Making Your Own Background for Craft-Room Challenges

The most recent theme over at Craft-Room Challenge  has been chosen by the talented Mervi and she decided to challenge us with making our own background.   Knowing that Halloween is right around the corner I knew I wanted to make a card pertaining to the holiday, so I dug into my stash of alcohol ink backgrounds and this is the result.

 

You can't really see the little stars, but they are there!

What I Used to Make my Card:

Alcohol Ink Background (pre-made using blues, purple and Silver Leaf Pen)

White Card Base, square, 5 ¼ x 5 ¼

Round Punch, 2 inches

Witch Cut File

Silhouette Cameo

Black Cardstock

Happy Halloween from Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous “Simple Sayings”, CMS155

Silver Paper Scrap

Silver Sequin Stars (tiny)

Silver Ink from Colorbox Pinwheel “Alchemy”

Silver Siam Embossing Powder from Globecraft & Piccolo

Glue (I use Crafters Pick The Ultimate)

If you don’t have your alcohol ink background made, do that first.  I made this using the old Polished Stone method, you can search for it, I searched “polished stone technique” and came up with quite a few options, and even videos, to show you how to achieve the effect.

Once your background is done, trim it down to fit on the front of your  base card.  I trimmed a ¼” on each side so I could leave a bit of the white cardstock showing.  But I found it easier to build the card on the background before I glued it to the card base.

 

She reminds me of Bewitched!

I searched my cut files and found this cute witch. I like her because she isn’t your typical scary looking witch with a wart on her nose and a scowl on her face.  I cut her out using my Silhouette Cameo machine and black cardstock.  I punched the moon out of silver cardstock using a circle punch.

I used a scrap of white cardstock for the sentiment.  I stamped the Happy Halloween in silver ink and then embossed it with silver embossing powder.  At that point I felt the card was done.  I put it aside so I could write this post.

 

Something is missing. . .

When I looked at the card the next day I wasn’t as happy with it as I was at first.  It needed a little something more. Since my desk was an absolute mess, covered with everything and anything Halloween related I spied the little silver stars and I thought that since the witch is riding her broom at night, so little stars were in order.  After I put the stars on the card, in no particular order, I was happy with the card again. I wish they showed up in the photograph better but Mew was happy to pose for all of you!

 

My own little black cat, Mew, and the card.  You can actually see the stars!

So there you have my second Halloween card this season.  I am very far behind, and honestly, I doubt I’ll be sending any out, but I just LOVE the holiday so much, I know I will make more cards, most likely when I should be making winter holiday cards to send out.  I hope you enjoyed my little tutorial and there is still 2 weeks to get in on the Craft-Room Challenge “Make Your Own Background Theme” (challenge #87) – hope to see you there! Christi

I would like to enter my Witch Card in the following challenges:
Artistic Inspirations -(w) #113,  Make Your Own Background
Craftin' Desert Divas - (2w) #42, Halloween
Bloggers Challenge - (2w) Halloween
Addicted to Stamps - (m) #116, Anything Goes
One Crazy Stamper - October Challenge, Christmas/Halloween (I chose Halloween)
Die Cut Divas - October Challenge, Change of Seasons, Spring/Autumn (I chose to go with Autumn)