Halloween | Hero Arts + Tim Holtz

Hi friends!  Today’s project is a fun Halloween card using the Hero Arts Beep Beep die set and some spooky characters from the Tim Holtz/Idea-ology Halloween Paper Dolls package.  Let’s get started!

The supplies used:

     Hero Arts – Beep Beep Die Set

     Sizzix/Tim Holtz – Moonlight Die Set

     Sizzix/Tim Holtz – Haunted House Die Set

     Waffle Flower – A6 Layers Die Set

     Trinity Stamps – October Night Sky Stencil Set

     Lawn Fawn – Hocus Purr-cus! Stamp Set

     Tim Holtz/Idea-ology – Halloween Paper Dolls

     Altenew – Cosmic Berry Cardstock

     Spellbinders – Royal Amethyst Cardstock

     Spellbinders – Raven Cardstock

     Spellbinders – Fog Cardstock

     Spellbinders – Sage Cardstock

     Impression Obsession – Bats for Halloween 6”x6” Paper Pack

     Altenew – Black Diamond Glitter Cardstock

     Gina K. Designs – Magic Masking Sheets

Ranger – Spun Sugar, Twisted Citron, Picked Raspberry, Dusty Concord Distress Crayons

     Altenew – Grape Agate, Teal Tempest, Jet Black Fresh Dye Inks

     Ranger/Tim Holtz – Bundled Sage, Shabby Shutters, Forest Moss Distress Inks

     Ranger/Tim Holtz – Old Paper Distress Oxide Ink

     Hero Arts – Unicorn Pigment Ink

     Tsukineko - VersaFine Clair Nocturne Pigment Ink

     Altenew – Mini Blending Brushes

     Idea-ology/Tim Holtz – Distress Crayons:  Spun Sugar, Dusty Concord,

          Twisted Citron, Picked Raspberry

     Copic Sketch Alcohol Marker C4, Cool Grey No. 4

     Picket Fence Studios – Liquid Silver Locket Paper Splatter Watercolor

     Ranger Ink – Glossy Accents

     Altenew – 1” Black Double-Sided Adhesive Tape

     Scrapbook Adhesives – Black Thin 3D Foam Squares

     My Sweet Petunia – Original MISTI Stamping Tool

     Anna Griffin Empress Die Cutting Machine

Creating the Background Panel

I started the development of the background panel, by die cutting the smallest moon die outline and the smaller moon full die from the Sizzix/Tim Holtz Moonlight die set from a Gina K. Designs Magic Masking Sheet (for the full moon with detail die – keep the outside the moon scrap piece as well as the actual moon).  I die cut a piece of Spellbinders Sage cardstock using the second largest die from the Waffle Flower A6 Layers die set and die cut Spellbinders Raven cardstock using the largest die in this set.  I used a blending brush and inked the entire Sage panel using Distress Bundled Sage ink to give a darker tone than the Sage was presenting.  Once the ink dried, I added the moon mask that I die cut to the top center of the card so that the moon mask was only about 3/4” onto the card panel.  Next, I ink blended approximately an inch of Shabby Shutters Distress Ink around the edge of the moon.  I ink blended Forest Moss Distress Ink beginning at the edge of Shabby Shutters and continued the ink blending until the ink was blended about three fourths of the way down the cardstock panel.  For the bottom quarter of the ink blending, I used a very heavy layer of Altenew Teal Tempest Fresh Dye Ink since I was trying to come up with something more along the lines of a phthalo green and I didn’t own an ink color in that shade of green, then finished out the ink blending with Altenew Jet Black on the bottom edge.

Now back to the moon… I placed the “outside the moon” Masking Magic moon mask to protect the card’s background to mask off the moon.  I added a layer of Distress Old Paper Oxide Ink to serve as the surface of the moon.  Once the ink dried, I removed the outside the moon mask and added the mask that has the moon with the holes in it and inked the apertures with Distress Bundled Sage Ink.  Using the Trinity Stamps October Night Sky Stencil set, I used the stencil with the wispy clouds and inked them onto the upper portion of the background using Hero Arts Unicorn pigment ink and spattered the background with Picket Fence Liquid Silver Locket Paper Spatter and a small paint brush.  Alas, I could now set the background panel aside to fully dry.

