living...for now. ;) I love all your spooky cards, but it's the leafy thank you card that really is striking to me. :) Glad to be able to visit your blog again! :)

Dawnll said...

Love your greeting-little do you know I am sitting here with 3 sweatshirts,a blanket and a black cat on my lap.LOL
Thanks for the visit on my blog,always wonderful to see you visited.
My friend I sent to your blog said she spent a couple hours looking through all your older posts, she asked if we could come and visit so we could craft together..lol
Thanks for always inspiring and entertaining as well.
Love the Halloween and Thanks cards, such a great idea to use seasonal ideas.
Hope everyone is well and hugs to you all

mudmaven said...

Oh my goodness Curt - you've done it again! Totally astounding cards. I'm not a big Halloween celebrator, but you make me want to make Halloween cards!! Those grenery cards are so wonderful too. All the best to Jay and big hugs to the boys too. ~chris

Jean McKenzie said...

Hi Curt, We do not celebrate Halloween in a big way such as you do over there but I can still admire your cards. The thank you cards are beautiful too in those lovely autumn colours,
So glad things are going well for you right now - love the perfect photo of the spider's web - brilliant!
Hi to Jay and the boys and a big thank you for your kind comments on my blog. Yes love my new blog look!! Hugssss

ursula Uphof said...

Curt, how do you do it. These cards are just too stunning. Love the haunted house and the thank you cards, are so simple in design but so effective. You are just such a source of inspiration. That photo is amazing.
Thanks for popping in I do appreciate it. Take care and have a wonderful week.

Leigh said...

I love the Autumn cards you've made Curt. Just beautiful. Hope all is well with you.

Amelia said...

Amazing cards. You are such a creative cardmaker Curt. The thank you card with the leaves is my favourite. Lovely pic of the week. Have a wonderful day.
Amelia

Anonymous said...

Good Morning Curt,
Love the silhouette cat card!!!!
All of the stacked items have given me a couple ideas for some cards of my own.
Have been visiting your blog for a month or two and always find it FUN, HONEST and CREATIVE!! Love it.
Can't wait until the next post for more new and exciring ideas!!
Have a great week!!!
Marcia

Elaine M said...

I always enjoy your Halloween cards but have to say the ones with leaves are my favorites - they're just lovely. Looking forward to your photos too. Hugs to you all.

tilly said...

What a busy blog post tonight lol....the haunted house card is beautiful, ( but so are the others lol.... the thank you's are just right for a quick few lines, well done on all of your cards.
I love your photo of the web, they are so beautifu...so strong, but easily distroyed...
Pleased you have had some good meals lately with friends
Take care
Tilly

Donna said...

Hi Curt, I'm one of your newbie's and thank you for your kind comments on my blog. I love halloween too, I think I get more excited about it than the children do lol, well why not? Its a fun time! Your creepy cards are fabulous! I love what you've done with the ribbon and the key, a fabulous idea with this image. I don't know how I came across your blog, I was just doing a bit of hopping but I'm so glad I did, your sense of humour is refreshing (I'm glad you noticed how good I was looking today lol) your cards are wonderful and your photography is spectacular (Is your head growing? lol) My daughter is doing an Art A level and her theme is Nature, so you have inspired her with her own photography for her nature theme. Enjoy the rest of your day. hugs Donna x

Heide said...

Curt,
Thanks for the kind complement so early in the morning! LOL! What a fantastic Halloween cards,love the creepy house. Okay I got to go the dog wants to come and sit on my lap. right now he has squeezed into a small spot next to me in a chair. He is so silly. thinks he is a lap dog!

Beth Norman said...

Lovely, lovely work. Your sponging is fabulous. I do like your Halloween photo too.

Bonnie Weiss said...

Isn't it November 1st yet??? That aside ... your Halloween cards ARE very creative. The haunted house really turned out great and the cat card is quite clever (I thought that it was all one stamp but you were quite inventive stacking the 3 of them).

I love to see a throwback to 'old-school' stamping (embossing powders) and this one turned out so nice. The leaf trio card is definitely in keeping with what lies ahead.

