Not So Scaredy Cat

Halloween sure seems like a long time away! Hard to believe that we are already heading towards mid-July. Before you know it the kids will be heading back to school. Time flies, even when we would like to stretch out the summer activities for just a bit longer. With that in mind, I thought it was a great chance to share the Halloween card I designed. This was for the recent swap I participated in. The main reason I wanted to share this card is because of two issues I encountered while making it that are great reminders to all card makers...

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The first difficulty I ran across was that I was extremely limited in my options for paper and stamps.  My challenge was to use only current Stampin’ Up! items.  At the time of sign up for the swap, I had assumed that come June 1st I would be able order new holiday stamps and paper. Alas, Stampin’ Up! has changed its catalog layout! There will be a separate holiday catalog that will not be released until August. I could only use materials from last year's catalog that had carried over to the new catalog. That turned out to be little to nothing. The thought did cross my mind to just drop out of the holiday challenges. Particularly since this was my first swap with other demonstrators, and I did not want to submit cards that I felt were not "top" quality. I was unsure that I could create cards that would meet my expectations. While searching through my stamps I came across the cat, but it had a birthday greeting underneath it. By only stamping the cat part of the stamp with a marker, I had solved my dilemma. The silly demeanor of the cat ensured that it would be a happy Happy Halloween card versus a scary one. The Happy Halloween stamp was the only stamp I had that met the guidelines. My card was designed by the (few) ingredients that I had on hand!

The second issue occurred after I had completed and designed my Halloween card. I glued the first layer down to the all the other cards without placing my ribbon on. YIKES! Now what to do? A huge belief amongst crafters is – there are NO mistakes only opportunities to embellish - fondly referred to as happy accidents! I panicked at first, but then decided upon laying the ribbon under the cat stamp at an angle. Placing the pearl at the end of it gave it a polished finishing touch.  The card I had originally completed had the ribbon horizontal across the first layer and placed underneath the cat. In the end I was happier with the end result rather then the intended layout.

Moral of my story is that something can be made from next to nothing, and if you mess it up there is a good chance that it can be fixed!

The base of the card is an 8 ½” x 11” piece of Basic Black cardstock cut in half then scored at 4 ¼” for a size A2 card. The next layer is a 5”x 4” piece of Pumpkin Pie card stock, which I rounded the corners. I colored only the cat part of the stamp with a basic black marker. I then punched it out with the scallop punch and sponged the edges with Pumpkin Pie for depth. The cat stamped scallop was placed on the 3” black card stock circle and placed atop the ribbon was adhered first (don’t make the same mistake I did – haha). I cut the ends of the ribbon to give it some flair and added a pearl. The final touch was the message stamped with Versamark and embossed in black.

 

Product Information + Order Numbers : 

Stamp Set(s): Seasonal Sayings (Wood-mount 131937, Clear-mount 128009) Giggle Greetings (Wood-mount 131062, Clear-mount 131065)

Paper: Basic Black (121045) Pumpkin Pie (105117) Whisper White (100730)

Ink: Pumpkin Pie (126945) Basic Black marker (100082)

Cool Tools: Heat Tool (129053) 2 3/8” Scallop Circle (118874) 3/16” Corner Punch (119871) Big Shot (113439) 3” Circle Originals (122125)

Perfect Touch: Versamark (102283) Black Embossing Powder (109133) Pearl Basic Jewels (119247) 3/8” Taffeta Ribbon (109070)

 

Posted on July 5, 2013 .