While these words can certainly apply to music itself, this line is sometimes used in the context of death, where for many it takes on an even deeper and more poignant meaning.

Globally, as of 2020 (it is possible that recent world events such as the Covid-19 pandemic have upped these numbers further), approximately 150,000 people pass away each year.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death, though, naturally, countless others contribute to that total as well.

This number is substantial unto itself, but when you multiple it by 365 – the number of days in a non-leap year – it skyrockets to a staggering 54,750,000.

You read that right, more than fifty million souls cross from this side of the veil to the next annually.

Yet for all of the death that occurs around us daily, in many parts of the 21st-century world, we remain relatively far removed from this inevitable act – save perhaps for when someone in our immediate life passes.

I could write from now until my own time is up about how I feel we as a society should return to a far greater connection with, and comfort level surrounding, the act of death and our own mortality. However, this post is neither the time nor the place to open up that Pandora’s box of a serious topic.

Instead, it will focus on a pocket letter (the second that I made following a lengthy six-year hiatus from creating this form of paper crafting project; with the first being my Cute Pastel Hued Happy Springoween Pocket Letter last April) that I recently created to send to a dear friend who lost one of their very closest family members.

Out of respect for that individual and their deceased loved one, I will adhere to the strictest of anonymity for both of them.

What I will happily and openly share with each of you is this sympathy pocket letter.

At first glance, it might look quite chipper and cheerful. A far cry from the dark tones and sombre subject matters we often associate with cards and gifts given when someone passes on.

There are, unquestionably, instances when those more solemn approaches are exactly what is needed.

Yet, at the same time, there is no shortage of others when it is just as appropriate to focus on celebrating the life and memory of those who have left this mortal coil.

I did not meet the loved one that my friend lost. I knew a little about them, though, and know quite a bit more about my friend.

They, like myself, have a naturally upbeat spirit and I suspect that their late family member did as well.

I tapped into this point (while also turning to themes that my friend and/or their relative was a fan of) when putting this pocket letter together.

To accompany the PL itself, I selected nine small gifts (one for each pocket of this PL) for my friend.

Some of them were a touch too big to fit into the slots on the clear plastic trading card sleeve itself, so I opted instead to wrap my presents separately and send them along in the same package as the sympathy pocket letter itself.

Death is an extraordinarily personal thing. How we each feel about and interact with this most human of experiences varies from one individual to the next.

At the same time, however, there are certain universal qualities to the act of death and how those we leave behind often feel, behave, and choose to move forward following the loss of someone that they hold dear.

Assuming the deceased was liked or loved (and, you know, sometimes even when they might not have been everyone’s favourite soul), a powerful sense of grief often hits us with the force of a meteorite.

And yet, that does not necessarily mean that as we are wrapped in searing pain and powerful longing we cannot find the ability to celebrate the life, accomplishments, legacy, and memory of those who have passed.

I am a big fan of celebration of life ceremonies or, if such is not possible for whatever reason, simply reflecting on the life of someone who is no longer with us.

There have been numerous times when I’ve held personal celebration of life remembrances both for people in my own circle and for various famous individuals that I admire.

Sometimes, I have also engaged in witchery acts pertaining to both helping the dead to cross over in peace, as well as to aid in the comfort of those they have left in the land of the living.

In this instance, I did not feel that either was called for and so opted instead to pour my focus into creating a lovely pocket letter to send to my friend that conveys a sense of both sorrow + grief and of the happiness that the deceased brought to their lives for multiple decades.

Sweet and cheerful celebration of life sympathy pocket letter

At first glance, one might peg this pocket letter as having anything to do with themes of death.

Upon closer inspection, however, elements that in much of the world have long been associated with death, funerals, and remembrance emerge.

To begin with, dark hues enter the picture via hits of black and navy blue.

Flowers and trees, two of the oldest and most universal connections to both sympathy and remembrance appear here in multiple spots.

Birds, another ancient symbol of death, peace, hope, and brighter days ahead also pop up. In this case, three times in total.

Further, butterflies which symbolize much the same (as well as happiness and transformation) are also tucked throughout this pocket letter.

Various cultures also associate rabbits and/or hares with death or see them as an omen that loss may soon follow.

Arguably far more see rabbits as a sign of hope, positivity, and optimism.

Either way, I feel there is often a place for bunny or hare imagery in the context of death and so decided to include a depiction of this precious creature here, too.

As well, the words that were used are ones that I felt suited the individual who passed, their grieving family, the promise of brighter days ahead, and celebrating the life and spirit of that particular person.

The central sentiment of “For You” indicates that this PL is a gift for my friend – and anyone else in their life that they may opt to show it to as well.

Personally, since childhood, I have associated both the moon and the sun with death (as have many cultures across the span of human history).

The sun is often viewed as the more upbeat of these two celestial bodies, so in keeping with a sense of positivity, I made sure to include a sweet little anthropomorphic sun here, too.

The overall colour palette is one that I feel conveys a sense of comfort and serenity, while at the same time also being chipper and positive. Reminding the viewer that death and life will, so long as hearts beat on this planet, coexist in harmony.

Such has always, and (presumably!) will always, been the case. There is beauty, solace, and inspiration in this fact, and I used each of those things to help propel the creation and overall design of this pocket letter for my sweet friend.

Be it in the context of sympathy/loss or otherwise (as this design certainly lends itself to myriad other occasions and reasons), if you would like to recreate or simply take some general inspiration from this project, read on for a complete list of materials required to replicate this sympathy pocket letter.

Products used to make a comforting, meaningful sympathy pocket letter

-Nine pocket trading card sleeve – Platinum Series 9-Pocket Trading Card Pages from Ultra Pro

-Black cardstock

-Textured (or plain) light to medium pink cardstock

-Metallic silver cardstock (light or medium grey cardstock could be used here instead)

-All distressed texture print papers (red/pink, green, and blue, respectively) – The Old World Mat Stack 4.5” x 6.5” Paper Pad from DCWV

-“For You” cut apart sentiment piece – Paige Evans 23 Bungalow Lane Paper from American Crafts

-“Living in the Moment” cut apart word strip – Diamond Layne Sophisticated Paper from Penelope Dee

-“Blessings” cut apart word strip – Antiquities Collection Beloved Paper from Kaisercraft

-“Pretty” cut apart word strip – Vintage Girl Vintage Cards Paper from Photo Play

-Decorative edge scissors – Paper Edgers Sunflower Scissors from Fiskars

-Mini stapler (to attach ribbon pieces to the lefthand side of the PL) – Tiny Attacher from Tim Holtz

-Dark red/brick ink – Stop Sign Ink Cube from Pink & Main

-Olive green ink – Crushed Olive Distress Ink from Tim Holtz

-Turquoise/teal ink – Tumbled Glass Distress Ink from Time Holtz

-Various chipboard stickers (flowers, trees, etc) used throughout this project from an unnamed package of Crafts (Dollarama) brand stickers

-Various die cut pieces (photo corners, birds, flowers, etc) – Handmade Die Cut Cardstock (Pieces) from K & Company

-Various die cut pieces (tags, wagon, sun, etc) used throughout this project from an unnamed package of American Crafts Dear Lizzy die cuts

-White flower (daisy) crochet trim – Vicki B Wraps from Bo Bunny

-Pink velvet ribbon – {Noteworthy} Addie Trims from Making Memories

-Pale olive green ribbon – {Noteworthy} Addie Trims from Making Memories

-Turquoise/aqua blue crochet trim – Botanical Fancy Ribbon from Fancy Pants Designs

-Navy blue seam binding (or ribbon)

-Narrow silver and black ribbon

-Aqua/blue and white feather print washi tape

-Dimensional foam, pop dots, or similar to elevate some of your layers

-Adhesive, such as a tape runner, of your choice (I often use my Scotch Tape Glider)

How to make your own sweet and cheerful celebration of life pocket letter

Much as with my Cute Pastel Hued Happy Springoween Pocket Letter earlier this year, I feel that the majority of pockets are fairly easy to get the general design gist of simply by looking at them.

That said, some pointers for recreating this specific sympathy pocket letter include the following:

-For each of the three rows of pockets, use the same background cardstock or paper colour (pink for the top row, black for the middle row, and blue/aqua for the third row).

-In the same vein, I opted to repeat the same background paper colours on two out of three pockets on each row, only switching things up with the central pockets.

-While the pockets on this kind of trading card sleeve do have some room to them, there is a rather finite amount of space in each of them.

As a result, if you wish to include bulky and/or larger sized components on your pocket letter – such as, in this case, the central premade die cut frame piece and the white crochet flower trim – it is usually best to adhere them to the top (outside) of the plastic sleeve.

-There are scores of different ways to dress up the “binder side” (the side with three holes) of your trading card sleeve. And, by the same token, numerous ways to attach embellishments and trims to this area of your pocket letter design.

Some of my favourite ways to attach trims, stripes of paper or cardstock, etc to the left-hand side of my pocket letter include sewing, stapling, tying them throughout one or more of the holes, a strong liquid adhesive (hot glue tends to melt the plastic sleeve, however, so I would not use that directly on the clear plastic of your trading card sleeve), brads, eyes, and sturdy washi tape.

-If you wish to conceal the area where you have attached your side trims (etc), you can likewise do so in a number of ways.

These include, but are not limited to, topping that spot with any of the following.

-One or more bows

-One or more flowers

-Fabric or paper leaves

-Large rhinestones

-Large buttons

-Flat back cabochons

-Die cuts

-Chipboard pieces

-Good sized stickers (you will likely want to add further adhesive to the back of the sticker to help it stay securely in place)

-Washi tape

-Metal charms

-Die cut wooden pieces/charms

-Resin/acrylic/(other) plastic charms

-Feathers

-Small bells

-Pop-poms

-A tiny shaker pocket in the shape of your choosing

-If you were making a celebration of life/sympathy/remembrance pocket letter for someone else and did know a fair bit about the deceased, you may wish to weave more of that individual’s interests or other elements pertaining to their life into the design of your PL.

The melody does in fact linger on

Largely regardless of one’s personal spiritual path and beliefs (or lack thereof) regarding what may happen to us when we die, most of us can readily acknowledge the grief and profound impact that losing someone we care about often causes.

Though that individual no longer walks amongst the living, their memory is recalled by those who knew and loved them.

The ability to easily record images and videos (not to mention digital words) of those we care about is a very new happening in the course of human history.

Thanks to modern technology, in some cases at least, people can be remembered not just by word of mouth and well-guarded memory, but also via things such as photos, videos, and social media.

This helps, I find, the deceased to feel all the more like they are still here with us and am very grateful that these forms of technology exist, therefore enabling us to remember the departed with even greater clarity.

Prior to the advent of such inventions, the only ways a person’s likeliness could be visually recorded was in some form of art (painting, sculpture, carving, etc) or the creation of a death mask.

I am strongly of the mind that no matter if a person’s name echoes down through time or not, the universe remembers us as we existed.

Everything in said universe contains energy and, as per the First Law of Thermodynamics, while energy can be changed from one form to another, it cannot be created or destroyed.

In other words, all of the energy that has ever been or will ever be in this universe already exists. It may be recycled, if you will, in various capacities, but it never truly disappears.

Nor, does the melody that softly plays throughout the heavens above for each and every one of us who has ever lived and who will, inventible, pass away in due course.

I know that my friend and their family will long cherish and hold tight to the memory of the relative that they lost.

And that, if at some far-off distant point, that person’s name and recollections of them do eventually fade away, this individual’s life force will still continue existing in one form of energy or another.

Long before modern science, the ancients knew, understood, and appreciated that we were never fully gone and there is no reason why we should lose sight of this fact in the 21^st century.

Have you ever made a sympathy pocket letter? What is one of your favourite ways to offer comfort and support to somebody when they lose a loved one?

The post Sweet and Cheerful Celebration of Life Sympathy Pocket Letter appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

While purple has strong ties to Halloween, (in the Northern Hemisphere) it is arguably most closely connected to spring, followed by summer.

Though lilac season is over for many by this point in the year, plenty of other breathtaking purple blooms continue to dot the landscape. From irises to hydrangeas, pansies to orchids, it is hard not to be intoxicatingly drawn towards this most regal of garden hues.

As touched on in the aforementioned post, my mom’s all-time favourite colour is purple.

Keen to make a card to celebrate one of her latest visits to our humble abode, I deep-dived into the purple end of my craft stash and came up with the greeting featured in this post.

Truth be told, at the time of making this card, I still had a fair number of purple-hued products spread out on my desk in my wee craft room.

Not a day goes by that I do not thank my lucky stars for the roof over our heads and the fact that I get to whittle a tiny corner of it out as a dedicated craft space.

However, objectively, it is a rather pint-sized spot and as a result, when I bring out a decent selection of products pertaining to a specific colour scheme, holiday, theme, etc, I often try to make two or more projects with those items before tucking them back in their respective resting places.

While I am being mindful to work with purple a touch more often these days, chances are it will never usurp my beloved usual palette of dark, fall, Halloween, and antique-inspired hues.

And that is all the more reason, I figure, to create multiple projects when I do pull out a summer garden’s worth of purple products.

In addition to purple, some of my mother’s favourite colours include blue, aqua/turquoise, and crisp white. All of which, I should note, look gorgeous on her!

Thick in the heart of sunny season, where nature, fashion, home décor, and sometimes even things like acrylic dishware are rife with these very hues, it felt exceedingly natural to craft with them as radiant sunshine playfully streamed through the quasi-sheer curtains on the sole window in my craft space.

I work with ink relatively often (be it for edging, creating sky backgrounds, stamping, or myriad other uses). However, despite being a huge fan of dry embossing, I do not tend to reach for my embossing folders nearly as often as I should these days.

Pondering this point a little while ago, it struck me that a good part of the reason why is because of the fact that I often like to make larger-sized cards and most embossing folders (let alone those I own) fall short of the size of my card bases.

Really, though, the more I thought about it, the sillier using that point as a means of sometimes keeping my embossing folders on the sidelines seemed. After all, even if a single embossed piece cannot cover most of my card bases, I can still utilize them for a portion of my design.

I was in an inky mood the day I made this card and so set about creating an ombre-esque design with three assorted shades of purple Distress Oxide Ink atop a floral embossed panel of white cardstock.

To up the volume of purple here all the more, I then took dark purple acrylic paint and created some tiny splatters across my embossed and inked panel.

I have to say, I really like how his piece turned out. There is something to its gradient of lush purple hues that calls to mind a stunning summer sunset.

And speaking of sunsets, many of the other colours that appear on this card would be right at home in the summer skies that help guide us gently into the night through this segment of the year.

Though purple, aquamarine, and white are the dominant colours here, nestled amongst them one also finds rich, warm yellows and delightfully upbeat pinky-corals.

If these hues don’t scream summertime, I don’t know what would!

Lovely purple inked and embossed “Together is the best place to be” card

The delicate, yet visually impactful Fine Bouquet Die from Alte & New used here was a gift from an extremely kind and generous friend that I received in early 2021. I have been champing at the bit ever since to use it for the first time.

What better opportunity than a sweetly pretty summertime greeting?

