I have been wanting to do a doggy-themed Halloween card, so just as I do with my own dogs, I decided to “dress up” some of the adorable dogs from theĀ My Favorite Things “You Have My Heart,”Ā Ā “Lucky Dog,” and “You Make My Tail Wag” stamp sets.
To designĀ the costumes for each dog, I stamped them out on scratch paper and doodled different costumes on them to see what would work best for each pup. When I’d figured out a particular costume-dog combo, I paid close attention to what lines from the stamp I should wipe off before stamping (using a stamp shammy made this process much easier). Then I carefully did the partial stamping of each dog and drew the costume on with a Copic Multi-liner pen in 0.05 pt. I used the following Copic colors for each dog and then painstakingly fussy cut them out, making sure I inked the edges of the cut out images so that the white edges wouldn’t show:
Corgi with Headless Horseman: Corgi: C0, R11, Y26, YR24 and E97; Horseman: B02, B05, C7, C9 and E47; Pumpkin head: YR65 and 07
Westie turned Leprechaun: Westie: R11, W1, W3 and white gelly roll pen for furry details; Beard and hair: YR65, YR24, YR16, E97 and E99; Vest, hat buckle and cuffs: Y17
Chihuahua with Day of the Dead Body Painting: W5, W7, N0, R11, R20, YG07 and B05
Dracula: R35, R37, R39, C4, C6, C9, E23 (with Cranberry Stickles on the medal for sparkle/bling)
Weimeraner turned Superdog: B02, B05, R37, R39, Y35; Weimeraner: W3 and N2
Bumble Bee Dog: C6, C8, B000, B00, Y21 and Y35 (with iridescent glitter glue on wingsĀ for extra sparkle/bling)
Dragon: E55, YG07, YG09, G09, G29
Poodle turned Pokeball: Poodle: E00, E01, E21, E31, E33 and W3; Pokeball: C000, C00, R35, R37 and R39
Dalmatian turned Cookie Monster: C0, C1, B02, B05, and N7
I also added Glossy Accents to all the eyes (including Cookie Monsters’) and noses of the dogs and the windows of the haunted dog houseĀ for shine.
I also made a doggy haunted mansionĀ by following the same partial stamping and drawing steps on the dog house from the “You Make My Tail Wag” stamp set. Only to create this larger haunted mansion, I stamped out parts of the house three times and combined them to create a wonky, off-kilter haunted house. I even altered the buildingĀ sign by adding a smaller bone stamp to the top and popping both bones up on dimensionals after writing in “HAPPYĀ HOWLOWEEN” on the two bones.
For the card itself, I decided to try my hand at a bendy card so that I would have lots of layers on which to create a scene for all these pups. I started with the back base panel of 6.5″ x 6.5″, and used Distress Inks in Squeezed Lemonade, Tumbled Glass, Faded Jeans,Ā and Chipped Sapphire to create a sky at dusk. Before blending on the color, however, I made a simple round mask from a post-it note so that I could create a moon. I used Copic B21 and erased 3/4 of each circle with a 0 to create the look of craters (a technique I learned from Sandy Allnock).
View From Above, Showing Bendy Grassy Hills Panels
To create the look of hills, I cut 2 panels measuring 6.5″ x 4″ and die cut the top edge with one of the My Favorite Things Die-Namics Grassy Hills die set. Ā I used one panel for the ground of the back base panel and the second one for the left panel, which I scored and foldedĀ back 1/2″ on the left side to glueĀ behind the base panel.Ā To create the right panel hill, I cut another piece of card stock to 6.5″ x 2.75″, die cut the top edge with another one of the Grassy Hills dies, and scored and folded back 1/2″ on the right side to glue behind the base panel. To makeĀ the tabs for the panels to fit into slits (coming next) that naturally create a curve when assembled, I marked 1/4″ on the opposite edgeĀ of the folded back edges and simply hand cut tabs. Ā To create the slits, I used an X-Acto blade and measured 1.5″ from the right side of the back base panel to cut the slit into which the left panel would fit, and measured 1.5″ from the left side of the glued-in left panel to cut a slit into which the right (front) panel would fit. For all of the grassy hill panels, I used Tim Holtz Distress Inks and Markers in Twisted Citron and Mowed Lawn to blend on color as well as add shadows and hints of grass under and around each pup.
The following is a video share of this card:
This card is being entered into the following challenges:
MFT Superstar Card Design ChallengeĀ – 2nd Entry (first entry was #145)
CAS-ual Fridays Dimension and Bling Challenge
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Anything Goes Challenge
Through the Craft Room Door Anything Goes Challenge
613 Avenue Create Anything Goes Challenge
Craft Your Passion Anything Goes Challenge
Addicted to Stamping Make Your Mark Challenge
Just Keep on Creating Anything Goes Challenge –Ā WINNER
There is a really fun Chase Freedom commercial with a really peppy tune called, “Worship You” by Vampire Weekend that was one of the inspirations for this card.
