Halloween Peeking Out All Over!

As mentioned in my previous post, it's that time of year when I get to make Halloween cards...ones I truly enjoy so I can let my imagination run away!  My next card is for DD#2, my youngest daughter, and her husband.  Since there is a man involved, I had to stay away from anything too feminine!

My son-in-law is a Halloween and theme park enthusiast!  The two of them just returned from a five-day Halloween adventure vacation to the Los Angeles area, visiting Halloween horror events and Halloween themed parks and thrill rides.  Warner Bros. Halloween Horror Nights was their primary attraction visited.

I actually started their card well over a month ago after I checking out several Splitcoaststamper challenges before I finally settled on the card layout I wanted to use, but I was unhappy with where it was going so I stopped and only recently got back to it.  I revisited the SCS challenges and finally felt like I knew where I was headed!  I incorporated four common Halloween images usually seen on the Day of the Dead and ones that I was fairly sure they saw in many different versions while on their vacation.  I ended up pretty happy with the results and was pretty sure they would enjoy it as well.  Take a peek below at the finished card:

I found a verse that was perfect for the card, with a few modification, but ended up having to hand-write it because my printer was on the fritz!

Ingredients:  Papers: Stampin' Up cs--Basic Black, Lucky Limeade, Very Vanilla; Bazzill cs--Yam; American Crafts POW Glitter Paper--Caramel; Best Creations Glitter paper--Lime; Pattern Paper--Doodlebug Designs/Ghost & Ghouls--Spookie Sprinkles (confetti), Host of Ghosts (stripe).  Dies:  Impression Obsession: Halloween Cutout Circles; Stampin' Up--Layering Circles; Little B--Halloween Phrases.  Punches: Martha Stewart edger--Cathedral Lace; Stampin' Up--Curvy Corners (inside-retired).  Embellishments: Offray Sheer Stripe--Yellow-Green; Recollections--purple mini rhinestones.  Verse/ modified by Chatterbox.  Size: 4-3/4 x 6 inches. 

Cute Skeleton Bones for Halloween

It's that time of year where I get to make Halloween cards.  I just really enjoy putting together interesting and offbeat cards, and my four adult children and their spouses enjoy receiving them.  For my DD#1 (darling daughter), I found two challenges at Splitcoasters that spurred along my imagination and my creative mojo began to rumble!

I wanted to use skeleton bones on my card, and I pulled out an old 2015 Stampin' Up set that I had not ever inked up.  Being that this card would be for my oldest daughter, I thought a few feminine touches might be nice, so my skeleton ends up being a wee girl skeleton but not so terribly scary.  I am really happy with the results that morphed as I put it together.  I completed the inside with my very own Chatterbox verse and added some embellishments to coordinate with the card front.  Take a peek below. . .I think DD#1 will be delight!

Ingredients:  Papers:  Stampin' Up Basic Black, Shimmer White, Whisper White, Happy Haunting dsp (stars); Darice Core'dinations Glitter Silk--Silver Mist. Stamp/Die set: Howl-O-Ween Treat/ Boo To You dies (2015 Holiday).  Dies:  Pierced Scallop Background.  SU Punch:  Ornate Tag Topper.  SU: Lucky Stars EF.  SU Embellishments:  3/8" Glitter Ribbon-White, Metallic Thread-Silver, Iced Rhinestone.  Chatterbox sentiment/ verse (handwritten/ computer printed).  Size: 4-3/4 x 6 inches.

Fall Happy Birthday!

I have oodles of birthday cards to make for Fall, and this one is for a cardmaking good friend.  I wanted to make her a Fall card with a little bit of a vintage flair.  After checking out several Splitcoaststamper challenges, I knew exactly what I wanted to do! 

Ultimately, I ended up casing a card designed and  developed by my sister, Heidi Gonzales, over five years ago, because I had a stash of her leftover papers and elements that she used, including a delightful "Autumn Wind" digital bookmark image, some the ribbon, and the recycled lace.  I made my own oval layered backdrop and sentiment to finish my card.  

In keeping with one set of SCS challenge requirements to add things of  Scottish, Irish, and Welsh tradition, I have included the plaid on my card, which is important to all three countries, and depicts their family or clan heritage.  No two families or clans use the same plaid.  I've also included acorns, representing the Acorn Oak, which once formed over 1/3 of the tree coverage in all of the British Isles and was important to the shipbuilding industry.  

My thanks to Heidi for allowing me to case her card...it has such a lovely vintage flair and perfect Fall elements!  Take a peek at the results of my finished card front, as well as my coordinating interior design and Chatterbox sentiment and verse. 

Ingredients:   Papers:  Stampin' Up Cardstock--Crumb Cke, Early Espresso, Tangerine Tango, Very Vanilla, Antique Linen.  Stash: unknown acorns and plaid.  Digital Pre-colored bookmark: Autumn Wind by Digital Papers.  Chestnut Roan ink distressing.  Dies:  Stampin' Up--Layering Ovals; Spellbinders--Classic Ovals LG, Classic Scallop Ovals LG, Petite Ovals LG, Petite Scallop Ovals LG.  Recycled Lace (bottom edging on old over-blouse.  Ribbon Stash: Silk Variegated; Pumpkin Stickers; Gold Metallic gems.  Linen Twine (acorn).  Chatterbox sentiment/ verse.  Size: 4-7/8" x 6".

A Roller Coaster Birthday!

My son-in-law has a mid-October birthday.  Since my daughter and her husband will be taking a mini-vacation to southern California to visit the theme parks in all their Halloween glory as his birthday gift, I wanted to use a Halloween theme park with scary rides as the subject of his card.  I found the perfect roller coaster die made by Simon Says.

