Happy Halloween Cards – Shaker Cards – Tim Holtz of course!

Yay! It’s my favourite time of the year (almost) and so it’s time to make Halloween cards.  Now I thought I was more organised than I was last year but here I am making them just a wee tiny bit later than planned, especially since some of them need to be posted overseas so that doesn’t allow much time to get them there in time to be used – especially since Halloween decor goes up in the US around the end of September with some people I know lol.

So after last year’s cards, I had been collecting and planning to use some Tim Holtz dies and stamps, and start making these cards around August.  Erm that didn’t happen, and then meanwhile, NEW stamps and dies were released (naturally) so that threw a spanner in the works so to speak and I had to rethink my plans.  Also, there were so many fun products in my hands, I just really wanted to use them all, so in the end I made three different types of Halloween card, and this post is about the first card design.

 

So this card is the result of some comments from a friend who said she didn’t want a scary card that would frighten the children (so no zombies then!) and also as something for people who are not so into Halloween.  I decided to use this great Tim Holtz die that cuts out a window with the owl on a branch spread across it.  I hadn’t at this point decided on a shaker card but after I had cut out the window it was obvious that’s what it needed to be.

First of all, my little helper supervised me cutting out the window from three cards.  I am using my go-to 5 x 7 kraft cards for this and when she was sure I was doing a good job, I used the shifter stencils from Tim Holtz to create the striped pattern on each of the cards using Distress Oxide inks.  I did a slightly different colour combination for each of the cards.

The first card uses Wilted Violet and Twisted Citrus oxides, the second card uses Wilted Violet and Carved Pumpkin, and the third card uses Wilted Violet again, this time with Black Soot.

I coloured in the branch and owl with a Black Glaze Sakura pen which gives a very shiny result.

Then I cut out round frames for the outsides, to frame the windows, and heat embossed them using Black Glitter embossing powder, and glued them to the front of the cards.  Then I cut some acetate circles and glued them to the inside making sure to glue them to the branches and owls too.

Then I edged the circle with two layers of foam tape, and filled the inside with black stars and green sequins, then stuck a second circle of acetate on top sealing them inside.

Since this way of doing it leaves the card looking a little untidy on the inside, I cut another round frame and glued it on in the inside.

I finished the cards off by gluing in some yellow paper to the recto side so I could do some additional stamping including the sentiment and taking card to ensure that only the sentiment could be seen through the window.

I also decided to stamp some Halloween greetings on the front of the cards and the Halloween shaker cards were finished!

Here’s what was used FYI

5 x 7 kraft cards and envelopes
Acetate
Yellow paper from stash
Tim Holtz Halloween – Thinlits Die – Moonlit Owl
Tim Holtz Shifter Stencils
Tim Holtz Halloween stamp – Mr Bones
Distress Oxides – Wilted Violet, Twisted Citron, Carved Pumpkin, Black Soot
Sticker Kitten Unicorn Fairground Black Star Sequins
Nuvo Pure Sheen Sequins in Prickly Pear
Sakura Black Glaze pen
Black Glitter embossing powder
Versamark ink
Tim Holtz Stamp Platform from Tonic Studios