TOB Mar Mid Month Challenge

  

Hello crafty friends,
Welcome to this month's challenge reminder post.  Have you started working on a card/project?  If yes, GREAT!  If no, WHAT are you waiting for?  We want to see your Halloween creations.   Remember  the Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge, runs from the 2nd to the 28th of the month and the theme is always Halloween... ANYTHING related to Halloween!

I used a combination of negative and positive die cuts for this card.  The ghosts (IO), I die cut from variegated line green card stock and adhered directly to the black card panel.  The jack-o-lantern dies, I die cut directly into the black card panel after I placed the ghosts.  Since they created negative openings, I backed them with the same line green card stock.  

  
Here's this month's mood board for additional inspiration... Hope to see your card/project soon. 

Challenge ends on the 28th, winner will be announced on the 1st on the month before the start on the new challenge.  For a full list of all the rules please visit Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge home page.  unit next time... take care.

              

TOB Jan Mid Month Challenge

 

Hello crafty friends,
Welcome to this month's challenge reminder post.  Have you started working on a card/project?  If yes, GREAT!  If no, WHAT are you waiting for?  We want to see your Halloween creations.   Remember  the Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge, runs from the 2nd to the 28th of the month and the theme is always Halloween... ANYTHING related to Halloween!

  

For my mid month card, I created a scene card showing a Fall "snowglobe" full of pumpkins sitting on a table.  Through the window we see that it's winter, so we're left wondering if this person loves Fall so much they decorated for it all year long or if they just forgot one small little "snowglobe" when packing up their Fall/Halloween decorations.   Which one would you fall under?

Here's this month's mood board for additional inspiration... Hope to see your card/project soon. 

Challenge ends on the 28th, winner will be announced on the 1st on the month before the start on the new challenge.  For a full list of all the rules please visit Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge home page.  unit next time... take care.

              

TOB - Sept Mid Month Challenge Reminder

 

Hello crafty friends,
Welcome to this month's challenge reminder post.  Have you started working on a card/project?  If yes, GREAT!  If no, WHAT are you waiting for?  We want to see your Halloween creations.   Remember  the Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge, runs from the 2nd to the 28th of the month and the theme is always Halloween... ANYTHING related to Halloween!

I have a super cute (I hope you agree) card for you today.  I created a fun text background using some of the sentiments from the Hand Lettered Halloween stamp set by Simon Says Stamps pictured above.  A digital ghost from Polka Doodles, which I printed large enough to take up a good portion of my A2 card.  I thought about putting him on an action wobble, but ended up just popping him up on form tape.

This type of background is one of my go to tricks when I'm feeling uninspired or overwhelmed.  I don't always use text stamps, sometimes it's small image or a mix of small and medium images.  Basically, you are making your own pattern paper background, so you are customizing it to your exact needs.  And don't be afraid to make it bold, because you can always add a layer of vellum over it to defuse the boldness a bit without losing the impact. 

  
Here's this month's mood board for additional inspiration... Hope to see your card/project soon. 

Challenge ends on the 28th, winner will be announced on the 1st on the month before the start on the new challenge.  For a full list of all the rules please visit Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge home page.  unit next time... take care.

               

TOB - Sept Challenge

 

Hello crafty friends,

Welcome to a new month at the Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge, which runs from the 2nd to the 28th of the month and the theme is always Halloween... ANYTHING related to Halloween!  

Can you believe it's September?  This year is flying bye!  We are only one month away from the best month of the year... October (my bday and Halloween).  I know some of you may disagree with me on this, but I'll still be your friend. 

Obviously, I took inspiration from the BOO décor piece pictured below.  I used The BOO stamp and die set by Petty Pink Posh and the Ghost Trio dies by Impression Obsession to create my card.  I stamped the BOO onto three color pattern papers by The Paper Studio and colored the small images using my Triblend markers. The white images were colored with white marker pens.  The B and the bottom O are popped up, everything else is adhered directly to the black panel.   Looking at the card as I type this, it looks to clean, so I may splash so white paint on it.

Here's this month's mood board for additional inspiration... Hope to see your card soon. 

Challenge ends on the 28th, winner will be announced on the 1st on the month before the start on the new challenge.  For a full list of all the rules please visit Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge home page.  unit next time... take care.

