It's Getting Close to Halloween!

Close enough for me to begin decorating and creating!  I got these really cool "salad grabbers" at the Dollar Tree - they are made from a skeleton arm and hand, and you get 2 of them! I just HAD to grab them and I have been painting them with glow in the dark paint; my goal is to stick them on the lawn so they appear to be coming up from the dirt, BWAHAHHAHHH!! 

As soon as I spied the Lawn Fawn Shadow Box Card die set I knew I had to have it.  Once I had the set, I watched the Lawn Fawn Video on how to assemble the card and saw fabulous ideas from their design team.  I can see holiday ornaments in my recipients futures!  Anyway, since the video tells you how to assemble the card I won't be going into that detail, however, please be aware that sticky tape DOES go bad.  Apparently, you cannot keep it for 20 years, find it, and try to use it to make something.  Also, mono-adhesive leaves a strip wider than where you want the adhesive to go, lastly, wet glue doesn't work AT ALL.  Yes, I made a HUGE mess, swore like a sailor and scared the fur babies (in my defense, they are SO cute when they puff up!) and finally got my adhesive nightmare under control.  Needless to say there is an order for more 1/8" wide tape on it's way to my door.  So, back to the card:

This is What I Used to Make my Card:

Black Card (for shadow box)

Light Brown Card (for hills)

Orange Card (for pumpkins)

Watercolor Card 

Lawn Fawn Shadow Box Card, LF1486

Lawn Fawn Costume Party Stamps, LF1458

Lawn Fawn Costume Party Dies, LF1459

Hero Arts Intense Black Ink

Paper Smooches Wise Dies Streamers, KFBD029 (here is a nice substitute)

Derwent Water Color Pencils

Stampin' Up! Blender Pens

Circle Punch

Yellow Card

Pop Dot

I made the Shadow Box and attached the hills as instructed on the video.  Then came the fun part.  As some of you may know, I get on these coloring kicks where I color & color & cut and then, days,

View From the Top

sometimes months later, I use the items I colored.  Well, I did the same with all the cute costumed folks in the Costume Party set.  I colored and cut like a madwoman.  I even have candy corn, chocolate bars and adorable individually wrapped candies ready to use.  I picked out a witch and a mummy to you in this card.  I gave the mummy a cute little pumpkin candy catcher and set a plain pumpkin near my witch.  Once I was happy with the placement, I stuck all the elements down.  I also used a nice bright yellow card, punched a moon out and pop dotted that to the upper right corner.  For the grand finale, I made a Happy Halloween banner as a sentiment. 

A2 Envie - ooops!

This scrumptious little shadow box will close to fit into a standard A2 envelope so it requires NO EXTRA POSTAGE! That is a huge selling point to me!  As you can see from my pictures below, mine did not fit in an A2 envie, due to the placement of the banner.  However, it fit like a charm in an A7 envelope, and assuming you haven't stuffed the envelope full of rocks, it should also be able to go out to the USA with one "forever" stamp. 

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you'll get inspired to make some screamingly cool Halloween goodies! Christi

Don't forget to play along at the Dies R Us Challenge Blog for your chance to win a gift voucher to the Dies R Us Store.  A new challenge begins on the first and fifteenth of every month.  

Be sure to Follow Us on FACEBOOK too. 

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Another Look :)

I would like to enter my Halloween Shadow Card in the following challenges, found at Challenges for Days (shameless plug): 

Cuttlebug Mania - M,  Anything Goes w/ Dies and/or Embossing

Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Happy Little Stampers - Sept. Anything Goes with Dies Challenge 

One Crazy Stamper - M, Seasons of Celebration

Crafty Catz - Halloween

Crafty Friends Challenge - #66, To Use Dies and/or Punches

Allsorts - #433, Feels Like Autumn 

Lawn Fawnatics - #13, Inspiration Board (see below)

Thank you & hope to see you at Dies R Us! 

Happy Birthday!

Seems birthdays are popping up like the weeds are! I am trying to be better at sending birthday cards this year.  This card was made from a background that I made myself.  I hope you like it! 

What I Used to Make my Card:
White Card Base
Watercolor Paper
Kaleidacolor Pad in Spectrum
Red Lead Paperworks Story Stamps "A Handmade Story" (discontinued)
Embossing Fluid
White Detail Embossing Powder from Simon Says Stamp
Clean Color Markers in Violet, Light Violet, Persian Blue, Orange, Pink, Carmine Red, May Green and Yellow
Paper Smooches Wise Dies, Streamers, #KFBD029
Quietfire Designs Happy Birthday Plain & Simple, #5899
MISTI
Pop Dots

I've seen so many cards using white embossing powder and watercolor that I had to try it.  It took me a while to find a flower that was small enough to work in the design I wanted and, unfortunately, the stamp set is discontinued.  I'm sure you have something you could use; it doesn't have to be a flower. I struggled a bit with placement as it's hard to see where you have already stamped with the embossing ink.  Even with the slight pink tint mine has it wasn't easy.  Luckily, I didn't over stamp and once the white detail embossing powder was on and heated up I was very pleased with the background.  I used the tried and true scribble and watercolor technique but instead of using a detail water brush I used an actual brush.  I don't know the number (most of my brushes are so old all distinguishing marks are long gone) but it was tiny.  I then added more color to the inside of the flower and blended it out a bit.  You can see what I mean in the photo above.

