I started these two cards years ago but never finished them. I decided to turn them into shaker cards. For the first card, I was inspired by watching one of Tim Holtz's videos about alcohol ink backgrounds with stamping on it. The background I made was an experiment so I used a piece of scrap Yupo paper. It came out so cute that I wanted to make it into a card, even though it definitely was not perfect. I had double stamped the cats to make them darker but was a little off, the alcohol was too shiny in spots, and the scrap piece I used was a bit too short for the A2 format I wanted to make. Challenge accepted! I made a card that hides most of these flaws.
There's not much to be done about the double stamping but the shiny/mat unevenness wouldn't show much under acetate so I made it into a shaker card. I hid the shortness of the piece by placing a sentiment over it.
The next card background I stamped while I was on the Rubbernecker Stamps design team. The company no longer makes the red rubber stamps I used (they also changed their name and now make clear stamps instead), but I put several similar haunted house stamps and spider web stamps in the supply list below (be sure to check the sizes of the stamps to get the size you want).
Note: You may adapt the sizes of the cards as desired. My cards were A2 and A7 but you could reverse them or make them the same size - just adjust your stamping, etc., accordingly. Also, you may use any nesting rectangle dies to create the frames, just be sure they will fit the card bases you choose. I have Waffle Flower versions that match A2 and A7 card formats so it is very easy to make the right size frames. These are a staple in my craft room! See the Supply List below for links.
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Making the Happy Halloween Card
1. On a piece of Yupo paper, use various alcohol inks to create a graduated background from red to red-violet, to blue-violet, to blue, and finally to black - leave an area for a moon. Spray with isopropyl alcohol in a mister bottle to make little light speckles. On an ink blending tool, add a bit of black going from the top partway down. I just messed with this until I was happy with the look.
2. Use a cotton swab with isopropyl alcohol to move alcohol away from moon area. Add some yellow in the center making a circle for the moon. Then add light blue, moving outward going in circles around the moon until it meets up with the darker area.
3. Using a stamp platform and Black Soot Archival Ink, stamp Paris skyline from Cityscapes at the bottom of the scene. I didn't want the city to be identifiable so I just used the right part of the stamp without the Eiffel Tower. I stamped a few times to get darker results (let dry in between - if you use a heat tool to speed drying, keep it moving and don't get close or it will deform the Yupo paper). From Halftone Halloween (Stampers Anonymous), stamp bats and witch on broom. For the cats, stamp once but do not remove stamp from stamp platform. Use a cotton swab to remove alcohol ink from cats' eyes and replace with yellow (may have to remove some cotton or use a precision swab). Place back into stamp platform and stamp again until you are happy with the darkness. Clean stamps with a stamp shammy.
4. Cut a 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 inch piece from white cardstock. Fold in half to create a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inch card base. Use Masking Magic or other masking to cover the back of the card, be sure it lines up perfectly with the fold - you will be ink blending along the front side of the fold. You may also want to cover the inside front of card, depending on how neatly you can ink blend.
5. On a non-stick craft mat, use a blending tool with domed foam and Distress inks matching alcohol ink colors to ink blend around front edges of card. This will make it look like the Yupo panel is the full size of the card front. From bottom to top, I used Lumberjack Plaid, Seedless Preserves, Villainous Potion, Prize Ribbon, Chipped Sapphire, and Black Soot. Adhere Yupo panel to card base. You may remove masks.
6. Use two nested rectangle dies from A2 Layers and Additional A2 Layers to create a frame over the edge of the Yupo panel - you want the edge of the panel between the two rectangles. You may use just one of these nested die sets but the frame may need to be thicker. Be sure that the outer rectangle is smaller than the card front and that the ink blending will fall under the frame. Place the rectangle dies cut side down on surface. Use Mint Tape or washi to tape the two dies on the back (non cutting side) - I recommend all 4 corners and middle of sides to be sure nothing moves while cutting. Cut two frames from black cardstock. Line them up and adhere them together. The double layer will give the frame some strength.
7. Cut a piece of recycled clear plastic packaging (or acetate) in a rectangle a tiny bit smaller than the outer frame die. I don't recommend using a die for this as it can be very difficult to cut through. I find that scissors or a paper trimmer works well. Hint: trace around outer frame on plastic using a Sharpie or other alcohol based marker, then cut inside the line. Check the size - trim if necessary.
8. Use 1/8" tape and/or a strong glue to adhere the plastic to back of frame. Be sure plastic is clean. Add 1/8" double sided adhesive foam strips around edges, making sure foam is completely behind frame. Optional: use a powder tool to go around the inside of frame to remove any unnecessary stick. Make sure that no extra powder is on window before moving on.
9. Add Halloween themed embellishments (sequins, beads, etc.) on top of Yupo panel, making sure they stay towards the center. Adhere frame.
10. Using stamp platform and embossing ink or VersaMark, stamp Happy Halloween from Mini Halloween 3 (Stampers Anonymous) on a strip of dark blue cardstock (hint: use a powder tool on the cardstock before stamping). Sprinkle with purple embossing powder and heat with heat tool - see embossing powder notes in Supplies, below. Trim and cut fish tails - I put a dot in the center on each end, about 1/4 inch in from the left and right sides, then cut from the corners to the dot. Adhere to card with foam tape.
