Happy Halloween 2021!

Happy Halloween!  There are so many cute Halloween stamp sets, I had a difficult time choosing what to use for my card this year.  So I ended up having fun and combining a couple of sets!  And I knew I wanted to use Distress Oxide inks so got inky doing some blending.  😀

For this card I first stamped Ezra from the Halloween Buddies - Ezra stamp set onto White Daisy cardstock using Intense Black ink.  I colored the image with Spectrum Noir Tri-Blend markers, then cut the image using the corresponding thin cut.  Next I stamped the skull image from the Halloween Buddies - Joey stamp set onto Linen cardstock using Intense Black ink then cut the image using the corresponding thin cut.  Using Pewter ink, I daubed a bit of the ink over the skull.  To finish up the stamping, the Happy Haunting sentiment from the Halloween Buddies - Ezra stamp set was stamped onto a scrap of Black cardstock using Versamark ink and embossed in Ranger White Super Fine Embossing Powder.

For the background cuts, first the fence was cut multiple times using the thin cut from the Halloween Buddies - Ezra stamp set and from wood grain paper (note that although the paper I used is retired, the Wood Grain Paper Packet would also serve this purpose just as well).  Next, using the Cricut, I cut the grass out of Charcoal cardstock, the spooky house out of Black cardstock, and the moon out of retired Sunkiss Yellow cardstock.  I also used a sponge dauber to add a bit Pewter ink onto the moon.

To prepare the background I blended the following Distress Oxide inks onto White Daisy cardstock   Abandoned Coral, Seedless Preserves, Villianous Potion, and Black Soot.  I then assembled everything as depicted in the photos.  To add a bit of shine, I added the Autumn Sequins to the area by the fence and Clear Shimmer Brush to the moon.

Happy Haunting!

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October 2021 Stamp of the Month - Wildflower Friendship!

Have you ever purchased a stamp set because it was beautiful, then once you had it, struggled with what to do with it?  I must admit the October 2021 Stamp of the Month, Wildflower Friendship, fit that scenario with me.  Unusually for me, I looked around for inspiration, but nothing felt right for my personal style.  I played with a couple of ideas, but none seemed to work to my satisfaction.  Finally, I hit upon an idea that felt more like me.

 

For this card, I knew I wanted color, but did not want to do all the coloring myself.  Using a Misti, I stamped the floral owl with Mink ink onto Mink cardstock.  Then I took a Spectrum Noir Tri-Blend marker and shaded the owl in gray.  I took another Spectrum Noir Tri-Blend marker and colored in all the flowers in a pink color.  Next I put the stamped image back into the Misti, re-stamped with VersaMark ink, then embossed with Ranger White Super Fine Embossing Powder.  I fussy cut the image and put it aside.

To prep the card base, I used Linen cardstock, cut an oval out of it using my Cricut, then dry embossed using the Botanical Embossing Folder.  I also used the Cricut to cut an oval frame in Silver Foil paper.  Using Wild Berry cardstock, I cut a frame slightly larger than the embossed Linen cardstock to layer behind without showing through the oval.  I adhered the Wild Berry cardstock frame to a White card base, then adhered the embossed Linen cardstock and Silver Foil paper oval frame on top.  The floral owl was attached to the base using 3-D Foam Tape.

To finish the card, I stamped the "I Appreciate Everything you do!" sentiment onto a scrap of Wild Berry cardstock with VersaMark ink and embossed with Ranger White Super Fine Embossing Powder.  I adhered the sentiment to the base using 3-D Foam Tape.  Finally I decided to dress up the floral owl with Wild Berry Floral Sequins and Bitty Sparkles.

Each month you can purchase a new D-size stamp set, available for one month only, for just $5 - that's over 70% off retail!  When you place an order of $50 or more in Close To My Heart products, you qualify for this special Stamp of the Month pricing.  Or you can get it for FREE as a VIP Customer! Otherwise, you can purchase this set outright for $18.95. 

This month’s set is only available October 1–31.

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World Card Making Day: Slimline Celebrations - Fishy Greetings!

Happy World Card Making Day!  Close To My Heart has really outdone themselves with the latest special in honor of us stampers!  Ever since I saw the Slimline Celebration, the ideas have been flowing, so I'm hoping to do at least a couple of posts with these cute stamp sets, dies, and sentiments.  Even if you're not into the slimline style cards, this special has something for everyone!

My immediate thought when I saw the circle die was that I wanted to do a rainbow die cut inlay.  The fish images in the Fishy Greetings stamp set seemed perfect for doing rainbow colors.  I also thought the Dreamy Holographic Paper would perfectly simulate bubbles.

To make this card, I first did a rough measure of scraps of card stock for each section of the Circle Cluster Thin Cuts using the following colors:  Wild Berry (color of the year), Papaya (new for 2021), Shortbread (new for 2021), Green Apple, Bluebird, and Grape.  I took each of the scraps and cut out the sections from the die, carefully putting all the pieces, including the tiny "intersectional" pieces in a bowl.  I then used the whole die to cut out a piece of Dreamy Holographic Paper.

 

For the card base, I cut a 7" x 8" piece of White Daisy cardstock, scored it in half at 3.5" to make a 3.5" x 8" card base.  After adhering the holographic die cut to the card base, I inlaid the cut scraps into the holographic circle die cut.

 

Next I used a Misti to stamp the various fish as shown onto White Daisy cardstock using Intense Black ink.  Using Spectrum Noir Tri-Blend markers, I colored the fish to coordinate with the colors of card stock.  I then placed the stamped fish back into the Misti and heat embossed with VersaFine Jet Black ink and Ranger Clear Super Fine Embossing Powder.  Using the individual fish dies, I cut out each of the fish, noting the that trio of fish were fussy cut since there was not a die available for that stamp.

 

To finish the card, I used the Misti to stamp the "Swimming by to say..." sentiment on the card front.  Then I adhered each of the die cut fish onto the card base where they coordinated with the inlaid color card stock.  Finally I randomly adhered Lagoon Loose Gems around the card base.

I love how the holographic paper, embossed fish, and loose gems make this card shine!

 

Note that the Slimline Celebration special ends is only available through October 31, 2021, so get it before it's gone!

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