Trick or Treat: It's Pumpkin Time!

In the past I haven't put a lot of energy into Halloween.  I usually jump right into making winter and Christmas cards at this time of year.  But my little boy has become enthralled with pumpkins and costumes and trick-or-treating, so this year I'm making more of an effort to enjoy the fun of Halloween.  I picked up a few Halloween stamps from the dollar bin at Michael's (and they were 40% off, so this frugalista was pretty excited!).  I figured that if they didn't stamp well, I'd only wasted 60 cents on each of them, but I have actually been surprised by how well they stamp.  The small pumpkin and the sentiment on this card are from my dollar-bin shopping spree, so you can see for yourself how well they stamp.

This card was created for the very first challenge offered by a brand-new blog, CAS(E) This Sketch.  Here is the sketch for this week's challenge:

 

Isn't that a fun sketch?  So many possibilities with this one!  CAS(E) this Sketch posts challenges for the Clean and Simple style. Click CAS(E) This Sketch to join in the fun!

 

Here is my card for the challenge:

 

 

This card is a very clean and simple (CAS), one-layer card.  The images and sentiment are stamped directly on the white card base.  A one-layer card can be a great option if your base paper weight isn't heavy enough to hold a lot of layers and embellishments, although that's not the only reason to make a one-layer card.  I find one layer cards to be quite challenging because it's very difficult to hide mistakes!

 

I stamped the sentiment first, then added the pumpkins.  Since the font on the sentiment gives a slight curve to the words, I followed that pattern and stamped my pumpkins in a slightly curved line, too.  (Sure, we'll go with that.  Sounds a lot better than admitting I couldn't stamp them in a straight line if my life depended on it!)  I colored the pumpkins with watercolor crayons.  The trick with the crayons is to pick up the color from the crayon with your slighty wet brush and move the color from the brush to your paper, rather than coloring with the crayons directly on the paper.  The more water you use, the lighter the color will be, so for these brighter colors I used very little water on my brush..  I think the crayons provide more intense color than watercolor pencils, and I really like using them.

 

If CAS isn't your usual style, I'd encourage you to give it a try.  I definitely find it challenging (especially the part about leaving a lot of open space...that goes against the grain for me), but it's also really nice to complete a card and feel satisfied with it after just one or two layers.  Sketches are really helpful in trying out a new style, so I recommend using a sketch to get comfortable with the CAS concept.

 

I'm working on a card for another challenge that uses a technique I've never tried before, and I hope to have that card ready to show you tomorrow.  Thanks for visiting today! 

 

Products Used:

 

Paper: Whisper White card stock (Stampin' Up!)

Stamps: Small pumpkin (Stampin' Up!), large pumpkin and sentiment (Craft Smart at Michael's)

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Accessories: Watercolor Crayons (Staedtler)

Technique:Watercoloring