With the help of peeking at some Splitcoasterstamper challenges, I decided on a late evening sunset sky with the roller coaster and other card elements in a subtle black glimmer paper in silhouette fashion.  I watercolored my sunset sky with Stampin' Up inks starting at the bottom in this order:  Daffodil Yellow, Tangerine Tango, Rose Red, Wisteria Wonder, Marina Mist, and Night of Navy, and then reapplied different colors where I thought certain colors were needed.  I applied the inks with water-wetted brush and misted over with water spritzing.  I moved the colors around with a paint brush until I was happy with the color combination.  I blew it dry with my heat tool (back and front).  I lightly spritzed my homemade White Pearlized Mist (made from water and Folk Art Metallic White Pearl acrylic paint) to give it a sheen and starry look.  I sponged a separate small piece of watercolor paper with yellow, orange and a bit of rose-red and finished by pearl spritzing to make my 3/4" punched circle for my moon.  I ink distressed its edges lightly with Crumb Cake ink.

I am super pleased with my results!  I think it is the perfect card for Josh. . .the family, theme park enthusiast!  Take a peek below at my finished outside and inside coordinating designs with my Chatterbox verse.

Ingredients:  Watercolor paper.  Stampin' Up cardstock:  Basic Black, Hello Honey.  Gold Glimmer?, Black Glimmer?  Stampin' Up Inks:  Daffodil Yellow, Tangerine Tango, Rose Red, Wisteria Wonder, Marine Mist, Night of Navy.  Homemade White Pearlized Spritz (water/ Folk Art Metallic White Pearl Acrylic paint).  Dies:  Simon Says--Rockin' Roller Coaster; Impression Obsession--DIE096-D/ Grass; Memory Box--Stitched Halloween Circle Frame (just bats).  EK Punches:  Hole punch (people heads); 3/4" Circle; Victorian Corners (inside).  Background: Watercolor Sky.  Chatterbox verse.  Size:  4-3/4" x 6".

Revisiting "A Peek at Fall"

I originally made this card and posted it to my blog on September 20, 2017.  Click here to see the cards original posting: A Peek at Fall).  I intended to use it as one of my fall birthday cards for 2017, but somehow I missed doing that.  Therefore, I am now going to use it for my youngest son's October birthday this year.  I have composed a little birthday verse inside to suit the theme of the card.  Check out the finished card inside and out below! 

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstock--Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler, Gold Glimmer.  Stamps--Hardwood, Happy Scenes (retired).  Inks--Crumb Cake, Daffodil Yellow, Pumpkin Pie, Cherry Cobbler.  Dies--Leaflets Framelits, Seasonal Layers Thinlits.  Embossing Folder: Woodgrain.  Linen Thread.  Dazzling Diamonds Glitter.  Glitter Enamel Dots (inside & out: colored).  Other products:  Inks--Encore Gold Metallic, Memento Tuxedo Black, Colorbox Chestnut Roan.  Copic markers.  Offray Burlap Weave.  Techniques:  Stamping, Sponging, Coloring.  Inside: EK Punch: Victorian Med. Corner.  Chatterbox verse.  Size: 4-3/4" x 6".  (Woodgrain stamped bg  and the chairs are also Woodgrain embossed to add texture.  Chairs are popped up).

Congrats! to Your Happy News!

We are looking forward to welcoming a new bundle of joy into the family. . .our second grandchild!  She is due to arrive in mid-March next year!  This will be my youngest daughter's first child.  She is so excited as are my husband and me.  Our daughter announced that they were expecting a girl by texting a picture of hubby giving her a big hug as she displayed a lovely pink satin bow tied around the middle of her white shirt as she held fluffy pink teddy bear in the crook of her arm.  It gave me a great idea for a congratulations card!

First, I prepared two pink watercolor papers. . .one for the card face and one for the inside verse area.  I dried them with my heat embossing tool, making sure not to curl or warp the paper (by applying heat to both sides of the paper).  I spritzed both with water to get a water droplet effect and re-dried both.  Then, I flecked darker rose watercolor paint flecks onto their surfaces with a paint brush.  Next, I stamped and fussy-cut my little bear and colored and shaded him very lightly with several pink Copics.  I shimmered the bee's wings with Wink of Stella/ Clear.

It was time to prepare my quilt.  I cut my quilt twice with the quilt die:  once in white cardstock and a second time in the tiny white hearts on pink paper.  I assembled the die-cut quilt pattern pieces that I chose to use to make up the quilt pattern from the die-cut pieces and glued them onto a square of plain white cardstock, starting with the pink patterned frame.  When assembly and gluing was complete, I embossed it with the Quilt Top embossing folder and glued it to my Lifestyles Eyelet Squares die-cut.  

I die-cut "Congrats" four times in plain white cardstock and stacked and glued them on top of one another to give dimension.  I added Wink of Stella/ Clear shimmer to the eyelet square edging and the "Congrats" die-cut.  Unfortunately, this does not show up in the photograph.  I popped my quilt square and little bear off the watercolor wash background with foam dimension pieces cut to fit just inside their outside edges.  I finished the card with the velvet rose ribbon and knot (which looks darker than in RIL) and with a yarn tuff in the quilt center.

Take a peek below at my finished baby congratulations card for my youngest daughter!

Ingredients:  Papers:  Stampin' Up Whisper White cardstock, My Favorite Things Tiny Hearts Brights (pink), Tim Holtz Watercolor Paper.  Stamps: Stampin' Up A Little Wild.  Dies: Stampin Up Quilt Builder, WRMK Lifestyles: Nesting Eyelet Squares (may be discontinued), Impression Obsession: Congrats.  Stampin' Up Embossing Folder: Quilt Top.  Wink of Stella: Clear (eyelet square/ congrats).