I cut two copies of this die out. One in white, the other in dark purple, concealing the spot where they meet with some fussy cut blooms from the same floral print paper that appears here in a background layer.

In addition to its use on the embossed panel, ink appears here multiple times along the edges of most of the paper and cardstock layers.

Though a sizable percentage of my paper crafting projects involve at least a little bit of metallic and/or glitter paper, there are certain times – such as this project – where neither of them appears.

However, shimmer and sheen are not missing entirely here, as the white pearl + clear rhinestone adhesive flourish piece adds a lovely background hit of precisely that to this upbeat greeting card.

The sentiment cut apart piece reflects how wonderful I find spending time with my mom to be. Any chance we get to visit is not just a good day, but a great one, and I am incredibly thankful that we live a mere hour’s drive away from one another.

This means that (save for the initial months of the pandemic) we are able to see one another on a fairly regular basis and it is not uncommon for her to come visit for a few days at our house.

Interestingly, as do not have the space for a dedicated guest room, when my mom stays overnight here she sleeps on a high-quality inflatable bed that gets put on the floor of my craft room.

Therefore, prior to them coming together to create this card, the elements at work here would have kept my mom company while she slumbered in that area of our house. (Love that thought!)

Should you wish to replicate this card yourself or simply take a few design ideas from it, read on for a complete list of products used on this lovely purple card as well as step-by-step instructions that will guide you through creating one of your own.

Products used to make this sunny season perfect purple card

-White cardstock

-Light purple cardstock

-Dark purple cardstock

-Tone-on-tone light aqua floral print paper – Vintage Summer Basics 1935 from Maja Designs

-Multi-coloured floral print paper – Hello Baby 3”x4” Journaling Cards Paper from Echo Park

-Cut apart “Together is the best place to be” sentiment piece – ???

-Floral outline die – Fine Bouquet Die from Alte & New

-Floral embossing folder – Floral Reflections Cut and Emboss Folder from Spellbinders

-Teal ink – Memento Dew Drop Teal Zeal Ink from Tsukineko

-Three different shades of blendable purple ink – (I used) Distress Oxide Ink in Milled Lavender, Seedless Grape, and Wilted Violet from Tim Holtz

-Dark purple acrylic paint (gouache could be used here instead, if so desired) – Violet Pansy Shiny Acrylic Paint from Folk Art

-Greyish-white pearl and clear rhinestone flourish (Unspecified product name from the Dollarama brand “Crafts”.)

-Purple crochet trim – Noteworthy Addie Trims from Making Memories

-Dimensional foam, pop dots, or similar to elevate some of your layers

-Adhesive, such as a tape runner, of your choice (I often use my Scotch Tape Glider)

How to make an inked and embossed “Together is the best place to be” card

Begin by making a white card base.

Cut a piece of Maja Designs Vintage Summer Basics 1935 paper a little bit smaller than the size of your card base. Ink all edges with Teal Zeal ink. Adhere to card base.

Cut a piece of light purple cardstock a little smaller than the previous layer. Ink all edges with Seedless Grape Distress Oxide ink. Adhere to previous layer.

Cut a piece of multicoloured floral print paper, likewise, a little smaller than the last layer. Ink edges with Teal Zeal Ink. Adhere to previous layer.

Next, cut a piece of white cardstock a little bit bigger than the dimensions of the Spellbinder’s Floral Reflections Cut and Emboss Folder.

Use the three shades of purple Distress Oxide Ink to make an ombre-esque blended ink panel.

Once the ink is dry, take your purple acrylic paint and lightly splatter small droplets across this panel.

After the paint has dried, place this piece of inked and paint-splattered cardstock into the Floral Reflections Cut and Emboss Folder and run it through your die cutting machine.

Back that piece (as it has small cut-out sections) with white cardstock.

Cut a piece of light purple cardstock slightly bigger than the embossed panel. Adhere embossed panel to purple cardstock, in turn adhering the purple cardstock to the previous layer of your card design.

Cut out the sentiment panel, ink all edges with Teal Zeal ink and attach this piece to the inked + embossed panel using dimensional adhesive (such as Pop Dots).

Adhere the pearl and rhinestone flourish piece to the lefthand side of the card design.

Using the Fine Bouquet Die from Alte & New, cut one piece in white cardstock and another in purple cardstock. Attach these pieces, as shown, along the lefthand side of your card (on top of the embellishment flourish).

Fussy cut a cluster of flowers from the Hello Baby 3”x4” Journaling Cards Paper from Echo Park. Adhere it where the two Fine Bouquet die cuts meet in the middle of the left-hand side of the card.

Lastly, cut two equal-sized pieces of light purple crochet trim. Place each one diagonally across the lower left and upper right-hand corners of all of your card layers (save for the card base itself), as shown.

And voila, just like that you have an easy (and relatively quick) card that is sweet, fun, and ever-so-lovely!

This design – either with the same sentiment or one that better suits the occasion at hand – lends itself well to a wide array of events, including – but definitely not limited to – Easter, Mother’s Day, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, baby showers, new babies, and retirement.

It also makes a great “thinking of you”, “missing you”, congratulations, or even sympathy card.

Welcoming August back into our lives

Rather mind-blowingly, we have reached the year’s eighth month already. In a matter of days, we will hit the halfway point of summer.

Having just observed Lammas/Lughnasadh two days ago (though, as with most of the Pagan sabbats, I usually celebrate for multiple days in a row and am continuing to do so as this week unfolds), my head and heart are both starting to shift towards fall.

Not, mind you, that they don’t already focus on that season the whole year through – because they most definitely do! (As things such as my #MakeHalloween365 hashtag and year-round festive fall/Halloween projects attest to).

However, as much as I madly adore autumn, I am grateful that we still have a few weeks’ worth of sizzling hot (snow-free!) summer to enjoy before the telltale nip of fall returns to the air and the world is suddenly sweater-clad and frost-covered once again.

Chances are that a sizable percentage of the paper crafting projects I’ll be sharing here between August and November will be fall/Thanksgiving/Mabon/Halloween/Samhain themed.

As most of those creations have yet to be made, it is hard to say to what degree purple will factor into them.

I am in the mood, as I type these words at least, for a fun, classic Halloween palette this year, so I could easily see purple potentially appearing in some of my October 31^st related projects. Time shall tell!

Right here and now though, with a landscape that still looks far more like the start of summer than the end of this season, I will keep delighting in the mermaid-worthy hues of palettes such as the one used on this “just because” handmade card for a little while longer.

Once you’ve pulled out a slew of items for a project, do you tend to make additional creations with them as well, too? When does summer start to give way to fall on your end?

The post Lovely Purple Inked and Embossed Together is the Best Place to Be Card appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

Does this apply to everyone? Certainly not, but it has been my experience that no shortage of people do tend to adore the national holiday that transpires around the same time that they entered the world.

In terms of national/secular holidays, Canada Day has long been a firm favourite of mine. Not the top contender (that, as most of you likely know, goes eternally to Halloween / Samhain ), but one that I often rank as my third most beloved (non-Pagan/witchy) holiday.

Both Canada – as the official nation it has been since 1867- and I came into being during the exquisitely warm month of July.

By the time I emerged on the scene in 1984, Canada was a fully established, thriving nation with a strong economy, ever-expanding population, and a magnificent melting pot culture that has, thankfully, only continued to become my diverse with each passing year.

As a youngster, not only did Canada Day serve as the closest holiday to my birthday, but it was the first one to transpire after the school year let out.

In terms of the academic side of things, I usually adored school and was, humbly, a very good student. However, like most youngsters, come late June, the summer break could not get here quickly enough for me.

At the time, where I lived, school wrapped up sometime during the last week of June.

Canada Day returned a few short days later and always felt to me like the true start of the coming two months of school-free enjoyment that stretched out like a glistening ocean embracing the distant horizon.

There was a heady, palpable excitement to both the start of summer and the beginning of our breather from textbooks, teachers, and homework.

Though summer often whizzed by faster than frisbees we threw to one another throughout the roasty-toasty months, when school wrapped up and July began, it felt for a few brief, enchanting moments as though we had an eternity’s worth of time.

Come Canada Day on July 1^st, like many families, mine would usually fire up the barbeque or roast hotdogs, ears of corn, and marshmallows over an outdoor fire pit.

We donned red and white (the colours of the Canadian flag), made our way down to a public park where the town put on festive activities (including providing for free generously sized – and very tasty, as I recall –  slices of frosted vanilla layer cake with the words “Happy Canada Day” piped in red icing on its saccharine surface).

Live music wafted from the mid-century bandstand at that same park. Beachgoers frolicked merrily in the large lake across the street and many a soul, both young and young-at-heart, went in for the free face painting that the town also provided. Patriotic Canadian flags then temporarily emblazed on plenty of cheeks throughout the day.

As night fell, the sultry warmth that is July’s perpetual dance partner enveloped us all.

We would then clamber to find a free patch of sand on the beach or grass at a different park adjacent to that beach and turn our gaze skyward for the beautiful fireworks show that would soon unfold.

This generally happened around 10 pm and the sight of the fireworks being launched high into the air above the warm waters of Okanagan Lake, their multi-coloured hues reflecting with a magical charm on the water’s surface below, was hypnotically wonderful.

Once the fireworks had concluded, many folks leisurely made their way home. Some would carry on to bars, late-night restaurants, friend’s houses, or their own backyards to keep the festivities going.

Others stayed put, stoked small bonfires on the beach and let their cheerful chatter dot the beautiful night every bit as vibrantly as the fireworks we had just witnessed.

Then as now, I love(d) Canada Day.

We here in this country might not always wear our patriotism quite as boldly on our sleeve as those in some other countries are apt to do, but most of us cherish our homeland – or adopted country – something fierce and appreciate that July 1^st gives us an opportunity to let that adoration ring out for at least one day of the year.

Though Tony and I do not have any major plans for it, I am in the mood for Canada Day big time this year (because, let’s face it, as the pandemic lingers on, just about any excuse to celebrate takes on greater meaning and importance than it may ever have done so prior to 2020).

Two years ago I shared a charming shabby chic red, cream and gold Canada Day card that I made.

This time around, we have retained the red (albeit in a different shade) but opted for a different palette. One that nods its head happily to the Victorian and Edwardian eras, but which is more than timeless enough to ensure it is au courant at the same time.

Beautiful rose-filled true north strong and free card

Much like grilled foods, sizzling hot sand, and exuberant fireworks, one of the things that I will forever associate with early summer is roses.

At most of the homes I lived in as a child and teenager, roses grew either on rickety trellises – their paint peeling and aged to shabby chic perfection – or in short, sturdy bushes.

The first roses of the season usually took up the reigns from the local lilacs, emerging at some point in May. Though it was by no means uncommon to see both smiling in the springtime sunshine at the same time.

They often got a second wind around early July, their unmatched aroma fanned by the hot summer breeze.

In my mind, roses and Canada Day are rather synonymous – particularly if those sublimely fragrant blooms are red or burgundy. Their hue a delightful nod to one of our nation’s two national colours.

The line “true north strong and free” is amongst the best known and most beloved from our country’s national anthem.

It reminds Canadians far and wide of how fortunate we are to live in this country and of the sacrifices many have made over the years (including during both World Wars) to help ensure that sentiment remained factual.

These words, cut from a sheet of Photo Play Oh Canada Eh! paper, were the jumping-off point for this Canada Day card.

I also took a colour cue from that same festive paper, composing a somewhat darker, more refined colour palette for this celebratory greeting.

In addition to various hues of grey, I employed teal, pale mint green, aged pine green, white, and deep shades of red worthy of the most magnificent of real summer-grown roses.

A slew of die cut maple leaves upped the festive feel of this handmade Canada Day card, as did an adorable background layer of moose print paper that is just too darling for words!

In addition to maple leaves and moose, another element that is often associated with Canada (in no small part due to lumberjacks and lumberjills) is plaid, so a lovely dose of that also joined the team here.

This is an oversized horizontal slimline card, and much like various other oversized projects of mine (such as the delightful Cottage Spooky Cottage Sign that I shared here earlier this year), it was a bit tricky to photograph in my small, rather basic quality lightbox.

Nevertheless, happily, I managed to get a few usable shots in the end, which you see peppered throughout this post.

I adored making this (if I may say so myself) gorgeous card and, in the process, conjuring up many positive July 1^st memories both from my youth and adult years alike.

If you are keen to make your own version of this elegantly festive Canada Day card, read on for a complete list of the products used on this project plus detailed step-by-step instructions to assist you in doing just that.

And, should you dig the design by not wish to take this paper crafting project in a Canada Day direction, you could easily swap out the sentiment for one that worked for a different occasion. Say as a birthday, anniversary, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or even Valentine’s Day card.

In addition, you could easily use this card design for things like thinking of you, just because, get well, missing you, and congratulations (very much including congratulations bestowed on those who have, or soon will, achieved Canadian citizenship).

Products use to make a Victorian inspired Canada Day card

-Charcoal grey (or black) cardstock

-Medium grey cardstock

-Light-medium grey cardstock

-Dark red (or burgundy) cardstock

-Light mint (or light aqua) cardstock

-White cardstock

-Canadian national anthem print paper – O Canada True North Paper from Photo Play

-Moose print paper – O Canada Eh! Paper from Photo Play

-Teal plaid paper – the backside of the same moose print paper from Photo Play

-Two different ornate oval frame dies, one larger than the other (they do not have to be the same as one another)

-Scallop edge oval die

-Two sizes of scallop edge circle dies (or punches)

-Larger maple leaf die

-Slightly smaller maple leaf die (for the dark red maple leaf in the middle of the card)

-Corner rounder punch

-Teal ink – Tim Holtz Mermaid Lagoon Distress Ink from Ranger (regular or oxide, as you wish)

-Dark greyish-brown ink – Memento Dew Drop Espresso Truffle Ink from Tsukineko

-Two sizes of dark red (or burgundy) paper roses

-Faceted clear buttons – Modern Avalanche Buttons from Bazzill

-Earthy forest (or olive) green hued seam binding

-Dimensional foam, pop dots, or similar to elevate some of your layers

-Adhesive, such as a tape runner, of your choice (I often use my Scotch Tape Glider)

How to make a layered, shabby chic Canada Day card

Begin by making an oversized horizontal slimline card base from dark red cardstock.

Cut a piece of teal plaid paper slightly smaller than the card base. Round both of its bottom corners with a corner punch or corner die, then ink all four sides of this piece with Mermaid Lagoon Distress Ink. Adhere this layer to the card base.

Cut a piece of pale mint (or pale aqua) coloured cardstock a touch smaller than the previous layer. Round both of the bottom corners on this piece and ink all fours sides of it as well, then adhere it to the previous layer.

Next, cut a piece of medium grey coloured cardstock a little smaller the previous layer and round both of its bottom corners, too. Adhere to the previous layer.

Take the moose print paper, cut a piece of it that is (again) a little smaller than the previous layer. Round both of its bottom corners.

Then, cut the moose print paper into a few equal-sized pieces, trimming the pieces down, if needed, to allow a small vertical opening between each piece.

