Happy Halloween and Glimmer Mist

I'm part of a group of ladies that get together once a month to trade cards and do several make and takes. This September we are doing Halloween/Fall cards and I came up with this one.



I embossed my favorite new stencil, "Bare Trees" from Dreamweaver, using the Big Shot on SU kraft paper (see yesterday's post for how-to). Using the stencil to mask the embossed kraft paper I lightly sprayed it with Tattered Angels Black Gold Glimmer Mist.
Now I don't know about you but I can make the biggest mess with glitter sprays. It does not matter how much I cover my workspace, I will get glitter mist everywhere. So I recently discovered that I can keep my mess to a minimum if I put what is to be glittered in a box and then spray it. Voila'! The mess is easily contained and I don't have to wipe down everything in sight. Here is the kraft paper and stencil just after spraying:


Don't spray too heavily, a light misting will be enough to show a contrast. If you use too much you risk having the spray ooze under the stencil.

Final touches were the witch image (Broderbund Printshop) printed on SU Barely Banana Cardstock and cut out with a circle punch. Touched up the moon with Crystal Stickles. Used black organdy ribbon with a hand fashioned buckle. Happy Halloween (from Inkadinkado) is embossed in black. Paper is from Stampin Up, Kraft, Pumpkin Pie and Basic Black.

Using Spellbinders Impressabilities with the Big Shot

I thought I'd have time between my first post and this one to actually get a project done - but that's not happening. What I have been doing is trying to get the Spellbinders Impressabilities to work on my Stampin Up Big Shot. I was working with Spellbinders' tan embossing mats, the platform, and the cutting pads AND I was getting nothing. Very frustrating. Finally after some research I realized I was working with the wrong Big Shot accessories. So, to save someone else from the same hassle, I thought I would share how to get the Impressabilities to work.

In addition to the Big Shot, you will need the multipurpose platform, one cutting pad, the embossing plate, cardstock (preferably the lightweight variety), Sizzix's silicone rubber pad (found in the Texturz Starter Kit), and the Impressions pad (also in the Starter Kit).

First place the platform on the Big Shot with Tab 1 & 2 open. You will not be using these tabs.


Then place one cutting pad on the platform.


Place your Impressability plate (or any thin metal embossing plate) on the cutting pad.


Cover with a piece of lightweight cardstock.


Then lay the silicone rubber sheet over the cardstock.


Finally, put the Sizzix Impressions pad on top and roll through the Big Shot.


Voila'! You can remove the cardstock from the embossing plate, or leave it on and use the plate as a stencil. Here I have removed it to show the detail as is on the cardstock.


ETA: One more photo to show the embossing detail. Here I took a classic (water-based dye) stampin spot, placed it upside down and flat against the cardstock. I then drew it lightly across the paper. The ink highlighted the raised areas. Pretty cool I think :)

Naming the blog

I seriously doubt anyone is going to be reading this. With a reported 200 million plus blogs floating around on the internet, and sanguine scaredy cat created all of two minutes ago - what are the chances you would find it? Anyway, this is a test message to see how this looks on the web. So I thought I would explain the blog name.

Since wanting to start this blog I've tried to come up with some catchy titles that won't pigeonhole me into one particular category or another. I started with "this n that" and that blog was taken 7 years ago by someone who posted once and that was it. I then tried "neither here nor there" and that was taken by another absentee blogger. I even did some research to see if I could get google to take them off (give them to ME) but couldn't find a reasonable way to contact them about the dead blogs.

So, then I gave some thought to all the things I like to do, but they are wide and varied and, again, wouldn't want to confine myself to one thing or another. Hey, that might have been a good blog, "one thing or another". Bet you that one is taken too. ANYWAY, I thought about my character and how that could be turned into a blog title. Difficult to sum up one's self into three words but I came up with "the optimistic pessimist". Well, guess what? That, too, was taken as was "optimistic pessimist". I had thought it would have been the perfect title, for deep down I am a pessimist who tries very hard (most of the time) to see the brighter side of life. Not that my life is rotten (it's not) but I tend to lean towards doom and gloom, catch myself doing so, and then try to find the bright spots in whatever I've condemned myself too. It can be a struggle to be happy somedays, but for the most part I would say I succeed in at least being content. Not a bad thing to be.

Well, how did optimistic pessimist get to be saguine scaredy cat you might ask (that is if you've even gotten this far)? Through a thesaurus search. I initially just changed optimist to sanguine but thought that looked funny with pessimist. Then I came across "scaredy cat" as an acceptable synonym to pessimist. I'm not really a "scaredy cat" but I do like cats and I think it sounds nice with sanguine. And voila' "sanguine scaredy cat".

So, what do I plan to do with this blog now that I've created it? Mostly I hope to post handicrafts that I have created and instructions for those who wish to recreate them. My favorite things are created with paper, but I also have done sewing, knitting, sculpting, wreath making, home decorating, etc. etc. I also enjoy my cats, reading, chatting and hanging out with friends and family - and thought that I would share some of these things once in a while.

So, there you have it. The intro to sanguine scaredy cat. Thank you for reading my blog, its really amazing to me that you made it here anyway :)