Happy Halloween!!! :o)

So something very eerie happened with this Halloween card that I made last year. The purple copic marker turned pink over time. Spooky! ;-)

(Yeah, last year. What's up with that, hey? I have so many partially finished cards it's sad. About 50 or so! It's been ages since I posted a tutorial. I wanted to share this one much earlier but have been haunted by those scary migraines. Better late than never?)
 

Step 1) Print & heat emboss the Bronson Moon digital image on Paris Bleedproof Paper with clear embossing powder. Colour it. I used these copic colours: Mimosa Yellow YG00, Mauve Shadow BV00, Cool Gray no.5, Cool Gray no.7, Cool Gray no.9, Colourless Blender.

I looked everywhere for the digital stamp I used. It's by Lia Stampz, but perhaps it's discontinued. She has loads of wonderful images here though. I love her whimsical gorgeous art work!

Step 2) Cut slits along his sides about half an inch long (for adding two bat wings.)

Step 3) Cut around the hands as well (for adding a sign hanging from his hands on wire.)

Step 4) Colour the sky (I Stippled BV00 mauve shadow copic, pouncing gently to create little dots. Tip: For a more natural blending, don't leave straight lines as you go. You can make sections darker for shading. (See that sky was surely purple when I first coloured it. Strange, hey?)

 

 Step 5) Pierce & stitch around the outside of the image.

Step 6) Cut away the corners, for a fancy shape to match the stitches.

Step 7) Add little yellow seed beads for stars

To add the beads, pierce holes where you want them.

Pierce 2 holes for each bead if you want it to lay on its side:

I find beads make a nice embellishment that mails well (and is super affordable).

Step 8) Make dimensional bat wings.

Draw bat wings, (leaving an extra bit of length at the start of each wing to use as a tab to stick them on the card. Colour them & cut them out...

Slide the wings into the slits you cut earlier...

And affix the wing tabs to the back of the card.




 Step 9) Add a little sign with a sentiment (this one is made using vellum, a computer generated saying, and some fine silver wire. And some hearts...

Step 10) Layer it all on a top-fold card (cut free-hand to match the stitching & edged with a turquoise marker for some colour).

and that's that...

(fancy sewing: with thread or faux stitches)

This is a cheap trick to get shaped hand-stitching in the corners of cards.

Basically it involves making a "piercing jig" out of vellum cardstock:

A) Cut a piece of vellum cardstock & fold it so that you have a flap that will fit over the card you want to pierce & stitch. 

Vellum cardstock is the perfect material for this because it is sheer enough to let you see through to your project but it will also be durable. You could easily use acetate or clear plastic from packaging or whatever you have that's similar.

 B) Score a line to mark where you will pierce your pattern (or draw one if you prefer).

C)  Score another line equidistant on the second side of the vellum  to create a 90 degree angle or corner. 

Tip: you can also trace something round or shaped if you want that to be your stitching pattern instead of straight lines.

D) Draw your pattern in the corner (using the lines you made before as a guide). You can draw free-hand or even trace something since the vellum is sheer. I used a white pencil so that nothing would transfer onto the card, since pen or pencil might mess things up...)

E) Pierce your pattern into the corner of the vellum piercing jig. I pierced all the way through both the flap and the larger back piece so that the pattern can be reversed.

Tip: I find that curves require stitches that are closer together to look their nicest, but if they are too close the cardstock you're stitching on can tear. I like to use a heavy weight cardstock that's more durable. (Like a smooth 100lb cardstock). Of course, you can always skip the thread and make quick faux stitches with a marker or pen!

F) Lay your vellum cardstock 'jig' over the corner of the piece you want to pierce. Make holes with a paper piercing tool or needle.

G) To get the two other matching but reversed corners flip the piece around and pierce from the back.

H) Then hand-stitch with thread or faux-stitch with a pen.

Happy Halloween, to  those who celebrate it.  

Hope you & yours have a blast!