The Witching Hour

This week it's Nat's turn to set the challenge for the Daring Cardmakers and she asked us to use Hallowe'en themes - not necessarily using spooky images though, we could also choose to make cards simply using the colours associated with the occasion. What a good chance to use that in-you-face orange and purple combo!

It's been a struggle even to sit at my craft desk this week so it was just as well this one went together pretty easily. 

 For the pumpkins I used a kid's free colouring page to make a Craft Robo template, there are several layers to this one and some of the layers are raised on bits of chipboard to get more definition. I still had a few leaves lying on my desk from making last week's card so I've added them too.  The spiders web corners are also Robo cut.  If you would like the templates email me and I'll send them to you - but please be patient as it takes a while to make the instruction sheet!  If you just want the web template that's no problem though.
Craft Robo Template: Pumpkins and Spider Web

I've used the fab, and beautifully bright papers from the Funky Hand  Spooky Dookie download (just checked the link and I see that there's a big SALE on ;-))

I cut about 6cms off the front of my 14cm square black card blank.  Adhered a stripy panel of paper to the inside edge and the spotty piece to the front before sticking the pumpkin in place. The broomstick is just a few strands of raffia tide and trimmed, then glued to narrow strip of card.  There's a hand-cut witch's hat trimmed with purple ribbon in there too

Thought I'd add a photo of the card on a white background too as I can't decide which it shows up best on!

I've already mentioned there's a  Downloads sale on over at Funky Hand this weekend and on Create and Craft TV tomorrow (11am, repeated at 10pm) you can see Anice strutting her stuff and offering a very special TV exclusive price when you buy both the Papercraft Factory CDs together.  If you are in any doubt as to the quality of the sort of thing you can achieve printing your own papers with downloads and CDs just click on the images above - believe me, I was the same before I started using Funky Hand stuff.

Here's another of the Christmas cards I made for tomorrow's show:

The papers are from the Merry Berry set on the Colour Me Happy CD - none of the paper collections on the CD are aimed at Christmas but you'll definitely find lots you can use for festive projects (that's what the show tomorrow will be highlighting).  I think these colours work beautifully, greens, golds and gorgeous berry red.  I resized a couple of the designs to print 4 on a sheet of A4 - that's how I could get the tiny dots and the narrower stripes for the baubles.  

 Also used:

Spellbinders Nestabilities die, Gold card scraps, gold crochet thread, Home-made decal "rub-on", Krylon gold pen for a bit of a distressed edging on the red panel

That's me for now.  I have a new baby card to make, I'm feeling a bit better today and I've been putting it off till I felt I might be able to do it without making a hash of the job. I'm still not up to H.wk (obviously!)  but I'm getting a bit worried about the Everest proportions of the ironing pile.  I must be getting better just to actually be concious of its growing dimensions.

Don't forget to visit the DCM blog where I'm sure you'll be inspired by the spooky stuff and the wonderful vibrant Hallowe'en colours you'll find there - isn't it lovely to have a good excuse to use really bright, vibrant colours all on one card!

Thanks for looking, I hope you'll leave a message before you leave