 

TOB - Aug Mid Month Challenge Reminder

 

Hello crafty friends,
Welcome to this month's challenge reminder post.  Have you started working on a card/project?  If yes, GREAT!  If no, WHAT are you waiting for?  We want to see your Halloween creations.   Remember  the Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge, runs from the 2nd to the 28th of the month and the theme is always Halloween... ANYTHING related to Halloween!

Keeping with the skeleton theme for my mid month card, I used the same set of skeleton dies I used earlier in the month and a double decker bus die by Memory Box to create a very quick and fun card.  The sentiment, I just typed up on my computer.  The green background pattern paper and the black card stock are both by The Paper Studio.   

  
Here's this month's mood board for additional inspiration... Hope to see your card/project soon. 

Challenge ends on the 28th, winner will be announced on the 1st on the month before the start on the new challenge.  For a full list of all the rules please visit Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge home page.  unit next time... take care.

               

TOB - Aug Challenge

 

Hello crafty friends,

Welcome to a new month at the Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge, which runs from the 2nd to the 28th of the month and the theme is always Halloween... ANYTHING related to Halloween!  

The skeletons I used on my card aren't as scary as those on the mood board.  They are fun and like to party, so I put them into a shaker card with lots (probably a little too much) sequin.  I used a purple watercolor pattern paper for the background, the largest of the woodgrain rectangle frame dies by Hero Arts and some skeleton dies.  

Here's this month's mood board for additional inspiration... Hope to see your card soon. 

Challenge ends on the 28th, winner will be announced on the 1st on the month before the start on the new challenge.  For a full list of all the rules please visit Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge home page.  unit next time... take care.

 

TOB - July Mid Month Challenge Reminder

Hello crafty friends,
Welcome to this month's challenge reminder post.  Have you started working on a card/project?  If yes, GREAT!  If no, WHAT are you waiting for?  We want to see your Halloween creations.   Remember  the Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge, runs from the 2nd to the 28th of the month and the theme is always Halloween... ANYTHING related to Halloween!

I stayed with the ghost theme for my mid-month card.  I used a ghost embossing folder by Simon Says Stamps and a ghost digital stamp by Vera Lane Studio to create my card. 

I dry embossed the ghosts on black card stock and using a white ink pad I lightly swiped it over the raised embossed ghosted and around the edges. I printed the digital ghost and using metallic watercolors, I painted him with white and purple on the banner.  I handwrote the BOO in the banner. I also placed the ghost on an action wobbler for an added touch of fun.  

  
Here's this month's mood board for additional inspiration... Hope to see your card/project soon. 

Challenge ends on the 28th, winner will be announced on the 1st on the month before the start on the new challenge.  For a full list of all the rules please visit Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge home page.  unit next time... take care.

               

TOB - July Challenge

Hello crafty friends,

Welcome to a new month at the Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge, which runs from the 2nd to the 28th of the month and the theme is always Halloween... ANYTHING related to Halloween!  

When I saw the photo with the ghosts on the mood board I went looking for this stamp by Picket Fence.  Talk about a perfect fit and one I can't help but laugh at every time I see it.  Is it just me who thinks that their little feet are stinking CUTE?  

This is 4x4 inch photopolymer stamp, which has a repeating pattern, so you can created a larger stamp panel, but I wanted a finished 4x4 inch card.   I used a set of wonky stitched died to die cut my 4x4 inch square card base and stamped card panel.   A very quick and simply card that can be easily massed produced for Halloween. 

Here's this month's mood board for additional inspiration... Hope to see your card soon. 

Challenge ends on the 28th, winner will be announced on the 1st on the month before the start on the new challenge.  For a full list of all the rules please visit Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge home page.  unit next time... take care.

 

TOB - June Mid-Month Challenge Riminder

Hello crafty friends,
Welcome to this month's challenge reminder post.  Have you started working on a card/project?  If yes, GREAT!  If no, WHAT are you waiting for?  We want to see your Halloween creations.   Remember  the Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge, runs from the 2nd to the 28th of the month and the theme is always Halloween... ANYTHING related to Halloween!

Another card using digital cupcake stamps, because they are fun to color and so very easy to work with.  This time I printed three pumpkins ones and two witch cupcakes and placed them on a woodgrain "table" I stamped and inked using Distress Oxides.   

