Halloween / Harvest for October 2019 Third Thursdays Blog Hop

Welcome once again to our Third Thursdays Blog Hop! This month, our theme for the hop is Halloween / Harvest. Everyone on the hop will be featuring awesome projects to inspire your creativity. I’ve listed all of the hoppers toward the end of the post, so make sure you stop by and see what they have to share today! 

It’s no secret that Halloween is one of my favorite holidays! Although I’m not a big fan of scary movies or over-the-top scary things, just the “appropriate” level of spooky works for me. For my projects, I decided to use the Wonderfully Wicked Bundle from the Stampin’ Up® Holiday Catalog. I absolutely LOVE that big, bold sentiment and thought it would be fun to dress it up with a bright green and spooky black color combo. 

On the card, I used the Black Ice Technique to add some distressing to the “Wicked” die. To do this: 

• Start with a piece of Old Olive Foil Sheet that is large enough to fit the die 
• Lightly drag Black Staz-On Ink from the top to the bottom of the Foil Sheet to create a “streaky” effect
• Heat set the Staz-On Ink to ensure it is dry
• Using Versamark Ink, drag the ink pad over the Foil Sheet from top to bottom to get a good coverage of clear ink over the paper
• Cover the paper in Clear Embossing Powder and heat set using the Heat Tool
• Once the Foil Sheet has cooled, die cut the word from the Foil Sheet

The inside of the spooky frame was made using the Pigment Sprinkles. I just love the bright and vibrant colors! I used Shimmer White Cardstock, lightly misted it with water, sprinkled on some of the Granny Apple Green Pigment Sprinkles and then misted again. I didn’t over saturate the paper and then took a Aqua Painter to move some of the color around. The key is not to use TOO many sprinkle or TOO much water. I love how it has a “splotchy” effect along with the vibrant colors. 

For the smaller stamped sentiments, I stamped them on Basic Black Cardstock in Versamark Ink and then heat embossed using the Shimmer White Embossing Powder. After they cooled, I colored over the embossed words using my Granny Apple Green Stampin’ Blends Marker. Instant shimmery green embossing! 

I used the Heirloom Frames Dies and 3D Embossing Folder set to create the frame and the Stylish Scroll Embossing Folder to add texture to the background. Then gently dragged the Golden Glitz Delacata Ink Pad over the raised embossed areas to give a spooky distressed look. 

Card Measurements:

• Basic Black Card Base - 4-1/4” x 11”, scored at 5-1/2” 
• Granny Apple Green Cardstock - 4” x 5-1/4” 
• Basic Black Cardstock (embossed with Stylish Scrolls Embossing Folder)- 3-3/4” x 5” 
• Scraps of Old Olive Foil (from Noble Peacock Foil Sheets), Basic Black, Granny Apple Green and Shimmer White Cardstock for stamping and die cuts
• Granny Apple Green Cardstock (inside card) - 4” x 5-1/4” 
• Whisper White Cardstock (inside card) - 3-3/4” x 5” 

Here is a peek inside the card. I layered the Whisper White on Granny Apple Green for a little more color and then popped in a few more spiders hanging out on their webs. 

I just love these little Coffin Treat Boxes from the Holiday Catalog! All of the cutting and scoring is done for you. All you have to do is assemble them! I embossed the box using the Stylish Scrolls Embossing Folder, then gently dragged the Golden Glitz Delacata Ink Pad over the raised embossed areas as I did on the card. 

I popped on another Wicked sentiment, but decided to not add the distressed detail to the foil paper. I kind of like how it pops on it’s own. Then I added two more spiders with added sparkle and then colored the Very Vanilla Gold Trimmed ribbon with a Basic Back Stampin’ Blends Marker.

What’s inside? I decided to go with some good ol’ fashioned Werther’s Original candies to compliment the gold accents. That and I seem to be missing a bag of Halloween chocolate that WAS in my stamp studio. I’ll have to ask my husband if he has any idea where it might have run-off to. Haha! 

I hope you have enjoyed my projects today. Please leave a comment to say hello and let me know that you stopped by. Make sure to check out all of the awesome projects featured in our Third Thursdays Blog Hop for October. 

