Handmade Halloween Cards and Invites

EDT's Count Down To Halloween!
This little gem is brought to you by the reigning empress of shadow boxes herself, Nacreous Alchemy. Hers is an amazing little web store filled with all kinds of delectable goodies to tempt you. My favorite item she makes has to be Lady Death in Her Parlor . Today she is kind enough to share her talent with all of you. Please enjoy her tutorial on handmade Halloween cards.

For me Halloween cards are like most people’s Christmas cards, I have an extensive list of people I send to and finding the right card is a must. Most years it’s more cost effective to make my own plus I get just the look I want. And if you are having a Halloween bash this is a great way to make personalized invites. And truth be told I also use these same techniques to make my own Gothic Christmas cards just in case you want to get a jump start on that season. ;) I’ve come up with different themes and techniques through the years but these two styles always get incorporated some how. The first is bleach and stencil application and the second is ink pad and stamp application.

Materials
Black card stock
Halloween stencils
bleach
paint brush
metallic pen
metallic stamp pad
Halloween stamps
Halloween stickers
painters tape


1 For the bleach and stencil lay your card flat outside face up and tape your stencil to the card. Just dip your paint brush in the bleach and carefully fill in the stencil you don’t want to over saturate the card to avoid bleeding under stencil.

2. Once the bleach is dried remove the stencil and decorate further you can take the metallic pen and use some smaller stencils like I did with the star and jack-o-lantern face or use some stickers. On the inside you can use a stamp with a metallic ink pad or stickers for your message.

3. For the ink pad get together any Halloween inspired stamps you have and a silver metallic ink pad and go wild. The only limit you have here is your imagination. In the picture I kept it simple with a spider web stamp and some sticker decorations.

Once you have the basic design down the embellishments can be as subtle or over the top as you desire. There are all kinds of stickers, ribbon and cardstock cut outs with Halloween themes that you can incorporate into your design. Just have fun and get into the spirit of the season!



Nacreous Alchemy features gothic art, shadow boxes and home décor. You can find anything from Victorian Gothic, dark fairy tale, classic horror, and understated dark elegance to add that perfect touch of shimmery darkness to any surroundings.

Find Nacreous Alchemy online at:
Web Store: www.etsy.nacreousalchemy.com
Face Book: www.facebook.com/NacreousAlchemy
Blog: www.nacreousalchemy.blogspot.com