Ink all of the edges on each of the moose print pieces with Espresso Truffle ink. Arrange and adhere them down evenly across the piece of medium grey coloured cardstock.

Using the larger of the two sizes of scalloped circle dies (or a good-sized scalloped circle punch) cut out two circles from white cardstock and two from medium grey cardstock.

Use the smaller-sized scalloped circle die to cut two circles from the “True north strong and free” text print paper.

Arrange the circles starting with the white, then the grey, then the text print layer, so that some of each layer is visible. Adhere the layers together and then (one grouping apiece) to each side of the center of the card, as shown.

We are going to get extra Canadian here next. Die cut two maples apiece from the white, mint green/pale aqua, light-medium grey, and dark red cardstock.

Create two layered stacks of maple leaves starting with mint green/light aqua, dark red, white, and light-medium grey. Splay the layers out a bit so that each of the colours of maple leaves is visible.

Attach the layers to each other and then place one maple leaf stack on the lower portion of the scalloped circles on the lefthand side of the card. Adhere.

Repeat with the other stack of maple leaves, however, this time, you’re adhering them down on the upper right-hand side of the other group of scalloped circle pieces.

Die cut an ornate oval frame from dark grey, charcoal, or black cardstock (I used charcoal cardstock here).

Die cut a slightly smaller scalloped edge oval from medium grey cardstock. Adhere it to the ornate charcoal grey circle.

Next, die cut a decorative border-edged oval piece from white cardstock. Back that oval with a piece of mint green/light aqua cardstock so that the green/aqua cardstock shows through the openings on the edges of the white cardstock oval, but does not extend out past them at any point.

Adhere that piece to the previous oval.

Die cut a scalloped edge circle from light-medium grey cardstock with the larger of the two scallop circle dies. Adhere it to the previous (oval) layer.

Then die cut a smaller scalloped edge circle from the “True north strong and free print paper”. Adhere to the previous (circle layer).

Die cut a single maple leaf from dark red cardstock and adhere it to the centre of the last circle layer that you created.

Use the small banner/label shaped die to cut out a banner from white cardstock.

Fussy cut out a portion of the text print paper (used throughout this project) so that you have a small strip of paper that says, “True north strong and free”.

Ink all four sides of this piece with Espresso Truffle ink and adhere it to the white banner/label piece.

Gently bend the white banner/label piece so that it bows upward a little in the middle. This creates a greater sense of depth and visual appeal for the sentiment area of this Canada Day card.

Adhere both sides of the white banner/label down across the bottom of the central oval and circle layers, as shown.

Using a medium to dark shade of earthy pine (or olive) green seam binding or ribbon (I used seam binding here), make two slightly larger single layer bows and two single-layer slightly smaller sized bows.

Adhere the larger seam binding/ribbon bows to the outer edges of the center of the moose print paper, so that one larger bow appears on each side of the card design.

Repeat the process with the smaller bows, on this time, center them right beside the central ornate charcoal grey oval piece.

Take two small and two somewhat larger dark red (or burgundy) paper roses. Attach one small rose in the center of each of the larger seam binding bows.

Repeat the process by placing the two larger dark red paper roses in the middle of the smaller-sized green seam binding bows.

Lastly, place and adhere four clear faceted buttons around the smaller green seam binding bows, as shown.

And there you have it, one sophisticated, beautiful, and thoroughly festive Canada Day card for you to use as part of your celebratory décor or give to someone special before/on July 1^st.

O Canada! Our home and native land!

While patriotic music has been penned and sung on the soil of this nation for over two centuries now, the Canadian anthem that is familiar to those of recent generations is actually somewhat new.

The national anthem of this country is called “O Canada” and it begins with the same words that I used for the header above.

It was written by a French-Canadian-American chap named Calixa Lavallée in 1880. However, it would not be until 1980 that an Act of Parliament declared it as the country’s sole national anthem (as since 1939, the country had had two different national songs; the other was “God Save The Queen/King”).

Oh Canada was in use from at least the 1930s onward though, so those of both my parent’s and grandparent’s generations, along with my own, grew up memorizing and singing its stoically beautiful words.

The line “true north strong and free” is perhaps my favourite element of Canada’s national anthem, as I know it for many others as well.

Freedom is not something any of us should ever take for granted, no matter where we live in the world. We need only look to this planet’s history to see countless examples of times when peace was shattered and freedom either stolen or greatly jeopardized.

Much like at Mabon, Thanksgiving, and various other points in the year, I use Canada Day as a time to reflect on how lucky I am to call the world’s second-largest country, geographically speaking, home and to live in a land that is, in a lot of respects at least, quite free and respectful of its citizens’ rights.

No country is perfect – Canada included, of course – but at the end of the day, it is objectively a great nation overall and one that I am truly grateful to call my own, eh!

To all those observing Canada Day this year, may you have a splendidly enjoyable, safe, and festive July 1^st – and to everyone else, may the same hold true for the start of the year’s seventh month on your end, too.

Does your country have a national holiday to celebrate its founding? If it does, do you enjoy making craft projects for that special day?

The post Beautiful Rose-Filled True North Strong and Free Canada Day Card appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

Of all the colours, purple – despite the fact that I find many shades of it to be arrestingly gorgeous – and I have never completely clicked.

Growing up in the 1980s and 90s, a time when the toy market was thriving like there was no tomorrow, (provided more than one colour option was made available) a great deal of the products released for young girls were either purple or pink.

Sure, plenty of them – from Keypers to Popples – included versions in both of those colours, and others could be found in hues such as sky blue, butter yellow, vivid fuchsia, and tropical vacation-worthy coral. Yet, to my mind – and certainly here in North America – it was pink and purple that garnered the lion’s share of the toy market for girls.  

Be it then, prior to that point, or in the decades since, these colours have remained popular with youngsters and chances are, they won’t be fading away from toy store shelves anytime soon.

Reflecting on my childhood, for as far back as I can recall, I was gaga for the colour pink.

One of my first bedrooms had pink walls (topped with a cute pink and green wallpaper border that depicted teddy bears doing ballet – ahhh, the 80s ), a lot of the clothing I wore in my youth was pink, and I found that I gravitated to pink considerably more than purple.

There is nothing wrong with that, of course, but I believe the first strains in the relationship between myself and purple likely took hold when I became a card-carrying member of team pink.

Interestingly, purple is my mom’s absolute favourite colour (though she has never been the type to make their fave colour a centrepiece of their wardrobe or home décor).

I have always been a very independent soul and even in the days of pre-school, I can remember wanting to have different preferences in many instances to those of my parents.

Thus, it is entirely possible that I gravitated towards pink (whether consciously or subconsciously) so as to differentiate my favourite colour at the time from that of my mother.

Purple is a rare, regal colour that for much of human history was one of the most difficult to come by and therefore often amongst the most expensive as well.

Before artificial purple dyes were created scores of centuries later, the primary source of purple dye throughout much of the ancient world came from the mucus produced by a type of sea snail called murex snails which reside in the Mediterranean Sea.

Sources, including Pliny the Elder, tell us that thousands of these snails (which underwent a rather pungent-smelling ten-day brining process in a lead pot over low heat) were required just to make a single ounce of purple dye. Thus, the cost of obtaining items that were dyed purple was something only the wealthiest members of society could even begin to contemplate doing.

As a result, purple has long been associated with the elite, people of power, and, perhaps above all others, royalty.

Shifting from the days of My Little Ponies and Cabbage Patch Dolls to my tween and teen years, societally, purple continued to be a popular colour in many spheres as we inched ever closer to Y2K.

I can well recall several friends – and plenty more of my peers in general – being obsessed with the colour purple during that time.

It came into play with our Kabbodles, Lisa Frank school supplies and stickers, chunky glittery makeup (ahhh, the 90s – surely you saw that coming ), hair accessories (scrunchies, mini butterfly clips, and alligator clips, oh my!), clothing, Trapper Keepers, platform sandals, and so much more.

And throughout all that time, while I certainly never shunned purple, I remained loyal to pink.

As years of middle school morphed into those of high school, I didn’t feel the need to have/wear/decorate my room with “all the pink” anymore – but it still remained my favourite colour.

In some respects, it still is – particularly dusty rose, which is the shade of pink I most adore.

However, over the years, other colours such as black (which, I know, is technically not a colour but the absence of such), grey, red, burgundy, and aged metallics have long given pink a run for its money.

At no point, did any purple hue make my top five – despite the fact the fact that it is a decently common/popular colour in both the vintage and goth fashion worlds (these being the two subcultures that I have been most immersed in from my teens onward).

I tend to strongly favour having a cohesive colour scheme in my home (and wardrobe, too, for that matter). To date, neither of them has yet to feature purple in any major way.

And yet, all that said, I do not dislike purple in the slightest.

In fact, I would go so far as to say I love many shades of it. And purple will forever hold a special place in my heart given that it has been mama’s favourite colour throughout her whole life.

Much as with my clothing and home décor, my craft supply stash tends to lean towards certain colour palettes as well. There, too, purple does not tend to take top billing very often.

I can go multiple months running without a single spec of purple entering any of my craft projects.

This makes it seem like I am at odds with purple. Rest assured that I most definitely am not. Purple just tends to wait patiently on the sidelines until an outfit or craft project calls it up to bat, if you will.

Be it the palest shade of lilac or the richest eggplant (which, along with plum, shares the title as my favourite purple hue), purple is a versatile, dynamic colour that can convey so much.

It can be peaceful and evocative of youth, dark and vampy, upbeat and summery – and much more!

I was reflecting recently on how, for all my undying love of Halloween, I rarely weave purple into my All Hallows’ Eve or Samhain-related craft projects.

Lately, we have been bopping along through Springoween. Now that June has officially begun again, we are teetering on the cusp of Summerween. This point on the calendar seemed like a terrific time to reach for one of both of these season’s most iconic and adored colours.

Instead of pairing it with orange or green, as this colour often is in a Halloween context, I opted instead to lean heavily into the dark, bewitchingly elegant side of purple by teeming it with black, white, and gold.

The end result is a delightfully spooky Halloween card that I can now give to my mom or to one of the numerous other purple adoring souls in my life.

And, as you have likely suspected already, this purple Halloween card also happens to be my June 2022 #MakeHalloween365 project share.

As always, sweet friends, please do not hesitate to use this fun and festive community-focused hashtag anytime you share a creative Halloween project anywhere online.

Gold ghost shabby chic purple Halloween card

In for a penny, in for a pound as they say, so having decided on making a purple Halloween card, I began with a purple cardstock card base and wove this colour into various other components of my design as well.

Much as I had a hankering to work with purple again, so too was I really in the mood for some classic shabby chic paper tearing/distressing that day and therefore it also appears throughout this festive handmade Halloween card.

I am wild about the vintage-style illustration of a ghost rendered in gold metallic ink on the Prima Thirty One Collection paper that provides the star image for my latest handmade October 31^st greeting card.

It is gothy, (quite literally) spirited, and ever-so-pretty, to boot!

To carry the gold theme further, I included both metallic gold cardstock, glittery gold adhesive gems, and some fabulous gold coloured Webster’s Pages (oh, I miss that company!) tulle here as well.

I adore how the tulle resembles a gold-hued take both on spiderwebs and tattered fabric – say that of the disintegrating curtains in a long-abandoned haunted house.

However, as I was aiming to ensure purple remained in the lime (or, should I say, lavender) light, I made sure to pepper this Halloween card with purple.

It appears as the card base, one of the matting layers beneath the ghost images, in a fabulous piece of light purple and black Echo Park bat print paper, in the fun little Prima ephemera pieces, as the only ink colour used in this card, and even shows up in the “Happy Halloween” sticker that I used for my sentiment.

If purple is your jam (err, grape jelly ), that of someone dear to your, or you are looking for a wonderfully gender-neutral colour palette when making your own Halloween cards, read on for a detailed list of the products used in this project plus step-by-step instructions on how to make one of your very own.

Products used to make this hauntingly charming vintage ghost Halloween card

-Black cardstock

-Purple cardstock

-Metallic gold cardstock

-Vintage ghost illustration paper – Thirty-One Collection All the Treats Paper from Prima (I used another portion of this same sheet of paper as part of my recent Happy Springoween Pocket Letter.)

-Black and purple bat print paper – Bewitched Witch Hat Paper from Echo Park

-Wavy stitched edge rectangle nesting dies (Plain, straight stitched, cross stitched, or just about any other type of rectangle nesting die set could be used here as well.)

-One or two different flourish dies (I used two different dies on this project.)

-Light opaque/chalky purple ink – Distress Oxide Milled Lavender Ink from Tim Holtz

-“Happy Halloween” sentiment sticker (This one is from a package of Crafter’s Square [Dollar Tree brand] of Halloween stickers that did not have a specific product name. I bought these stickers within the past couple of years, so they may be available again at Dollar Tree come the Halloween 2022 season.)

-All ephemera pieces used on this project – Rose Quartz Ephemera from Prima

-Black seam binding

-Metallic gold netting/tulle – Vintage Inspired Netting Collection 2 from Webster’s Pages

-Glittery gold gems – Say it Crystals Midnight Garden Self-Adhesive Embellishments from Prima

-Black gems – Balloon Blast Off Self-Adhesive Classic Gems from Forever in Time

-Dimensional foam, pop dots, or similar to elevate some of your layers

-Adhesive, such as a tape runner, of your choice (I often use my Scotch Tape Glider)

How to make a gold ghost shabby chic purple Halloween card

Begin by making a card base from purple cardstock.

Cut a piece of black cardstock a little smaller than your card base. Tear the right-hand edge in a random, intentionally imperfect manner. Cut a slender piece of Webster’s Page gold tulle/netting the length of the torn black cardstock. Position it so that this layer is flush with the left side border (aka, the fold of your card). Adhere to the underside of the black cardstock.

NOTE: All paper, cardstock, and netting/tool layers that follow are also to be arranged so that they favour the left side of this card’s design.

Then, cut a slender piece of the Echo Park bat print paper a bit smaller than the black cardstock and likewise tear its right-hand side.

Cut a piece of black seam binding several inches longer than the width of the two pieces you just adhered together. Run it across the upper third of that area and adhere in place. Tie the two ends together into a bow on the left-hand side of the card.

Attach the bat print paper to the underside right-hand edge of the black beneath the bat print paper, then adhere this group of components to the card base.

Cut a piece of the Echo Park bat print paper a bit smaller than the previous layer. Tear its right-hand edge as well. Adhere.

Next, cut a piece of black cardstock a little smaller than the previous layer and, here too, tear the right-hand edge. Adhere to the previous layer using a dimensional adhesive such as Pop Dots or another type of foam squares/tape.

On the right-hand side of that (black cardstock layer) position and adhere a small piece of gold netting/tulle as well as the Prima light purple ruler and ticket stub pieces, as shown.

(Fun side note: While it is in reference to a US location, that lovely little ticket stub has the placename “Vernon” on it, which just happens to be the name of a neighbouring town located less than twenty minutes south of us.)

Using black cardstock and metallic gold cardstock die cut two pairs of matching flourish shapes. Arrange and adhere each matching-shaped flourish together with the black ones as the top layer. Off-center them a little so that a glimmer of the gold layer is still visible.