From here you will be headed to visit my sweet friend, the wonderfully talented Sarah Fleming. Click the button below to hop on over to her blog. Have a great day! 

October 2019 Third Thursdays Blog Hop:

Kimberley Morris

Tatiana Tobin

Jan Mussleman

Anne Marie Hile (you are here)

Sarah Fleming

Angie McKenzie

Kim Fee

Thanks so much for stopping by today! All of the products I used on this card are listed below. You can click on any of the photos to go directly to my Stampin’ Up!® online store. 

This month’s Host Code is: AMTBNGZH. If you place an order over $50 (before tax and shipping) using this host code, you will also receive a gift from me: a free exclusive project tutorial bundle. (see the sneak peek below)

If your order is over $150 (before tax and shipping), do NOT use the host code. You will earn host rewards from Stampin’ Up! AND you'll also receive the gift from me. Thanks so much for stopping by! 

Have a HAPPY day today! 

-Anne Marie

Product List

Wonderfully Wicked Bundle [153041]	Wonderfully Wicked Cling Stamp Set [150547]	Wicked Dies [150725]	Stylish Scroll Embossing Folder [150665]	Heirloom Frames Dies And 3D Embossing Folder [152325]
Coffin Boxes [150451]	Noble Peacock Foil Sheets [149495]	Shimmery White 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [101910]	Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [121045]	Granny Apple Green 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146990]
Pigment Sprinkles [149663]	Stampin' Spritzer [126185]	Gold 3/8" (1 Cm) Metallic-Edge Ribbon [144146]	Rhinestone Basic Jewels [144220]	Basic Black Dark Stampin' Blends [147941]
Granny Apple Green Dark Stampin' Blends Marker [146877]	Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush [141897]	Golden Glitz Delicata Metallic Ink Pad [150711]	Jet Black Stāzon Ink Pad [101406]	Versamark Pad [102283]
Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder [109130]	Shimmer White Stampin' Emboss Powder [149511]	Embossing Buddy [103083]	Heat Tool (Us And Canada) [129053]	Snail Adhesive [104332]
Multipurpose Liquid Glue [110755]	Black Stampin' Dimensionals Combo Pack [150893]	Tear & Tape Adhesive [138995]	Mini Glue Dots [103683]

International Highlights Top Ten Winners Blog Hop - August 2019

Hello stamping friends! Earlier this month, I participated in Kylie Bertucci’s International Blog Highlights. The card below is what I made for the event and you can find more details about it by clicking HERE. 

Thank you SO much to everyone who voted for my project!  I am so over-the-moon excited to have been chosen #1 in the Top Ten. As a Top Ten winner, we are invited to participate in a separate blog hop and that is what I am sharing with you today. I am honored to participate in this blog hop with so many amazingly talented Stampin’ Up!® Demonstrators and want to send a big THANK YOU to the amazing Kylie Bertucci for hosting this monthly event. 

The theme of our blog hop is Encouragement and I think I might be taking a few liberties here with a Halloween card, but it IS encouraging the recipient to “Have a wicked good time!” That kind of works, right? 

Honestly, I was just really excited to use the new Wonderfully Wicked Bundle which will be available starting September 4th in the new Stampin’ Up!® Holiday Catalog. If you know me, it is not a surprise that I LOVE all things Fall and Halloween. Nothing TOO spooky though, I still like to keep it fun. 

We also made these cards at my team meeting this month so that everyone had a chance to try out the Pigment Sprinkles. That's what I used to create the mix of colors on the “wicked” die cut. They are really fun to use, if you have never tried them. I have a little step-by-step below with more details. Even if you don’t celebrate Halloween, this is a fun technique to use for other occasions with different color combinations. 

Today’s Colors:

Basic Black

Gorgeous Grape

Granny Apple Green

Whisper White

So let’s be honest, the Pigment Sprinkles really are the star of the show here. I did try to add some accents to add to the fun, like those little spiders in Black Foil Paper and the Stylish Scroll embossed background. I made 2 cards with slight differences. The first card uses the Black Glittered Organdy Ribbon which I think really adds a great pop of sparkle.

The second card uses the new Basic Black 3/8” Scalloped Edge ribbon and although it’s a little tough to see in the photo, I spritzed the Gorgeous Grape embossed layer with some Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint mixed with rubbing alcohol in a Stampin’ Spritzer. It has more of a subtle sparkle. Which one do you like better? 

