What Possessed Me?

Happy Halloween!

I have no idea what possessed me to make these cards. I cannot recall ever making a Halloween card before, although I guess we may have done at primary school as a kid. But certainly not in my adult card making history have I ever gone down the pumpkin road. It is probably as a result of blog hopping: seeing so many great cards and decorating ideas from the USA and Canada must have made a mark, and meant that late last night, as the witching hour approached, I just had an urge to make a Halloween card. But I have no stamps or dies for this subject. We really don’t do Halloween cards much here in the UK. Not yet, anyway.

Then that tiny little bell rang. The bell I used to immediately recognise as a light bulb moment, a recollection, or inspiration, and now I just put down to possible tinnitus. ‘Go check your digikits’ it said. ‘You probably got something suitable in one of those bundle purchases you made’, it added, helpfully. Amazing how specific these voices can be!

So, I did as instructed and found this really fab digikit from American Crafts called Nightfall. It is a mix between Halloween and general Autumn/Fall and harvest images. The voice was right – it was in a bundle of digikits I bought quite some time ago. I would probably never have bought it individually but it is jam packed with goodies that were just what I needed.

Before I go any further I have to confess that I am a complete wuss when it comes to scary stuff. No word of a lie, until I saw ‘Sixth Sense’, Walt Disney’s ‘The Watcher in the Woods’ was the most scary film I had sat through from beginning to end. Many years ago, at the continual urging of a boyfriend I eventually tried to watch ‘The Omen’ but insisted on using my grandmother’s old black and white TV, which was tiny, and about 20 feet away. I still made an excuse to go make coffee when it came to the really scary bits. I am not constitutionally equipped for scary.

This means Halloween card needs to be the chummy side of the holiday imagery. Oh, also I don’t cope well with spiders either. Webs are fine, because they are a thing of beauty, but their residents are NOT. If they are super-tiny, OK. Any much bigger than a finger nail and we are in heebie jeebies territory.

Since we’re talking, another fear: collage. I may have mentioned before but for me, this is practically a swear word. I cannot do it; it will not and does not happen. I admire it, aspire to it, and accept it is pretty darn unlikely.

Anyway. I was actually spoilt for choice with this digikit and love the little details that were included. I chose the images I wanted, roughly worked out the sizings and then printed out the elements to hybrid craft. Then I decided I wanted a flying bat. Well, of course! I searched again and found bats and hats in another kit of punches and stamps called Hallows’ Eve. So my cat has a hat and my bat is….stuck on to a strip of acetate and folded over the top of the card so he bounces around a bit. Close as I can get to him flying as I am not an aerospace engineer.

 

 

Whilst not exactly (ok, maybe ‘remotely’ is a better word) collage, these cards do have way more going on than I usually add.

I know this is a bit of a rush job, but I had such fun making these that now I would like us to celebrate Halloween rather more here! Interesting that there seems to be no consensus as to where the apostrophe should go in Hallows. I am staying well clear of that debate.

Supplies and tools: Serif CraftArtist; American Crafts Nightfall digikit; Serif Hallows’ Eve Punches and Stamps digikit; American Crafts black cardstock