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Halloween Week Challenge!

Hope you've enjoyed Halloween Week here on the AC Studio Blog.  Before we wrap it up, let's announce our wonderful winner from last weeks Sports Week Challenge.  Congratulations to Joli for her fabulous (and adorable!) soccer page.  Here's your change to win a prize pack full of our Halloween line that you've seen all week.

I know you're going to have lots of cool photos after this weekend, so let's see you get them scrapped and entered!  Here'a a great example from Design Team member Mary Jo...

Supplies: Venom (34780) – Halloween, Cricket (71426) – Glitter Cardstock, Carrot (71430) – Glitter Cardstock, Marine (71422) – Glitter Cardstock, Grape (71435) – Glitter Cardstock, Cauldron Accents (43339) – MiniMarks Rub On Books

Mary Jo says: "Halloween is a photo opportunity just waiting to happen!  A block design for your scrapbook page can help you incorporate all of those photos onto one layout.  I created a template with room for 10 photos, but couldn’t resist using four of the squares for some of that gorgeous glitter cardstock!  The Minimarks Rub Ons are the perfect little embellishment to add that finishing touch.  Happy Halloween!"

1. The layout must be posted to an online gallery or blog with American Crafts in your supply list.

2.  You must leave a comment on this blog post with a link to your layout online.  You also must fill in your email address when posting your comment on this blog post.

3. Layouts and links must be posted by midnight PST on Thursday, November 5.

Happy scrapping and have a safe & fun Halloween!

Yikes!

Did you know that American Crafts just released a fabulous Halloween line at CHA-S?  We know some of our friends around the world don't celebrate the holiday, so here's a great example from Design Team member Kim W. for using the supplies on a non-Halloween page...

Supplies: Frightening Paper (34796) - Full Moon Paper (34777) - Creepy Paper (334792) - Haunted Paper (34774) Thickers, Hocus Pocus Accents - Melon (42992) - Thickers, Bewitched-White (42988) - Remarks: Books- Creepy phrases & Crawly accents (42562) - Flair- EEEK! (70029) - Elements, Mini Glitter brads- metalic (85334), mini Marks Books- Edgar Black (43337)

Kim says: "My kid is nuts about spiders real & otherwise, which makes for regular 'shriek sessions' in our home. Some of the toy critters are so realistic, that without fail someone always gets 'caught' by his mischief. The page is created as if sitting on top of a spiders web complete with gold glittery spider. You will notice on the right I hid the journaling under the main photo to allow for more space for embellishments.....I mean with all the COOL accents in this range.....I had to leave space!! 

Tip 'n trick: I didn't have the exact color thicker for the page, so took my white glittered ones & applied a couple of layers of purple pigment ink onto them...Voila! perfect purple alphas"

Kim definitely proves the Halloween line doesn't have to be used for photos you take this week... mix them in with your favorite creepy crawly pics and you've got a perfect page!

Spooky

We've got a treat for you today... a bonus idea from awesome Design Team member Danielle!  She created these fun altered letters using the Halloween line.

Supplies: Black Glitter AC Cardstock (71414) - White Glitter AC Cardstock (71415) - Powder Glitter AC Cardstock (71425) - Halloween, Midnight Paper (34779) - Halloween, Transylvania Paper (34788) - Halloween, Frightening Paper (34796) - Embellishments, Halloween Patterned Chipboard (77204) - Thickers, Hocus Pocus Black Accents (42993) - Remarks, Crawly Accents Stickers (42555)

Danielle says: " I made this as a house warming gift for my new home. It has a big beautiful mantel over the fireplace, which I thought would be the perfect place for Halloween decorations. I love all things type, so when I found these letters I knew that they would be the perfect backdrop for the American Crafts Halloween embellishments. Three of the letters (S, O and K) are glitter paper and they are so pretty in real life. They sparkle in the sunlight. The other three are patterned paper.  I added some glittering silver floss as the spider's web, I love that little spider! Unfortunately, we don't close on our new house until the end of the month so I'll have to wait to add this to the mantel until then. But I'm looking forward to it!"

These are a wonderful crafty decoration idea.  Hope you enjoy them and your new house, Danielle!

Postmarked Wednesday

Still looking for some quick inspiration for Halloween card ideas?  We've got five fabulous cards to share for today's Postmarked Wednesday!  Let's get started with Design Team member Doris...

Supplies: Black 12 x 12 Cardstock (71082) - AC Cardstock, White 4 x 5.5 Card (71362) - AC Cardstock, Charm Paper (34786) - Halloween, Eeek! (70029) Halloween Flair, Paranormal Paper (34775) - Halloween, Tropicals Medium Jewel Brad Assortment (85287) - Elements,  Black Hocus Pocus Accents (42993) - Thickers, Edgar (43337) - Minimarks, Seventh Heaven (87644) - Blue Skies Ribbon

Two great cards from Doris that you can whip up in a matter of minutes and will put a smile as big as that pumpkin's on someone's face!

Design Team member Jen also came up with this awesome card...

