Halloween

Halloween masquerade: DT layout for Stuck?! Sketches

October 15, 2017 By Janice Daquila-Pardo 1 Comment

Today Stuck?! Sketches launches our second challenge of October. Grab the sketch and play along for prizes from Lindy’s Stamp Gang and Scrapbook Nerd.

The story

I met Christian as soon as I started grad school at Ohio University in 1993, and we dated throughout my program, which ended in summer 1994 (both my program and our relationship, as it happens). At first he was in the creative writing master’s program, but he eventually took a break from it and got a full-time job in town. His boss was a bit of a big wig in Athens at the time because he owned several businesses, so we were excited to be invited to the big Halloween party he threw at his home.

Rather than scrape together homemade or Goodwill costumes, we decided this event warranted a splurge, so we rented matching costumes that were supposed to represent a couple from the Renaissance period. What fun we had!

Product/technique notes

Most of the products I used are from Echo Park’s Chillingsworth Manor collection. The witch’s head embellishment is by K&Co.

Jake-o-lantern

October 21, 2015 By Janice Daquila-Pardo 4 Comments

I was snapping a few photos of our boy, Jake, while he lounged in front of the pumpkin. Then he yawned. He’ll forever be our Jake-o-lantern now. I wish I could carve our pumpkin to look like him!

Product/technique notes

I followed Paper Issues’ October Sketchy Saturday sketch and used products from the My Mind’s Eye Mischievous collection. The title letters are a Little Yellow Bicycle chipboard alpha. You can’t tell in the photo, but they are flocked with cobwebs, which look really great in person.

I’m also entering this in the ScrapMuch? October color challenge.
ScrapMuch October Color Challenge

Halloween masquerade

October 29, 2014 By Janice Daquila-Pardo 1 Comment

My brother and I co-hosted a Halloween party in our junior year (1983) for some of our school friends. I handmade masks for everyone to choose from, and as I look back on that now I have to admit they were good sports for playing along with my idea!

The whole family worked together to deck out the yard and the basement with a spooky motif; we pulled out all the stops. Daddy even climbed up into the maple tree in our front yard so he could scare our guests as they arrived. Thinking of that makes me so happy because it was a little out of the ordinary for my mild-mannered father and means to me that he really wanted it to be fun for us.

And yes, we even bobbed for apples.

Product/technique notes

I followed the October 15th Stuck?! Sketches sketch (with an added photo) for this layout, and I’m entering it their challenge. I also used Teresa Collins’ Halloween collection from last year, “Masquerade Party.”

Note: I’m submitting this to the Paper Issues “Fan-atics” link party.

Ghouls just want to have fun

November 7, 2013 By Janice Daquila-Pardo Leave a Comment

The fairy princess and the wizard are ready to party!

I met Joanie in grade school at Immaculate Conception. She was the older sister of my classmate, Matt, and our friendship began not long before she graduated from eighth grade and moved on to junior high/high school. When I graduated and began high school elsewhere, that seems to be when our friendship really took off!

It was wonderful having a good friend outside of my high school circle. It meant that when we got together we could really catch up on what had been happening in our individual lives. I particularly remember enjoying the times Joanie had me over to her house to spend the night. I loved the contrast of spending time in her larger family (5 kids as compared to the 2 in my family), and they always made me feel quite at home. One time we even got snowed in while I was staying over (awesome).

In this photo I was about to turn 17, Joanie would have been 18, and we were heading out to a Halloween party. I don’t remember who threw the party, but I do remember us planning our costumes and getting excited together. What a good time that was, and what an important friendship hers was to me.

Product/technique notes

I followed this Creative Scrappers sketch #254 as inspiration for my page. the patterned paper is from Bella Blvd’s “Trick or treat” and “Too cute to spook” collections, an ancient paper from 2006 by KI Memories (the orange background with the text) and some random patterns not related to Halloween. I designed the title using the Nightmare Before Christmas font and also used the witch boots file (Design ID #12941) on my Silhouette.

Scare me

October 25, 2013 By Janice Daquila-Pardo 1 Comment

This photo of us in 2010 was taken right after we had completed the Scare for a Cure haunted adventure. So fun!

I’m not really one for scary movies. I just don’t like the tension of waiting for the next startling moment so I can jump back in my seat and shriek. And I really don’t like the movies that are about the truly horrifying things that humans can do to each other. (Shiver)

So when I won two free tickets to an interactive haunted house back in 2010, I felt dubious about my “prize.” But I couldn’t help myself from winning that contest. Matt and I were attending a “Sean of the Dead” quote-along event at the Alamo Drafthouse movie theater, and the night started with a little contest. The first person to raise his/her hand once the question was asked would have the first chance to answer the question. And the question was about “Sean of the Dead,” which I happen to know quite well, having seen it several times . As soon as the guy up on stage started asking the question, I knew the answer, and my arm shot into the air unbidden by my conscious brain.

Emcee: What nickname (my hand shoots up) does Sean’s mother call him?
Me: Pickle
Emcee: You’ve won two red-level tickets (the scarier version) to the Scare for a Cure interactive multimedia haunted adventure!
Me: Yay?

But we had such a blast! We got chased and spooked and covered in blood and gore. And we laughed the entire time. So we’ve purchased tickets each year since (they put on a completely new adventure each year). In fact, we’re going with some friends tomorrow night, and I can’t wait.

Product/technique notes

I cut several pieces from the Carta Bella “All Hallow’s Eve” collection and layered them to create the subtle feel of a mummy’s wraps. Then I cut a mummy (Design ID #33022 from the Silhouette store) in three layers on the Silhouette Cameo and spritzed each with different shades of mist to create depth and difference.