Tuck these flourish stacks under the lower left-hand side and upper right-hand side of the latest (torn edge) black cardstock layer that you created.

Using a larger-sized wavy stitched edge rectangle nested die, cut a rectangle from the same purple cardstock that you used for your card base. Adhere using dimensional adhesive.

Cut the central ghost panel image from the Prima Thirty One Collection All the Treats paper and ink all of its edges with Milled Lavender ink.

Then cut a gold metal cardstock matting layer a smidge bigger than the dimensions of that piece. Adhere the two together.

Die cut a smaller wavy stitched edge rectangle piece (that is large enough to work as a matting layer for the gold cardstock layer you just made) from black cardstock. Adhere previous gold cardstock + ghost image layers to this piece of cardstock and then adhere it to your previous layers.

Next, cut nested layers (by hand, with dies, etc) of gold and black cardstock, respectively, to mat beneath the sentiment sticker. Adhere those layers together then top with the sentiment sticker (optionally inking the edges of the sentiment sticker with Milled Lavender Ink, as I have done here). Adhere these elements on the lower righthand side of the card.

From the Prima ephemera, arrange and adhere a small alphabet piece so that it is sandwiched between the bottom of the central ghost image panel layers and the sentiment sticker layers, as shown.

Then, tuck a light purple domino and a light purple raffle style ticket under the left-hand side of the sentiment, angling them to the left a bit.

Place one of the largest sized gold glittery Prima gems on the middle of the black seam binding bow (you may wish to add some extra holding power to the adhesive that is there already by reinforcing it with hot glue, strong glue dots, or a heavy-duty crafting glue such as E6000 to ensure this gold gem stays put) and then position one somewhat smaller sized gold sparkly gem on the lower left and upper right-hand sides of the wavy stitched edge purple cardstock layer.

Surround each of these gold gems with two small black gems on either side, as shown.

And there you have it, one eye-catching purple, black, white, and gold Halloween card that can be made in scarcely more time than it takes a ghost to say “boo”.

Compared to many of my projects there are not, relatively speaking, all that many steps nor a huge volume of different materials required to make this eerily fun Halloween card.

If one used a template, paper trimmer, or scissors to cut out the rectangles and, optionally, nixed the flourishes, this delightful ghost-themed Halloween greeting could be made without the need for a die cutting machine.

This design is one that marries sweetness with spookiness (a perpetual fave combo of mine) and which is both timeless and ideal for October 31^st fans of all ages and genders.

From spirituality to coal tar, a (super) brief look at the meanings and history of purple

As much as we tend to associate purple with spring and summer in the Northern Hemisphere, it can certainly work well as a year-round colour.

Purple is a colour with strong ties to many things, including both spirituality/mysticism and creativity/artistry – not to mention a long-standing history of use within the LGBTQ+ community.

Given that it is the lovechild of red and blue, purple embodies elements of both fiery warmth and serene coolness.

For all the pale, pastel shades of purple out there, one finds even more that are bolder and more commanding.

Perhaps that is why – especially when combined with its relative rarity in the natural world – purple leaps out at us in many settings.

It might not be as glaring as bright yellow or orange or as tranquil as a soft blue, but it is apt to grab our eye all the same.

Both in terms of colour psychology and the meanings often linked to purple in the witchy/Pagan realm, this purple can represent such areas as intuition, peace, independence, beauty, sensitivity, understanding, empathy (and empaths), the unknown, power/status, pride, dignity, protection, wisdom, creativity, devotion, enlightenment, health and healing, openness, psychic abilities, the crown chakra, magic(k), and death – amongst numerous other things.

In fact, so closely tied to death and mourning was the colour purple to the Victorians, that it was one of just a few colours that were permitted back into a person’s wardrobe when they were in a period of half-mourning (following various lengths – often depending on the mourner’s relationship to the deceased – of full morning, which was also known as deepest mourning, during which only black was supposed to be worn).

Doing so was made all the more possible by the fact that in the very same era (in 1856, to be exact), one of the first synthetic purple dyes was invented.

Originally dubbed “aniline purple” by its then eighteen-year-old inventor, William Henry Perkin, this dye – which would later be known by the name mauveine – was created out of coal tar.

In the years and decades to follow, many other synthetic purple dyes – some certainly safer than others – came onto the market as well.

As a result, purple began to be a colour that was within the reach of more people and, accordingly, was frequently seen not only in times of half-mourning but in the day-to-day wardrobes of many Victorian individuals (it was wildly enjoyed by both women and men).

Purple also made a splash in terms of home décor, the art world (purple pigments and paints had been available prior to that point, but were often very costly and did not always promise long-term colourfastness), and as a result, was a much-favoured choice in terms of flowers + floral arranging, too.

As time went on, more and more forms of artificial purple dye were invented and used to colour a huge range of goods (including certain food, too, such as candy and grape soda).

And while, these days, purple has still managed to retain ties to the rich and famous, royalty, and religion, it is very much a colour that the majority of people around the world can access, if so desired.

In addition to the purple correspondences touched on above, spiritually speaking, purple is also associated with such things as the element Air, the number seven, the planet Jupiter, the cardinal direction of east, the fae, wands, cauldrons, spiritually significant jewelry and clothing (very much including robes/cloaks), the spirit world, and Pagan pride.

To circle back to where this post began, it is true that purple and I have not always been the closest of friends, but we share a bond that spans my entire lifetime and I have never viewed purple in a negative light or disliked it for a moment.

This is not the first paper crafting project I have made over the years that starred purple (in terms of those since the creation of my current blog, this Shabby Chic Springtime Bloom Card really stands out for me) and it is a safe bet to say that it won’t be the last either.

Especially since, again, this royal shade is my mom’s favourite colour.

Not wearing, decorating, or crafting with purple all that often as makes the times when I do opt to do just that all the more special and standout-ish to me.

Two adjectives that apply abundantly as well to my – and countless other peoples’ – cherished Halloween.

And therefore, that is all the more reason for me to reach for shades of purple spanning lilac to mulberry, orchid to mauve – and, of course, that most witchy approved of purples, amethyst – when creating some of my numerous annual Halloween papercrafting projects.

Are you a big fan of purple? Do you enjoy including this versatile and very pretty colour in some of your creative projects as well?

PS: I am well aware that if you try to say the name of this blog post five times fast, it instantly becomes a tongue twister.

The post Gold Ghost Shabby Chic Purple Halloween Card appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

We are even closer to All Hallows’ Eve now and as a result, I have been massively in the mood for classic Halloween colours and imagery.

Whereas plenty of folks make winter holiday season cards all throughout the span of the calendar, as many of you know, I create Halloween cards and other spooky season themed crafting projects all year long.

They bring me bliss and further strengthen the bond I have with my favourite (and most sacred) day of the year: Halloween + Samhain.

Plus, come those knee-weakingly gorgeous days of early to mid-autumn, doing so means that I usually have numerous festive Halloween cards (et al) ready to give to friends and family.

And, they are also the ideal way for me to utilize the #MakeHalloween365 hashtag that I launched last year so that Halloween adoring creatives of all types could share their work and be inspired by that of other people.

As you might guess, this fun vintage themed Halloween card is my #MakeHalloween365 project for the month of May.

Creating it in the heart of Beltane season – which is the corresponding sabbat to Samhain on the opposite side of The Wheel of The Year – felt especially meaningful to me.

The Witching Hour adorable vintage image and classic fall colour Halloween card

Knowing that I wanted to go with a timeless fall + Halloween colour scheme for this delightful project, I selected a palette of pumpkin-y orange, aged cream, deep gold, and midnight black.

And how fitting the latter is when you consider the sentiment that appears on this card.  

It reads the “The Witching Hour”, which while some people place later in the night/early morning (in the range of 3 – 4 am, when the dark heart of the night is still beating strong and dawn has yet to crack the sky’s surface once again), many others view this time as occurring from midnight to 1 am.

The concept of the witching hour, while certainly intertwined with Halloween + Samhain, applies to every night of the year and is an extraordinarily powerful and poignant point in the day to carry out activities pertaining to one’s witchery, Paganism, or spirituality in general.

And if you can do so bathed in the moon’s silvery light, all the better (though that is by no means essential, of course).

When I was but a wee lass, my (very talented!) mom made me an adorable witch’s costume from Halloween print fabric. A sturdy orange trash bag was utilized as an attached cape – which is all kinds of clever in my books (especially given the very real possibility of rain or snow that we faced on October 31st).

I wore that handmade witch costume on at least two, possibly three, different Halloweens throughout my youth. A few years later, my little sister would go on to sport it as well.

While to the best of my knowledge, this costume was likely either given away to other youngsters or lost to the hands of time at some point, I still have a scanned photo (care of my sweet mama) from the 1980s of me wearing it.

It was this very costume that I was thinking about as I set out to make my latest handmade Halloween card.

And in a flash, I remembered a sheet of Authentique Twilight paper I had picked up a while back that stars some fantastic vintage Halloween images. One of which was a sweet little girl dressed as a witch herself.

The fact that this image tied in excellently with the colour palette I had already determined was the icing on the cake – or should I say, the caramel on the apple.

As, this far out still from October 31^st, I am not sure yet if this card will be mailed or delivered in person, I opted to keep its depth below the minute two centimetres that Canada Post permits letter mail to be before it crosses into parcel territory (regardless of the other dimensions and weigh involved).

Naturally though, true to form, I wasn’t about to sacrifice too many layers or embellishments.

Doing so came together by building up a base of numerous layers of cardstock and paper to which I added a piece of cream-hued crocheted trim, two felt bats (I gave them cute little gold rhinestones as eyes), a button + rhinestone topped selection of trims, and quartet of gold rhinestones around the outer corners of the central image.

And just about as fast a real pair of bats – or a darling little Halloween witch on her broom – could zip across the enchanting Halloween night sky, my card was complete.

This design is quite easy and all things considered, not too brutal on the ol’ pocketbook – especially if you already have most or all of the types of supplies used on this Halloween card project to hand.

Should you be keen to whip up one yourself or use it as an inspirational jumping-off point for your own festive Halloween cards, read on for a complete list of the materials used plus detailed step-by-step directions on how to make this super cute vintage-inspired All Hallows’ Eve greeting.

Products used to make this charming “Witching Hour” Halloween card

-Black cardstock

-Pumpkin/dark orange cardstock

-Dark cream or taupe cardstock

-Metallic gold cardstock

-Stitched edge (or any other type you wish) rectangular die

-Ornate edge rectangular (or square) die

-Pinking sheer decorative edge scissors – Mini Pinking Paper Edgers Scissors from Fiskars

-Flax/muted gold-hued plaid paper – Fall Breezy Stripes Paper from Photo Play

-Pumpkin print border strip paper – Spook Hill 8”x8” Paper Pad from Recollections

-Witch’s broom print paper – Haunted House Witching Hour Paper from Carta Bella

-Vintage witch girl image paper – Twilight Eight Paper from Authentique

-Golden brown ink – Peanut Brittle Memento Dew Drop Ink Pad from Tsukineko

-Black ink – Wicked Black Archival Die Ink Pad from Color Box

-“The Witching Hour” sentiment sticker – Halloween Town Element Stickers from Echo Park

-Flax/gold seam binding – Trophy Gold Seam Binding from Hug Snug

-Orange seam binding

-Black seam binding

-Cream or ivory crochet trim

-Black felt bats (I bought these on AliExpress a few years back; similar can often be found at craft and dollar stores come the fall or cut from a bat die and thin black felt with many modern die cutting machines.)

-Orange button

-Black button (That is large enough to be topped by the orange button and still have its sides remain visible.)

-Two sizes of coloured rhinestones/gems (ideally one should be quite small as it will be used as eyes on the felt bats)

-Dimensional foam, pop dots, or similar to elevate some of your layers

-Adhesive, such as a tape runner, of your choice (I often use my Scotch Tape Glider)

How to make a witch themed vintage-inspired Halloween card

Begin by making a card base from cream/taupe colour cardstock. Ink all four edges of the front (and for that matter, the back, too, if you would like ) with golden brown ink.

From the Spook Hill 8”x8” Paper Pad cut out a slender pumpkin print border strip and adhere it vertically to the left-hand side of the card base.

Using pinking sheer decorative edge scissors (or actual pinking sheers) cut a piece of black cardstock a little smaller than your card base. Adhere to card base.

Cut a piece of orange cardstock a wee bit smaller than the previous layer. Adhere to previous layer.

Using the same decorative edge pinking sheer scissors, cut a piece of gold metallic cardstock just a whisper tinier than the previous layer. Adhere to previous layer.

Cut a piece of Haunted House Witching Hour paper from Carta Bella the same width as the previous layer, but just under half of its. Adhere to previous layer.

Then, using the Fall Breezy Stripes flax coloured plaid paper from Photo Play, repeat the same process as above only this time the plaid paper will go on the bottom half of the card, as shown. Before adhering it down, ink the visible edges with golden brown ink.

Die cut an ornate rectangle piece from metallic gold cardstock. Run a piece of cream/ivory crochet trim across the middle of this piece, wrapping its ends underneath. Adhere to the back of the die cut gold cardstock rectangle and then adhere that to the centre of the existing card layers.

Use the pinking sheer decorative edge scissors to cut another piece of metallic gold cardstock, making it a bit smaller on all sides than the Carta Bella broom print paper.

Before adhering that layer down, tuck and adhere one of the black felt bats partially underneath of it on the upper left-hand side, as shown. Then adhere the orange cardstock rectangle to the previous layers.

With the stitched edge rectangle die, cut a rectangle from orange cardstock. Adhere to previous layer.

Next, cut the adorable vintage witch girl image from the Authentique Twilight Eight Paper.

Using the same cream/taupe cardstock as the card base, create a very slender mat for the vintage witch girl image. Ink the edges of this piece of cardstock with black ink (brown or dark orange ink would work nicely here as well).

Adhere vintage witch girl piece to the cream/taupe cardstock.

Cut a piece of black cardstock a tiny bit bigger than the cream/taupe cardstock. Adhere cream/taupe cardstock to the black layer and then adhere the black layer to the previous card layers.

Fussy cut two brooms from the Carta Bella Haunted House Witching Hour paper. Adhere one each to the left and right-hand sides of the central image panel, positioning them so that each one is at an angle, as shown.

Take the sentiment (“The Witching Hour”) sticker and lightly rub the lettering, which is white in its natural state, with golden brown ink to tint the letters so that they better match the colour palette of this card. (Alternatively, you could use a suitable marker or even a coloured pencil to do the same thing as well.)

Adhere sentiment to the bottom center of the vintage witch girl panel.

Take one relatively small piece each of flax/muted gold, orange, and black seam binding, layer them together, fold them in half, and adhere them on the left-hand side of the lower half of the card.

Take your black button, top it with an orange button, and then with a gold rhinestone. Adhere these elements together and then to the “fold” area of the seam binding.

Place one of the larger of the two sizes of gold rhinestone embellishments around each corner of the black cardstock central panel so that it sits partially on that layer and partially on the orange cardstock layer below it.

Adhere the second black felt back to the upper right-hand side of the card, as shown.