Creating the Focal Point

Using the Hero Arts Beep Beep die set, I die cut the car twice from Spellbinders Purple Amethyst cardstock and glued the two car die cuts together, then partially cut it a third time from a patterned cardstock in the Impression Obsession “Bats for Halloween” paper pack so I could get the windshield negative piece to adhere behind the occupants of the vehicle.  Next, I used an Altenew Mini Blending Brush along with Altenew’s Grape Agate ink to add shading to the car die cut where I felt shading should be.  I die cut the other vehicle dies from these cardstocks:

     Side Mirrors, Metal Rings Around Lights, Front Bumper:  Brushed Silver Cardstock

     Tires:  Spellbinders Raven Cardstock

     Steering Wheel, License Plate:  Spellbinders Fog Cardstock

     Lights:  Spellbinders Sage Cardstock

Once the die cutting was completed, I glued all the car die cuts (except the license plate and negative, windshield piece) to their appropriate location onto the ink blended car die cut. 

After digging through the many options in the package of Tim Holtz/Idea-ology Halloween Paper Dolls package, I selected two of the paper dolls that made me giggle the most, positioned them behind the front window of the car, trimmed any excess that exceeded the edge of the car, and gave them a bit of color using Tim Holtz Distress Crayons before gluing them into place.  If you would like to use the same colors, I used:

     Cheeks:  Spun Sugar

     Dress:  Twisted Citron

     Suit Coat:  Picked Raspberry

     Suit Vest:  Dusty Concord

Of course, you don’t need to add color to the paper dolls, but I thought it added to the creepiness.  Once the people were glued behind the open windshield, I added the patterned paper windshield die cut and glued it in place behind the paper doll characters.  Next, I used a C4 Copic marker to add some dots to the steering wheel to give it some more interest and added Ranger’s Glossy Accents to the headlights and turn indicator lights then set the car aside to allow the Glossy Accents to dry.

Creating the Sentiment

For the sentiment, I placed the license plate die cut that was created using Fog cardstock during the Creating the Focal Point into my MISTI stamp positioner and used the HALLOWEEN sentiment from Lawn Fawn’s Hocus Purr-cus! stamp set along with VersaFine Clair Nocturne ink to stamp the word onto the center of the license plate die cut.  Once the ink dried, I went around the edges of the Fog-colored license place with a black marker so it would stand out better against the brushed silver car bumper.

Assembling the Card

I added Altenew’s black Instant Dimension Foam Tape to the back side of the car of characters and adhered it to the lower front of the card’s background.  For the bats, I used the Sizzix/Tim Holtz Haunted House die set and Altenew’s Black Diamond Glitter Cardstock and die cut the little bat dies and used liquid glue to adhere them to the night sky.  I adhered the license plate onto the car’s bumper using black Instant Dimension Foam Tape.

Thank you for stopping by and checking out today’s blog post, I really appreciate it.  Until next time, happy crafting!

2026 Holiday Card Series #4 | Have a Merry Christmas

Hi friends!  Today’s card will be the fourth installment in my 2026 Holiday Card Series where I am attempting to have my holiday cards mostly completed before mid-November.  I’ve created with elements from this Tim Holtz/Sizzix die set before, but this time I wanted to try using it in more of the traditional sense.

The supplies used:

