Friday, September 21, 2007

Haunting Halloween

Halloween will be here before we know it and then the worldwind of holidays begins. Are you ready for them? I'm ready to have fun making cards for all those holidays. I have been on a little stamping plurge this week. My housework is not getting done, but I am relaxed and enjoying myself. The Fall Frenzy stamps on sale have been enjoyable to work with. Here are two more cards using the stamp sets on sale.
The first is a Halloween card using a modified color blocking technique. The cauldren from "Haunting Halloween" is so cute. That little frog it a nice touch. I colored my cauldron with chalks and a blender pen. I like the Eggplant potion. I also picked up some of the Pumpkin Pie from the sentiment tag into the stars. The Handsome Hunter strip on the left contains images all from the "Bitty Boos Too" stamp set (also on sale). A simple string of black hemp twine finished this simple card off.




Sometimes simple is all you need. Sometimes more is better. Take these two cards for instance. They both use the same layout from SCS sketch challenge #141. The color structure is the same on both. More Mustard, Close to Cocoa, and a Really Rust base. The center strips are layered onto Chocolate Chip. I simple strip of Chocolate Chip Taffata Ribbon follows the sketch. The stamped images are all from "Autumn Fest" (on sale this month).

The second card is definitely stepped up. I want to thank More is More for her encouragement on SCS and her blog to go above and beyond.

The acorns for both are stamped in Chocolate Chip Craft Ink. The second they are also embossed with clear embossing powder to give them some shine. The More Mustard stirp is stamped with the background "Sanded" in Chocolate Chip Ink. Both leaves are stamped in More Mustard with Really Rust highlights. I traced the stem lines on the second with a marker and then layered it on more colors, mounting in on dimensionals.
The most noticable change of course is the stitching on each side. I used the mat pack to punch holes in the cardstock. Then with a little needle and linen thread I cross-stitched the x's on. Add a couple of Hodgepodge Hardware pieces and this card is stepped up.

2 comments :

mom said...

i loved these two cards - plan to copy them next week - love you bunches - mom

Rebecca said...

I enjoyed the comparison and the lesson. I'm really drawn to the simpler cards (maybe because I'm still a beginner), but you've made a good point. My trouble is knowing when to stop!