Another Look

After the background was done I didn't do anything with it for a while.  I worked so hard on it, and while I totally enjoyed coloring the flowers, I didn't want to use it as just any old card.  Then I realized that a very good friend had a birthday coming up on St. Patrick's Day (that'd be NanaConnie - Visit her blog and say Happy Birthday - I'll wait.)  Perfect use of the watercolor background I made! I just mounted the panel on a white card and then made the Happy Birthday banner using a Kaleidacolor pad, my MISTI and the Paper Smooches dies.  I just have to say, while Kaleidacolor pads may initially seem expensive compared to other ink pads I have had my Spectrum pad since I started stamping.  That's about 19 years now and I have never had to reink it or had any problem with it.  Pretty good deal if you ask me.  Anyway, I attached the banner die cut on the card using Pop Dots.  

I loved making this background so much I ordered some stamp sets specifically for the little flowers and leaves - they should be so cool using this technique! Another one I've seen around lately is using colored pencils on Kraft cardstock. I haven't tried that one yet but the results I've seen are spectacular.  Thank you so much for stopping by - I appreciate your visits, comments and support.  Did you know I am on Pinterest? And, I am trying to figure out Instagram (yes, I am feeling old right about now.)  Let's connect! Fondly, Christi

PS: Happy St. Patrick's Day :) 

I am entering my Happy Birthday card in the following challenges:
Make My Monday - #41, Colors of the Rainbow
Die Cuttin' Diva's - #308, Rainbow
Inky Chicks - #80, Flowers
The Flower Challenge - #6, Anything Goes w/ Flowers (#2)
STAMPlorations Monthly Challenge - (M) Sketch and/or Spring (I used Spring) 
DL ART Thankful Thursday - #200, Flowers (#2)

Challenge #6 ~ TWOFERS ~ Blue, Green & Yellow

Hi all you fabulous people! For Challenge #6, Zoe has chosen a color challenge and you can see the specifics at the Twofers Blog. A fun chance to get away from all the holiday projects and stretch yourself a bit. I needed to make a birthday card anyway, so it was the perfect opportunity to use the colors in the challenge.  Here is my blue, green & yellow birthday card:

How I Made my Card:
White Card Base
White Cardstock
Darice "Clouds Background" Embossing Folder
Paper Smooches Streamers Die Set, #KFBD-13-029
Quietfire Designs, Ten Tiny Tag Sentiments, #6382
Silhouette Cameo
Airplane & Sun Cut files
Core'dinations Cardstock in Pastels; Blue, Green and Yellow
Pebbles Chalks in Basic Brights
Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black
Pop Dots

Let me tell you, buying the Ten Tiny Tag Sentiments from Quietfire Design has been one of the BEST purchases I have made - I use these little sayings so much!  I started the card with the concept of a sky scene, with a plane dragging a banner (I had just gotten the Paper Smooches Die set and was dying to use it - get it? LOL) with Happy Birthday on it, luckily the Ten Tiny Tag Sentiments fit on my banner perfectly! But I am getting ahead of myself. . .

I first dry embossed white cardstock with the Darice Clouds embossing folder. Funny as this was one of those purchases that caught my eye and I bought on impulse and this is the folder I seem to use most. Once my clouds were embossed, I chalked around the clouds and filled in the sky. like I did while making this Summer Fun card.  Once I was done with the chalking, I trimmed the panel down to fit on the card base, glued it and set it aside to dry.

While waiting, I went to my trusty Silhouette Cameo, found some free vectors which I turned into cut files and cut out my sun and my airplane.  It's so easy to use the Cameo machine and I honestly don't think there is anything it can't do, as long as you can find a picture, vector, saying or shape, you can convert it and cut it out!  So I cut out my airplane and my sun to use on the card and set them aside.

I chose a banner that I wanted to use, used my Big Shot to die cut it out of the green paper.  I stamped Happy Birthday, kind of on an angle, using the Jet

Black ink and started to assemble the card.  You can't really see it in the pictures, but I chalked the edges of the plane and the banner before I pop dotted them onto the cloud background. I also pop dotted the inside circle of the sun.  Lastly, I used a black sharpie and drew the rope that attaches the banner to the plane.  I hope my friend likes her birthday card :)

I am thrilled that you stopped by to check out my card - now you have two whole weeks to put together your own Blue, Green & Yellow card (or project) and enter it in our Twofers challenge. You might win a $20 gift certificate to Alleystamps and be able to get yourself some real goodies! So come and join Zoe, Jane and myself, you just might win! Have a fabulous day ~ Christi

Another look 

I'd like to enter my Flying High Birthday Card in the following challenges:

Chalk N Stock (October) Anything Goes

Silhouette Challenges (October) Anything Goes

Not Just Cards - Anything Goes

Creative Ladybird's Creations Challenge (October) - Anything Goes

The Sisterhood of Crafters Die-lirious & Punchy

Scrapy Land - #27, Must Use a Brand of Die Sold in Store (Paper Smooches)

Sweet Stamps (October) - Anything Goes

Southern Girls Challenge - Let's Celebrate

Polkadoodles - #42, Use a Die Cut
Paper Smooches - (week 3) Anything Goes