It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

A few days ago I told you how I spent Saturday afternoon participating in Splitcoaststampers (SCS) Virtual Stamping Night (VSN). It was my first one ever and I'm already eagerly anticipating the next one! SCS also has Virtual Scrapbook Weekends. I believe one is coming up in October or November and I plan to participate in that, too.

The hourly challenges are an incredible boost to your creativity. So many of you have told me, with a sigh, "I'm just not creative." These challenges will prove you wrong! When you have just 45 minutes to come up with a card or other project (start to finish), you start going with the first thing that pops into your head. And since you're going on your first impulses, your project almost always looks fine (I've found that overthinking is the #1 creativity killer). Like with anything else, the more you stamp, the better you'll get.

I find that I start out slowly. The wheels turn creakingly, I struggle to implement an idea, and my finished project looks a little rough around the edges (hence why you will not see here the first card I did for my first challenge LOL...that is, unless you can find it on SCS's site...). But the second project comes more easily and looks better. By the third one I've fully hit my stride and I can't put my ideas on paper fast enough! You can ask friends that I've scrapped with...I'll burst out with, "I know!" or "Ah-ha!" or "This will look so awesome!" and I dash around, snatching tools and paper and embellishments off my studio shelves, working quickly before the idea flits away. They laugh at me, but they still invite me back LOL!

So this card was made for this challenge here. As I read the synopsis of "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" I saw that Charlie Brown's ghost costume had 18 holes in it (instead of the normal 2 for the eyes). I laughed and then did an, "I know what I'll use!" I have this cool bubble punch from Creative Memories that I've never used. Then I realized it would make a great background for a giant pumpkin.

I got to work.

I swiped Chcolate Chip ink over my Chocolate Chip card front. I used a scrap of Garden Green cardstock (I just pulled it out of my scrap bin and used it exactly as it was, no cutting at all - I had only 45 minutes, remember?) to punch holes into, then swiped more Chocolate Chip ink over it. My pumpkin was made with a Coluzzle, using the oval template. I cut 3 ovals from Pumpkin Pie cardstock then sponged them with Pumpkin Pie and Chocolate Chip ink to add some visual depth. I ran a tiny scrap of Close to Cocoa through my crimper, then sponged more Chocolate Chip ink on for the stem. The vines were done with paper yarn that I twisted around my finger to curl a bit. I stamped "hope" from Everyday Flexible Phrases onto a jewelry tag, then attached it to the card with linen thread (I used "hope" since Linus spent all night in the pumpkin patch believing the Great Pumpkin would come).

My next blog entry I'll show two more challenges I did. One is not a card, but does involve stamping.

Now go create!
-Nicole