Black cats in the dark

I have been missing making cards and posting them. A two week trip will do that. Even though I packed along some papers, watercolors and stamps, I could not get into the mood of making a card.

So, re-united with my desk again I was happy to make a Halloween card. I took my inspiration from several challenges: I wanted there to be animals, three of something and I wanted it to be somewhat spooky.

The Heroween die and stamp collection is certainly an overabundance of Halloween related everything - and I succumbed. Today I used dies from two sets as well as a new stencil.

I started by dabbing white ink through the cloud stencil to create a moody background. I then die cut a tombstone, grass, moon, three cats and a raven from craft card stock, which I then colored in accordingly. I also found a length of purple thread and used that for atmosphere.

 

I am entering this in these lovely challenges:

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Halloween / Spooky

Crafty Animals: #110 AG

Fab 'n Funky: #643 Three of something - I have three cats

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Halloween/ Spooky

Critter Crazy: #115 AG w/ a featured critter 

Pay attention...

 It's time for Halloween cards. It not a celebration where I live, but it's fun nevertheless. I like the colors involved and the make-believe horror emanating from bats, pumpkins, ravens etc.

Today I was inspired to take out some colored papers and my Halloween stamps and dies. I Confess, I have just one stamp set and one die that can pass for Halloween, but we make do what we've got, right?

 

I had die cut several trees at a friend's place and today seemed a good opportunity to use some of them.

I started by selecting purple for the background. The moon was stamped on almost fluorescent green and the pumpkins in orange, of course. I die cut the bats from shiny black card stock.

 

The sentiment says: "Pay attention..." It goes on on the inside with: "When the darkness falls you are not alone." I hope this is sufficiently creepy for the recipient. 

 

Entering this in these inspiring challenges:

Just Us Girls: #843 Die cut week, Halloween

TGIF: #tgifc597 Color challenge

 

Stamps§Fun=Creativity : #503 Halloween

Simon Says Wednesday challenge: AG 

Autumn splendor

Today's card is the result of die cutting, new and old. I have a bag of die cut remnants, left overs from projects that never happened, or I had made too much for. Today was time to put some of them to use.

 

I die cut two geometric shapes out of yellow and orange papers, those pretty seasonal colors. I die cut the yellow shape twice, once without, once with a frame. That frame is used as a corner piece to offset the form and gain some continuity, if that makes any sense.

 

The wreaths are from my ready stash - so glad I found some use for them. 

The final additoin were a sentiment "Thinking of you" and some flat sequins to mimic the shine of autumnal dew drops.

Entering this in these inspiring challenges:

A Cut Above: October challenge

TioT: Autumn's beauty

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Anything goes 

Dark and darker

 The season of fading light is descending. It totally affects the colors I choose. Today I chose black.

I have this piece of textured plastic (perhaps a carpet underlay?) that I use for pulling textured prints when I am too lazy to work with a gelli plate and stencils.

 As I had a scene with pumpkins in mind I stenciled it with two orange hues.

Then I cut the background to size and gathered the other supplies: a stenciled orange print from my previous session and a couple of very small gelli print remnants as well as some autumn themed stamps.

I started by attaching the background papers onto my card base. I was working with a sketch (see below), but as you can see, it's not identical. I added another black and orange paper from my stash - I found they worked better this way, not letting any one background dominate but rather support each other.

I stamped the leafy branch with green Versafine and heat embossed it with transparent embossing powder, then fussy cut it out. I stamped the pumpkins and fussy cut them as well. Lastly I grouped them together, raising the large pumpkin with foam pads to create some dimension.

 

Entering this in these inspiring challenges:

The Paper Funday Challenges: #91 AG/ Sketch optional. - I am playing with the sketch

 

Sweet Stamping: Autumn

Simon Says Monday: Use more than one stencil - I used two

Creative Artiste Mixed Media: #131 AG mixed media

Simon Says Wednesday: AG 

Hedgehog greetings

It's the day of the Card Chain reveal again. There's a challenge where you actually get to exchange the card you make. There a sketch, a small color palette and a few prompt words each time. One gets to choose. I usually go for two to three prompts, even though only one is required. This time I chose to work with the sketch and follow the color palette as best as I could. 

Here's what I pulled out: a hedgehog die and two pieces of gelli printed paper. I also used a floral stamp. It was an afterthought, that's why it's not pictured.

 

I cut both papers according to the sketch. Then I stamped the hedgehog, the sentiment and the flowers. The flowers were colored in with GT watercolor.

 

I got a beautiful card from Joanne in return.

If you are interested in such an exchange, why don't you join the fun? This month's sign-up is open till Oct. 6th (here).

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With my card I am playing along in these challenges:

Critter Crazy: #115 AG w/a critter

Elliebelle's Garden Party: #19 Anything in/ from a garden

Love to Scrap: #181 AG

Crafty Animals: #110 AG w/ a animal

 

Thinking of you

 There's a technique called 'double embossing' - which I have been dying to try out. Basically you heat emboss a piece that's gone through an embossing folder. I was inspired by a sketch and many challenges calling for autumn, so I decided on using a paper block with co-ordinated fall colors (for some reason called 'Day break'), a die set and an embossing folder. I selected an embossing powder in the color of 'dusty grape'.

