Last year, Waltzingmouse Stamps released a very cool Halloween stamp set called All Hallows Eve. It had a spooky ruined church, plenty of gothic text and script, and a simply superb raven. I had especially admired this card by Tosha Leyendekker and so this year, I decided to make my own version.
I had similar, but not the same supplies, and I knew I wanted to make a smaller and simpler card. I didn’t have any ideas for a background when *suddenly* I was reminded of the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland and the “infernal art” that covers the walls. I selected a Hero Arts background stamp and used Delicata silver ink on dark grey card stock to create my “wallpaper.” I rubbed some Black Soot Distress ink around the edges and corners to add some depth.
I looked through my dies for a frame, and found that Spellbinders Floral Ovals—die cut in black— looked a bit like wrought iron. Sponging black and silver inks and smearing on some Black Soot stickles further distressed the frame. For the center, I blended many shades or yellow, red and orange (or green, yellow and black), and then lightly misted with some shimmer spray. Finally! I got to stamp that raven with Versafine ink. Was there ever a bird more suited to Black Onyx?
On the inside of the card, I used Perfect Pearls to make the sentiments stand out. I find that it renders detailed stamps more finely than trying to use heat embossing.
For a finishing touch, I selected a dark grey envelope and used more Waltzingmouse stamps (Hocus Pocus) to create a sinister gate border.
The Saffron Kingfisher 