Making The Boo Crew Card
1. Cut a 7x10 inch piece from black cardstock; fold in half to create a 5x7 inch card base. Cut 4 1/2 x 6 1/2 piece from smooth watercolor paper or white Heavystock. Use stamp platform and waterproof black ink such as Distress Archival Black Soot or VersaFine Clair Nocturne to stamp haunted house near bottom (see photo). Also stamp house on a piece of Masking Magic. Note: you should heat set the ink with a heat tool, especially if you used VersaFine Clair, which takes longer to air dry. Fussy cut mask with detail scissors. Apply mask over stamped house. Optional: if your stamp does not have a moon and you want one, you may cut one from masking paper, either with a circle die or trace around something round and fussy cut. Stamp web over top in same ink. See Supplies below for stamp suggestions. Do not remove mask yet.
2. (Optional: you may draw or add to sidewalk using waterproof black pen such as a Copic Multiliner or Sakura Pigma Micron. You may also outline moon if you used a mask to create it.) Use Masking Magic or Post-it Notes to cover bottom area for grass/sidewalk.
3. On non-stick craft mat, use Tim Holtz Distress Inks in various colors and a blending tool with domed foam to create a night sky over your scene. Mine went from purple to blue to black. To create texture in the background, spray or dip fingers in water then flick over background. Let sit for a few seconds then blot with paper towel. Repeat until you get the desired effect.
4. Remove masks. Using waterbrush (or paintbrush) color moon, house, sidewalk, and grass. You may use watercolor paints or Distress Inks.
5. Using stamp platform and waterproof black ink, stamp a couple ghosts over the inked background (see photo). Use waterbrush to remove some ink from inside ghosts (be gentle, don't rub a hole in the paper); blot with paper towel. Add some Picket Fence Distress Ink with waterbrush inside the ghosts to give them more of a white glow. Adhere to card base.
6. See steps 6 to 8 in the card above to create a frame from dark blue cardstock but use A7 Layers and Additional A7 Layers instead of A2. Note: the cardstock I used was a pearlized/metallic type; it was just something I have in my stash - don't remember the manufacturer.
7. Add ghost sequins to card background, making sure they stay near center. I bought mine at a dollar store but Doodlebug Design Halloween Night Shakers contains similar ghosts. I think I added too many so adjust as you like. Adhere frame.
8. Die cut Boo word from black cardstock and Boo shadow layer from Holographic paper or cardstock (the Boo dies that I used are difficult to find so I linked to a more current version). Adhere together with strong glue. Using stamp platform and embossing ink or VersaMark, stamp "The Boo Crew" (or just the words "The" and "Crew") on black cardstock (hint: use a powder tool on the cardstock before stamping). Sprinkle with purple embossing powder and heat with heat tool - see embossing powder notes in Supplies, below.
9. Either hand cut, paper trim, or use a strip die to cut out "The" and "Crew." I couldn't find the strip dies I used but found some similar: Altenew Featured Sentiments, Gina K Designs Sentiment Strips - if they are too long or tall, just die cut one side where it should be then die cut the other, shifting the die but making sure it is lined up before cutting.
10. Adhere sentiment words to card with foam tape as shown. Adhere three ghosts where shown at top right of card.
Supplies
- Ranger Alcohol Inks in Various Colors
- Yupo Paper
- Mister Bottle
- Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Stamps: Cityscapes CMS224, Halftone Halloween CMS199, Mini Halloween 3 CMS140
- Tim Holtz/Ranger Black Soot Archival Ink
- Tim Holtz Distress Inks in Various Colors
- VersaFine Clair Nocturne
- Cotton Swabs
- Tim Holtz Distress Ink Picket Fence
- Sizzix Big Shot, or other die cutting machine
- Waffle Flower Dies: A2 Layers, Additional A2 Layers, A7 Layers, Additional A7 Layers
- Honey Bee Stamps Boo Stamps and Dies HBST-374 (out of print but you may still find it by search); Alternatives: Art Impressions Halloween Sentiments, Waffle Flower Boo Word
- Sizzix Framelits With Stamps Happy Halloween 660647 (ghost stamp, no longer available)
- Avery Elle Simple Sentiments Dies D-18-38; Alternatives: Altenew Featured Sentiments, Gina K Designs Sentiment Strips
- Haunted House Stamps: Stampers Anonymous/Tim Holtz Sketch Manor CMS408, Scrapbook.com Spooky, Colorado Craft Company Happy Haunting, Sunny Studio Stamps Fall Scenes, Woodware Haunted - be sure to check sizes of stamps to get what you want
- Spider Web Stamps: Picket Fence Studios Caught in My Web, Stampers Anonymous/Tim Holtz Tangled Webs CMS346, Stampers Anonymous/Tim Holtz CMS380, Creative Expressions Web of Shadows - be sure to check sizes of stamps to get what you want
- Masking Magic
- Non-stick Craft Mat
- Stamp Platform (Tim Holtz, Misti)
- Heat Tool
- Lawn Fawn Stamp Shammy to clean stamps
- Mint Tape or Washi Tape
- VersaMark or Embossing Ink
- Embossing Powder: I couldn't find WOW! Metalline Violet Regular WG04R that I used but the Ranger Purple Opaque Shiny Embossing Powder looks similar
- Foam Tape, 1/8" Wide and/or Strong Glue (recommend fine tipped bottle)
- Foam Tape
- Scrapbook.com Foam Adhesive Strips 1/8" Wide (I used sbc-ptadh-6000, 2mm thick version single)
- Pink & Main Powder Tool
- Recycled Plastic Packaging
- Halloween Embellishments (e.g. sequins, beads), Doodlebug Design Halloween Night Shakers
- Tim Holtz Blending Tools, Domed Foam Applicators
- Smooth Watercolor Paper (Distress Watercolor Cardstock) or White Distress Heavystock
- Holographic Paper or Cardstock
- Detail Scissors
- Waterproof Black Pen: Copic Multiliner, Sakura Pigma Micron
- Post-it Notes
- Waterbrush