Now, I'd like to know ... are you one of these people who we see on the news who spends days putting up Halloween decorations on their property????

Glittered Paws said...

Great cards again this week - love the ferns and the leaves but the Halloween card is "scarey" too. I love Halloween cards just don't do many as I think it is for the children. Love the black cat.

dndfletch said...

Love all your cards ... especially the Halloween ones. TFS. I always enjoy your site and look forward to your pictures every week. - Diane

Sharli Schaitberger said...

Hi Curt! GREAT work this week - of course I am partial to your Halloween ideas - your love of the holiday shines through in the art! I really love the note card with the three leaves. The card does make me think of fall, the triple panel balance is terrific, and I could see using it for a variety of greetings!

I'm thankful you have good people like Nina to help. Wish I could be there for you as well.

Hugs!

Jocelyn aka JoBear2 said...

Hi Curt,

LOVE your Halloween cards - they are really awesome - esp. the cat one (I love cats so I am always partial to anything that has a cat on it!).

Fab thank you cards too. Love how you embossed the leaves in gold - and love how well the leaves match the designer paper. A match made in heaven.

Love how you have the 3 different leaf colours on the 2nd thank you card and how you tied the string around 2 of them. Really draws your eye to the sentiment in the centre. I am sure that both these cards were really appreciated by the recipients.

And what a fab photo - so perfectly spooky!! LOVE it!!!

Sending {{hugs}} to you and Jay -
Jocelyn

Jackie said...

I always look forward to your Halloween cards and I am never disappointed. You had a great idea with the cat balancing the pumpkin, how cute is that? You have such lovely neighbors, too, you are very lucky. I love the Halloween Countdown feature, too. I'm looking forward to lots more wonderful Halloween ideas from you, you are so creative!

Jane Wetzel said...

hi Curt- that first card is so cool- I too love haunted houses! Gotta tell ya too that I think your scary pics are soooooo good!

lisa808 said...

Love your two Halloween cards. You certainly created an eerie scene with the haunted house. The pumpkin on the cat's nose is pure genius. The embossed leaves look very elegant. Love the twine on the last card. Perfect Fall adornment to the leaf images. Thanks for sharing your cool spider web picture.
Until next time...happy crafting!

Becky said...

What fabulous Halloween cards..both are eerie.... What wonderful thank you cards for your wonderful neighbors.
I am still sitting with all my box's packed waiting for my closing date, which I think will be next week..:)

dovescrapper said...

Made my day again!!! Love your cards and the spider web pic is really cool!

Susan said...

Hi Curt. It makes me laugh that you are such a kid about Halloween! The cards and pic are great. I love the leafy cards, too. I hope that you and Jay are doing well.

Patti J said...

I don't really have any reason to celebrate Halloween anymore, with the kids grown and gone, and living in a rural area with no Trick or Treaters, but I do so love creating for the holiday! Love that you enjoy it so much! All of your cards are awesome. I think that the last card really wowed me the most! Very pretty card - great layout, and love the colors and twine. Your Halloween cards are eerily great! And OMG the embossed leaves are gorgeous. Your neighbors will appreciate these! The pic of the week gave me chills - I hate spiders! The pup brought me snake #2 last night, and I hate snakes too. It's hard to get mad at her for it, as she is so stinkin' proud of herself! Ewwww...snakes in my craft room??? Hug the boys for me, and best wishes to Jay and the moms! Hugs...

Gail said...

OMG! I'm late!
Finally got here, and I'm not disappointed!
You're looking prety good yourself!
LOVE the Halloween cards.
You just make me wanna dig out all my stuff and strew it about the house already!
Leaf cards are great, and love the pic of the week!
Hope everyone's doing well; talk to ya soon!

Myrna said...