  
Here's this month's mood board for additional inspiration... Hope to see your card/project soon. 

Challenge ends on the 28th, winner will be announced on the 1st on the month before the start on the new challenge.  For a full list of all the rules please visit Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge home page.  unit next time... take care.

             

TOB - June Challenge

Hello crafty friends,

Welcome to a new month at the Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge, which runs from the 2nd to the 28th of the month and the theme is always Halloween... ANYTHING related to Halloween!  

I based my card on those amazing looking cupcakes on the mood board. I used a digital cupcake stamp to create a large focal point cupcake on my card.  I gave it even more focus by using a center ray stencil in the background.  The cupcake is mounted on a woggle thing, so it moves. 

Here's this month's mood board for additional inspiration... Hope to see your card soon. 

Challenge ends on the 28th, winner will be announced on the 1st on the month before the start on the new challenge.  For a full list of all the rules please visit Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge home page.  unit next time... take care.

 

TOB - May Mid-Month Challenge

Hello crafty friends, welcome to this month's challenge reminder post.

Have you started working on a card/project?  If yes, GREAT!  If no, WHAT are you waiting for?  We want to see your Halloween creations.   Remember  the Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge, runs from the 2nd to the 28th of the month and the theme is always Halloween... ANYTHING related to Halloween!

Once again, I took my inspiration for both these cards from the gold spider webs on the white background in the bottom right photo the for mode board.

On this card, I dry embossed a slim spider web card panel and later used a gold marker to color the indented lines of the spider web.  I also splatter some of the gold onto the panel for more added interest.  I added some black glitter spiders and using a black marker colored the frame of the embossed spider web panel black, before adhering it to the card front. 

On this card, I used these SS web dies not has intended, because they are meant to die cut windows into your card stock, but I trim them out and used them as stand alone webs.  I layers some of them for a lacey look, alternating between gold glitter and gold foil card stock.  I mimic the look of the mode board photo, but fussy cut of white card stock and add a black matt. 

Here's this month's mood board for additional inspiration... Hope to see your card soon. 

Here's this month's mood board for additional inspiration... Hope to see your card/project soon. 

Challenge ends on the 28th, winner will be announced on the 1st on the month before the start on the new challenge.  For a full list of all the rules please visit Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge home page.  unit next time... take care.

                 

TOB - May Challenge

Hello crafty friends,

Welcome to a new month at the Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge, which runs from the 2nd to the 28th of the month and the theme is always Halloween... ANYTHING related to Halloween!

I took my inspiration from the gold spider webs on the white background in the bottom right photo the for mode board.  I used an A2 size border backgound stamp by Unity and gold embossed two panels.  One I die with a double stitched wacky A2 rectangle die and the other with a piecing rectangle die that's about 1/8 of an inch smaller than an A2 size, this one I backed with black card stock and added to top folding card stock.  The word dies "happy Halloween" is part of a 3 die set from Papertrey Ink and I die cut from black glitter paper.  The A2 die but panel got a die cut purple glitter bat from IO and another of the Papertrey Ink word dies. 

Here's a video for these cards.

Here's this month's mood board for additional inspiration... Hope to see your card soon. 

Challenge ends on the 28th, winner will be announced on the 1st on the month before the start on the new challenge.  For a full list of all the rules please visit Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge home page.  unit next time... take care.

Craft Roulette #90 Card & Video

Hello crafty friends,

Here's my submission to Craft Roulette Challenge, Episode #90 (28th in a row):

I actually found a FUNN fold I like... this is my first bridge card and I will definitely be making more of these babies. They are easy, quick and FUNN to make.

Since I don't have a lot of color ink pads other than my Distress Oxides and not even all of them, I used a shade of blue and green to create some mint color trees, which to me look more teal, but it is what it is. Pink, brown and black were my other main colors. I used two stencils on the background and a large die cut word to meet all the crafty wheel's parameters.

I started by cutting and scoring my card stock. I waited to fold the scores until I was done with the stenciling. The first stencil layer was the Wonky Merry Christmas Text 6x6 by Paper Rose inked in Picked Raspberry. The second stencil layer were the trees using the Evergreens 6x6 Stencil by The Crafters Workshop. Sorry, I couldn't find a link to this stencil for you, but Newton's Nook has something similar. I layered the tree stencil over the text stencil. The two stencils didn't clash, because I inked the text stencil very lightly and it faded nicely into the far background, but still added a nice extra bit of interest.

