The weather is finally cooler, and we've been bingeing the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, so today I'm sharing a card I made with Witch, Please from Kindred Stamps and the new Shutter Card interactive dies from Lawn Fawn. I also used the Shutter Card Add-On.
This is a fairly simple die set that delivers maximum wow factor. It's easy to assemble, and the possibilities are endless!
For this card, I first die cut all of the elements out of Bristol smooth paper since I was going to do a lot of ink blending. Distress inks and oxides sit on top of smooth paper for a longer time, making it easier to get smooth blends.
I was going for a spooky night sky, so I grabbed Stormy Sky, Faded Jeans, Seedless Preserves, Wilted Violet, Chipped Sapphire and Black Soot Distress Oxide Inks. Starting with the large panel, I added Stormy Sky towards the bottom, Faded Jeans in the middle, and Seedless Preserves at the very top. (This die does have an up and a down, depending on where you want your shutter opening to be. Make sure it's right-side-up before you ink!)
I wasn't happy with how bright the purple was, so I muted it with a layer of Wilted Violet. I worked the blends until I was happy with the look, and then I repeated the process on the middle panel and the two shutter pieces. For a consistent look, I occasionally laid the pieces on top of the base panel to make sure my lines were even.
I added some water splatters and picked up the extra moisture with a paper towel. I smooshed some Black Soot and some Chipped Sapphire on my glass mat and added some water. With a small paintbrush, I added splatters to all of the pieces for some texture and interest. I also added blue-gold from my metallic watercolors for extra shimmer.
I set those with my heat tool, and then pulled out a cloud stencil and some white pigment ink. (I used Lawn Fawn's Yeti.) Pigment ink goes a long way, so with a *very* light hand, I added a cloud pattern across the base panel. I then placed the shutters, and lined the stencil up for a continuous pattern. As a last step, I added Black Soot ink around the edges of the base panel, and at the top of the center piece. The shutters didn't need it, since they'll be tucked behind these other elements.
I set everything aside to dry thoroughly, and moved on to my stamped images. I used the main witch and her familiar from Witch, Please, and stamped them with Memento Tuxedo Black ink (it's copic friendly.) I colored my images with my alcohol markers and fussy cut them out.
I needed to fill the rest of the scene inside the card, so I cut some trees with Lawn Fawn Birch Trees dies out of their Black Licorice cardstock. I also cut a small circle out of some scrap Bristol paper. I used a combination of Scattered Straw and Mustard Seed Distress Oxide Ink to add color and texture to it. I repeated the process with water and splatters of the darker ink color so that it would match the rest of the panel.
To ground my characters and my scene, I used a grass stencil and Black Soot ink. I laid the center piece in place, lined up the stencil, held it in place with some low-tack tape, and then was able to ink a consistent pattern without worrying about messing up the base panel.
When I was sure all of the pieces were dry, I assembled the Shutter Card. You fold on the score lines on each side, and on the tabs at the top and bottom. Using strong adhesive put each shutter in place, and fold the sides in to pick them up. Attach the center piece to the top tab, make sure your shutters are in the correct position (alternating the points of the shutters), and then attach the center to the bottom tab.
After giving the mechanism a few tries, I finished off the inside by adding the trees, the characters, and the moon using liquid adhesive. I stamped a sentiment from the Witch, Please set on the top of the center panel, and added Wink of Stella to the moon.
To finish the card, I used the main Shutter Card die to cut an identical base out of Black Licorice cardstock. With my paper trimmer, I cut off the side panels and attached them to the front of my card with strong double-sided tape. I inked up a spare piece of Bristol paper, using the same technique as before, and cut them with the optional panel piece from the die set.
I used the stitched circle included in the die set to cut a circle out of Sugarplum cardstock. I inked the edges with Wilted Violet Distress Oxide to give it a little more interest, and then dried it with my heat tool. I covered the circle with my anti-static powder tool, and then stamped another sentiment with clear, sticky ink. I added gold embossing powder, and heated it until melted. I attached it to the belly band (also included in the die set) and slipped it in place. It's a bit of a tight fit at first, but the more you play with it, the easier it slides up and down.
I absolutely love how this turned out, and I will definitely be using this interactive set again soon! The sneak peek on the outside, the dramatic reveal on the inside- it all works so well, and will make any recipient feel special!
Tips and Tricks:
If your stamp set sentiments are too long, you can cut them smaller! Both of the sentiments I used were on a single line, and wouldn't fit with what I had in mind. With very clean, very sharp scissors, I was able to cut them in half and stack them. They easily butt back together to use as designed.