ThePowerOfACard

Tuesday, August 5, 2025

Diving into the Spooky Sweet Suite Collection

Halloween isn't one of my favorite holidays, but this Suite of products was just so adorable, I had to show it to you! Besides the Stamp and Die Bundle, you'll fall in love with the Designer Series Paper (DSP). There are several sheets where all you have to do is cut it up and you'll have perfectly sized panels, banners and tags for your card. There are also two sheets of pre-cut pieces in a large variety of Halloween motifs - these are great! The ribbon is iridescent Petunia Pop and ties so easily. Lastly, there are shimmery treat bags (20 per package) and shiny foam stars in sparkly black, white and purple.

In the video, I'll show you how to make an adorable card with a layout that shows off the oh-so-cute halloween candy DSP. I will use everything in the suite except the treat bags. Then at the end, I have many cards (and a treat bag) to share! Most of them are super easy to make because of the DSP. Trust me when I say you'll be able to put most of them together in just a few minutes.

Gather your supplies:

Cardstock: Pumpkin Pie 7-1/2" x 5-1/2"; Basic White 4" x 5-1/4", 2-3/4" square, 3" square, 3/4" x 2-1/4"; Spooky Sweet Specialty DSP 4" x 5-1/4"
Bundle: Spooky Halloween
Die: Spotlight on Nature
Inks: Memento Black, Pumpkin Pie, Petunia Pop
Stampin' Blends: Basic Black, Smoky Slate, Daffodil Delight, Bubble Bath, Pumpkin Pie, Granny Apple Green
Ribbon: Petunia Pop Iridescent 8"
Embellishment: Shimmer Star Foam Stickers
Adhesive and Tools

For the card base, I like to start with a half sheet of paper that is folded in half and creased with the bone folder. Then I cut off 1" from the front. Cut off 1" from the left side of the DSP and glue that to the right edge of the large white rectangle. Adhere the remaining part to the card front.

On the smallest white square, stamp the kitty and the broom with Memento Black ink. I cut these out with the dies before coloring even though it is often easier to color on a larger piece of paper. There is nothing more frustrating than coloring something and then have the die slip while cutting! While at the Stampin' Cut & Emboss machine, cut out the circle with the Spotlight on Nature die.

Color the die cuts with Blends. I like to use a color lifter, especially for animals, to lighten up a part of the face. It can also add a nice texture that makes a fur-like appearance. Adhere these pieces to the circle with Dimensionals. Stamp a single bat next to the cat's hat (and try not to get it on the ridges like I did!) and embellish with foam stars. Attach this to the card front, being careful to place Dimensionals on the left side of the circle so that you can't see them when you open the card.

Stamp the sentiment on the remaining piece of white (trimming if necessary). Add Seal to the back to hold a zig zag of ribbon (isn't it so amazing?). Pop this up on the card front. Finish by stamping the Happy Halloween sentiment and some bats on the inside panel with Memento. After adhering this panel, complete by stamping the last sentiment onto the envelope in Pumpkin Pie ink.

Most of my cards are simple to replicate so most of this post will be just photos. I'll make a few comments as needed, like for this card. The black panel is adhered on the bottom and sides, which allows for a hidden message to be tucked into the pocket. I used the bag topper bat to act as a pull tab - isn't that so adorable?

On the Hippo card, I embossed a panel of Two Tone Cardstock and then folded over a corner. I love how it's a perfect spot to place the punched out hippo and shows off both tones of Pumpkin Pie. The banner is from the DSP (I just trimmed off the notch) and the punched out elements make both of these quick to make.

I used the Stylish Shapes (smallest square) to hold the punched out elements and tucked a strip (the 1" piece I cut off my first sample!) behind them. For the cauldron, I added Wink of Stella on the green goop (and the potion bottle on the inside).

The background panels are simply cut from the DSP - they are perfectly sized at 4" x 5-1/4". For the trick or treaters, I fussy cut them from the DSP.

Again, more quick cards - I used the die cut bats (good sized ones for sure!) and another fussy cut dracula bear.

In case you missed my video from two weeks ago, these were two cards I made using this bundle. They are so cute, I had to show them off again.

Lastly, I have a treat bag filled with Peanut M&Ms. I filled the bag and tied it closed with the ribbon. Then I stamped, colored and cut out the Frankenstein dog and popped him up on one of the labels (again, I trimmed the corners). I added that cute bag topper, embossed For You in white and stapled it to the top of the bag.

I hope you enjoyed these cute cards and projects! Let me know which is your favorite!

Karen

ThePowerOfACard@gmail.com

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Product List

Spooky Sweet Suite Collection (English)

[166205]

$88.50

Spooky Halloween Bundle (English)

[166199]

$45.00

Spooky Sweet 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper

[166191]

$16.50

Iridescent Treat Bags

[166204]

$8.00

Petunia Pop 1/4" (6.4 Mm) Iridescent Ribbon

[166203]

$9.50

Shimmer Star Foam Stickers

[166202]

$9.50

Pumpkin Pie 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[105117]

$14.00

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[166780]

$14.00

Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad

[147086]

$9.00

Petunia Pop Classic Stampin Pad

[163811]

$9.00

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

[132708]

$8.00

Spotlight On Nature Dies

[163580]

$35.00

Basic Black Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154843]

$11.00

Smoky Slate Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154904]

$11.00

Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154897]

$11.00

Bubble Bath Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack

[161675]

$11.00

Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154883]

$11.00

Granny Apple Green Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154885]

$11.00

Stampin' Blends Color Lifter

[144608]

$5.50

Multipurpose Liquid Glue

[110755]

$6.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

[144108]

$4.25

Stampin' Seal

[152813]

$8.00

Paper Snips

[103579]

$12.00

Paper Trimmer

[152392]

$28.00

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

[149653]

$140.00

Tuesday, July 22, 2025

Using Re-inkers for Watercolor Backgrounds

I love to incorporate watercolor techniques in my card-making, so that's why I focused on watercolor backgrounds in my video. You don't need any watercolor paints because I'll show you how to use re-inkers (or the ink pads) to add colors. You will need a brush or two - I like to use a medium round and a flat (about 1/2" wide) brush, some water in a large container (also helpful to have some in a spritzer), and watercolor paper. I also like to work on a glass surface because it's easy to clean and you can get water all over it without harming anything.

