Trick or Treat- Card Tutorial #11

     Hi crafters!  Welcome back to the Halloween Haunts series.  I can't believe Halloween is only a week away, this month seems to be flying by.  Only three more cards left next week before we're off to a whole other set of festivities.  Today's card includes copic coloring, a technique I can't seem to be getting enough of as of late. 

I love the new orange copic combination I've discovered recently!

     I elected to use my traditional Neenah paper to make a top-folding A2 card for this Halloween item.  To make a background piece, I selected a piece of We R Memory Keepers Bewitched pattern paper and ran it through my die cutting machine with a Lawn Fawn stitched border die.  I decided to use another Lawn Fawn die, the polaroid, to be the focal point of the design.  I used my Lawn Fawn Spooktacular Stamp set to emboss the die with the 'TRICK or treat' sentiment.  Next, I stamped the pumpkin and witches hat image in Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  To color the pumpkin I used YR04, YR07, and YR18.  The hat used four shades of violet (V01, V04, V06, V09) and two shades of grey (C5, C7).  To dress up my traditional vellum polaroid backing, I pulled out the bat images from another Lawn Fawn set (Happy Haunting) and stamped them in black StazOn ink.  After adhering everything down, I decided that the card still needed a little something.  I wanted to try a new technique with my copic markers, so I broke out my flat back pearls and coated them with YR04, YR07, and Black 100.  After adhering the pearls in little clusters, the card was complete!

The completed Halloween number

     Thanks for stopping by today friends!  I hope you have a great (and busy) week leading up to Halloween. See you soon!

estimated time= 35 minutes

Spooky Science-Card Tutorial #10

     Hey friends!  Welcome to my double card Wednesday!  For my second card today, I decided to crack open a new stamp set.  I love these test tube images from Inkadinkado.  They are such a unique visual that still are super fun and fitting for a lighthearted Halloween stamp.  Additionally, they give me the opportunity to do some great, big copic coloring using nontraditional Halloween colors!

I love the bright colors on this card!

     I decided on a Neenah Solar White 110 lb cardbase to make a top-folding A2 card.  For the patterned paper I selected a sheet from my We R Memory Keepers Bewitched 6x6 paper pack.  Then, I got started on my coloring.  I stamped four of the test tube images on to Neenah Solar White 80 lb cardstock.  The colors I used were YR04, YR07, YR18 (oranges), YG03, G14 (greens), B00, B02, B04 (blues), and V04, V06, V09 (purples).  After fussy cutting the images and adhering them with foam adhesive, I painted the entire image with my glitter brush pen.  I knew I wanted to use the 'Happy Halloween' sentiment from the collection, and decided to emboss in white on to black card stock to give a blackboard-ish look.  I then broke out my black and white bakers twine to tie a bow and finish off the project!

This card is perfect for any little (or big) kids

     So that finishes up today's double dose of Halloween fun!  I hope you all enjoyed it and I will see you back here Friday for the next Halloween escapade!

estimated time= 40 minutes

Happy Haunting- Card Tutorial #9

     Hey crafters!  It's double post day!  I hope you don't mind, I decided to do some copic coloring on both of the cards (what can I say...I'm addicted). In this first card, I took the coloring a step further to create a three-dimensional piece.  I love creating little elements like this house ahead of time whenever I have a spare moment.  It makes it so much easier to throw together a quick card if I'm crunched for time.  Speaking of being efficient, let's get to it!

I just love the dimensional look:)

     To begin, I cut and scored a standard size top-folding card from black Bazzill cardstock.  Next, I ran a piece of Neenah Solar White 80 lb cardstock through my Sissix with a cuttlebug honeycomb embossing folder.  I decided it was about time I began my coloring.  Using my Memento Tuxedo Black ink I stamped the house image from the Lawn Fawn Happy Haunting set three times.  I used C1, C5, and C7 to color and shade the grey areas while Y15, and Y17 worked out perfectly for the windows.  Using an exacto knife, I cut out each layer of the house and pieced them together with foam adhesive.  To finish up the house, I coated the windows with the Kuretake Zig Wink of Stella Glitter Brush pen in clear and topped that in glossy accents.  Leaving that to dry, I turned to creating the sentiment.  I use a sentiment from the stamp set with StazOn black ink.  To finish up the sentiment strip I cut a banner edge on the right side and added a bakers twine bow on the left.  After adhering everything down, I decided that a white stitched border was necessary (what a shocker).  

The finished card business

     Thanks for stopping by today friends!  I hope you stay tuned for the next installment of Halloween Haunts later today!

estimated time= 60 minutes

You are Spooktacular-Card Tutorial#7

     Hello crafters! Today's card is a super simple Halloween number.  I wanted to use my Lawn Fawn Spooktacular stamps as well as some copic coloring.  This would be a great card to reproduce in mass quantities if you wanted to include a little Halloween sentiment with a treat for your neighbors or friends!

A little close up

     I started by using my Martha Stewart Scoring board to create a standard size side-folding card from Bazzill card stock.  Next, I stamped the three little ghosts in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on to Neenah Solar White card stock.  I colored them in using the C1 and C5 grey copics, and finished them off with a coating from my Kuretake Zig Wink of Stella Glitter pen in Clear.  I then moved to my Recollections Halloween 6x6 paper pad to select the chevron and striped papers.  Before adhering everything down, I embossed the 'you are spooktacular' sentiment in American Crafts white embossing powder.  Finally, I was ready to adhere everything down, using my ATG tape runner for the patterned paper and foam adhesive for the ghosts.