To use Pigment Sprinkles, you need just a few things: 

• A Stampin’ Spritzer bottle filled with water 
• A small box or something to protect your work surface  
• Either Shimmery White Cardstock or Watercolor Paper (not regular Whisper White Cardstock)

Pigment Sprinkles can get messy, so try to keep them contained. That’s why I like to use an empty box. I actually line the bottom of my box with some extra paper to help absorb the water. 

Starting with the photo on the top left, here is how I added the color: 

1. Spritz some water onto the Shimmery White Cardstock die cut to dampen it being careful not to saturate the paper
2. Sprinkle some of the green pigment Sprinkles over the die cut image
3. Spritz more water onto the die cut image to spread the color all over the image
4. Add some purple Pigment Sprinkles in a few areas on the image to add the additional color and spritz more water. The purple is VERY concentrated, a little goes a long way! 

A good rule of thumb with Pigment Sprinkles is to always use less water and less sprinkles than you think you need. You can ALWAYS add more to build the color, but it’s a lot more work to try to take color away. Just have some patience with them and give them a chance to dry completely. 

Here is a close up look at both of the die cut sentiments colored with the Pigment Sprinkles. You can really see that you will get a different result every time. I think tat is the most fun part about using them. Once they dry completely, the colors are really vibrant, too. 

Card Measurements: 

• Basic Black Card Base - 5-1/2” x 8-1/2”, scored at 4-1/4” 
• Gorgeous Grape Cardstock - 4” x 5-1/4"
• Basic Black Cardstock - 3” x 4-1/4" 
• Granny Apple Green Cardstock - 2-3/4” x 4” 
• Shimmery White Cardstock - For Die Cut Sentiment
• Whisper White Cardstock (for stamped sentiments) - 1/2” x 1-1/8” and 1/2” x 1-3/8”
• Scraps of Black Foil Paper for die cut spiders
• Whisper White Cardstock (inside card) - 4” x 5-1/4” 

Finally here is a look inside the card using a couple of spooky purple spiders and the Happy Halloween sentiment. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Be sure to hop along to see the projects from Kylie’s International Highlights Top Ten Winners. 

From here, you’ll be headed to Mary Ann Rossiter’s blog. I’ve also posted the complete list of blog hoppers below, just in case you lose your way. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today! All of the products I used on this card are listed below. You can click on any of the photos to go directly to my Stampin’ Up!® online store. 

This month’s Host Code is: 4HHRVVNB. If you place an order over $50 (before tax and shipping) using this host code, you will also receive a gift from me: a free exclusive project tutorial bundle. (see the sneak peek below)

If your order is over $150 (before tax and shipping), do NOT use the host code. You will earn host rewards from Stampin’ Up! AND you'll also receive the gift from me. Thanks so much for stopping by! 

Have a HAPPY day today! 
-Anne Marie

Here are the products I used to create my cards today. The following products will not be available to order until September 4th: 

• Wonderfully Wicked Bundle
• Wonderfully Wicked Cling Stamp
• Wicked Dies
• Stylish Scroll Embossing Folder
• Basic Black 3/8” Scalloped Edge Ribbon

Product List

Wonderfully Wicked Bundle [153041]	Wonderfully Wicked Cling Stamp Set [150547]	Wicked Dies [150725]	Stylish Scroll Embossing Folder [150665]	Black Foil Sheets [147898]
Shimmery White 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [101910]	Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [121045]	Gorgeous Grape 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146987]	Granny Apple Green 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146990]	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [100730]
Black 5/8" (1.6 Cm) Glittered Organdy Ribbon [147897]	Basic Black 3/8" (1 Cm) Scalloped Edge Ribbon [150449]	Rhinestone Basic Jewels [144220]	Pigment Sprinkles [149663]	Stampin' Spritzer [126185]
Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint [147044]	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708]	Gorgeous Grape Classic Stampin' Pad [147099]	Snail Adhesive [104332]	Multipurpose Liquid Glue [110755]
Stampin' Dimensionals [104430]	Mini Stampin' Dimensionals [144108]	Mini Glue Dots [103683]