Happy Haunting

"When the crypt goes creak,
And the tombstones quake.
Spooks come out for a swinging wake.
Happy haunts materialize,
And begin to vocalize.
Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize."

From Disneyland's Haunted Mansion Ride

It 's that time of year again. My favourite holiday, Halloweeeeeen, and Hattie is here to celebrate it with me.

Supplies

InLinkz.com

Challenges

Simon Says Stamp blog Wednesday challenge: It's Hip To Be Square

Simon Says Stamp blog Monday challenge: Stitched Up

Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Saturday challenge: Vintage Distressed

Crazy for Challenges: C4C351 Holiday
Inspiration Destination: #100 Anything Goes
Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes
Southern Ridge: Anything Goes

Putting It Together

As I was pawing through my collection (hoarde) of Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps sets and pondering how to possibly combine the challenges of square, stitched, holiday, and vintage distressed, I ran into Hattie and an idea began to blossom. Hattie on a window of vellum opening to the holiday sentiment. The vellum laying against the black of the card could give a hint of the sentiment inside. Plus, the vellum would give dear ghostly Hattie transparency.

I stamped Hattie on to the vellum with Distress archival ink (from the Distress Watercolour Kit) and painted her with Distress Inks. I had decided to have the card in purples and black. To be able to see what I was doing as I painted her and to take the picture, I laid the vellum in white cardstock that wasn't included in the final project.

To create the window in the card front, I adhered the background paper to the card base with removable adhesive. This allowed me to cut them at the same time. I cut the window with Elizabeth Craft Designs Stiched Squares. I also cut a frame with the stitch marks out of Neenah Chalice Silver.

I distressed the frame with a bit of Black Soot.

I also cut a smaller panel of the silver for the inside sentiment. I embossed it with Recollections Charcoal embossing powder which has flecks of multiple colours in the black. I then distressed this panel as well.

Inside the card, I matted a sheet from the Halloween Pad. The black bats are embossed. 

To get the sentiment in the middle of the window, I closed the card and centered the sentiment.

I attached Hattie to the back of the framing background paper to sandwich her between this and the card base, hiding the adhesive.

I then distressed her panel a bit.

I lined up the edges of the frame window with the card base window and added the silver frame. It was at this point I realised I had flipped Hattie. This is actually the underside of the vellum. But, that actually softens the whole image so it looks intentional *laugh*.

On the inside of the card at this point. This didn't look finished but I wasn't sure why at this point.

The front also didn't look finished so I added 3 paper flowers. I like the crumpled slightly smashed, direct from the packaging, look for this card. I was out of time for the day so I went to bed.

While I slept, or didn't at times, I kept pondering the card and trying to figure out what was missing on the inside. I added another paper from the pad to frame Hattie inside (and give a bit more weight to the not heavyweight black cardstock I used for the base because I wanted black and not white).

The extra weight of the additional frame helps the card keep it shape better when laid flat

And done. The lighting for the picture makes it harder to see the writing of the sentiment behind her, it looks spookier in person.