Lastly, adhere two teensy tiny gold rhinestone embellishments to each of the bats so as to give them eyes.

And just like that, you have one sweet, classic, and very versatile handmade Halloween card to give away or keep and use as wonderfully festive home décor.

The comfort and inspiration of nostalgia

Though not everyone – myself included – had a Cleaver family style childhood, I am tremendously grateful for the positives that my youth did house at times.

Few come close on that front than the Halloweens that I experienced while growing up.

They were earnest, cheerful events filled with handmade costumes and decorations, Unicef boxes, bracingly cold Canadian night air, and a sense of exhilaration that no special event – my birthday included – could top for me back then.

Nor to this very day. I continue to get no less giddy now at the prospect of another brand new All Hallows’ Eve than I did all those decades ago.

I think about Halloween, be it past, present (year), or future, just about every day of my life – often many times a day for that matter.

It is vital that we each have things in our lives that speak to our hearts, souls, and creativity alike.

Halloween is one of the biggest and most important of those for me.

The roots of this passion took hold back before that photo of me as a wee youngster with her classic plastic pumpkin pail of sweet treats was even snapped. And it is safe to say that they have only continued to grow further every day of my life since.

I adore using Halloween memories to inspire current craft projects (not to mention other things as well, such as October 31^st menus, costumes, and decorations) and when you swirl vintage – another lifelong passion of mine – into the mix as well, I am on cloud nine.

In the coming countdown to Halloween months, you can look forward to plenty of festive content including – all things willing – no shortage of additional brand new spooky season 2022 papercrafting projects from me.

Right here and now though, it is still Springoween and as eager as I am for Halloween’s return, I am grateful for the sunny side of the year and the time it grants me – and crafters everywhere – to make a slew of festive fall projects in the lead up to that bewitchingly awesome holiday.

When do you tend to start your October 31^st related crafting? Be it pertaining to Halloween or otherwise, do you like to use treasured memories as inspiration for some of your creative projects?

PS: Did you know that there is a paper crafting challenge group dedicated solely to making Halloween projects the whole year through? I caught wind of it a little while ago and have been meaning to take part, but so often seem to forget in the midst of creating, photographing, and blogging my projects.

I am head-over-heels with Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge Blog and am entering this project into it as my inaugural foray into that challenge site.

If you have not yet discovered them yourself and also adore making Halloween paper crafts, be sure to zip on over and give them a peek!

The post The Witching Hour Adorable Vintage Image and Classic Fall Colour Halloween Card appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

I glanced out the window at the signs of spring. The sky was almost blue, the trees were almost budding, the sun was almost bright. — Millard Kaufman

Some areas of the Northern Hemisphere are already wrapped in the warm embrace of early spring.

Others, including our corner of Western Canada, continue to experience the telltale biting chill and starkly snowy landscape of wintertime proper.

Yet, even if a late-season blizzard comes barreling into town, there are usually captivating stirrings of the season that we are sitting on the precipice of. And that, for those who enjoy spring at least, is certainly a happiness-sparking prospect.

There is not a time in my life when I cannot remember madly adoring butterflies (and moths, too, for that matter – assuming they aren’t turning the contents of my closet into their own personal buffet! ).

It goes without saying that I am far from alone on that front. Countless others throughout the course of human history have been fascinated by butterflies and their immense beauty.

Items depicting or shaped like butterflies never seem to go out of style – and I highly doubt they ever will.

Though, that said, there have certainly been periods when butterfly-themed items experienced a notable spike in popularity.

One such time was the late 1990s and very early 2000, a point in history when I was in my teenage years.

From those super-easy-to-accidentally-bend-open-to-the-point-where-they-break mini butterfly hair clips to butterfly print tees (bonus Y2K points if they were cropped) to the revealing rhinestone covered Emmanuel Ungaro butterfly-shaped top that Mariah Carey famously wore to the VH9’s Divas 2000 tribute to Diana Ross, butterflies were landing everywhere and we could not get enough of them!

These days, with some of the fashions from that era enjoying their own moment in the sartorial spotlight, we are seeing butterflies appear a bit more often again in the clothing and accessory world. Right down to a Gen Z-led revival of those aforementioned butterfly hair clips.

And why not? Fashion was a blast back then. It could be glam and gorgeous, but it could also be silly, fun, girly, sporty, preppy, retro, OTT, sometimes futuristically inspired, and a million other things.

Though I am not slipping on a pair of wide-legged jeans that drag on the ground beneath my chunky (black) platform slip-on sandals, nor rocking a messy bun full of darling butterfly clips atop my head these days, my lifelong passion for butterflies is still going strong.

Butterflies are often one of the first harbingers of spring’s return. Their mosaic-like patterned wings flapping gracefully by our suddenly-once-again-open windows, taking said butterflies to land on the nearest flower, leaf, or other spot they wish to visit.

Recently, I found myself yearning to see real live butterflies again. Alas though, when I looked outside, the only thing fluttering around in the sky was a fresh load of snowflakes.

Knowing that I wanted to make a least one Ostara papercraft project this year, the idea quickly struck me to create one centred around the theme of butterflies.

As a big fan of these beautiful insects, I have numerous craft products that star their depiction. Therefore, I knew this project would not require much rifling around to find the products that I had in mind.

Once I had located them, I made like a busy butterfly and quickly set to work whipping up this vibrant, dynamic springtime greeting card.

Delightful butterfly-themed Ostara shaker card

While not a hard and fast rule by any means, generally speaking, it is somewhat rare for me to craft with the cheery, confectionary-worthy palette of spring – particularly outside of that season itself.

I tend to favour darker tones and autumn + winter palettes, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy dipping my proverbial proboscis in the nectar that is spring’s upbeat hues from time to time.

Having selected the butterfly print papers that I would use on this project, I let them guide the remainder of the colour palette that I utilized here.

It is undeniably a bright, fun one. But it is toned down a touch by some mellow, sun-baked shades as well as hits of both navy blue and black.

I wanted a warm palette that was at once soothing and energizing at the same time, as that is a combo I often associate with spring itself.

This same menagerie of hues could very easily be used for craft projects intended for later in the spring, too, as well as those throughout the summer. Heck, I think it would even suit Mabon/the Fall Equinox as well.

Though there are a fair number of different colours at play on this card, I made sure to repeat some of them two or more times throughout its design so as to help create a cohesive overall look.

For example, there are three different areas of both pink ombre paper and dark gold metallic cardstock, four of light green cardstock, and some of the fussy cut butterflies are repeated as well.

In addition, all of those fussy cut butterflies have a twinkling line of Diamond (coloured) Stickles running down their thoraxes, thus unifying this bevy of winged friends all the more.

My choice of sequins colours echoes some of the shades found in many of the other elements of this card. This in turn helps them to look all the more coordinated.

This card design – for all that is going on here – is actually quite versatile.

For example, you could easily swap out the “Happy Ostara” sentiment for one pertaining to Easter, Beltane, Mother’s Day, Litha, Lammas, Mabon, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, baby showers, christenings, graduations, retirement, bon voyage, good luck, congratulations, and scores of other events and reasons.

And if you are not feeling the palette, keep the general design but sub in a colour scheme of your choosing.

Products used to make this charming springtime butterfly shaker card

-Light green cardstock – Soft Tones 8.5”x11” Cardstock from Paper Accents

-Dark metallic gold cardstock – Foil Cardstock Paper from Recollections (Michael’s brand)

-All printed papers used in this project – Conservatory 12”x12” Paper Pad from Craft Smith (Michael’s brand)

-Clear acetate

-Smaller sized scalloped edge rectangular die

-Oval die – Nestabilities Classic Oval Dies from Spellbinders

-Larger sized scalloped edge rectangular die – Nestabilities Lattice Rectangles from Spellbinders

-Small butterfly cut out rectangle die (from AliExpress)

-Dark blue/navy blue ink – Memento Dew Drop Nautical Blue Ink from Tsukineko

-Iridescent clear glitter glue – Diamond (Glitter Glue) from Stickles

-“Happy” word sticker – Soup Labels Farmhouse Stew (Word) Stickers from Jillibean Soup

-Small black and clear letter stickers – Mambi Sticks Clear Stickers from Me & My Big Ideas

-Green and gold sequins mix – Evergreen Sparkle from Pretty Pink Posh

-Micro-sized gold heart-shaped sequins – Unnamed product from Pretty Pink Posh

-Pin sequins – Princess Sequins from Craft Medley

-White lace trim

-Peachy-pink crochet trim – Stella & Rose Hazel Memories Trim from My Mind’s Eye

-Dimensional foam, pop dots, or similar to elevate some of your layers

-Adhesive, such as a tape runner, of your choice (I often use my Scotch Tape Glider)

How to make a beautiful butterfly themed shaker card for Ostara/The Spring Equinox

Begin by making a card base from light green cardstock (if you do not have light green, white cardstock would look lovely here as well).

Cut a piece of white lace trim the vertical length of the card base. Adhere on the left-hand side of the card base so that this trim extends out beyond the card base itself.

From the Conservatory paper pad, cut a piece of (white background) butterfly print border strip paper. Ink it on all four sides with dark blue or navy blue ink. Mat it with a piece of ever-so-slightly larger (than that strip) pink ombre print paper.

Layer and adhere this matted border piece along the left-hand side of the card, overlapping it somewhat with the white trim layer.

Cut a piece of gold metallic cardstock a little bit smaller than your card base. Cut two equal-sized pieces of peachy-pink crochet trim that are the length of the top and bottom of the gold metallic cardstock. Adhere trim to the underside of the top and bottom of that piece of gold cardstock, then adhere the cardstock to the card base.

Next, cut a piece of pink ombre paper (this paper, like all others used throughout this project, hails from the Craft Smith 12”x12” Conservatory paper pad; this is not a terribly old paper pad, so it may still be available at some Michael’s locations) just a tiny bit smaller than the gold cardstock layer. Adhere to gold cardstock layer.

Cut a piece of dark blue + multicolour butterfly print paper a whisper smaller than the previous layer. Adhere to the previous layer.

Next, cut out the border strip that says, “Happiness Blooms Within”. Mat it with an ever-so-slightly larger (than that strip) piece of the same light green cardstock you used for your card base.

Adhere the border strip to the green cardstock and then, using foam tape, pop dots, or a similar dimensional adhesive product, adhere the green cardstock to the far left-hand edge of the previous (butterfly print paper) layer.

Using the larger of the two scalloped edge rectangular dies, cut a rectangle from the pink ombre print paper. Then use the oval die to cut an oval aperture in the middle of that piece. Back the aperture with a piece of the same light green cardstock that you used for the card base. Adhere this scalloped rectangle piece to your previous layers.

Use the smaller of the two scalloped edge rectangle dies (mine comes with an oval opening in the center already; if yours does not, cut an oval the same size as the one on the previous layer in the center of that rectangular piece) to cut a rectangle from metallic gold cardstock.

Cut a small oval-shaped piece of clear acetate and adhere it to the back of the metallic gold rectangle.

Adhere the gold rectangle (with acetate) to the pink ombre rectangle so that the two ovals are perfectly aligned.

Flip that layered piece over and add in the various colours and shapes of sequins.

Use foam to create a border all the way around the oval shaker element opening. Carefully bring the green cardstock + ombre pink layer to the foam adhesive, gingerly apply some pressure to really stick the foam adhesive in place (as we don’t want any sequin going rouge and escaping our shaker! )

Next, measure and cut a piece of the same white trim that you used earlier so that it is the length of the pink ombre layer. Then cut that piece of trim in half, if so desired (only half of it will be showing, so why not save the other half for use on a different project?). Adhere the white trim to the underside of the bottom of the pink ombre layer.

Follow that up by adhering that rectangle layer “stack” to your previous card base layers.

Cut out a label piece using light green cardstock and the small rectangular-shaped butterfly (cut out) label die. Mat this piece with an ever-so-slightly larger piece of gold metallic cardstock. Adhere together.

Then adhere that “stack” a little bit below the central (rectangular layers), so that some of the dark blue + multicolour butterfly print paper is visible between the two-layered areas, as shown.

Use the “happy’ word sticker and black + clear letter stickers to spell out “Happy Ostara” (or the similar-sized sentiment of your choosing).

Take a piece of butterfly print paper from the Conservatory paper pad and fussy cut out several different sizes and colours of butterflies. Adhere them around the card as shown (or however you wish to place them).

Then cut out duplicates of a few of the butterflies. Apply adhesive down the middle of the backside of those butterflies. Gently bend their wings upward a bit, then adhere them down on their corresponding “flat” butterfly layers.

Lastly, take your iridescent glitter glue (be it Stickles or otherwise) and with a light touch, apply a small line down the thorax (middle vertical area) of each butterfly.

I know that the above instructs are a bit lengthy, but in reality, this project is not (IMO) very tricky and it does not take terribly long to complete. The most time-consuming part, by far, is fussy cutting the butterflies out.

I adore fussy cutting, so do not mind. However, if it isn’t your favourite activity or if using scissors for a long time is difficult for you due to health (or any other) reasons, you could use similar sized premade butterfly die cuts, chipboard pieces, butterfly die cuts that you make yourself, punched butterflies, or stickers here instead.

This festive Ostara/Spring Equinix/Easter card is a pleasure to both make and bestow upon someone special in your life – especially if they are a big fan of butterflies.

Ostara – like springtime sunshine – returns with gusto!

North of the equator, March houses the Spring Equinox. From that day onward until the Summer Solstice we will be surrounded by the beauty, gentle warmth, and the general air of happiness that is inherent to spring.

On – or in the general vicinity of – the Spring Equinox, a fair number of witches/Wiccans/Pagans opt to observe the calendar year’s second sabbat: Ostara.

A lively, hope-filled celebration of the earth’s reawakening, new life, new beginnings, optimism, and much more, Ostara is, for many, a jubilant sabbat that bounds into our life as merrily as a baby lamb.

If you are not familiar with, or would like to read more about, Ostara, I welcome you to do so via the following entries that I have previously penned about this sabbat:

–10 Free and Low-Cost Ways to Celebrate Ostara

–35 Wonderful Ostara Crafts, DIY Projects, and Décor Ideas for The Spring Equinox

–Ostara Candle Spell for Clarity and Renewal (Guest post that I wrote for TheWitchofLupineHollow.com)

While relatively few who are not witches/Pagans observe Ostara in its 21st-century iteration, many individuals – regardless of their spiritual path – enjoy celebrating the return of spring.

The upcoming Equinox is a stellar time to do just that.

A lot of people in my life were born in the spring and numerous loved ones – including my mom and her only sister – rank springtime as their favourite season.

They are far from the minority there, as spring takes top billing for scores of folks around the world.

It is not hard to see why. After months of freezing temps, long hours of darkness, and the need to wear more layers than you’d find on mille crepe cake, many of us are champing at the bit for even the slightest degree of warmth.

Our patience is, thankfully, rewarded sooner or later. And then, after a few sun-kissed days, as if by magic, we often all but forget the lengthy cold spell that we just endured.

Suddenly our lives are illuminated in fresh, wonderful ways again. And while we know that winter will eventually return, for now, we are as far away seasonally from that point as one can possibly be.