 

I cut 1 1/4" panels from three colors and partially dry embossed them. Then I gently smeared the embossing ink here and there. I didn't want to cover it all as I wanted a rather organic look. Lastly I heat embossed them and cut down to 1" width.

I arranged them onto a piece of scrap paper and cut this to fit the card. I had a piece of ribbon which I wrapped around on the bottom. I mounted the panel on foam pads and arranged the die-cut and paper backed leaves onto it. The sentiment says: Thinking of you.

 

Entering this in these great challenges:

Try A Sketch on Tuesday: #705 sketch

 

Allsorts: #859 Anything Autumn

Can You Handle the Pressure: AG w/ a twist of Trees. - Paying tribute to trees with those leaves

Crafty Gals Corner: #280 AG / Fall foliage optional - playing along with Fall foliage

Simon Says Wednesday: Anything goes 

 

Gentlemanly greetings

There's beauty in simplicity. Today's card is made with just a couple of ingredients: a die, two stamps and some watercolors.

The die just adds double stitched circles to the background. I started by punching it directly onto my card base. Then I stamped the gentleman bird with his fancy bow tie and goggles, colored him and fussy cut the image and adhered it over the circles. Lastly I stamped the sentiment "Best wishes for your birthday".

 

Entering this in these inspiring challenges:

AAA Cards: #324 Follow my lead

 

The Male Room: #214 Dots and/or stripes - I chose dots and placed them on the bow tie

Polkadoodles: 9, week 4 AG 

Recycled goodies

I decided to tackle my pile of paint chips again. They are great to have for color variety, but too much is too much. 

There is a die set that I have been coveting for two years now, "Boho vases" by Altenew. (Google it if interested.) Today I had the brilliant idea of trying to make my lantern dies work for the purpose. I don't used them nearly enough. (Lastly used them here.)

 

So I selected six paint chips, three for vases and the other three for their insides, since the lantern have holes which need to be covered. I also used some green chips and a piece of scrap for the leaves. I die cut the lanterns and just snipped the tops and bottoms away.

To ground the vases I took off cut strips from my strip stash. Then I arranged the vases and greenery on top. The branches were looking rather bare, but I found some pink die cuts that I had stashed away.

All in all, a very satisfying session. I think I am cured from my obsession with that Vases die set, as I could replicate the look with dies I already own.  

Entering this in these nice challenges:

Die Cut Divas: Recycle, re-use, repurpose (2nd entry)

Crafty Gals Corner: #280 AG / Fall foliage optional - I am playing AG

Digi Choosday: 9 week 4 AG 

 

Late roses

 I have been on a quest to use my old and neglected stuff. I confess, I like to make backgrounds, but then not use them. I stash them away, thinking there will be a time when something will come handy - but it rarely does. Because it is too interesting to make new backgrounds ... and so it goes.

Today I pulled out backgrounds which I made two years ago. Two years. Made out of strips of old book pages and a few other remnants that I had collected.

 

When I was looking for an image, a stamp fell into my line of vision: a Santoro girl that I had purchased well before Covid, but never used since. The colors went nicely and I knew I could create the same-ish colors. It was an inspiring match.

I stamped the girl and the rose garland and colored both in. To get the dreamy look and delicate shading I worked with colored pencils.

 

After fussy cutting I arranged both onto the word strip card base. I had to cover a boo-boo with a separate flower, but I think it looks rather natural. The sentiment will go inside.

Entering this in these nice challenges:

Girlz Creative: Splash it with Color: #31 Bruin en/ of oranje

 

I Spy with My Little Eye: #41 Added text (background or sentiment)

Kleuren met potloden: September alles mag

The Neglected Stuff: September AG - the stamp and the background were heavily neglected

Creative Knockouts: September 17 AG 

Changing seasons

 It has come time to say farewell to summer. A cold spell and hefty winds have made a seasonal wardrobe change a necessity, and with that, a seasonal change in colors I'm using. How do oranges, deep greens, pale grass browns and bright pinks suddenly feel so comforting and right?

I noticed a couple of inspiring challenges that were in this vein, and gathered my supplies. The dies are by several makers: Marianne Design, Gummiapan, Elisabeth Design and Spellbinders. The stamp is a new acquisition from Papertrey Ink.

I started by die cutting leaves and branches from my gelli printed papers. Then I stamped the vase with Lost Shadow, and the decoration with Forest Moss DO.

The background was created by using an aperture of a die cut. I used it as a stencil and dabbed Old Paper trough it, creating a dome. It needed grounding. I die cut just the top half of the same dome and flipped it for the bottom.

 

Then I assembled the branches. I left this without a sentiment, as I it is for no special occasion and I am going to fill the inside anyway.

 

Entering this in these wonderful challenges:

Time Out: Seasonal Colors where you live - see my explanation above

 

Tic-Tac-Toe: tttc#302 - My row is diagonal orange - free - pink. 'free' stands for 'other colors'

 

Allsorts: #859 Anything autumn

Inspiration Station: #89 Inspiration photo - Lovely colors! I wish our world was as colorful as the photo, but no, our colors are more subdued.

 

Nachteulen / Nightowls: #65 Herbstlich bunt