Halloween - Right as Rain

Penny Black | Watercolored Witchy Cat Card

Hello! Foggy mornings have returned here in the Pacific Northwest, bringing an eerie atmosphere that perfectly matches the Halloween mood I have on my mind. I’ve crafted a playful card to get into the spooky spirit! Featuring a whimsical cat in a witch’s hat, this card used a Penny Black stamp set brought to life with watercolors. The bold “Boo” and “Happy Haunting” sentiments complete the look. Penny Black has featured similar designs on their blog, YouTube channel, and in their Ebooks, (all valuable resources that I consult for inspiration on using Penny Black products).

- Stamp Penny Black Bewitched in VersaFine ink on Cold Press watercolor paper. Heat set. Color with watercolor mediums of choice. I used Distress Inks. Once dry, fussy-cut image.
- Die-cut Big Boo from black cardstock. I did so twice for additional depth.
- Stamp Halloween Builder sentiment in black ink on white cardstock. Cut with a banner die (I used one that was part of a Spellbinders Glimmer Foil set).
- Create card background with solid cardstock and patterned paper. I used a Spellbinders die set to cut very thin strips of black cardstock to cover the seams between the solid cardstock and patterned paper for a polished look.

CAS Halloween Card: Frog in a Witch’s Hat

Hello! Today, I am sharing a Halloween card that is fun yet minimal. Using the Spellbinders “Hoppy Halloween” die set, this month’s Deluxe Caboodle Bonus item, I designed a clean and simple card. The adorable frog and the “Trick or Treat” sentiment take center stage. It’s a blend of spooky charm and playful simplicity!

- Cut vellum with a die in the Essential Stylish Ovals set. Add to an A2-size card base covered with patterned paper. (I used paper from a now-retired Simple Stories pad.)
- Cut frog and sentiment with dies in the Hoppy Halloween set from a variety of cardstock colors. Assemble.
- Add frog and sentiment to vellum oval, add oval to card base.

Fall & Halloween Cards: Autumn Inspiration

Hello fall! Here in the Pacific Northwest, there is a little bit of fall in the air and the days have grown shorter. To embrace the season in my cardmaking, I am revisiting fall-themed cards (including Halloween) in my blog archive, from the warm hues of harvest and cozy comforts of sweater weather to the playful spookiness of Halloween. Click on the card image to be taken to the original post.

Embrace the cozy weather with a card featuring a novelty sweater and a knitted pattern background.

Send a warm greeting with a card that captures the beauty of fall.

Celebrate the harvest season with cards showcasing pumpkins piled high in a rustic cart.

Bring a whimsical touch to Halloween on a card featuring a gnome dressed as a wizard cruising in a sporty car.

Haunted houses never go out of style, as seen on this card featuring an abandoned house with bats, ghosts, and a glowing full moon.

Observations As I look at the cards, I see that I used dry-embossed backgrounds or woodgrain elements on the fall cards for texture. Additionally, the color orange appeared on all of the cards. I did not include any Thanksgiving cards in this roundup; although I have made a few over the years, it is not an occasion for which I regularly make cards.

I hope this roundup sparks your imagination to create your own fall-themed cards. What are some of your favorite products with this theme? Do you have products on your “to buy” list with this theme?

Penny Black | Whimsical Halloween Delight

Hello! A playful hedgehog, a spooky tree, and a “Boo” sentiment create a whimsical scene on this Halloween card showcasing Penny Black stamp and die sets. The scene embodies the spirit of Halloween and emphasizes the creativity found in older crafting sets. Several of these products were introduced in 2020 as part of the Autumn Extraordinaire Collection. I previously used the Windy die set on Halloween cards HERE and HERE. Other products used on the card have been in my collection even longer.

- As I mentioned HERE in my post on stamped backgrounds, background stamps can be stamped with colored ink on to inked backgrounds. For this card, the inked background was created with Wilted Violet and Villainous Potion Distress Oxide ink colors (sky section), and the Dots in Space background stamp was stamped with Wilted Violet Distress ink (not Oxide). I lightly stamped the background on to scrap paper, before stamping on to the inked background, so that the amount of ink stamped would be more subtle. The ground was masked when I inked the sky and stamped the dots. I inked the ground and then cut the panel with a stitched A2-size die, and attached it to a card base.
- Stamp Candy Kisses in Versafine on Arches Cold Press watercolor paper and heat set. Color the images with watercoloring mediums of choice. I used mini Distress Inks in the following colors: Antique Linen, Gathered Twigs, Ground Espresso, Spiced Marmalade, Rusty Hinge, Crackling Campfire, Squeezed Lemonade, Wilted Violet, Picked Raspberry, Saltwater Taffy, Peacock Feathers, and Scattered Straw. Once dry, cut the image with the die in the coordinating set. (Check out my “Resources for Watercoloring Stamped Images” HERE.)
- With the Windy die set, cut the tree from cardstock on which Distress Oxide inks have been applied. Assemble.
- Cut the “Boo” sentiment with a die in the eeek! set from cardstock on which Distress Oxide inks have been applied. Cut again from black foam for depth. Adhere the two and attach to the card.
- Add tree to the card with dot adhesive and the hedgehog with foam adhesive.

Lawn Fawn | Spooky Cute

Hello! Today I am sharing a Halloween card created with a combination of Lawn Fawn dies. The scene of pink houses, whimsical ghosts, a silvery moon, bats, and a cat is captured in a Polaroid-like frame. Adding a pop of hot pink, the sentiment “BOO” stands out on the white frame. This card is for those who prefer a cute twist on the spooky season.

I discussed the use of frames in cardmaking HERE. In this post, I took a deep dive into the use of embossing folders for card backgrounds.

Dry-emboss A2-size Persimmon cardstock with Taylored Expressions Weathered folder.
Use Build-A-House Halloween Add-On and Scalloped Treat Box Haunted House Add-On die sets to cut cat, bats, and ghosts. Back ghosts with Onyx cardstock and cat with Teal Topaz cardstock.
Cut the Little Town Border from Pink Sand cardstock and back with Peony Pinks foam, glitter side down.
Use Cole’s ABCs set to cut letters from Peony Pinks foam, glitter side down.
Cut the Say Cheese, Again frame from Snowdrift cardstock. Adhere the Little Town Border to the back of the frame. Back assembly with Teal Topaz cardstock. Add sentiment letters to the front of the frame.
With a 1″ circle die, cut the moon from Brushed Silver cardstock.
Add ghosts, moon, bats, and cat to scene with foam and dot adhesive.