HEREĀ is a link to the song/video
Creatalicious Anything Goes with an Optional Inspired by a Tune Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Monday Inspired by MusicĀ ChallengeĀ – WINNER
Your card is quite clever and very cute! Thanks for sharing your talent with us at 613 Avenue Create.
Thanks so much Sheila! It was really fun do dress up all those pups! š
This Halloween project is simply incredible, I absolutely love this and thanks so much for sharing your tutorial as well. Thanks so much for sharing your creation at
<a href="Anything goes September link-up, Just keep on creating
Susan xx
Thank you so very much Susan! I so appreciate your super sweet and encouraging comment. TFStopping by! Big hugs, Kristina
This card is amazing! I love the costumes and coloring, and the bendy card is pure genius!
Awww thanks so much Andrea! I had so much fun dressing up all those dogs, and I ended up creating the bendy card because there were just so many little pups I wanted to include on the card! š lol I will definitely be making that card style again. š TFStopping by! Big hugs, Kristina
Wow, this is incredible! Love the dog house, the moon, the dog costumes! A lot went into this card and it shows! Thanks for joining us at Lil Patch of Crafty Friends! š
Thanks so very much Sandy! A lot did go into this card, and I enjoyed every single minute! š Don’t you just love it when what you conceive of in your mind starts to come out even better when you try to create it? š TFStopping by! Big hugs, Kristina
Ohh my goodness what a stunning creation. You are so clever, its brilliant. Amazing colouring.
Oh you are so sweet, Aileen! I so appreciate you taking the time to stop by and leave such a kind and encouraging comment! Big hugs, Kristina
Wow what work you’ve done. It’s fab. Thank you so much for entering our ATG challenge at Through The Craft Room Door this week. Looking forward to see you again next challenge.
Regards,
Ann-Marie
TTCRD DT
Annemi {My Blog}
Through The Craft Room Door
ttcrd.blogspot.com
Thanks so much Ann-Marie! It was truly a labor of love, and I LOVED every second I spent dreaming up and crafting this card. š TFStopping by and taking the time to leave such a sweet comment! Big hugs, Kristina
love your Halloween dogs – such a creative idea – thanks for sharing your wonderful project at Addicted to Stamps and More
Awww thanks so much Tanja! These stamps were so fun to alter up to dress the dogs in costumes! I can’t remember when I had as much fun drawing. š TFStopping by! Hugs, Kristina
I am really impressed with your doggy Halloween costumes. You are so clever and I love what you do, but this really is amazing! Thanks so much for sharing what you do…
Thank you so very much! I really had fun designing all the little doggy costumes, so I am really happy it came through in the final card. Thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind and encouraging comment! Big hugs, Kristina
My, my, but aren’t you the creative one! Very crafty and very well executed! We are impressed! Thanks for rocking with us at 613 Avenue Create!
Hugz,
Chana, Owner
Thanks so very much Chana! I had a ball dressing up all these pups so I’m tickled with your super kind and encouraging comment. Hugs and blessings to you and yours, Kristina
Wow! Wow! Wow! I’m speechless! Ha! That’s saying a lot there. I’ve wiped out parts of my stamps for years when it had something I didn’t want to incorporate into my design. NEVER! Did it dawn on me to carry it as far as you did! How inspiring! You are so right though. It opened up so many possibilities as to what I can do with my massive stamp collection and FORCE me to stop buying new ones! Ha! As if! lol I can’t wait to have another look at my stamps! Love, love, love the dog-themed Halloween card, by the way! xx
Oh my goodness, I am so touched by your comment. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts and let me know that I may have helped you stretch your stamps. That means so much to me. TFStopping by! Hugs, Kristina
I have looked at every single one of those hilarious costumed dogs – can’t bring a favorite since they are all so darn cute. Thanks so much for joining us this time at the Creatalicious Challenge, Elizabeth (DT)
Awww your comment made my day, Elizabeth! I had so much fun designing each puppy costume. LOL TFStopping by and taking the time to leave a sweet comment! Big hugs, Kristina
Super cute images and awesome card design… Thank you for joining us at ATSM this week
Hugs Zeljka DT
Thanks so very much Zeljka! I had a blast designing and creating all the dogs in costume and the card as a whole too! š TFStopping by and taking the time to leave a sweet comment! Big hugs, Kristina
Love this entry, thank you for sharing with Creatalicious, Jackie CT member.
Thank you so very much Jackie! I loved making this card. š
Oh my goodness!! What an adorable project! I love each part. I always enjoy the brilliance of your coloring!!
Thank you so very much Vicki! I had a blast designing and creating each costume and the whole card. I love crafting!!!! TFStopping by and taking the time to leave a sweet comment! Big hugs, Kristina
Absolutely FABULOUS! LOVE it!
Thanks so very much Mischelle! TFStopping by and taking the time to leave a sweet comment! Big hugs, Kristina