Once my background was done, I colored my reindeer by Dare 2b Artzy, which I had in my bin from last year's Christmas card leftovers. I adhered him to the center section background on foam tape for dimension. The MFT Stacked Merry die die cuts with the letters connected, but I cut some of the letters apart in order to fit them on my two outer panels. I die cut the the Pretty Picket Fence by Penny Black from black card stock and it was a prefect fit at 5.5" wide. The die cut Christmas box word came from the Christmas Stitched Words set by IO I used my Picked Raspberry distress ink pad to color the card stock before die cutting the word and adhering it to the fence. Added stickles to the reindeer's hat top as a finishing touch.

Here's a link to the process video for this card.  

Thanks for stopping bye.  Until next time, take care.

Craft Roulette #89 Card & Process Video

Hello crafty friends,

Here's my submission to Craft Roulette Challenge, Episode #89 (27th consecutive):

I'm not a big fan of FUNN fold cards, so for this challenge I went with the one I find the least offensive... LOL  I created a easel card with a flat shaker element.  

I started with a previously stenciled A2 panel that I made weeks ago with the Rose Blossoms layering stencil by The Ton to create my flat shaker element.  I wrap plastic from a storage pocket around the front of the stenciled panel, added sequin and secured it in back with double sided tape.  Once the sequin where locked in the flat clear pocket, I adhered it to the bottom section of the easel card.  but first I covered the back of the shaker panel to hide the adhesive and plastic seams. 

The card base front was stenciled with Heffy Doddle Lots of Happy stencil and on the inside three of the MFT's Happy Birthday Script die where stacked to create a stopper for the front of easel card. A little ink was added to make the die cut pop up from the white background.

Here's a link to the process video I created for this card.  

Thanks for stopping bye.  Until next time, take care.

Craft Roulette #88 Card & Process Video

Hello crafty friends,

Here's my submission to Craft Roulette Challenge, Episode #88 (27th in a row):

As you can see, this week's crafty wheel parameters netted me four (fourth not shown in above photo) Christmas card, which is so very cool. I'm in LOVE with this Retiform style/technique/whatever it's called and will definitely be using it again.

Since I used three patterned papers on my card backgrounds, I ended up with the above three cards. The fourth card that's not shown, was created w/random strips of patterned paper from three different patterns, but I didn't cut them at the same time, so I didn't get the same three for one affect. I show this on the video (link below).

I'm a messy cutter, so adding the strips of green glitter paper was both a design thing and a cosmetic thing, because it cover the gaps/seams between my pattern papers. The strips also helps pull a certain color from the pattern paper up, in the case of the shown three cards, green.

The die I used on all the cards is the Hang Your Stocking die by Catherine Pooler, It's a nice size die for an A2 size card. I used the die in several ways on my cards.

Card 1... I covered two die cut card stock stockings with pattern paper and adhered them on foam tape to the retiform card base. I used leftover strips of the same patterned paper as the background for the top stocking, so you could say that stocking is retiform also.

Card 2... I stamped a die cut card stock stocking with a few of the cute Christmas cats Peace, Love & Paws stamp set by MFT. Colored them with alcohol markers, and adheres it on foam tape to the retiform card base. This one is my favorite, but only because it has cats on it.

Card 3... I die cut the stocking from a piece of card stock and created a shaker from the negative. I started with a almost A2 size piece of card stock and trimmed it after I die cut the stocking. I thought about trimming around the stocking w/a border just big enough to hold the form tape instead of leaving it as a rectangle, but didn't think I could get a clean enough manual cut. But I have any idea I want to try out and if it works out I'll let you know :) Adheres it directly to the retiform card base.

Card 4... Card created on video. I die cut the stocking into the card front, after creating the retiform background. Stamped the inside of the card, so that the stamped image was visible though the die cut opening and colored the image with alcohol markers.

Here's a link to the process video I created for this card.

  

After 20+ weeks of playing Craft Roulette, I've come to realize that it doesn't really matter what the crafty wheel lands on.  Yes, it can and has created some weird combinations, but it has been FUNN, exciting and yes, even a little frustrating at times to come up with a ideas, but totally do'able!   So, if you're reading this and sitting on the crafty fence, jump off and join in the FUNN.   

