Snarky Halloween cats

Now that we’re well into October, I’ve got more Halloween cards to share — specifically, three cards featuring Tim Holtz’s Snarky Cat Halloween set (Stampers Anonymous).

I don’t do a lot of ink blending, so I’m really pleased with how these two cards turned out. I used Distress Oxide inks and spritzed the background with water to create the look of a starry sky. To make the moon I used the Tim Holtz’s layering moon mask (Stampers Anonymous), and the tree branches were made with a die I had in my stash.

For the stamped line-art images (cats, pumpkin, etc.), I stamped the images on the card panels and also on white card stock. I ink blended the images on the white card stock then cut them out and glued them over the images stamped on the card panels. This was the easiest way for me to get all the tiny details, like the little cat hairs, without having to do a lot of masking. (It also meant I didn’t have to keep my ink blending inside the lines since I cut out the images anyway.) I used a stamp positioner to add the bats so I could stamp them multiple times and get them really dark. I love how everything came together!

For the third card, I decided to create an indoor scene — a room in a not-too-spooky haunted house. I used patterned papers to create wallpaper and a hardwood floor. I stamped the cat, pumpkin, and mushroom jar using the same technique described above. I stamped the cobweb in the upper left corner, but the background needed something else. Using the Haunted Gallery die set (Hero Arts), I added a framed portrait of a black cat. I ink blended the background in the frame to coordinate with the pumpkin. I think this card turned out pretty cute, too.

Thanks for stopping by!

Nature card sets

Today I’d planned to share the collection of autumn cards I made last month for seniors in Minnesota, but apparently I forgot to take photos before I dropped them off. Oops. So instead I’m sharing a couple of card  sets featuring nature scenes and images.

I made this set using the On the Horizon cutting-plate die (Taylored Expressions) and the long-retired Epic Day This and That Designer Series Paper (Stampin’ Up!). I chose eight different patterns from the paper, cut the die with each paper, and then mixed the different pieces. I glued the pieces onto kraft card stock as I reassembled the scenes and adhered each panel to a coordinating card base. I did emboss the card bases first to add some subtle texture, although it’s difficult to tell in this photo.

I ended up with eight cards in this design. I kept two for my stash and, after adding sentiment strips, included two in the cards I brought to work last month. These last four I decided to group together into a card set. I didn’t want to add sentiments, so instead I finished each card with a small hemp twine bow.

The second set of cards has a much earthier color palette than the first set. (Sorry that the lighting isn’t great in this photo.) To make this set I used one of the alcohol ink backgrounds I made over the summer along with the Mushroom Medley die set (Concord and 9th). I cut the mushroom tops out of the alcohol ink background and the stems from a variety of neutral card stock colors. I glued the mushroom pieces together and then divided them into four groups of five mushrooms.

I used heavyweight white card bases for these cards, and I added a panel of white woodgrain-textured card stock to the front of each base. I adhered a dark brown die-cut frame on each card and then arranged the mushrooms in the frames, along with a few bits of greenery. To finish each card, I added two enamel dots in the upper right or left corner of the framed area.

I love how these mushrooms turned out, but I’m not sure how I feel about the white background on these cards. I used cream card stock for the mushrooms, and I don’t usually combine white and cream. What do you think?

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