Here's looking at you, kid...

I found blog post inspiration a few days ago as it was headed for the trash. 

I had to pick up some contact lenses for one of my girls and the eye doctor's office sent them home in the cutest little bag - clear but covered with eyes (Appropriate? - Yes!)  Just as I was about to throw the bag away, all those different style eyes got me thinking about all the spooky eyes that might be peering out from the dark around Halloween- so I decided to see what I could come up with.  (I love Halloween and it appears that I can't really put it behind me until the actual day has come and gone)

So let's see what options we have and have a little lesson about conveying emotion through punched eyes

First I just made a series of simple eyes from the small oval punch and either a standard hole punch or a "piece" of the 1/2 inch circle punch.  This page shows just a few possible options.  And these are all glued down - they will remain consistant for four pages of examples.

Next I added just a small white highlight with the white gel pen on most of them and gave all but one ANGRY eyebrows  with the slot punch (one pair of eyes was already slanted to look angry).  This shows how adding just two small punch shapes can totally change the emotion of your character.

Next I slanted the eyebrows the other direction.  Now some look surprised, shocked, bemused, scared etc.  The eye slant, brow slant and positioning of the "iris" all combine to give emotion now.

Finally I just mixed it all up to make myself happy with the variety.

Of course the real variety is endless.  You can use so many of our punches for eyes and you can use PIECES of punches for eyes.  Look at this variety using the butterfly punch - trimmed by varying amounts with the small oval punch - that is right - no hand trimming - just punch a butterfly then punch again with the small oval (once for each eye)

I don't know about you but I definitely see frog eyes and owl eyes in this batch.

Imagine all the possibilities with the different circles and ovals PLUS why not star eyes?  why not word window eyes?  You have already seen me use various hearts for the whites of eyes on my punch creatures.


And you still have time to take this info and mail a simple Halloween card to brighten up a friend's day - if you stop reading blogs and make it RIGHT NOW!

Just punch a pair of eyes and pop them on a black card front like this...

Stamp a simple "Happy Halloween" on the inside, add a short note and you are good to go!

Or if you really have no time - file this away and use the eye idea in the corner of a black Halloween scrapbook page for a simple spooky accent with all the photos you take on Halloween.