And that, if you ask me, is worth celebrating and sending out a butterfly-themed card or two in honour of!

Additional gift of mini butterfly hairclips, 100% optional!

Do you equate butterflies with the return of spring (or autumn, if you live south of the equator)? What is one of your favourite things about the upcoming sunny season?

The post Delightful Butterfly-Themed Happy Ostara Shaker Card for the Spring Equinox appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

Today, with a mere four days bridging the present and February 14^th, I am posting about my second Valoween card.

I suspect that a fair number of you read that recent post – and I know that some of you were also here last year when I shared an in-depth look at Valoween – so I won’t rehash things too much regarding what Valoween is all about.

That said, as I realize this may be the first time that some of my readers are hearing about it and that folks who wish to learn about Valoween may discover this post via a search engine or social media hunt, please permit me to give the quickest of overviews.

Valoween – as one might rightly guess from its name – blends classic themes and motifs of Valentine’s Day with the delightful spookiness of Halloween.

Naturally, valoween is not recognized as an official or separate holiday from Valentine’s Day itself (cool as that would be!). Rather, it is simply a different way of approaching how one celebrates and/or decorates for February 14^th.

The concept of Valoween can be applied to romantic Valentine’s Days, Galentine’s Days, celebrations of platonic relationships, or pretty much anything else that you would like to focus on come this mid-February holiday.

And akin to October 31^st itself, one can opt to take Valoween in any sort of festive direction.

It can be cute and sweet, classic and elegant, hair-raisingly frighting and more than a little bit macabre – whatever your heart desires.

Personally, when it comes to Valoween,  I tend to lean towards either cute + cheery or dark + romantic.

Much as with the Valoween Shaker Wand and Card that I shared here last February, I opted to take my second Valoween project for 2022 in a darkly romantic direction.

To say that I adore the aesthetic that this marriage of holidays swirled with a generous dose of “amore” conveys would be a tremendous understatement.

It is, by far, one of my favourite styles and the colour scheme that I rendered it in here is likewise amongst my most beloved of palettes.

Given its distinctly romantic rebus sentiment, this card is the greeting that I will be giving to my husband come the 14^th. (Hopefully, he won’t see this post before then! )

Darkly romantic you have my (anatomical) heart Valoween card

Teaming with layers, bold colours, and elements that speak to both passion and a distinct air of the eerie, this Valoween card is not for the faint of heart.

Speaking of which (yes, I created that segue on purpose ), it was the anatomic heart stamp at the center of this frighteningly festive greeting that served as this project’s jumping-off point.

For as far back as I can recall, I have been drawn to images and other artistic renditions of anatomical hearts. The more realistic looking, the better.

My various Etsy wishlists are peppered with anatomic heart-themed objects, including the popular anatomical heart vase from Dellamorte & Co. and a beguilingly lovely anatomical stained glass heart from Strong Family Connection.

What can I say, I hearts!

Both the real deal and the shape that we as a species have bestowed the same name upon.

This darkly romantic Valentine’s Day card marries the two, each one supporting the other – and not unlike two people in a committed and loving relationship – to great effect.

While the classic February 14^th colour of pink does not technically appear on this handmade card, a subtle sense of it is conveyed by layering classic white vellum over richly red metallic (mirror) cardstock.

The anatomical heart image was stamped directly onto the velum. I then let it sit for about an hour, while I worked on other components of this Valoween card, before giving it pride-of-place in the center of the design.

To drive home the “You Have My ” sentiment all the more, I made sure to include no shortage of hearts throughout this card.

They appear via the vellum shape, the set of square nested dies with their charming heart-adorned borders and the red hearts that have the word “love” cut into their left sides.

(Funnily, in a way, enough, that little “love heart” die went sailing off my craft desk moments after I cut out the second red heart and I have yet to find it again. I suspect it may have snaked its way between a shelving unit and the wall, so I will soon hunt for it there. Wish me luck!)

As well, towards each of the four corners of this card, small triple heart shapes (which, I am the first to acknowledge, could also be used as a clover/shamrock shape) appear, somewhat resembling another classic Valentine’s Day staple, flowers.

Like a good many paper crafting projects that I create, fundamentally, this is not a tricky or, IMO, fiddly card to bring into being.

You will likely find the die cutting to be the most time-consuming aspect of the project, but even that shouldn’t take too terribly long – especially if you put on your favourite romantic music or movie in the background while you crank out your die cut shapes.

I am tickled pink – actually, make that red, black and gold – with how this Valoween card turned out. It reminds me of my all-time favourite fictional couple (Morticia and Gomez Addams), is my style to a tee, and will, I very much hope, find favour with Tony as well.

In addition, this festive Valoween card is – as you might have suspected – my latest #MakeHalloween365 project share.

If you are not already using this hashtag for your own year-round Halloween related creative projects of any kind, why not give it a spin in 2022?

Should you be in the mood for some paper crafting dark romance of your own, read on for a complete list of materials used and detailed step-by-step instructions for how to make this spookily sweet Valentine’s Day greeting.

Products used to make this red, black and gold gothic Valentine’s Day card

-Black cardstock

-Pearlescent gold paper or cardstock (Similar looking, but heavier weight, pearlescent gold cardstock.)

-Metallic red cardstock – Scarlet Organza Mirror Card from Tonic Studios

-White vellum – Premium Vellum Cardstock from Core’Dinations

-Heart border nested square-shaped die set (Similar looking nested heart border die set.)

-Good-sized heart die (The one I used here has a subtle stitched border, you can opt for the same or use a plain heart, as desired.)

-Small heart w/the word love (or a plain heart-shaped) die

-Good sized vine or scrolling flourish die

-Decorative edge scissors – Heartbeat Paper Edgers from Fiskars (Yes, I specifically opted to use these scissors for this Valoween card because of their name. )

-X’s and O’s print paper – Head Over Heels Typewriter Paper from Echo Park

-Very fine point black pen – Micron 01 0.25 mm Pen from Sakura

-Black ink – Jet Black Archival Ink from Ranger

-Anatomical heart stamp (Similar looking anatomical heart stamp.)

-Scrolling banner stamp – Banners Clear Stamps from Forever in Time

-Tiny black and white letter stickers – Black and White Mini Alpha Stickers from Kaisercraft

-Red polka dot letter stickers – Love Letters Cardstock Stickers from Doodlebug

-Two sizes of adhesive gold gems – Self-Adhesive (Gold) Gems from Studio G

-Dimensional foam, pop dots, or similar to elevate some of your layers

-Adhesive, such as a tape runner, of your choice (I often use my Scotch Tape Glider)

How to make a darkly romantic “You have my (anatomical) heart” Valoween card

Begin by making a horizontal card base from black cardstock.

Cut a piece of vibrant red metallic cardstock slightly small than the card base. Adhere to card base.

Cut a piece of X’s and O’s print paper a wee bit smaller than the previous layer. Lightly ink all four edges with black ink. Adhere to the previous layer.

Next, cut a piece of pearlescent gold paper/cardstock (you could easily use metallic gold or gold glitter cardstock here instead, if so desired) about 65 – 75% of the size of your card base.

Cut a piece of black cardstock (the same cardstock used for the card base) a little smaller than the piece of pearlescent gold paper. Adhere the pearlescent gold paper to the black cardstock and then, in the center of the card design, the black cardstock to your existing layers.

Take a piece of white vellum and cut a rectangle that is a little taller than the gold and black layers you just created, but a bit narrower than it on the right and left sides.

Use decorative edge scissors on all four sides of the vellum piece. Center and adhere the vellum piece on the black and gold layers.

Take the largest die from the heart-bordered nested die set and cut a square out of metallic red cardstock.

Position it so that the square now becomes a diamond shape. Adhere with dimensional foam adhesive, Pop Dots, or similar to the previous layer.

Die a heart-shaped piece from white vellum that is large enough to accommodate your anatomical heart stamp.

Using a black ink that is suitable for vellum, stamp the anatomic heart in the center of the vellum heart. Allow to air dry or speed up the drying process by gently waving an embossing heat gun over the heart piece for a few moments (not too long though, as vellum can easily warp and/or burn from heat).

Place a small amount of adhesive on the far left and right (center) sides of the velum heart and attach it to the middle of the red metallic diamond-shaped piece.

Take two of the smaller nested heart border dies. Use the larger of the two to die cut two matching squares from pearlescent gold paper, then use the smaller of the two to die cut two matching black cardstock squares.

Center and adhere the black squares on the gold squares. Rotate the stacked squares so that they too become diamond shapes.

Die cut two small red hearts that contain the world love (or simply use a standard heart-shaped die) out of red metallic cardstock. Adhere one heart to the center of each of the black squares/diamonds that you created in the previous step.

Adhere one of the gold diamond stacks so that it slightly overlaps with the left side of the central vellum heart and the other so that it does the same on the right side of the vellum heart.

Die cut four matching vine/flourish pieces from black cardstock. Adhere two around the left and right sides of the bottom of the metallic red cardstock diamond.

Tuck the other two under the top of the red metallic cardstock diamond and the vellum piece below it, leaving most of each vine/flourish visible, as shown.

Using black ink, stamp a scrolling banner shape onto pearlescent gold paper. Fussy cut (or, if using a stamp with a matching die, die cut) the banner shape once the ink has dried.

Use tiny black and white alphabet stickers to spell the words “You”, “Have”, and “My” around the banner piece, as shown.

Place red polka dot letter stickers between those words, positioning them so that they flow with the curve of the banner piece.

Once you are happy with the placement of the red letter stickers, optionally, you can (as I have done here) trace around each of the letters with a very fine tip black pen so as to help the letters stand out all the more.

Next, use the teeny-tiny triple heart-shaped die to die cut four pieces of that shape from black cardstock and another four from pearlescent gold paper/cardstock.

Apply adhesive to the back of the gold “heart flowers” and position them a little way down the black “heart flowers”, as shown.

Adhere one black and gold “heart flower” stack to each of the far corners of your card front.

Place one small metallic gold coloured gem in the center of each of those “heart flowers”.

Lastly, use a slightly larger size of the same gold metallic gems to adorn the top and bottom tips of the central red metallic diamond, as well as the left and right sides of the smaller gold diamonds.

There you have it, one impactful, gorgeous, and hauntingly romantic I (Anatomical) Heart You Valoween Day card to give to your beloved.

Celebrate love of all kinds this Valentine’s Day

Understandably, no matter what sort of spin you put on it, February 14^th is not everyone’s favourite day of the year.

Though I am a die-hard “lover of love” who melts faster than a box of chocolates left too close to a votive candle when it comes to this holiday, I can easily see why such is the case and sincerely respect that not everyone flips their lid for Valentine’s Day.

That is, of course, perfectly okay! We are always allowed to like/love or dislike whatever special occasions we desire.

Yet, I think it is worth pausing all the same as Valentine’s season descends upon us once again to reflect on the broader subject of love.

Nearly all of us love various people and/or things. And, most (though, heartbreakingly, not all) of us have been blessed to receive and/or give love throughout our lives.

That can mean romantic love, platonic love, love for our pets, love for our work, love for causes that are important to us, love for our hobbies and passions, love for our spiritual journey, love for our favourite books, movies and music, love for our favourite foods, or deep feelings of adoration directed at countless other possible things/animals/peoples/events/etc.

If you work with an altar or would otherwise like to make a display of this nature, I encourage you to place items that represent some of the things you presently love in your sacred space.

In turn, think deeply (and/or meditate) on them and the role(s) they play in your life right here and now.

How, if applicable, have those roles shifted, changed, or otherwise evolved for you throughout your life?

What do you love, but do not or cannot focus on as much as you would ideally like?

Are there ways you can shift more attention to those areas between now and next Valentine’s Day?

In terms of people, naturally, February 14^th is a great time to remember, honour, and celebrate those you have loved – and presently love – throughout your life.

As such, you could also include images, mementos, or other objects that represent people (and/or pets) that you currently love or have loved in the past.

Valentine’s Day, not unlike the Pagan sabbats – particularly, in the Northern Hemisphere, Samhain and Yule – is an excellent time to engage in ancestor work, as well as to reflect deeply about our families, our heritage, and those members of our trees that are still with us today.

If doing so feels right and appropriate to you, try to tell one or more of your nearest and dearest just how much they mean to you and how greatly you love them this Valentine’s Day.

I firmly believe that we all need love. We need to receive it and, in turn, give it to others as well. We need events, locations, interests and other things to hold close to our hearts, too.

These are basic elements of the human journey and one that each person deserves to experience.

On Valentine’s Day, give thanks for the loves of all types in your life. If you feel you need more love, freely open your heart to that possibility and allow the universe to hopefully deliver a greater degree of love into your world.

And all the while, remember to try and give your own love generously and selflessly to others as well.

In their 1967 hit song of the same name, The Beatles reminded us that “All you need is love”.

In reality, we may require a bit more than that. Yet, this message drives home the importance of love and just what an incredible, life and history-shaping force of our collective human experience it really is.

Here’s to love, to Valoween and Valentine’s Day, and to the fact that I each and every one of you!

Are you a fellow fan of anatomical hearts? What loves in your life will you be focusing on this February 14^th?

The post Darkly Romantic You Have My (Anatomical) Heart Valoween Card for Valentine’s Day appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

Yet, in many corners of the world, it began, two, three, or perhaps even as many as four months ago (I have, for example, experienced snow in September while living in certain parts of Canada) and that can mean that we are already more than a little eager for spring to return.

Alas, save for those lucky folks in some particularly warm and/or mild climates, we need to exert saint-worthy patience for a bit longer.

However, as entrenched into the bone-chilling heart of winter as many of us are, subtle signs of spring’s impending return are – or will soon be – perceptible again.

Not trees in bloom, perfectly tender asparagus and delectably sweet little strawberries perceptible, but the forebearers to those kinds of seasonal changes and many others that will greet us as winter takes its bow and exits stage left.  

In the 2 years and a couple of weeks that Witchcrafted Life has been online, I have penned 1 – 3 dedicated posts a piece so far for each of the Pagan sabbats. Such posts have focused on things such as the history, traditions, associations, correspondences, colours, foods, herbs, plants, animals, crystals and so forth of each of these sacred days.

You can bet your favourite winter scarf that I won’t stop writing those kinds of posts anytime soon.

However, as one of the guiding inspirations for this blog’s creation was to not “merely” share some posts that focused on paper crafting and others on Paganism/witchery, but to combine the two on various occasions, that is what I am planning to do more of throughout this year (and beyond!).

There have, of course, already been a handful of posts that combined both.

However, starting this month, I am on a mission to create and blog about at least one craft (be it paper or otherwise) project for each of the year’s Pagan sabbats throughout 2022/2023.

Ideally, continuing to do so on a fairly regular basis beyond then as well.

The first sabbat to transpire after the New Year, Imbolc (aka, Imbolg), is rapidly approaching again and as such I decided there was no better time to get the ball rolling on my roster of sabbat-focused projects than with an Imbolc themed creation.

Elegant winter meets spring colour palette Imbolc card

Much as with the seasons themselves, there are certain colours that are broadly associated with each sabbat.

