Polkadoodles Hocus Pocus Wall Art

My partner's daughter loves Halloween and Hocus Pocus as much as I do and she has a birthday coming up where that is the theme, so I tried to figure out something to make for a gift and turned to Polkadoodles as a top runner.  I decided to make her something for her walls to decorate with for Halloween as I know she will hang it up.  

I choose the Polkadoodles "Spellbinding Witches" digi-stamps for the job.  I haven't done a lot with digi-stamps until recently as I didn't have a good printer and couldn't figure out an easy way to configure them - thank you Polkadoodles for putting out a youtube video on how to use them, because now I'm hooked!  They made it so easy to just drag the files into Microsoft Word and size them and link them together now.  I chose Belladonna, Ravella, and Pandora to represent the 3 witches in Hocus Pocus and colored them in their colors.  Ravella for Winnifred, because she has the book of spells.  Pandora for Mary because her hair reminded me of her, Belladonna for Sarah as she seemed "sexy-ish" and yet innocent all the same, like Sarah.  I overlapped the digi-stamps so they are all close together and began to color . . .

I ended up not using the phrase I typed at the bottom though, as it just didn't look right to me once colored.  My alcohol marker of choice is Spectrum Noir Illustrators, and that is what I used here.  Once the witches were done, I had to figure out a background - and what better than a full moon!  I achieved that look by using a large circle die cut and cutting out a plain circle that I positioned over the witches. I then used some Distress "Lost Shadow" ink around the edges to form my moon shape.  Once done, I colored it in with yellow Illustrator markers. Then I created a night sky with Distress "Prize Ribbon and "Wilted Violet" inks.  The ground was watercolored in with Distress "Walnut Stain" and "Black Soot" inks.  Next I added in the trees with the Polkadoodles "Creepy Tree" stencil.  And I finished it off with stamped lightning bolts and bats from Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous "Mr. Bones" and "Haunted House" stamp sets and framed it.  I am entering this in the Polkadoodles challenges this week.  #Polkadoodles @Polkadoodles #TimHoltz #Stampers Anonymous #DistressInk #HalloweenArt #PolkadoodlesSpellbinding @PolkadoodlesSpellbinding #HocusPocus #Spellbinding @Spellbinding

And I was selected as a challenge winner for this make :-)  Thank you Polkadoodles!

Thanks for looking!

Products Used:

Polkadoodles Spellbinding Witches Digi-Stamps

Polkadoodles Creepy Tree Stencil

Spectrum Noir Illustrator Markers

Tim Holtz Mr. Bones Stamp Set

Tim Holtz Haunted House Stamp Set

Distress Ink - Prize Ribbon

Distress Ink - Wilted Violet

Distress Ink - Lost Shadow

Distress Ink - Walnut Stain

Distress Ink - Black Soot

Art Impressions - Cheers My Deers Christmas Card

There is one fundamental truth about making Christmas Cards for me . . . if I want to color them, I need to do them in March - July.  If I wait until August, I've run out of time and will be looking for "quick and easy" cards instead.   So - Christmas in March it is!  

I made this card to join the Art Impressions "Inside Out" Challenge, which means we had to decorate the inside of the card AND the outside. 

The card is called a "3 Step Card Base" that I made from the template library by Crafter's Companion, but the card features Art Impressions "Cheers My Deers" stamp set.  On the front of the card, I have both lovely ladies enjoying a cuppa with their Christmas antlers on.  The background is a Polkadoodles stencil using Ranger Distress Ink Lucky Clover.  On the inside, I have the ladies cut apart and one peeking through the window to chat.  The paper inside is also Polkadoodles. Add some string and gems and you're done!  #ArtImpressions @ArtImpressions #ArtImpressionsChallenge

Thanks for looking!

Products Used:

Art Impressions - Cheers My Deer Stamps

Polkadoodles Holly Stencil

Polkadoodles Christmas Paper

Crafter's Companion Template Library

Polkadoodles - Easter Card

 Polkadoodles is my go-to for cards for my grand-daughters as their stamps are just too cute!  This card is a left side stepper card and features the Polkadoodles stamp sets "Spring Showers" and "Hoppy Birthday".  I am entering this card in the Polkadoodles Friday Challenge Blog - Anything Goes.  