Supplies: 12x12 Cardstock White (71081) - AC Carstock; 12x12 Cardstock Caramel (71045) - AC Cardstock; Haunted paper (34774) - Halloween; Boogieman paper (34781) - Halloween; Midnight paper (34779) - Halloween; Cast a Spell paper (34791) - Halloween; Wicked paper (34784) - Halloween;  Full Moon paper (34777) - Halloween; Transylvania paper (34788) - Halloween; Crawly Accents (42554) - Remarks Books; Edgar (43337) - Minimarks Books; Cauldron Accents (43339) - Minimarks Books

I love the cool scene she's created here - too cool!

Here's another great idea from Design Team member Susan...

Supplies: Hocus Pocus Accents (42993) - Thickers, Spooky (70028) - Flair, Paranormal Paper (34775) - Halloween, Boogieman Paper (34781) - Halloween, 12x12 Cardstock Robin's Egg (71063) - AC Cardstock, 12x12 Cardstock Charcoal (71077) - AC Cardstock, 12x12 Cardstock Smoke (71080) - AC Cardstock, 12x12 Cardstock Wine (71009) - AC Cardstock, Blue Skies Brads (85268) - Elements, Black Brads (85356) - Elements

Susan says: "Try placing flair badges in places you might not think to otherwise - like I did here.  I trimmed down a thicker accent sticker and then placed the flair right on top.  The thicker spider is elevated from my card for added dimension."

Love the addition of the Flair - really helps draw the eye down the card.  Great tip!

And one more card from our newest addition to the Design Team, Sarah...

Supplies: 12 x 12 White Cardstock (71081) - AC Cardstock, All Hallows Eve Paper (34776) - Halloween, Midnight Paper (34779) - Halloween, 12 x 12 Black Glitter Specialty Paper (71414) - AC Cardstock, Cauldron Phrases MiniMarks (43338) - Halloween, Edgar Black MiniMarks (43337) - Halloween

The face on the pumpkin is adorable!  Great idea, Sarah.  So many cool ways for you to say Happy Halloween this weekend.

Halloween Party with Beth

I think Design Team member Beth really knows how to throw party!  Check out her amazing spread she put together for Halloween using AC products... so delicious.

Supplies: Paranormal paper (34775) - Halloween, Midnight paper (34779) - Halloween, Grimm paper (34782) - Halloween, Magic Spells paper (34787) - Halloween, Cast a Spell paper (34791) - Halloween, Horror paper (34795) - Halloween, Spooky (70028) - Flair, Haunted House Halloween Chipboard (77205)  - House, Seventh Heaven (89231) - ribbon, Hocus Pocus Accents (42993) - Thickers

Beth says: "Having recently discovered Amy Atlas Designs, I was inspired to combine two of my favorite things this month: candy and American Crafts! Using the new Halloween line of papers and embellishments, I created a simple spread of treat bag toppers, candy bar wrappers and jar labels. The color palette and graphic look of this line provide just the right amount of whimsy and modern style. And what's not to love about all that candy?"

Wouldn't you love to come to that party at Beth's?  I'll see if I can get us all an invite! 

Halloween Week

We've got a spook-tacular week ahead of us here on the AC Studio Blog!

Is the countdown to Halloween is on at your house?  We've got lots of ideas for you to try out if you've got a minute to spare this week... or give them a go next week while you're on sugar buzz from that leftover Halloween candy!

First up is this awesome idea book from Design Team member Holly...

Supplies: Haunted Paper (34774) - Halloween, Full Moon Paper (34777) - Halloween, Sweets Paper (34778) - Halloween, Midnight Paper (34779) - Halloween, Wicked Paper (34784) - Halloween, Charms Paper (34786) - Halloween, Magic Spells Paper (34787) - Halloween, Scream Paper (34789) - Halloween, Sleepy Hallow Paper (34794) - Halloween, Frightening Paper (34796) - Halloween, Fun Small Set (59096) - Clear Stamps, Black Hocus Pocus Accents (42993) - Thickers, Black Daydream (43062) - Thickers, Edgar (43337) - Minimarks: Books, Cauldron (43339) - Minimarks

Holly says: "Not only is Halloween one of my most favorite of holidays, but every year my husband and I host a huge Halloween costume party.  I'm always clipping ideas from magazines... everything from spooky decorating ideas to creepy-crawly recipes.  I needed a place to stash all of those ideas in one organized area, and this accordion album made for the perfect idea book.

Using various patterned paper designs from the Halloween collection, I sewed pockets onto each individual accordion page.  Then, I stamped some labels for each pocket and applied rub-ons to label and decorate each pocket.  For the cover, I actually hand-cut the spider web from the Frightening Paper (34796) design.  Then, I made a label to go on top of it, and adhered a chipboard spider from the Hocus Pocus Accents Thickers (42993) to the elastic band that acts as a closure for the album.

And, there you have it... a quick, fun way to store all of your decorating and party planning ideas!  Not big into Halloween?  No problem... this would also make a great organizer for coupons, Christmas lists, etc.!"

This is an amazing book, Holly!  Thanks for sharing this cool idea and I love the tip on creating a similar book for Christmas lists.  See you back here tomorrow for more hauntingly good Halloween inspiration!

Sports Week Challenge!