Those which are – in the Northern Hemisphere – often ascribed to Imbolc include colours that echo both winter’s chill and the inaugural glimmers of spring’s upcoming return.

Fire, light, and sunshine are integral components of many an Imbolc celebration. This often leads to colours such as white, yellow, bronze, gold, and red being connected with Imbolc.

Others with strong ties to Imbolc include (but are not limited to) cream, pale pink, green, light blue, brown, grey, and silver.

As I envisioned the card at the heart of this post, I knew that I wanted to utilize a colour palette that tapped into both the dark heart of winter and the jovial, far more lighthearted (as a general rule) nature of springtime.

Imbolc is often viewed as being the first spring sabbat, even though it is housed at the start of February.

As with many sabbats, solstices and equinoxes, this perception stems in no small part from the days when our ancestors lived in tremendously close proximity with nature and the perpetual ebbing and flowing of the seasons.

Whether for hunting, planting crops, being able to dig into the soil to set posts or lay bricks for new homes or myriad other happenings, the seasons dictated and shaped a great deal of how civilization has unfolded.

Early February does not usually have the warmth or greenery of Ostara or Beltane, but it is far enough away from the Winter Solstice to afford it the title of spring’s unofficial start.

Or, if you personally feel that it is simply too deeply buried in wintertime proper still, then Imbolc serves as a midway wintertime sabbat celebration that embraces elements of the present season and the one that lies ahead in near equal measure.

The colours used on this card tap into both winter (black, grey, and white) and early spring (grey, white, and green).

Much like Imbolc itself, they serve as a reminder that it will not be too much longer until the world rouses from its wintertime slumber and slips into its springtime finery once again.

In addition to the colours themselves, this card represents the seasonal duality of Imbolc by the presence of both snowflakes and greenery (the bloom bedecked branches/vines).

Given that the snow in our backyard is still up to my knees and may very well rise higher again before winter officially throws in the towel, this chilly season component is one that I – like many of us – associate closely with Imbolc.

Yet even as I light a flock of twinkling candles, invoking both literal and metaphorical warmth and light back into the world once again, I am already daydreaming about the lush foliage and life-affirming properties of spring. These too are honoured come the year’s first sabbat.

I find the colours at play on this card to be very soothing and peaceful. They are not as bleak as the harshest days of winter, yet nor are they as vibrant and breezy as those of, say, late spring or early summer.

Much like Imbolc itself, they are comforting and ancient, a marriage of two seasons that is, in fact, the precursor to the death of one and the rebirth of another.

Products used to make a festive black, grey, green, and white Imbolc card

-White or off-white (which is what I used) subtly textured or smooth cardstock

-Sage/light green cardstock – Soft Tones Cardstock from Paper Accents

-Dark (pine/forest/hunter) green cardstock

-Grey cardstock

-Black cardstock

-Green metallic cardstock – Foil Cardstock Paper from Recollections (Michael’s brand)

-Grey plaid paper – Christmas Festive Ornaments Paper from Carta Bella

-Pine tree print border strip of paper – Christmas Border Strips Paper from Carta Bella

-Fir/pine bough patterned paper (used in the center of this card) – Christmas 4”x4” Journaling Cards from Carta Bella

-Ornate circle die

-Snowflake border die (or a similar snowflake border punch)

-Two-part snowflake die (a single layer/part snowflake works just as well here, too)

-“Blessings” word die (or letter dies, stamps, stickers, wood veneer pieces, or rub that can spell out the same word)

-Small vine/branch with flowers die

-Fir/pine branch die – Fall Foliage Dies from Spellbinders

-Off-white and grey flat back adhesive pearls – Opaline Designer Half Pearls from Basic Grey

-Black and green enamel dots – Green Fields Enamel Dots from Alte & New

-Dark green ink – Memento Dew Drop Northern Pines Ink from Tsukineko

-Black and white tiny letter stickers (product not named but from the Stickah brand sold at Dollarama)

-White or off-white embroidery thread (very thin crochet thread could also be used here)

-Dimensional foam, pop dots, or similar to elevate some of your layers

-Adhesive, such as a tape runner, of your choice (I often use my Scotch Tape Glider)

How to make an elegant winter meets spring Imbolc card

Start by making a card base from either white or off-white cardstock.

Cut a piece of green metallic cardstock slightly smaller than the card base. Adhere.

Cut a piece of black cardstock slightly smaller than the green metallic cardstock layer. Adhere.

Next, cut a piece of the grey plaid Carta Bella paper so that it is slightly smaller than the width and about 60% off the height of the previous layer. Attach it to the top portion of the black cardstock layer, as shown.

Cut a piece of sage/light green cardstock so that it is slightly smaller than the width and about 40% of the height of the black cardstock layer. Attach it to the bottom portion of said black cardstock layer.

Die cut (or punch out) a border strip with three good-sized snowflakes from black cardstock. Use white or off-white embroidery floss to stitch through the edges of this piece (alternatively, you can use an opaque white pen or marker to hand draw stitching instead).

Adhere in the center bottom of the sage/light green cardstock layer. Top the center snowflake with an off-white and grey pearl embellishment.

From the Carta Bella Christmas Border Strips Paper cut out a pine tree border strip and adhere it roughly 2/3^rd to 3/4^th of the way down the center of the card layers that you have constructed so far.

Using both sage/light green and white/off-white cardstock, die cut two nesting snowflake shapes. Place the smaller white or off-white piece inside of the larger green snowflake piece. Adhere to the sides in the top 1/3^rd of the center panel of the card, as shown.

Top the center of each white inner snowflake with an off-white and grey pearl embellishment.

Use the Spellbinders fir/pine bough die to cut two branches from each the sage/light green, dark green, and metallic green cardstocks.

Starting from the darkest to the lightest colour, arrange these bough pieces around the edges of the center of the card, allowing them to overlap a bit with the snowflakes and the pine tree border strip. Adhere.

Die cut two flowering branch/vine pieces from black cardstock and another two from grey cardstock. Top the black pieces with the grey ones, off-setting them a little so for an added sense of dimension. Adhere both pairs together and then atop the center of the fir/pine bough area that you just created.

Using the Alte & New enamel dots, adhere green and black dots on the flower portions of the flower branches/vines, as shown in the photos throughout this post.

From green metallic cardstock, die cut an ornate circle shape. Using pop dots, foam squares, or another dimensional adhesive, adhere this circle to the center of the card front.

Cut out the winter foliage (with a dark grey background) piece from the Carta Bella 4”x4” Journaling Card paper, then this piece into a circle shape. Adhere it to the green metallic layer from the previous step.

Next, use the small white and black letter stickers to spell the word “Imbolc”, alternating between light and dark green cardstock, adhere and then fussy cut out each sticker so that it has a very thin border around it from either of those two cardstocks.  

Repeat the cardstock process again, this time alternating colours so that if the letters were first backed with light green paper, their second border (backing) layer is dark green and vice versa.

Arrange the letters in a playful slightly uneven (from one another) manner in the top portion of fussy cut circle created in the previous step.

Use the “Blessings” word die to die cut three identical words, one each from sage/light green, dark green, and white/off-white cardstock.

Arrange these layers starting with the sage/light green, then the dark green, followed by the white/off-white so that all three layers are slightly off-centre from one another for an added sense of depth.

Adhere the layers together and then beneath the “Imbolc” letter stickers.

Use three sizes of matching coloured off-white or white adhesive pearls to create a frame/border around the top and bottom portions of the fussy cut green paper piece, as shown.

For the final step, use three sizes of black Alte & New enamel dots to adorn the top corners of the grey plaid paper layer and three sizes of green Alte & New enamel dots to adorn the bottom corners of the sage/light green cardstock layer.

And just like that, you have a sophisticated, wonderfully seasonally appropriate handmade Imbolc card to send off or present in person to someone special.

Alternatively, if you use a different sentiment this same design can be used for various other wintertime (or summertime if you are south of the equator) events as well. For example, Yule, Christmas, New Year’s, winter birthdays and anniversaries, just because and thinking of you cards, and even as a very heartfelt sympathy card.

One foot in winter, the other stepping towards spring

As with each of the Pagan sabbats, those who choose to observe them have free range over when they opt to do so. Nothing on that front is written in indelible ink and those of both Pagan/Wiccan/witchy leanings and otherwise that make the sabbats a part of their lives can do so whenever they desire.

That said, a good many of us opt to do so on either February 1^st or February 2^nd.

As a general rule, I lean towards February 1^st. As with each of the year’s eight beautiful sabbats, however, aim to encapsulate the sacred day itself with at least a few more days on either side. Thus, instead of “just” one day, Imbolc and each of its other sabbat siblings become mini seasons of celebration unto themselves.

I adore Imbolc and while that is, objectively, true for each of the eight sabbats that comprise The Wheel of The Year, there are some that I feel all the more pulled towards.

Imbolc, situated as it is as the counterpoint to Lammas six months later (on this side of the equator), is a cozy, soulful period that invites us to reflect on where we have come not only since January 1^st of the present year, but since this point last winter.

As well, it taps into the return of new life + gentler weather that will soon pop back up much like a crocus exuberantly bursting through a mantle of snow to soak in the year’s first warm rays of sunshine.

I do not hate winter (far from it!) and can scarcely imagine living somewhere that did not experience a frozen segment of the year.

Winter – much like fall – stokes the fires of my creativity, my energy, my productivity and much more in ways that spring and summer are not always able to do to same degree.

Many is the year that I have felt a splash of melancholy as winter breathed its last. However, those post-winter blues are rarely long-lived as the endearing vitality and breathtaking colour palette (to say nothing of the scents, tastes, and sounds) of spring dance merrily across the landscape once again.

Right here and now though, in our wee corner of Western Canada, the mercury sits below freezing, many local bodies of water have ice on them that is thick enough to safely skate or fish on, and there’s plenty more snow forecasted in the coming weeks.

Come February 1^st and in the days that buffer it on either side, I will embrace winter while it is still here. And at the same time, I’ll steer the rutter of both my witchy workings and life as a whole towards springtime.

Each season and sabbat is a gift, and Imbolc – with its emphasis on fresh starts, new life, and finding light in even the darkest times (aka, the middle of winter) – is no exception.

Just as the wording on this handmade greeting card states, with all of my heart, I wish you each a blessed and truly beautiful Imbolc. May it, in due time, unfold into a low-stress, high enjoyment spring for all of us!

Whether you observe Imbolc or not, what do you view as the unofficial start of spring? Which colours do you most associate with this point in the year?

The post Elegant Winter Meets Spring Colour Palette Imbolc Card appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

Earlier in the year we took a gander at Valoween, Springoween, and Summerween.

Today, with a mere half a month of December left, it is high time we explore the subject of Spooky Christmas (aka Creepmas).

We will be doing so both through the following paragraphs on the subject and via a festively adorable ghost themed Christmas card that I recently made.

Read on to learn more about Creepmas, as well as how to replicate this charming haunted Christmas tree card yourself.

What is Creepmas?

Creepmas is taking the Christmas season and applying a dark, Halloween-inspired spin to your décor, attire, menus, gift wrapping, holiday cards – you name it!

Objectively, there need not even be a straight-up Halloween element to Creepmas. The key element is to inject spooky, scary, and/or macabre qualities into the Christmas season.

They can be gothic, Halloween related, horror/slasher genre inspired, shift the focus from Santa Claus to Krampus, or focus on any other more eerily influenced spin on Christmastime.

Creepmas is not the only name for spooky Christmas. Indeed, the term “Spooky Christmas” itself is one of Creepmas’ alternative names.

Others that I have seen over the years include Cryptmas, Dark Christmas, Spookmas, Ghoulmas, Hexmas, and Gothmas (though the latter would, objectively, apply more so to those who identify as goths or deeply appreciate and understand the gothic subculture and its aesthetic).

I am particularily fond of the name Cryptmas myself.

(It should be noted that with the meteoric rise in the popularity of cryptocurrency, I have started seeing some products on Etsy – such as this Merry Cryptmas Sweatshirt that put a cryptocurrency spin on Christmas images. So this term now means at least two different things.)

Of all the holidays and non-fall seasons that have had a spooky, Halloween-influenced twist put on them, perhaps none has yet to top Creepmas in terms of its growing popularity.

Nor, in turn, the number of spooky Christmas-themed products that are hitting the markets these days. Particularly amongst indie sellers and smaller-sized companies (though some of the bigger alternative brands are getting in on the festive fun, too).

This makes a lot of sense for multiple reasons.

First and foremost, save for American Thanksgiving in the US, many of us do not celebrate any major holidays between Halloween/Samhain and Christmas (or Yule).

For those who are card carrying members of team #MakeHalloween365, this means come Yule and/or Christmas, we are often missing our beloved Halloween/Samhain something fierce already.

So, we figure, why not carry the dark, spooky elements that we cherish about October 31^st over to our December holiday season!

(The haunted Christmas tree card featured in this post is my #MakeHalloween365 project for this month.)

Another reason is that, much like Halloween, Christmas is a very popular and commonly observed holiday – be it religiously or secularly.

Depending on the faith and/or culture we were raised in, we may have grown up celebrating December 25th. And as a result, we tend to have a bevy of memories, traditions, and festive happenings surrounding the Christmas season that we adore and would like to put a Halloweeny stamp on.

Or, in some cases, perhaps it is the very adding of darker and more macabre elements that make Christmastime considerably more appealing to us in the first place.

In addition, while the Winter Solstice does officially usher in the more light-filled half of the year, in most corners of the Northern Hemisphere, we are not going to start getting a sense of those longer hours of daylight for at least several more weeks.

Christmas, early and mid-winter (and even late winter in some respects) can be extremely dark, cold times that have a certain ingrained air of mystery and even spookiness to them.

A point which many people in generations past – and some folks to this day – embraced with the classic tradition of telling Christmas ghost stories.

I suspect the fact that many Halloween lovers adore decorating and collecting (and/or making) items pertaining to All Hallows’ Eve spills over into the other holidays that we observe.

For as far back as I can recall, I have loved decorating for and celebrating holidays, birthdays, and all manner of special events.

Once I got old enough to start putting a spooky spin on things beyond the Halloween season itself – and even more so after I learned that others were doing the same thing – there was no looking back for me.

I enjoy and appreciate a wide range of holiday decor aesthetics, including many that differ significantly from my own.

At the end of the day though, my most beloved Christmas season aesthetic is one the combines a dark Victorian look with elements of both Halloween and my passion for taphophilia (so hence, no doubt, why I’m particularly fond of the term “Cryptmas” ).

If you feel the Creepmas spirit beckoning you, I wholeheartedly encourage you to find the dark/Halloweeny December holiday season aesthetic that appeals most to you at the moment.

You are, of course, not locked into that style for life and can switch things up anytime, if you so desire.

How to achieve a spooky Christmas look

If you’re keen to get in the Creepmas spirit, there are seemingly endless ways to do so.