The background was made with sparkle ink pots from Crafter's Companion (in blue and green for the grass) - so it sparkles like glitter, but the photo doesn't do it justice.  The grass stencil is also from Polkadoodles.  The sun and clouds are from old retired LDRS Creative die cut sets, but the face on the sun is from an LDRS Creative die set that is still available.  Lastly, the sentiment is from Tim Holtz.  All coloring was done with Spectrum Noir Illustrator Markers.  #polkadoodles  #polkadoodleseaster

Products Used:

Moon dies - LDRS Creative

Spring Showers - Polkadoodles

Hoppy Birthday - Polkadoodles

Grass Stencil - Polkadoodles

Crazy Talk - Tim Holtz

Sparkle Ink Pots - Crafter's Companion

Illustrator Markers - Crafter's Companion

Thanks for looking!

St. Patrick's Day Card - Art Impressions

 I'm entering a new challenge over at Art Impressions - the green galore challenge!  I've wanted to make a St. Patrick's Day card for awhile, so this was just the push I needed!  

This card is a twisted easel design.  It features the Art Impressions Girlfriends Stamp Set #4756 "Flaunt It" but it also has some accessories and sentiments from the Art Impressions Stamp Set #5006 "Sham-rock".  

Admission - I absolutely LOVE the girlfriends stamp sets.  They just make me smile.  So I wanted to use one of them, but give it a St. Patricks Day feel.  I colored and accessorized the "Flaunt It" set, and I tried out the technique of using patterned paper as part of the stamped image - for 2 out of 3 of their dresses.  I learned something important on that technique - it's easiest to do if you do large areas only lol.  I tried to do all 3 dresses, but the one on the end needed to be cut in several small pieces and put back together - which I promptly messed up, so I colored hers instead.  I used patterned papers from an older retired Doodlebug St. Patrick's Day stash.  These ladies got their party on with the beer, bowler hat, and 4-leaf clover from the "Sham-rock" stamp set.  

I try to avoid the plain white background using these stamp sets - so I greened it up by coloring it with greens and then added some dots in with a stencil THS006 "Dot Fade" from Tim Holtz so it wouldn't look a flat green.  Lastly I added the sentiments, bow, and gems to finish it off.  #artimpressions  #artimpressionschallenge  #artimpressionsgirlfriends

Products Used (along with Spectrum Noir Illustrator Markers):

Flaunt It Stamps

Sham-rock Stamps

Tim Holtz - Dot Fade

Valentine's Day Cards

 I know, I'm late . . . but I wanted to at least get my Valentine's Day cards out there.  I did 3 this year - all from Tim Holtz products.

#timholtz  #sizzix  #stampersanonymous  #ranger

Products Used (along with distress inks):

Art Impressions - Old Guys Club aka Dad's Birthday Card

Dad turned 88 today!  And to honor him, my card focused on the stamp set #4474 "Old Guys Club" lol.  He's earned it!  I didn't want to just put it on the front - so I made the card front a window to see the stamp set inside of it.

I colored the stamps with Spectrum Noir Illustrator Markers and drew in the background.  The patterned paper is from Polkadoodles.  And then I just threw in some brads for interest.  #ArtImpressions #Polkadoodles #SpectrumNoir

Thanks for looking!

Products Used:

Art Impressions - Hat Ladies Birthday Card

March is a big birthday month for me - my dad and his lady friend both have early March birthdays and I love to use Art Impressions stamps for them!  For his lady friend I used the SC0678 Got Style stamp set.  

I stamped the hat ladies onto a white background and colored them with Spectrum Noir Illustrator Markers and added colored pearls.  I also used a Crafter's Companion edgable for the "Happy Birthday" and then tied on a ribbon.  Patterned papers are by Polkadoodles.  #ArtImpressions #Polkadoodles #CraftersCompanion #SpectrumNoir

Thanks for looking!

Products Used:

Tim Holtz Mushroom Birthday Card

My youngest daughter has not outgrown her love of mushroom themed decor and clothing, so with her birthday coming up I scrounged the stash for a way to accommodate that and found Tim Holtz provides as usual . . .

For this card - the background paper was made with various distress inks and oxides.  And then I used the "Ledger" stamp set from Stampers Anonymous to give it some character.  The main focus was done with the funkies - "Funky Wreath" and "Funky Foilage" by Sizzix/Tim Holtz, but I didn't want it to look "Fall" as her birthday is in March, so I pulled in some spring-ish colors and flowers to go with the mushroom focal point.  The sentiment is by Sizzix/Tim Holtz "Sentiment Words - Thin" which may be retired now, and I popper some "Hardware Heads" in the corners.  #TimHoltz  #StampersAnonymous  #Sizzix  #Distressinks

Thanks for looking!

Products Used: