Trick or Treat?
In just 18 days, it’s Halloween. While Halloween is not usually a big celebration in Australia, I suspect it will be popular this year as people look for something to celebrate after a pretty challenging 12 months. So over the next few days, I’m going to show you some cute easy projects that you can make at home.
Before we start… let’s have a little history lesson and find out more about Halloween.
Where did Halloween originate?
Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival in France and Ireland where they celebrated New Year’s Day on November 1st. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter.
In 609 A.D., Catholic Pope Boniface IV dedicated the Pantheon in Rome in honor of all Christian martyrs, and the Catholic feast of All Martyrs Day was established in the Western church. Pope Gregory III later expanded the festival to include all saints as well as all martyrs, and moved the observance from May 13 to November 1 which is All Saints Day.
Gradually Christian and Celtic traditions blended together and in 1000 A.D., the church made November 2 All Souls’ Day. A day to honor the dead. All Souls’ Day was celebrated similarly to Celtic rituals, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. The All Saints’ Day celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints’ Day) and the night before it, began to be called All-Hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween.
Trick or treat
During the early All Souls’ Day parades and festivities in England, poor citizens would beg for food and families would give them pastries called “soul cakes” in return for their promise to pray for the family’s dead relatives.
In Celtic times to keep ghosts away from their houses on Halloween, people would place bowls of food outside their homes to appease the ghosts and prevent them from attempting to enter. These people believed that ghosts returned to earth on Halloween so they dressed up as “ghosts” so that they would not be recognized. These traditions meshed with others and along the way morphed into modern American Trick or Treating. Now in the USA trick or treating is essentially a way to bring the community together.
Tricks
Playing tricks or pranks is now part of the Halloween tradition. In the early days through to the 1800s, young women believed that on Halloween, they could divine the name or appearance of their future husband by doing tricks with yarn, apple parings, or mirrors. (Surely, there has to be an easier way to get a husband?) There are heaps of other fabulous traditions and stories associated with Halloween.
But enough about Halloween history…
Now it’s time to create
Today’s Halloween card is simple… it’s always nice to start with an easy layout. I made this card on World Cardmaking Day when I got together with my friend, Vickie. She loaned me the Banner Year bundle for the day and challenged me to make a couple of cards. This is what I came up with. (You can see one of Vickie’s Banner Year creations here.)
This is one of my favorite layouts because most of the card is just scraps and it looks really effective.
What you will need
Stamps
- Banner Year Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [153464]
- Itty Bitty Greetings Cling-Mount Stamp Set [151331] (Or you can use the greetings in the Banner Year stamp set)
Inks
- Granny Apple Green Stampin’ Pad [147095]
- Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin’ Pad [147086]
- Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708]
Card Stock
- Pumpkin Pie A4 Card Stock [108601] – ½ an A4 sheet to form the base card.
- Granny Apple Green A4 Cardstock [147014] – 3 squares – 1⅜”
- Gorgeous Grape A4 Cardstock [147011] – 1 square- 1⅜”
- Whisper White A4 Card Stock [106549] – 4 squares – 1¼” plus a 3¾” x 5½” piece for the inside.
Tools & Adhesive
- Black Stampin’ Dimensionals Combo Pack [150893]
- Stampin’ Seal [152813]
- Clear Block B [117147]
- Bone Folder [102300]
- Take Your Pick [144107]
- a ruler with metric and imperimal measurements.
Embellishments
- Noble Peacock Rhinestones (retired) [149494]. Substitute these rhinestones with Rhinestone Basic Jewels coloured with a dark Highland Heather Stampin’ Blend
So let’s get started:
- Fold the Pumpkin Pie cardstock in half and burnish the fold with your bone folder to get a crisp folded edge. This is your card base.
- Stamp the “Trick or Treat” sentiment on the Pumpkin Pie Card in black memento ink approximately 2¾” down from the top and approximately ¾” in from the right edge.
- Double-check your white squares are exactly square. To cut your squares, use your trimmer, or one of the retired square punches or the layering squares dies or stitched shapes die. If you use dies you just use the closest one to the measurements I’ve given above.
- Using Memento Black ink, stamp the bat on an angle so it appears to be flying) the corner of the large whisper white piece, and then, stamp another bat in the center of the small whisper white square.
- Stamp the scary face and spider web on the center of two of the whisper white squares in black ink.
- Using Stampin’ Seal or glue attach the three 1¼” stamped squares to the granny apple green squares.
- Attach the large stamped piece of whisper white cardstock to the inside of the card.
- On the remaining 1¼” whisper white square stamp the pumpkin (pumpkin pie), Stalk (granny apple green), and scary face. Attach this stamped square to the gorgeous grape square with the black dimensionals.
- Arrange the four-layered stamped squares, approximately 1¼” inches down from the top folded edge and equal distance from each side – your squares should be just above the stamped words. (My card layout is in this order: two green squares, purple then green.) Use a ruler to help keep them in line. When you are happy with their placement, attach the green squares to the base card with Stampin’ Seal. Attach the purple square using the black dimensionals.
- Use you Take Your Pick Tool to attach the rhinestones.
Volia! Your card is done!
Halloween Step it up!
Here are three ways to “step up” your card, to make it a little extra special.
- Stamp the spider web randomly on the base card in Pumpkin Pie (or clear heat embossing) to create a spooky background.
- Heat embossing the images or words is also another easy way to add interest and texture.
- Add another layer of pumpkin pie (4″x5¾’) cardstock and after you have stamped the words, emboss it with your die-cutting machine and a spooky embossing folder from your stash. The current Cobwebs 3D embossing folder, or the retired Spider Web or the Stylish Scroll embossing folders would be perfect. Even the Dainty Diamonds 3D embossing folder would add some subtle detail.
Hope you have fun making this card, whether it be the original or a deluxe version. I’ve included photos of all the products below so you can see what you need. If you want to purchase any of the items, just click on the photo below to add it to your shopping cart, or click the Add All to cart button at the bottom of this post to get everything! If you have any questions, contact me.
Until next time… Happy Creating
Chrissy xo
Here’s are the products again
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Noble Peacock Rhinestones
[149494]
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