Hello Fellow Stampers ~
Well, I'm coming you to late with today's blog post. Wasn't originally planned that way; but the best laid plans they say . . . 😉
I got hung up with putting out the DDS Nibbles Newsletter yesterday. The newsletter is "growing" and this year we have started a new "annual" installment called "12 Weeks of Christmas"~ A special weekly project sheet focused on Christmas; but ONLY DDS Nibbles Newsletter subscribers will receive this freebie. Along with other perks that are for newsletter subscribers only. Don't miss out -- we're also finishing up the 5 Weeks of Halloween; but you can still get in on the fun if you subscribe today. Just click on the link on the right-hand side of my blog.
In the meantime, we're exploring all things Halloween at the moment, and I am finally opening the packaging on one of my most favorite bundles in the Spooky Night Suite -- the Graveyard Gate bundle - Oh My! This gorgeous and intricate Thinlit Die is a "must have" in my book!! Be sure you get your set BEFORE the upcoming holiday. We're going to CASE-Out today; and today's project truly took some "sleuth-work" to figure out. But I think I "cracked" my suitcase open on this one, so let's get started, shall we?
Graveyard Gate Bundle -
Pg. 54 - Holiday Occasions Catalog 2017
This sample is all the way at the bottom of the page and is meant to showcase the thinlit die itself -- pretty spectacular, don't you think? Let's step through this fun project.
Design Colorology
Stamps, and Ink, and Paper . . . Oh, My!
Stamps: Graveyard Gate [Item # 144765- cm; Item #144695 - wm]**
Paper: Glossy White (5-1/2" x 4-3/16", card front layer); Basic Black (5-1/2" x 8-1/2", scored at 4-1/4" - cardbase; 5"x5" for Graveyard Gate cutout); Wisteria Wonder (1" x 1-1/2" scrap to create sentiment); Silver Foil (scrap for lock and key; 1-1/8" x 2-1/2" for banner); Spooky Night designer series paper ( 3" x 1" for banner behind sentiment)
Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black [Item#132708]; Archival Basic Black [Item #140931]; Archival Basic Gray [Item #140932]; Elegant Eggplant [Item #126969]; Wisteria Wonder [Item #126985]; Peekaboo Peach [Item #141398]
Other: Detailed Gate Thinlits [Item #144669]; 1-1/2" Circle Punch (for moon mask) [Item #138299]; Sponge Brayer [Item #141714]; Vintage Crochet Trim [Item #144611]; Black Rhinestone Jewels [Item #144639]
**Buy this as a bundle and save 10% - Clear Mount bundle - 146018; Wood Mount bundle - 146017
"CASE-Out" Design Guide
1. Score your Basic Black cardstock at 4-1/4", and fold [Reminder: Fold "inward" on your bump - bump goes to the inside - to get that nice clean professional look]. Use your bone folder gently so as not to "crack" your cardstock. Set aside your card base.
2. Punch a "mask" for your moon out of masking paper or a sticky note; attach it where you'd like your moon to be on your Glossy White cardstock. Using your sponge brayer, layer on Wisteria Wonder, Peekaboo Peach, and Archival Basic Gray inks. Once you remove your "moon mask" add some additional sponging of color over your moon to soften the edges and add a little color. Note: I also created a "mask" with the edgelit in the die set so that I could create a "curve" to my sponging that matched the shape of the gate. You don't have to do this; it's just a nice way to give yourself a "guide." When you are satisfied with your sponged color, ink up the "tombstone" images from the stamp set in Archival Basic Gray and stamp where you would like. You will notice that your ink dries quickly and easily despite the "glossy" surface of this cardstock. The nice thing is how smoothly you can get the ink to layer and move on this cardstock and how nice it look when you are finished. I did some additional sponging and playing with color here. I encourage you to experiment.
3. Cut your Graveyard Gate from the 5" x 5" Basic Black cardstock. Then score in a 1/4" on each side to create a "flap" that you will wrap around to the back side of the Glossy White piece.
Use the 1/4" score line just to the right of your cutting guide of your Stampin' Trimmer to line up the edge of your cutout.
Use your "score blade" - be careful NOT to use the cutting blade here!
Flip the gate cutout around, and use the bottom of your Stampin' Trimmer to again line up with the 1/4" line and score that side to create a "flap."
I am scoring from the "back side" of the die to do this -- the back side of your die is fairly apparent when you are cutting it - front toward the front of the die; back is the backside that you're pushing all your little pieces out of.
4. Use SNAIL on the backside of your Glossy White sponged cardstock, and place the Graveyard Gate with the flaps wrapped around to the back. Now SNAIL the entire piece to the front of your Basic Black cardstock base. You will line it up so that the slight edging of Basic Black shows on either side of the Glossy White cardstock above the gate (the gate will cover the cardbase behind it on the lower half of the card.
5. Cut your "lock" and "key" from the scrap Silver Foil. Snip a cut in the upper part of your "lock", and slip it around the middle rung of the gate - using a glue dot behind it to hold everything in place. Stamp your sentiment in Elegant Eggplant on the 1" x 1-1/2" Wisteria Wonder piece; then attach the key with a glue dot. Create your "banner" stack, by using the Banner Triple Punch, and punch a banner from the 1" x 3" Spooky Night DSP, and the 1-1/8" x 2-1/2" Silver Foil. Attach the Silver banner to the DSP banner; then add a strip of SNAIL and layer a piece of Vintage Crochet trim. Using dimensionals, add the sentiment.
Then add dimensionals to the entire layered piece - and attach to the front of your Graveyard Gate card.
A few Black Rhinestones to the sentiment, and to the top of your Gate scrollwork are the perfect finishing touch!
You can see that I added some of my own touches to this design to make it mine -- the moon, rhinestones, etc. I like to CASE; but I also like to add layering and touches that make the design mine. Layer the inside of your card with Elegant Eggplant and Whisper White cardstock to finish it off. I sponged the edges of the inside layering with Elegant Eggplant ink to soften it and stamped somemore of the tombstone images to pull it all together. It looks nicely spooky -- LOL
Ahhhh . . . what a wonderful project we found inside our suitcase today! Don't you just love it? Hope you had some fun with me today!! If you haven't purchased this wonderful bundle yet, don't wait!! Pop into my Online Store today and save 10% when you purchase the bundle.
Until Next Time . . .
