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

Coffee and Pumpkins: Autumn is Coming!

For this week's Sketch Challenge at Splitcoast Stampers I created two cards: a coffee card and a pumpkin card.  I have quite a collection of coffee-related stamps (coffee is this insomniac's friend!) and I love working with brown hues, so this first card was really fun to make.

I started with a brown card base. I stamped the coffee cup (Close to My Heart) in Stampin' Up! (SU) Chocolate Chip dye ink on Ultrasmooth Vanilla card stock (SU). I cut the image out with a circle die on my Big Shot, then layered that circle on another piece of brown cardstock. I used an old SU tool, Layer Ease, to outline a layer around the stamped circle and cut that out by hand. (On a side note, I am seriously thinking I need to purchase some nesting dies. Trying to cut a perfect layer by hand in the middle of the night is no fun!). I attached two panels of coffee bean patterned paper to a layer of Ultrasmooth Vanilla card stock, then attached them to the card leaving a gap between them. However, the circle is so large that it looks like I just used one large panel. If I were to make this card again, I would just use one large panel across the page rather than taking the time to make two separate sections. I adhered the circle between the panels using dimensionals to help it "pop" off the page.

I stamped the sentiment (Art Impressions) on a piece of Ultrasmooth Vanilla card stock, layered it on a piece of brown card stock, tied some jute around the lower portion of the card and adhered the sentiment over the jute with dimensionals.

You will see more coffee-themed cards on this blog in the coming weeks, and since the weather is turning cooler, hot chocolate will probably make an appearance, too! I stock up on a lot of brown paper during this time of year!

Here is my pumpkin card (sorry for the picture quality...I was trying to capture the embossing):

This card was more challenging for me.  I rarely use orange in my crafting and rarely create Halloween-themed cards.  The image is a stamp I picked up at Michaels.  I stamped it in Memento Espresso Truffle dye ink on white card stock, then colored it with markers.  I cut the circle with my Big Shot and inked the edges with a brown marker.  I embossed a piece of brown card stock in my Big Shot using a Tim Holtz woodgrain embossing folder.  I cut that into two sections and adhered it to a piece of orange cardstock.  I attached a brown card front to a tan card base, then attached the orange panel to the card front.  I adhered the pumpkin image in the space between the embossed brown sections.  I stamped the sentiment (Unity) in Memento Espresso Truffle on white card stock, layered it on orange card stock and adhered it to the card front. 

I actually re-worked this card so many times that I had to put it away and work on it again this morning.  Sometimes putting a project aside and coming back to it later gives me a new perspective and fixes any "creative blocks" I'm experiencing.  I have a box of images and started cards that I keep on my craft table, and every now and then I will dig in the box and give one of those projects a second chance!

Do you ever just get "stuck" on a card?  How do you spark your creativity and breathe new life into an abandoned project?  I'd love to hear your comments!