     Sizzix/Tim Holtz – Vault Christmas Magic

     Simon Says Stamp – Cozy Christmas Stamp Set

     Concord & 9^th – Festive Phrases Stamp Set

     American Crafts Cardstock – Christmas Textured Cardstock

     Simon Says Stamp – So Very Black Cardstock

     Simon Says Stamp – Black Glossy Cardstock

     Copic – Sketch Alcohol Markers Y08, R39, R29, R24, B97, B95, B91,

          G28, G24, G21, E74, C7, W9

     Tsukineko - Memento Black Dual Marker

     Lawn Fawn – Jet Black Ink Pad

     Simon Says Stamp – Pawsitively Saturated Ink Pads – Sky, Dusk & Night

     Tsukineko – VersaFine Claire Nocture Ink Pad

     Iuile Watercolors – Silver Watercolor Paint Pan

     Ranger Ink – Glossy Accents

     Posca Silver Pen PC-1MR

     Altenew – Masking Paper

     Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue

     Scrapbook Adhesives – Thin 3D Foam Squares

     Picket Fence Studios – Candy Cane Gem Embellishment Mix

     My Sweet Petunia – Original MISTI Stamping Tool

     Anna Griffin Empress Die Cutting Machine

Creating the Background

For the background, I took a piece Altenew’s Masking Paper and die cut it using the cityscape die from the Sizzix Vault Christmas Magic.  Next, I trimmed a piece of white cardstock to measure 4.5” x 6.25” and used a pencil and a t-square ruler to draw a line across the bottom of the panel (portrait orientation) 2.25” from the bottom edge of the cardstock.  I removed the adhesive backing from the cityscape mask and adhered the bottom edge of the mask along the top of the pencil line.  Using Simon Says Stamp ink pads, I began ink blending with Sky ink starting at the top of the buildings and continued blending the night sky with Dusk and Night inks until the entire sky area was ink blended.  Before removing the cityscape mask, I added a light spattering of Iuile Watercolors’ Silver watercolor paint across the sky for my stars.  I carefully removed the mask and set the panel aside to completely dry.

Creating the Focal Points

Using the Sizzix/Tim Holtz Vault Christmas Magic die set, I die cut the dies from the following cardstocks:

     City Scape:  American Crafts Cardstock – Christmas Textured Collection – Dark Grey

     Santa & Reindeer:  Simon Says Stamp – So Very Black Cardstock

     Lamp Post:  Simon Says Stamp – Black Glossy Cardstock

     Wreath & Bow:  Green and Red Scraps from my Scrap Bin

I used liquid glue to adhere the cityscape die cut along the top of the pencil line drawn onto the lower portion of the background panel and added the Santa/reindeer die cut above the buildings in the sky.  I used a pair of scissors to the trim off the excess reindeer that extended outside the card panel.  Next, I used the Y08 Copic Sketch alcohol marker to fill in the window openings on the buildings.

Then, using the Simon Says Stamp Cozy Christmas stamp set, I stamped the two vehicles, Christmas tree, and evergreen tree (twice) with Lawn Fawn’s Jet Black ink onto X-Press It blending cardstock.  I colored the images using Copic Sketch alcohol markers in these colors:

     Red Car:  R39, R29, R24, W9 (tires), C7 (windows), Posca Silver Pen

          on wheels and bumper trim – R29, B97, B95, B91 (gift)

     Blue Car:  B97, B95, B91, W9 (tires), C7 (windows), Posca Silver Pen

          on wheels and bumper trim – G28, G24, G21, E74 (tree)

     Trees:  G28, G24, G21 and the lights were dotted using the same Sketch markers

          I used on other elements listed above

Once the images were colored, I fussy cut them and used a black Memento marker to cover the white edges of the trimmed images.  I added Ranger’s Glossy Accents to the windows of both vehicles and to the Christmas tree lights just for fun.

Creating the Sentiment

For the sentiment, I used the Concord & 9^th Festive Phrases stamp set’s “have a merry Christmas” greeting and stamped it on the lower center portion of the card front using VersaFine Clair Nocturne Black ink.

Assembling the Card

I used liquid glue to adhere the two regular trees and the red card to the card front, then used Thin 3D Foam Squares to adhere the blue card and the decorated Christmas tree.   Using my paper trimmer, I cut a scrap piece of green and red cardstocks to measure 5” x 1/8” and glued those below the cityscape die cut on the card front and trimmed off the excess with scissors.  Lastly, I added a sprinkling of Picket Fence Studios’ Candy Cane gem embellishments around the sentiment and adhered the card front to a white, side folding, A6 card base.

Thank you for stopping by and checking out today’s blog post, I really appreciate it.  Until next time, happy crafting!