Curt
As you already know I am not much of a fan of Halloween but I do admire your artistry on the Halloween cards. So having said that, I have to tell you my step daughter and I made the long trek to Jo-Anns just so I could get some Halloween stamps. (you enabler you lol). I did love your spider card on your former post so just had to get a spider stamp. Here where I am visiting it is at least a half hour to any of the towns around that have bigger stores so shopping is a rather big deal.
Love your leafy thank you cards.
Your pic of the week is absolutely stunning and I love it.
Hugs to all
Myrna

Lee said...

Oh Curt,i am always in awe of your talent and imagination used when making your wonderful creations.I absolutely adore all these cards.xx

Gina Wrona said...

Wow, 294 followers, you'll be up to 300 in no time with such awesome cards & ideas!

Hugs,
Gina

Mary said...

Your cards were wonderful this week! You have inspired me to get my fall stamps out and make some cards with it. What sweet neighbors you have, see if you can pry the recipe out of your neighbor and share with all of us, it's that time of year for some good crock-pot goodies!

Celeste said...

I love Halloween! Your cards are gorgeous! The cat with the pumpkin is outstanding. I also love fall leaves and the cards you made to thank your neighbors are wonderful. Can I live in your neighborhood???? Still waiting for the computer to get up and running.

Kelly said...

I love all of your cards, Curt. Halloween is also my favorite 'holiday' and fall my favorite season. It feels it today. We reached a high of 65 in south central MO. I'm thinking Chili weather :-)

And thanks for the Halloween countdown. I added it to my 'themed' blog.

nise said...

You are a mighty fine distresser! As that is one technique I need to work on, I am always happy to see great examples. Your kitty card is a hoot. LOVE the three leaves thank you card. If I ask what 3 distress colors you used, will you share that secret please? Oh and your spider web picture is incredible! Have a wonderful week.

Kathlene said...

What a fabulous sampling of Curt-art in your post this week! The wrought iron border and key is SO perfect with the haunted house image (awesome shading btw). And there's that talented kitty again, this time doing a balancing act (love the sponging and the flock of bats). Your beautiful fern card is lovely (one of my oldest stamps is a fern frond and it's so versatile). Love it! And last but not least, your leaf trio card is spectacular in its elegant simplicity. The twine is a perfect touch. The photo is awesome but very disturbing...just how BIG do you think the spider that constructed it IS anyway? LOL Anyway, hope this finds you well and looking forward to another week of crafty bliss. Hugs to you and yours, Kathy xoxo

Stacie (craft-princess) said...

I'm a sucker for Fall colored leaves so I LOVE those cards! I don't get into Halloween that much but I do love your cards! The cat image is cool with all those tiny bats flying around! Oh and you are MUCH braver than me going to haunted houses. I have been to a few and they scare me really bad! I am a total wuss when it comes to those things! LOL!

Anonymous said...

I am so trying to post... guess I will have to do the annonymous...

anyway the first card is great, the second is cute , love the traditional/ formal look on # 3 and # 4 is perfectly balanced and such a work of basic lines... always a great resource...love the picture, yep tis the season for spiders...

your abilities are always so genuine, and your ideas are awesome... enjoy your Autumn...

Soni B

Mary Marsh said...

not int ohalloween but your thank you cards are gorgeous-I love the embossed fern -the leaf cards look great with the distressed inks-hope you have a great week

Sue said...

I love how you get into Halloween cards! these are great, and your right, there is just nothing better than a great haunted house! Love the cat and pumpkin too. Your thank you notes are so beautiful and will really be appreciated by the receivers. Great pic of the spider web, had one on my rear view mirror the other day and a big black spider was hanging on for dear life as I drove, very distracting. You sounded so much better this week, hope things are going okay for you and your family. Have a great week.

Hugs
Sue

Audrey Frelx said...

Curt, your cards are always wonderful! I love them all, but favorite is your haunted house card!

As for your picture of the week, I think it's really kind of cool -- but not creepy. Yes, it is Halloweenish but not in any scary way! I find it... Artsy!

Have a happy week, my friend!

Diane said...