Yahoo it's Friday!  Let's start the weekend by announcing our winner from last weeks Letterbox challenge.  Congrats to Shelly J. with her gorgeous layout.  Here's another chance for you to win a prize pack full of the Junior line we've been working with all week...

Design Team member Shannon does the best sports pages and here's a great example...

Supply List: 12 x 12 Cardstock White (71081)- AC Cardstock, TaDa! (34963)- Junior, Shazam! (34969) - Junior, Let's Trade (34956) - Junior,  Daydream Black (43062)- Thickers, Play Ball Accents (43360)- Minimarks Books, Sotheby's Stickers Neutral 1 (42458) - Remarks Cardstock Stickers, Champ Small Set (59091) - Clear Stamps, Small Acrylic Block (59011) - Clear Stamps, Precision Pen.03 Black (62311) - Pens

Shannon says: "My son participates in a lot of sports and I have more sport photos than I could ever scrap-  I try to limit myself to 3-5 photos for the season and turn them into a summary page like I did for this layout- if there is something super special about a game or accomplishment I will then add that as another page in his album!"

1. The layout must be posted to an online gallery or blog with American Crafts in your supply list.

2.  You must leave a comment on this blog post with a link to your layout online.  You also must fill in your email address when posting your comment on this blog post.

3. Layouts and links must be posted by midnight PST on Thursday, October 29.

Can't wait to see all your sports layouts... I know they're going to rock!

Fun at the Derby

Creative Design Team member Martha put together this awesome sports page to share today...

Supplies:Shazam patterned paper (34969) - Junior, We're Number 1! patterned paper (34947) - Junior, Yay! patterned paper (34966) - Junior, Tag-You're It! patterned paper (34951) - Junior, Letterman  (43071) - Thickers, Daydream (43062) - Thickers, Junior Go! (70044) - Flair

Martha says: "This is my first sports themed LO ever but using the Junior line made it super easy (and fun!) to create this LO.  A friend of mine is a referee for the Windy City Rollers derby league and she sent me this cool picture to scrap...I love how the letters cut from the We're Number 1! paper match the numbers painted on the girl's arms while the stars on the Shazam paper compliment the ones on their uniforms...add a little Flair and some Thickers and there you go!"

I love seeing unique sporting events and this rocks.  The big numbers are perfect for the layout!

Postmarked Wednesday

Happy Postmarked Wednesday!  Today we've got two great sports themed cards to share with you.  First up is this cool card from Design Team member Katrina...

Supplies: 8.5 x 11 Cardstock White (71273) - AC Cardstock, King Me paper (34958) - Junior, Wicked paper (34965) - Junior, Ta-da paper (34963) - Junior, Yay paper (34966) - Junior, Brady (43361) - MiniMarks, White mini brads (8472) - Elements, Letterman (43071) - Thickers

Katrina says: ""In our house, fall means FOOTBALL! As we celebrate the end of the season, I like to let the coaches know how much I appreciate all that they do. The Junior collection is full of team spirit...the perfect choice for this thank you card. Go team!"

The pendants are a super cool idea!  Love that element for a card and would look great on a layout too.

I also put together a card to share...

Supplies: 12x12 Cardstock Leaf (71052) - AC Cardstock, 12x12 Cardstock Coffee (71049) - AC Cardstock, 12x12 Cardstock White (71081) - AC Cardstock, Skip to My Lou Paper (34994) - Blue Skies, Elanore Battington (34719) - Craft Fair, Blue Skies Round Button Assortment (85266) - Elements, Seventh Heaven (87644) - Ribbon, Chestnut (6107) - Memory Markers

Kelly says: "Sports themed projects don't have to use the Junior line... I dug into my stash of Blue Skies paper and trimmed it down to use only a few colors from the palette.  Create your own embellishments out of AC Cardstock and some punches.  It's an easy way to tell somebody you're there to cheer them on!"

Hope you're inspired by today's cards... see you back here tomorrow for more cool ideas!

Mini From Melanie

Fabulous Design Team member Melanie put together this amazing baseball themed mini-album that's sure to inspire you...

Baseball Mini-Album supplies: 8 1/2 x11 Cardstock  White (71273) - AC Cardstock 6”x6” Leather D-Ring Black (76082) - AC Albums Go! Flair ( 70044) - Junior Brady Black (43361) -  Minimarks Todd Crimson (42623) -  Remarks Letterman Crimson (43071) – Thickers Boom! Paper (34949) –Junior We Won! Paper (34955) –Junior Yay! Paper (34966) –Junior Kapow! Paper (34967) – Junior You’re Out! Paper ( 34970) –Junior

Melanie says: "When I saw the Junior Line at CHA previews this past summer, I fell in love at first sight.  I knew it would be absolutely perfect for the ton of photos I have of my 2 little league players, and I was anxious to put it to use on this 6x6 mini-album.  I used some inspiring baseball quotes ( taken off the web) and kept it very simple with a single photo and one line journaling.  My boys just love it!"

I love this because it's so simple and sophisticated.  The focus is on the photos and works perfectly together with the Junior line.  Thanks for sharing your album, Melanie!