The completed card! (I decided the corners needed some last minute rounding)

     I hope you enjoyed the card for today!  I am loving my new Lawn Fawn Halloween stamps and I can't wait to play with the other images in the set. Thanks for stopping by!

estimated time= 30 minutes

This Way to Halloween Fun-Card Tutorial #6

     Welcome back crafters!  Today we are going to make a Halloween card filled with all the traditional seasonal goodies. It's orange, black, and pumpkins oh my!

A close up of the Halloween Fun

     To begin I pulled out a kraft card base.  I wasn't too sure what I was going to do at this point, and kraft is kind of my go to staple, so I decided to work from what I know.  Next, I looked through my Recollections 6x6 Halloween Basics Paper Pad and pulled out two patterns that I absolutely love.  I decided to use the chevron as the background and the little bats for a banner.
     I loved coloring the pumpkins so much earlier in this series that I decided to do some similar coloring on this card.  I selected my image from an Inkadinkado Halloween set (another that I purchased on clearance:), and used my Memento Tuxedo Black ink for the impression.  Then, I set to work coloring the pumpkins.
     After coloring, I broke out my wafer thin circle dies.  First, I cut out the image.  I decided that it needed a mat just to make it stand out from the chevron.  I chose a light grey cardstock, though instead of adhering it directly to the colored piece, I slipped the banner in between.  To complete the banner element I stamped a Craft Smart stamp on to white cardstock in Staz On black ink, which I fussy cut and adhered with my tape runner.
     After adhering the banner element to the chevron background with foam squares, I chose my finishing elements.  Honestly, they are my go-to elements to complete any project.  First, I rounded the bottom corners of my card base and background paper before gluing them.  Then, I tied black and white bakers twine around the banner piece.  I chose not to make a bow to keep it a little less cutesy.  Finally, albeit unsurprisingly, I broke out my Jelly Roll white gel pen to add a few dashed lines.

The finished Halloween Haunt

     Thanks so much for stopping by friends!  I hope you have been enjoying the series so far, happy crafting!
estimated time= 40 minutes

Happy Halloween-Card Tutorial #3

     Hey crafty people! Today I have for you the second installment in my Fall/Halloween series (I'm starting to think this series needs a snappy and alliterative name).  Alas, back to business.  In this card I wanted to explore the cheerier side of Halloween, as well as do a little Copic coloring.

A closeup of the fall fun

     I began this card adventure with an A2 kraft card base.  Because I knew that I wanted to do some coloring, I rifled through my stamps to find a nice autumnal image.  After stamping the image in Memento Tuxedo Black Ink, I began the coloring process using Y11, Y15, Y17, and Y18.  To give the image a little extra dimension, I then covered each pumpkin with Glossy Accents (a Kuretake Zig Wink of S  tella glitter pen in clear would also be a great choice here).

I did a few practice runs to check the color combination and get a perfectly stamped image

     I wanted to pursue the pumpkin patch theme further, so I picked out an orange gingham background paper to be the main pattern.  I then selected a piece of kraft cardstock to mount the coloring on.  It looked a little bland though, so I decided to break out my oft-forgotten paper crimper. After rounding the corners of the card base, I found the perfect sentiment stamp to emboss under the image.

I chose this sentiment from the Hero Arts Celebrate Everyday stamp set

          I decided to emboss the sentiment in white using Versamark watermark ink and Paper Source white embossing powder.   To create more contrast on the card, I cut a black cardstock piece to place behind the orange patterned paper.  I just couldn't resist using my scallop border punch on it.  To incorporate more of the black, I secured the pumpkin image with black photo corners, (photo corners fall in to the same constant-use category for me as bakers twine and stitching marks).  Speaking of stitching marks, I decided to complete the card with dashed lines all around the outer elements.

   

The finished item

     Thanks for staying tuned, friends!  Hopefully by the next time you visit I will have a fun little name for this series.  Have fun creating this fall season:)

estimated time: 30 minutes

Trick or Treat- Card Tutorial #2

     Hi friends!  Today I'm going to be starting a miniseries for Fall and Halloween cards.  I can't help myself. The back to school season, filled with pumpkin spice candles and warm soup, is seeping in to my craft room and creativity.

A (hopefully) spooky closeup 

     I knew when starting this card that I wanted to use a less traditional Halloween color, (don't worry though, there will be plenty of orange throughout this series).  I began by using my Martha Stewart scoring board to create a standard size top-folding card.

Martha Stewart mini scoring board

     I ran the card base through my Sissix BigKick with the Creative Memories chevron embossing folder.  I decided, as I often do, that I wanted to enhance the embossing with ink.  This time, however, I opted against my traditional white and decided upon silver. I went for a slightly messy look with the ink to harken back to the creepy Halloween aspects of the card.    

Using Brilliance silver ink over newspaper to keep my cutting mat clean

     Next, I chose my papers.  I fell in love with the little bats from the Recollections Halloween 6x6 paper pack as well as this purple cardstock, and thought they worked really well with the sliver ink.  I decided to use my scallop border punch on the purple cardstock to give it a little something extra.

Using my ek success border punch

     After I cut the patterned paper down to size, I realized that I wanted to place my sentiment within this paper.  I broke out my wafer thin circle dies and chose a 1.5 inch die that would fit the stamp perfectly inside.  Next, I placed foam tape on the back before returning to the sentiment.  I decided to emboss the sentiment in silver, to tie in the rest of the elements.

The embossed sentiment

      Finally, I was able to adhere all the portions of the card down.  I then took my black and white bakers twine and tied a small bow at the top of the card to finish it off (I know, bakers twine, surprise surprise).

   

The completed card

     Finally, the first card in my Halloween and Fall series is complete! Thanks for much for stopping by!
estimated time: 25 minutes