Before getting into the different backgrounds, I want to mention some important tips.

You must use watercolor paper. I use the Fluid 100 paper which comes in a pack of ten 5" x 7" sheets. Watercolor paper is meant to handle the water needed to make the backgrounds. Regular cardstock may be able to handle a little addition of color, but will pill and warp with the amount I used to make my backgrounds.
Pigments in inks are quite a bit different than paint and may surprise you when you use them with water. You may see colors separate, or dry much differently than you expect. That is why it's a good idea to test your colors on scraps. I show one sample in the video where I was using Smoky Slate (and then Basic Gray) and the color looked more like Gray Granite (a warmer, more brown color than the cool gray I wanted).
When selecting colors that will be adjacent, make sure they will blend well together. I like to say that analogous colors (colors next to each other on the color wheel) make good choices, but so do triadic colors (such as magenta, cyan and yellow). If you use opposites together (like blue and orange), you may get some unwanted brown or gray tones where they mix.
It is always good to cut your watercolor paper a little larger than you want to use in the card project because edges can have uneven drying patterns where the water collected, as you can see on this piece.
Allow your paper to dry completely before trying to die cut or trim. You could use a heat tool to speed up the process, but I prefer to let my pieces dry naturally. It's hard to be patient, but it's worth it!

I have three basic styles of background and each can be done edge to edge on your paper, or with a border. My first example is the easiest - I'm using three colors with random placement and filling the entire panel (which is half a sheet of the Fluid 100 paper). When I'm covering the entire sheet, I like to spray down the glass mat and paper, then turn the paper over and the moisture will hold it in place while you paint. Before adding my pigments, I spray the paper surface to help the colors blend. I chose Garden Green, Granny Apple Green and Lemon Lime Twist so that I could use them to make die cut leaves. Place a drop of each on a clean block and add color as you please until the entire piece is covered, making sure that all three colors are visible individually as well as blended. I used the Unbounded Love bundle to make this card (and the Glass & Gardens Embossing folder) - I love how the variegated leaves look!

Next is the same style, but with the edges left uncolored. For this one, I used Poppy Parade, Pumpkin Pie and Daffodil Delight. Because I wasn't going edge to edge, I did not add water to the glass mat before starting. Instead, I used my brush to add plain water where I wanted color to be. Then I added the three colors in randomly. You will see how they spread and react with the water - you'll never get the same results twice! For this sample, I paired the background with the Beautiful Butterflies bundle because it reminded me of the colors of a monarch butterfly.

Another easy style is to make stripes. I like to make stripes diagonally (so much easier than trying to stay perfectly horizontal or vertical!) and while this could be made with a border, it is easiest to go edge to edge. For my sample, I selected Pumpkin Pie and Daffodil Delight to coordinate with the Spooky Sweet DSP, which has adorable punch-out designs! Originally, I had wanted to use Petunia Pop and Smoky Slate, but as you saw in the video, the colors just didn't work out as I wanted and didn't match the paper at all! This adorable Halloween card is a good example of using a background piece, cutting it up and showcasing it on the outside, inside and envelope!

The last style is to blend from one color to another and to yet another. This card went from Lemon Lime Twist to Summer Splash to Azure Afternoon. I cut my piece larger (3-3/4" x 5") to really fill up the card front. After it was dry, I stamped my sentiment (With You in Mind stamp set), then added flowers in the same colors of ink as the background around the words. It is such a simple layout, but the addition of the watercolor background makes it really pop!

Here's another Halloween card that used a three color blend and a border. I wanted a evening sky with a little spooky feel to is, so I used Melon Mambo, Gorgeous Grape and Blueberry Bushel. Like with the butterfly card, I first applied a wash of plain water where I wanted my color to blend. I added my top and bottom colors first, then the middle and blended, but you can really add them in any order. As you can see, the uninked border does not have to be uniform - wherever your brush stops is fine. I used the Spooky Halloween set again and added a little Wink of Stella to my night sky.

My last sample of blending was done in two separate steps. Unlike the previous example, I did not wet my watercolor paper first. I wanted a distinct line where the yellow (Daffodil Delight) stopped. Then I blended in Melon Mambo and Azure Afternoon. As you can see with this triadic color scheme, you get lovely mixes of orange and purple to give a gorgeous sunset sky. Before adding the bottom portion of this sample, it must be completely dry. For the water, I used Night of Navy and Azure Afternoon and blended them to get the look of water I desired. I used the modern oval die cut from Impressions Abloom to cut out my evening sky and the Sunrise Sailing bundle for a stunning congratulations card. I love how the embossed background has the clouds and water and provides a perfect backdrop to the colorful panel.

I've only skimmed the surface with these examples today. You can add even more texture and interest by adding spritzes of water or other paint colors, water droplets or even salt. You don't have to be an artist so give yourself the freedom to explore making your own watercolor backgrounds. Each will be unique and take your card-making to the next level!

Karen

ThePowerOfACard@gmail.com

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