Happy Valentine’s Day | Spellbinders, Sizzix/Tim Holtz & Lawn Fawn

Hi crafty friends!  Today I am sharing a Valentine’s Day card featuring products from Lawn Fawn, Sizzix/Tim Holtz, and one of my favorite heart-themed embossing folders – “Tiled Hearts” from Spellbinders.  I just love when I can go through my stash and create using products I already own!

The supplies used:

Spellbinders – Tiled Hearts Embossing Folder

     Sizzix/Tim Holtz – True Love Die Set

     Lawn Fawn – Happy Valentine’s Day Hot Foil Plate

     Spellbinders – Precision Layering A2 A Die Set

     Generic Double-Stitched Heart Die from Amazon

     Spellbinders – Cranberry Colorwheel Cardstock

     Concord & 9^th – Hazelnut Cardstock

     Simon Says Stamp – Dark Chocolate Cardstock

     Heffy Doodle – Oyster Shell Cardstock

     Dark Grey Cardstock From My Scrap Bin

     My Paper Insider - White Iridescent Glossy Cardstock

     My Paper Insider – Fuchsia Pearl Cardstock

     My Paper Insider – Pink Glitter Cardstock

     My Paper Insider – Dark Grey Cardstock

     Spellbinders – Opaque White Glimmer Foil

     Sprinkletz – Red Hearts Embellishments

     Altenew – 1” x 1/16” Foam Tape

     Simon Says Stamp – Big Momma Foam Tape

     Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue

     Scor-Tape Double Sided Adhesive

     Scrapbook Adhesives – Thin 3D Foam Squares

     Spellbinders Glimmer Foiling System

     Anna Griffin Empress Die Cutting Machine

Creating the Background Panel

I die cut a piece of Spellbinders Cranberry cardstock using the second largest die from the Spellbinders Precision Layering A2 A die set which cuts the panel to be approximately 4” x 5-1/4".  Then I used the largest die from this set to cut a 4-1/4” x 5-1/2” piece of dark grey textured cardstock that I received in a My Paper Insider subscription kit.   I placed the die cut, Cranberry cardstock panel into the Spellbinders Tiled Hearts embossing folder and ran it though my die cutting machine to emboss the cardstock.  I added Simon Says Stamp’s Big Momma Foam Tape to the back side of the embossed, cranberry panel and adhered it to the center of the grey, A2 size panel. 

Creating the Focal Points

Using the Sizzix/Tim Holtz True Love die set, I die cut all the chocolate elements (eight total) from the following cardstocks:  textured darker grey cardstock, fuchsia pearl cardstock, glitter pink cardstock and white iridescent glossy cardstock was from a My Paper Insider subscription box, Heffy Doodle Oyster Shell, Simon Says Stamp Dark Chocolate, and Concord & 9^th Hazelnut.  I assembled the chocolate candies using the Sizzix website’s guide and all the layers were glued together except I added Scrapbook Adhesives Thin 3D Foam Squares between the Dark Chocolate and Hazelnut cardstock layers to add dimension.

Creating the Sentiment

I hot foiled the Lawn Fawn Happy Valentine’s Day sentiment onto a scrap piece of Spellbinders Cranberry cardstock using the Spellbinders Glimmer System and Spellbinders’ White Opaque Glimmer Foil.   Utilizing a generic stitched heart die I purchased many years ago from Amazon, I die cut the foiled sentiment, added two layers of Altenew 1” x 1/16” foam tape to the back side of the sentiment and set it aside until I was ready to complete the card front.

Assembling the Card Front

I started by using Scor-Tape to adhere the background panel to a red, A2 card base.  I glued the chocolate candy die cuts around the outer edge of the Cranberry, embossed card front panel (leaving the center open for the sentiment).  Next, I removed the backing paper from the Altenew foam tape on the sentiment and adhered it to the center of the card front.  Lastly, I added three Sprinkletz Red Heart embellishments to complete the card.

Thank you for stopping by and checking out today’s blog post, I really appreciate it.  Until next time, happy crafting!