  

Thanks for stopping bye.  Until next time, take care.

Craft Roulette #87 Card & Process Video

Hello crafty friends,

Here's my submission to Craft Roulette Challenge, Episode #87 (26th in a row):

I used yellows and blue on my background for the feel of a warm sunny day.  The background clouds were created using an MFT cloud stencil.  My stamped flyer (the Nutty Squirrel from Aall & Create) is flying bye waving hi with a sign that reads "I'm nuts about you".  I used crumpled computer paper to die cut my clouds (MFT Stitched Clouds)... later added Stickles for more sparkle.   The finish card measures 4"x8", a little wider than my die cute front panel, but I didn't worry about it and just inked the extra with the darker yellow and extended the one cloud further down.  

Here's a link to the process video I created for this card.  

Thanks for stopping bye.  Until next time, take care.

Craft Roulette #86 Card

Hello crafty friends,

Here's my submission to Craft Roulette Challenge, Episode #86 (25th in a row):

I packed up our Halloween decorations this morning, but I couldn't stop myself from reaching for this stamp set by Simon Hurley when I sat down to create my card for this challenge. The Element of "Kid(s)" just screamed Halloween to me.  As a FUNN extra, the boy is dressed as a ROBOT!   My folded corner doubles up as a diagonal element and well as the pattern paper hillside, which is on a diagonal slope.  The colors (green, purple and black) were taken from the pattern paper.  The finished card is a slimline card measuring 3.5"x7.5".

The card was an easy one... I used a pattern paper with a house on a hill, and kids trick or treating to create a scene card.  The kids, kitty and sentiment were stamped, colored and fussy cut.  The two kids and sentiment are adhere directly to the card front, the kitty is popped up with form tape.   The folded corner is curled in with a little tape to keep it's shape.  I stamped a bat above the folded corner. 

Thanks for stopping bye.  Until next time, take care.

Craft Roulette #84 Card

Hello crafty friends,

Here's my submission to Craft Roulette Challenge, Episode #84 (23rd in a row):

The crafty wheel was kind this week.  I love true (4x8.5) slimline cards, have been making them long before they were trendy.  I had tons of ideas going though my mind, but finally settled on using "glass" cloche dies from Papertrey Ink.  

I die cut the base from white card stock and the "glass" tops from vellum, which I first covered with double sided score tape.  I looked though my stash of colored Halloween images and found a few to placed "under" my cloches.  My orange background layer is a pattern paper from colorbok.   

Here's a link to the process video I created for this card.  

Thanks for stopping bye.  Until next time, take care.

Craft Roulette #83 Card

Hello crafty friends,

Here's my submission to Craft Roulette Challenge, Episode #83 (22nd in a row):

This card is going out to my Bother-in-law, Sister-in-law and family who lost their dog Jagger last week. No one likes making or sending sympathy cards, but sadly they are a part of life. 

 
I used a rainbow die to create the arches which I position so they would show on two panels. The sky was created with a MFT cloud stencil and light blue ink. My colors were yellow, green, blue and purple. the rainbow also has a touch of orange and red, but I'm not claiming them as selected colors.

Thanks for stopping bye.  Until next time, take care.

Craft Roulette #82 Card

Hello crafty friends,

Here's my card submission to Craft Roulette Challenge, Episode #82 (21st in a row):

I was really struggling to come up with an interesting card design using this episode's parameters... I was actually working on a card I wasn't totally into, when a "Pocketful of Sunshine" by Natasha Bedingfield started playing and I ended up scrapping what I was working on and coming up with this design.    

I searched google for a simple pocket template, downloaded, sized (about 2" at it's widest point) it in Elements and printed several onto my teal card stock. Then I used a black pen and added "stitching" lines around each pocket. I added double sided foam to each pocket and adhered them to my card.

The card is an A2 size card, on it's side. From left to right, it's scored at 2.75" and 5.5". I used blue and teal polka dots pattern paper as the background. The "sunshine" or "rays" were die cut from the Ink to Paper die (on the border sunburst). The die actually cuts half a circle worth of rays, so I had to trim some of it off to fit my pockets. I used wood elements on the outside of the pockets and a typed sentiment to complete my card.

Thanks for stopping bye.  Until next time, take care.