Witchy wishes from Polkadoodles

 

Hello crafting fiends (yes, we are no longer friends; it's Halloween making time!)

Firstly a bit of a disclaimer... I have started using ChatGPT to brighten my background layouts to show off my cards.  A short blurb into the software, along with the photo and some details of the items you want it to display in the background, and it creates a perfect layout to display my project.  If you see stuff on my pages stating AI-generated, please know that my cards are all totally handmade, from scratch, using real supplies!  Only the photo editing and background are done via AI. 

I had such fun making this bright little Halloween card! I started with a clean 5 × 7 inch white base, then built a colourful focal cluster using the witch, broomstick, cat and “Broom Parking” sentiment from the Polkadoodles Grab Your Broomstick Matchables stamp set.  This stamp and die set is no longer available, but... if you go to the Polkadoodles website, there are plenty of other cute witchy characters and stamps you could use to replace the one I used.

For the background, I raided my scrap box and tore up little pieces of Polkadoodles backing paper. The lime green, purple and monochrome patterns were layered behind the characters, keeping the panel fairly compact so there was still plenty of fresh white space around it.

I stamped the images onto colouring card and brought them to life with Ohuhu markers. I went for a wonderfully witchy mix of green skin, glossy black hair, deep purple clothes and bright orange stars, with warm brown on the broom. Once everything was coloured, I fussy cut each piece and left a slim white border to keep the outlines lovely and crisp.

When I assembled the card, I tucked the broom behind the witch, popped the tiny black cat beside her skirt and ran the “Broom Parking” sentiment across the right-hand side on a longer black strip. Trying the layout before adding glue made it much easier to balance all those bold shapes.

The final touch was a scattering of purple Nuvo Drops in different sizes. I placed nine in clusters around the image, mostly in the white space, then left the card flat until they were completely dry. They add just the right amount of shine and dimension without stealing the spotlight from that fabulous witch.

My project tip: A slim white border around fussy-cut stamped images works like a built-in frame. It keeps even black hair and tiny broom details clear when they overlap patterned papers.

I really love the mix of cute characters, bold colour and scrappy texture on this one. It feels spooky without being scary—and the little cat in its tiny witch’s hat might just be my favourite bit! Which detail catches your eye first?

I'd like to enter this into:

Colour dare challenge - use colour palette 

Creative inspirations challenge - Anything goes

Tic tac toe challenge - using grid (bottom line die cut (fishtail and banners), patterned paper (even if only scraps) bright colours

Thanks for dropping by - leave me a comment, and please click on the icons in the right corner to follow me on other social media platforms.

See you very soon

Crafting hugs

Rachael

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Tropical 40th birthday card

 Hello crafty friends! 

Today I’m sharing a bright and cheerful 40th birthday card made especially for my sister-in-law Donna, featuring the fabulous Stamping Bella Summer Bundle Girl and Puppy Hula Dance rubber stamp.

I started with a bold pink polka-dot background, layered onto black cardstock for a crisp border. For the centre, I blended yellow and orange inks onto white card and added a fine script stamp over the top. I love how that little bit of texture makes the panel feel lively without competing with the main image.

Next, I framed the inky panel with white stitched and scalloped die-cut layers. The clean white frame gives all those tropical colours room to shine and creates a lovely stage for the girl, her puppy and the oversized birthday greeting.

I stamped the Stamping Bella image onto smooth colouring card and used alcohol markers to bring the flowers, grass skirt, pink outfit and sweet little puppy to life. After fussy cutting the pair with a narrow white border, I raised them on foam pads so they sit proudly in front of the frame.

For the wording, I mixed several die-cut styles to make the milestone feel really special. I used the Julie Hickey Designs sweet pea numbers die set for the big pink “40” and its small black “th”, then added the black script “birthday” from a Crafter’s Companion die set. The Time for Tea Designs Hey, Hello, Hi Sentiment Die creates the bold layered “hey” across the right side, and two separate Crafter’s Companion word-die set called relations provided the pale yellow “sister” and “in-law” lettering along the bottom. A tiny pearl accent finished everything off.

My little tip: lay out all the large sentiment pieces before sticking anything down. They take up more space than you expect, and arranging them first makes it much easier to balance the characters and keep every word readable.

I had such fun combining the hot pinks, sunny oranges and tropical flowers on this one. It feels bright, playful and perfect for a milestone celebration. Do you enjoy mixing lots of different sentiment dies on one card, or do you usually keep the greeting simple?

I'd like to enter this into:

Thanks so much for stopping by - leave me a message if you can; it makes my day to read them, other social media can be found in the top right corner of my blog page.

Crafty hugs

Rachael

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Autumn fox Polkadoodles new release

Hello crafting friends

Sorry it's been a while; time just gets away from you, doesn't it.

While I've been away, I celebrated my big 50, and have spent lots of time doing great stuff to celebrate, including three holidays, an escape room, two new exercise experiences, a jet ski, and other awesome things, crossing off the list of things I wanted to do this year!

Doing all this and fitting in time to craft has been tight!

Anyway - over at Polkdoodles, there is a fabulous new autumn/halloween digi release called Hello Autumn available here 

This cutie is called fox on a pumpkin 

I used a script stamp to lightly stamp in grey on a piece of white card, and then used some washi tape to layer some strips down.  Over that, I splattered black ink.  

The image was printed on white card stock and then coloured with Ohuhu markers, and details added with Polychromos pencils for a sketchy look. I then fussy cut the fox out, added foam pads and layered him up

The sentiment is also a Polkadoodles stamp set/. With this one, you stamp a whole A6 sheet and use a corresponding die to cut them all out.  I always have a dish full of these sentiments on my desk as they are super handy! Get them here

I finished the card with a black fine-liner to scribble a border around the edge.

I hope you like it

I'd like to enter this into:

Creative inspirations challenge - anything goes

Everybody art challenge - anything goes 

Crafts galore encore - anything goes

Critter crazy - anything goes with an animal

Girlz rebel - use washi tape

I hope I will see you again soon.  If you have landed here, please leave me a little message, or you can check out my other social media channels by clicking on the icons in the top right of my blog homepage.

Thanks for stopping by, crafting hugs

Rachael

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