More great cards this week! I just "need" that kitty stamp...you sure have an eye to figure out what to do with them!! Also a great pic of the week...you should make a card with it! Thanks for the Halloween inspiration..I got my first ones done....I'm tellin ya...you need a Cricut...they have the best Halloween cartridges...and you would be so good at it...if you ever decide to buy one...I know the best place on line to get it and cartridges...just sayin!!! Take care!!

Helen Dooley said...

These are awesome cards. I love your pics. The web is creepy- looks like something at the start of a 60's-70's horror movies. Or shows like dark shadows.

Shirley-Anne said...

Hi Curt . Loved your photo of web ...BUT where is the spider ???
Love the Autumn hues of the two thank you cards , my fav colour spectrum .
I love how humour is always present in halloween cards .
All in all a pleasant visit to your blog once more , thank you .
Hope you and yours are as well as can be and happy .
Shirley-anne .

Ann Schach said...

Curt, your cards are fabulous! I love the cat with the pumpkin. How clever is that! And the last card is clean and simple perfection! Very, very classy! The spider web picture is awesome. Webs are so difficult to photograph, and you nailed this one! Muffy the Boxer is in Indiana this weekend showing in Lebanon. She was in Muncie two weeks ago. She is quite the traveler! Have a great week, Curt, and give the boys a chuck under the chin!

Lisa Minckler said...

Oh these are wonderful cards! I'm gonna have to say that the key to the haunted mansion is probably my fave! Reminds me of the B & W Vincent Price movie with the spiral staircase. :D
Keep 'em rollin'...I'll be baaaack!
Lisa xx

ahlers5 said...

Thanks so much for visiting my blog and for the wonderful compliments. I'm still in the learning process, but love every minute of creating. Love your blog and loved the video of Gunther. I became a follower. I'll look forward to seeing your weekly posts.
Diane

Linda said...

Oh Curt I love your wonderful Halloween cards and all you cards.
I am a running around like a chicken with it head cut off. A week ago my husband and I went to Las Vegas and got home on Wednesday. Then Thursday I went to the cabin with a friend. We didn't have running water and it was cold but we had a fun time. So now I am trying to get caught up on all my blogging and email. I am sorry I didn't comment last week but I loved all your creations. I love the Penny Black stamp. What a wonderful neighbor.
Have a great week!
Hugs,
Linda

Anne Marie Hile said...

Hello there Curt!! Before I get going I have to say that the boys are looking pretty dapper in their Fall photo. Ugh, those faces! Your cards are wonderful, as always. Halloween is my favorite and your cards are so spook-tak-u-lar! i love the eerie sponged backgrounds. Fabulous photo, too. Wow! Hope you had a great week! Big hugs to you! :)

Susan (rainy) said...

Love the grunginess of your Halloween cards... perfect. And the thank you cards are both beautiful with their autumn theme. I especially love the 4th card with its 3 leaf panels. Is that a subtle embossed line across the top? Great design.

Anonymous said...

Hello my friend Curt!! WOW!! Such wicked awesome design here!!! I totally LOVE that top one with key and spooky house!! AWESOME! :) They are all fabulous with the Fall colors, designs and your lovely touches!!! Thanks for sharing!! Hope you're having a great week!! HUGS

Sue from Oregon said...

Wow...such great Halloween and fall cards this week Curt!

Shirley said...

Wow, Curt! Your Halloween cards are fabulous and your Fall cards are just beautiful plus!! Hope Jay is doing well too! Loved the web. Reminds me of what lurks in the corners of my house. LOLOL Seriously, I think NC is one of the few places where mold and spiders grow with no effort on their part, if that is even makes sense. :-)

Anonymous said...

Curt, lovin' those web site pics; well, the God given patterns those spidies weave are miracles each time a bug becomes dinner. What wonderment in structure and tinsel strength! Ever try to break one of those on a walk and keep the fibers out of your hair or face?!? Very good work. Blessings as harvest comes. mt23stamperatyahoo Keep Looking UP!

Maria Matter said...

fabulous makes Curt!
love the eerie house, wonderful sponging!!!
beautiful nature themed cards too!
Always enjoy seeing the intricacy of spiderwebs...nature's works of art!
take care,
blessings!