Stepping it up with Stampin' Up! Halloween Street

My handmade Halloween card started with stamping the Stampin’ Up! Halloween Street Stamp on Whisper White Cardstock with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink. Every handmade card has to start somewhere. I never intended to stop here, but you must admit, you could. The Halloween Street Stamp is large and full of personality. It’s much more than a greeting stamp. There’s an elegance in the card’s simplicity. It takes a moment before you think, “Hey, it’s only stamped in black on white cardstock.”

Want a bit more? Want to see how I stepped up my Halloween Street card? Keep reading.

A quick way to dress up a plain card is with one of the Stampin’ Up! background papers. My card has all sorts of creatures trick-or-treating along Halloween Street from the Stampin’ Up! Motley Monsters Designer Series Paper.

Cute! If you have not followed my stamping blog for very long, you may not know I don’t like naked edges. Abrupt might be politically correct, but sometimes you have to call it like you see it. The edge of the Motley Monsters Paper sitting there naked doesn’t let the look of the card flow. Honestly, I’d rather have just the Happy Halloween stamped in black on the white cardstock then to stop here. So, on we go.

The simple touch of adding a 3/4″ x 4-1/4″ strip of complimentary candy corn paper from the same pack of the Motley Monsters Designer Series Paper did two things. The first is it covered the naked edge. The second is it provided contrast in a coordinating design for a finished look.

You could stop right there and have an attractive handmade Halloween card. I just can’t help but look for the little extras I can add to take my greeting cards from attractive to really attractive. As I did in a Halloween Street card I posted recently, I stamped the “Happy” ribbon in a coordinating color and cut it out.

Now we’re talking! The black ink underneath provides a nice shadow for the ribbon. You could absolutely stop right here. It just wasn’t quite done, for me, yet. I wanted to add a little balance. Here’s how I finished off my Halloween Street card.

A small strip of Color Me Autumn Designer Washi Tape, Basic Black Cardstock punched with the Banner Punch and a pumpkin cut out from another of the patterns from the Motley Monsters Designer Series Paper. Now it’s done.

Every handmade card I create has a lot of thought put into it. It’s been requested I show my cards before they are stepped up. That isn’t so easy for me, and here’s why. My card designs are not complete until the final added touch. It just isn’t done until I’m pleased with it.

You’ll receive the same thoughtful creation and attention to detail when you subscribe to my Hassle-Free Cards. I take the hassle out of finding great card ideas that are easy to make with my exclusive handmade card in Hassle-Free Cards program!

This is your hobby to enjoy. Your time for yourself to relax and regenerate. Let me concern myself about getting it just right. Subscribe now to the Stamping Smiles Hassle-Free Cards!

Stamping Smiles,