It's not really Halloween until there's blood dripping down the walls!

That's what they say, you know. Or maybe, that's what Dexter says. I didn't like the ending. I could have lived without that last 30 seconds or so. I digress.

I'm playing along with Retro Sketches 87. I needed to cram in a few fast Halloween cards, and this sketch fit the bill.

The first up is the design I had in mind the whole time -- which of course I don't like. The second was what I came up with while making the first, and decided it didn't work with those papers, so I ended up making four total (two of each kind) and using the papers I had got out plus more for the 'blood work'. What do you think? Enjoy!

Supplies: Paper, mostly Authentique 'Enchanted'; Stamps, MME Lost & Found Halloween; red watercolor; Tsukineko VersaMark Black, Brilliance Starlite Black; Queen & Co. dots; American Crafts Thickers / Amy Tangerine

Whoops! Missed a birthday.

I swore she said her birthday was the 25th. Alas. The 22nd. And I am now overdue. By two days! Oh well.

For my belated birthday in a hurry, I used Retro Sketches #86 and a whole lot of Lawn Fawn 'Dewey Decimal'.

I totally dig the salmon and sea foam color scheme. Accented with brown and white. Love it. I think she will too.

ETA: Lawn Fawn themselves pinned this card with the caption "Perfect belated birthday card by Amanda". OMG can I die now, because that makes me so happy!

Supplies: Lawn Fawn 'Dewey Decimal' (stamps, papers, twine); Stampendous 'Typewriter Wishes,' detail white embossing powder; MME dots; Tsukineko StazOn Timber Brown, Black; VersaMagic Cloud White, Pink Grapefruit; 3D adhesive; vellum.

For the lady whose car I dumped my coffee in...

...whoops, my bad. Sorry. It's a small splatter, but it is on the seat. In my defense, I was up at 4:30 am and it was crappy hotel coffee. It kinda deserved to get dumped out...

...just not in your car!

I can only hope this helps. Enjoy!

Inside the bag:

Two More from World Cardmaking Day

I got two more in yesterday, both on Retro Sketches #84. Just screaming for washi tape, isn't it? But we'll get to that in a minute.

First up, this stamp set I bought with my dad in mind: Tool Time from Technique Tuesday. I like how it's multiple stamps, but it's set up on the sheet like a background, which is how I wanted to use it! I arranged the stamps around the sentiment and stamped with Tsukineko Brilliance Starlite Black. It's black ink with a heavy amount of silver sheen, so that it appears as graphite. Seriously, the ink is like pencil lead: metallic dark gray, but not too shiny. I love the effect, especially on these tools! Sorry that it doesn't photograph as well as it looks. I do feel like the sentiment got a little lost, so I wish I had clear embossed it or used a better ink (my 'Night Sky' is kinda dry).

ETA: This card won a Shout-Out from Retro Sketches!

I am sooooo excited! It's my first call-out/win/blog badge ever!!

 

I said I'd get to the washi tape, and here it is. :) I can't decide if I like it. I go back and forth. The colors (and the lines) are taken from Runway Inspired Challenge #45. The two challenges kind of speak to one another, don't you think? But, again, I think I'm too literal. And I look back at the inspiration cards for RIC45 and I feel so 'blah' by comparison. Oh well! I made something, and someone will like it. It goes in the "I made this and I don't know what to do with it" box.

Happy World Cardmaking Day! I've got two so far...

... and one that I technically made Thursday which makes three for this post. :) I absolutely fell in love with CAS(E) This Sketch #48! It has so much potential. I can see myself using this layout again and again. Which is why I made three!

This winter one is the one from Thursday. My 'mother in law' bought me the whole line of Paper Studio 'Winter Wonderland' last year and I've got soooo much of it, I will probably use this as my holiday card. It would have different papers in the back, but it should work. The stamp is embossed with Ranger Embossing Pearl Silver, which is partially see through: you can use a dark color ink and the silver powder will lighten the ink and add the pearlescence.

And here are the two I made today. I'm disappointed in the bird one. It was a cheap stamp set from the dollar bin that I had never used before. I've since learned that cheap photo polymer does not take ink well. Also, I stupidly used the jelly kind of dimensional dots, as opposed to the foam ones. That said, I love the card, it just looks kind of funny. I think I will make it again with another stamp set.

I've been meaning to use this monkey stamp!!! I love it so much. Rather than repeat the icon in the sketch, I chose to repeat the sentiment, and put the graphic in the sentiment's place. I love it!

Supplies: Tsukineko inks, Clearsnap inks; Avery Elle 'Funky Monkey' stamp; Inkadinkadoo 'Fun Flake' stamp; W R Memory Keepers 'Tweet Tweet' stamp; Spectrum Noir markers; 3D adhesive; glue stick; My Mind's Eye dots; Recollections 'Honeycomb'; My Mind's Eye 'Magnolia' orange distress; white cardstock.