Almost Caught Up! 2 Halloween Cards

Hi again! I'm back with another update, still catching up on my Halloween card posts. I have 2 Halloween cards to show you here, and then I only have 1 Halloween card left, and can move on to my couple of Thanksgiving and Christmas card posts.
Whewwww, I've gotten a lot of my blog posts done over the last couple days. I hope you like everything I've shared with you.

Check out the previews for these 2 cards and then click below to see the rest of the details and the pics!

Card # 1 Preview

Card # 2 Preview

**NOTE: This post is VERY image heavy!! If you're on dsl or a slower internet connection, please give the page a few moments to load**

Card # 1 was for a friend of ours in Vermont, and her SO and kids. They loved the card!
I had such a blast making this one! There was a LOT of steps involved, but I think it paid off because the card turned out AMAZING!

For the background behind the unicorn image I ran some white cardstock through my Sizzix Big Shot with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder. I used a brayer and different colored inks (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue and Purple) to give some color to the embossed piece.

The image I colored is an image I got from a "how to draw" website, HERE. I printed the image on white cardstock and then die cut it out with the Stampin' Up! Top Note die.

 The flowers I used to to stack are a mix of Recollections and Prima. I didn't have any light purple, blue or green flowers left on hand, so I used an inking sponge and different colored inks to give them the colors I wanted. I held all the flowers together with a Recollections mini white brad and then I used lots of glossy accents to glue the flower cluster to the card.

The skull and crossbones is a piece of chipboard from one of the Tim Holtz chipboard sets. I covered the piece of chipboard in several layers of green ink from one of my Colorbox catseye sets. I heat set the ink to make sure it was dry. Then I covered it in a thick layer of versamark and then heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. It made the piece of chipboard very hard and glossy. It turned out really cool! I used a few small glue dots and some glossy accents to adhere it to the card.

After coloring the unicorn I used Magical Mica Pigment Powders from Lindy's Stamp Gang. I mixed the powder with a little bit of water to paint the whole white space. It gave it a nice shimmery look.

 Lots of shimmer and shine.

To enhance the "rainbow" affect that I made elsewhere on the card (in the image coloring and on the background spaces), I used more Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue and Purple. I used gems on the top left and bottom right of the image. I paired each gem with a coordinating piece of friendship bracelet thread.

Here you can see LOTS of shine. Over each part of the bites and tears of the unicorn I put glossy accents, that way it made the unicorn come to "life" so to speak. LOL

The inside of the card. I did a real messy job here, and it was FUN! I used the Cricut to cut out a spiderweb in black cardstock. I used the Hello Kitty that I found on Google as a printable. I resized it in my photo program. I printed it out on white cardstock and then colored it and inked the edges. I cut a 2nd circle out of green cardstock and layered the image on top of the spiderweb. I adhered it to the card with glossy accents.

This card has lots of dimension to it. I just love it!

I love how deep I was able to get the green on the skull and crossbones chipboard.

I hope you liked my 1st card! Here's the 2nd card...

Card # 2 was for our friend who lives in Brazil. She really liked this card!

 This card was so fun to make! I cut the spiderweb out with the Cricut and then I used a paint brush to spread stardust Stickles all over it.

In each of the 4 corners of the card I used a skittle that I hand dyed orange. They tie in nicely with the orange gems that I put on the scalloped circled by the stamped image.

 The image I used is an Imaginisce stamp. I stamped the girl in memento ink and then colored her with my prismacolored pencils and blended with gamsol (odorless mineral spirits). I used some purple Stickles on the scrolls on her face and on her heart. While I waited for the Stickles to dry I assembled the whole card. Once the stickles dried I fussy cut the girl out and attached her to the green circle I cut with Spellbinders Nestabilities. I mounted that green circle on a scalloped circle cut with Spellbinders Nestabilities and then I ran it through my Sizzix Big Shot again and embossed the scalloped circle to give it more dimension.

I used some lace from The Paper Studio ribbon scrap pack. I threaded some purple friendship bracelet thread through each of the larger alternating holes. I used glue dots and attached some green fuzzy shimmer ribbon behind the lace.
I used 5 mini Prima flowers. I didn't have a green flower, so I inked the edges of a white flower. The card needed more green to tie in with the circle that I used.

On the inside of the card I just used green cardstock to write on. I used the cute printable that I found on Google Images and printed it out. I cut it out with the Stampin' Up! Decorative Label punch. I inked the edges with some purple ink and then attached it to the card with glossy accents.

I mailed the card to my friend in Brazil 3 weeks before Halloween, and she still didn't get it on time! She received it about 2 weeks after Halloween. But, when she got it and opened it, she loved it!! :)

Well, that's all for this post. I only have 1 more Halloween card to show you, then 5 Thanksgiving cards and just a few Christmas cards and then I can get on to posting my regular non-holiday cards. I'm working fast at getting everything posted and caught up. I hope you like what I've shared with you.
Be sure to check back soon, I have more to show you!!

Keep on Craftin'
~Melisa Marie