Select a decidedly spooky/dark/gothic colour palette (or go eclectic and use a range of colours) such as any of the following colour combinations:

-Black, white, and grey

-Black, grey (and/or white), and purple

-Black, white (and/or grey) and red or burgundy

-Dark brown, pine green, and aged gold or brass

-Lime green, white and/or grey, and black

-Cream or ivory, white, and silver (this combo tends to have an especially delightful ghostly air to it)

-Black, pine green, and burgundy

-Charcoal grey, navy blue, and silver

-White, orange, and yellow (aka, candy corn colours)

-White, black, and orange

-Black or dark grey partnered with assorted aged metals

-Cream, dark red or burgundy, and black or dark brown

-Black or dark grey, dusty rose, and burgundy

-A timeless Christmas palette of red, white and green interspersed with some hits of black

Next, decide if you want to go all out or keep your Creepmas décor to a select area or two of your house.

Naturally, if you do not have many (or any) decorations that fit the Creepmas/Gothmas aesthetic right now, you do need to break the bank and rush out to purchase a bunch.

You can start small. Look through your current winter holiday décor as well as your Halloween decorations, plus your house in general. Are there pieces that can lend a spooky/mysterious quality to your Christmas décor?

Are there any Christmas items that you could paint (acrylic, spray paint, etc), re-cover, decoupage, or otherwise give a gothy makeover to?

Doing things as simple as using a black table runner and chargers or placements and black candles on your festive table or baking some skeleton gingerbread cookies can be terrific ways to begin injecting more of the Creepmas looking into your seasonal happenings.

If you are in the market for a new artificial Christmas tree, consider picking up one in black, white, silver, orange, or red. The darkest of dark green shades can work splendidly as well.

You can then DIY Your Creepmas Tree as the wonderfully talented Amber from The Dahlia Crypt has done.

And transform some run-of-the-mill dollar store Christmas decorations into gloriously spooky Creepmas versions care of this terrific video from The Gothic Homemaker (aka, Aurelio Voltaire – whose music, YouTube channel, and myriad other contributions to the goth community I have been an ardent fan of for many years).

You could also make some cheesecloth ghosts to tuck between garland, tinsel, or other festive décor around your house.

Hang black or grey stockings, read A Christmas Carol in front of the fire, cut snowflakes out of black cardstock or tissue paper and hang them around your home, or decorate, paint, or carve faux pumpkins with Christmas images such as bells, a Christmas tree, snowmen, candy canes, or Santa Claus.

Why not pick up a Creepmas sweater/sweatshirt/t-shirt or two (Etsy has an ever-growing selection of such garments and the offerings over on Dolls Kill are awesome, too), watch scary Christmas movies, deep dive into Spooky Little Halloween’s fantastic array of Spooky Christmas posts, top your tree with a black bat decoration, visit r/Creepmas over on Reddit, or put black Santa hats on some of your favourite Halloween décor?

Have fun with Creepmas/Cryptmas/Gothmas. Let your imagination run wild, build up your spooky festive décor collection a little more each year, make or purchase some Creepmas holiday greeting cards, and revel in the enjoyment that comes from merging elements of Halloween with December 25^th.

And if you are looking for even more Creepmas ideas and inspiration, pop on over to my Creepmas / Cryptmas Pinterest board.

Seasonal sentiments to use on spooky Christmas cards, other crafts, home décor projects, etc

The following is a selection of Creepmas, Cryptmas, Gothmas, and Spooky Christmas sentiments that I have compiled. They work splendidly for all manner of festive cards crafts, home decr projects and so forth.

-‘Tis the season to be spooky

-Scary Christmas / Creepmas / Gothmas / etc

-It’s beginning to look a lot like Cryptmas / Creepmas / Gothmas / etc

-All is merry and fright

-Merry or Happy Creepmas / Happy Cryptmas / Happy Gothmas / Happy Spooky Christmas

-Season’s creepings

-Happy skulladays

-We witch you a merry Christmas / Happy Holidays / Creepmas / Gothmas / etc and a Happy New Year

-I’m dying to spend the holidays with you (you could partner this sentiment with an image of a ghost, the Addams Family, the grim reaper, tombstones, or your favourite horror movie character, for example)

-All I want for Christmas (or Creepmas, etc) is you

-Have a creepy Gothmas / Cryptmas / etc

-Have a spooky Gothmas / Cryptmas / etc

-It’s batty how much I love Christmas / Cryptmas / Creepmas / Gothmas / etc

-Hail Santa

-Boo and happy holidays!

-I’m screaming of a white Christmas

-Here comes Santa Claws (you could partner it with an image of a cat or Krampus, for example)

-Slay bells ring

-Happy ten months and five (or six, depending on if you count down from December 25^th or 26^th) days until Halloween

-He knows when you are sleeping (from the Christmas song Santa Claus is Coming to Town – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus_Is_Comin%27_to_Town)

-Have yourself a spooky little Christmas / Cryptmas / Creepmas / etc

-On the thirteenth day of Creepmas / Cryptmas / Gothmas / etc

-Happy holidays from our crypt to yours!

-Time spread the holiday spirit (combined with an image of one or more ghosts)

Naturally, there are others that could easily fit the bill as well. Turning to lyrics from classic Christmas songs and poetry, as some of the examples above have done, can be a great place to find lines that could easily be made festively spooky by changing some of their words.

Note: Should you wish to use a Creepmas (etc) sentiments that pertain directly to death, please be mindful of any losses the receiptent may have experienced this year. As well as how people are presently doing in the face of the ongoing global pandemic that we are all collectively battling.

If you think that someone might be offended, saddened, or otherwise hurt by death-related wording, be considerate of this point and refrain from using such language.

Gothic haunted Christmas Tree Card

While there are Tim Burton-esque elements to this card – chiefly the black and white striped paper (very Jack Skellington!) and overall spooky theme – I wasn’t per se channelling this source of inspiration.

Not, mind you, that I take any issue with it being there. Far from it! Like many a Halloween fan, I have a great fondness for Mr. Burton and his work – very much including the Nightmare Before Christmas.

This was one of those card designs that just popped into my head as I sat down to craft recently and I knew that I had to bring it to reality immediately.

I had picked up a roll of white “fall snow” design tulle at Dollar Tree back around the start of October and was itching to craft with it.

(You can purchase a very similar looking white snowflake tulle on Amazon. The quanitiy provided there is a fair bit bigger than my roll from the dollar store.)

That tulle appears twice on this card, along with some festive shimmer via the red glitter cardstock, silver metallic cardstock, glossy black cardstock, and the silver tinsel trim on the Christmas tree.

Not to mention the hits of sparkle coming from the fun shaker mix that I composed out of red and black sequins, clear sequins/gems, white and black ghost-shaped sequins, and red and white polymer clay peppermint candy shapes.

The only patterned paper here is a black and white striped piece behind the shaker window, as I wanted to keep the emphasis more on the colour palette and haunted Christmas theme than on multiple different patterns of paper.

If you do not have, or as an alternative to, black and white striped paper, a black or grey snowflake print paper would likely look marvellous here as well.

I have been champing at the bit to share a Creepmas card with all of you and am delighted that I got a chance to do just that here this month.

Should you wish to replicate my sweetly spooky Christmas card, be sure to check out the list of materials used and the detailed step-by-step instructions that follow below.

Products used to make this elegant red and black gothic Christmas card

-Black cardstock

-Glossy black cardstock – Glossy Black Mirror Card from Tonic Studios

-Silver foil or metallic cardstock – Silver Foil Cardstock from Recollections

-Red glitter cardstock – Premium Glittersilk Cardstock from Darice

-Black and white striped paper – Halloween Party Bone Chilling paper from Echo Park

-Clear acetate

-Christmas tree die set with tree, tree stand, bow, and star dies (or assorted dies to create a similar-looking Christmas tree)

-Holly leaf/winter greenery oval frame die (I have had this one in my stash for a few years. You can currently get a similar looking holly oval frame die from Simon Says Stamp)

-Elegant decorative edge scissors – Victorian Paper Edgers from Fiskars

-Black pigment ink pad (or really, just about any black ink pad that works well for inking paper edges)

-Small clear sequins or gems – 3mm Sparkling Clear Sequins from Pretty Pink Posh

-Red sequins

-Black shimmery sequins

-White and black ghost-shaped sequins (check sites such as eBay, Etsy, and AliExpress for ghost sequins)

-Red and white polymer clay peppermint candy shaped pieces (available from various sellers on the aforementioned websites, including Etsy seller Diystencilca)

-White “falling snow” tulle (Crafter’s Square brand from Dollar Tree)

-Red and white micro pompom trim – Handmade Floral Embellishments #500153 Ribbons from Prima Marketing

-Silver tinsel trim – Designer Tinsel Trim from Webster’s Pages

-Black seam binding

-Black pleated ribbon trim

-Glue gun and glue sticks (optional, but especially handy for gluing the seam binding bow in place)

-Dimensional foam, pop dots, or similar to elevate some of your layers

-Adhesive, such as a tape runner, of your choice (I often use my Scotch Tape Glider)

How to make a gothic haunted Christmas tree card

Begin by making a card base from plain black (or charcoal grey) cardstock.

Cut a piece of white falling snowflake print tulle slightly smaller than your card base. Adhere.

Use decorative edge scissors to cut out a piece of red glitter card that is slightly smaller than the piece of white tulle. Adhere.

Cut a piece of black and white striped paper a little smaller than the piece of red glitter cardstock. Ink all four edges lightly with black ink.

Next, die cut a festive holly greenery oval frame in the center of the striped paper.

Die cut the same frame itself from red cardstock. Gingerly align the red frame so that it sits flush in the frame aperture that you die cut from striped paper.

Die cut two equal-sized ovals of clear acetate (or another suitable lightweight, flexible clear plastic material).

Create a festively spooky shaker mix using a blend of red, black, and clear (or white) sequins and/or small gems, white and/or black ghost-shaped sequins (bats would also be fantastic here!), as well as some polymer clay red and white peppermint candies and/or candy canes.

Sandwich the sequins mix between the two pieces of clear acetate and adhere their edges together.

Place this oval sandwich of shaker card goodness into the oval aperture of the holly greenery frame. You may want to use foam dots, pop dots, or a similar raised adhesive to give your shaker card an even greater sense of depth (that’s what I did here).

Back the aperture (open area of the frame design) with a piece of the same white falling snowflake tulle. Adhere.

Then adhere the frame layers, with the shaker portion, to the base layers of the card, making sure that the last layer behind the clear oval is the white snowflake tulle.

Next, die cut a Christmas tree shape from glossy black cardstock (you could also use black glitter cardstock or plain black cardstock instead). Die cut a small star and the Christmas tree stand both from silver metallic cardstock (or grey cardstock).

Assemble the tree, top it with the star and put the tree trunk in the tree stand.

Die cut three small red glitter cardstock bows (or use small bow-shaped cabochons or tiny bows made from real ribbon) and pick out five white ghost sequin pieces. Adhere the red bows and white sequin ghosts to the Christmas tree as shown.

Wrap a small length of silver tinsel trim around the tree, adhere it on the backside of the tree.

Adhere the fully decorated tree to in the center of the clear shaker window oval.

Make a multi-layer bow out of either plain or pre-scrunched (used here) black seam binding. Adhere above the shaker window.

Lastly, cut a piece of red and white micro pompom trim and a piece of pleated black ribbon and adhere them below the shaker window, as shown.

And there you have it, boos and ghouls, one delightfully cute + spooky haunted Christmas tree card that you can either keep and use as Creepmas décor yourself or give to a fellow Cryptmas/Gothmas adoring friend or relative.

All is merry and fright (for some of us at least )

Often, we have our sights firmly planted on the fresh new year that lies tantalizingly close to us throughout December and, as a result, all but forget that the present year will soon pass away.

Into the ethers of time and history it will slip, never to be repeated, unlikely to soon be forgotten.

Acknowledging and even celebrating the life and death of a given year is another component that one can readily tie into a Creepmas celebration.

The handoff between one year and the next is a powerfully liminal time.

As December winds down, I embrace Yule, and celebrate Christmas with loved ones. I lean into that liminal aspect of early winter both in my witchcraft and in terms of how I process, make peace with, and choose to honour the outgoing year.

As the only year-round spooky soul in my family, I am especially grateful for the community of Halloween lovers around the world who join me in embracing a dark, gothy Christmas time aesthetic.

Even if you do not feel pulled towards this style yourself, I hope that you enjoyed learning more about it here.

After all, it can be a lot of fun to see and be inspired by a wide range of different Christmas décor styles.

Year after year, I most certainly am and I delight in finding ways to interpret them in a fa-boo-lously festive Cryptmas manner.

Do you enjoy the Creepmas/Gothmas look? What is your current favourite type of holiday season aesthetic?

The post Gothic Haunted Christmas Tree Shaker Card + What is Creepmas/Cryptmas? appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

Even at that early point in my life, I had a powerful love for both history and all things vintage.

Very sweetly, my grandma answered my questions and shared stories about the relatives that I was looking at, many of whom had long passed or lived in far-off areas, which meant I rarely, if ever, got a chance to see them in person.

By the age of five, I was utterly obsessed with history and found myself especially drawn to the period spanning the late 1930s to the early 1960s. This passion manifested itself in a plethora of ways – including rushing home after school to slip, nearly daily, into a cute pink and white gingham poodle skirt that my mom had sewn for me.

This was the end of the 1980s and beginning of the 1990s. Most kids my age were rocking slap bracelets, high-top sneakers, neons, and acid wash denim. I yearned to have a closet that looked like what the characters wore in some of my favourite vintage movies (especially the Haynes Sisters in White Christmas) and modern films (such as A League of Their Own) set in decades past.

Far from being a quaint childhood interest or passing fancy, my appreciation of, and love for, mid-century vintage would only deepen over the years.

By the time I hit my early teens and my parents began allowing me to buy my own clothes, I took the funds I earned from babysitting, birthday money, and any other income I could scrounge up at the time and hit my town’s thrift stores.

The late 1990s were upon us by then and while vintage and antique clothing had begun to experience a serious revival in recent years, one could still snap up incredible mid-century pieces for a song.

Bias cut slips from the 1930s, pleated plaid wool skirts from the 1940s, adorable cardigans, sundresses, and jaunty hats from the 1950s, and gloves from each of those decades (and more) were still relatively plentiful, as older people or their families donated closet after closet of mid-century attire to thrift shops.

Not only were vintage pieces fairly easy to come by, but in settings like that – along with yard sales and flea markets – they were often exceedingly reasonably priced. Meaning that a vintage adoring teen on a tight budget could still manage to pepper her closet with clothing, accessories, and jewelry from the eras when my own grandparents were my age.

As I grew into adulthood, I continued to build a wardrobe that was primarily filled with vintage, vintage reproduction, and vintage appropriate pieces (the latter being a term I coined many years ago to describe contemporary items that while not intentionally designed to be vintage reproductions, channel the look of the mid-twentieth century well enough to easily be used instead of, or in conjunction with, actual vintage and repro garments).

This love extended beyond my clothing, makeup, and hairstyles. Online and off, I studied mid-twentieth century history around the clock, talked to people who experienced my favourite decades firsthand, hit every museum I could to learn about the local history, played vintage music and watched old films every chance I got.

Naturally, while I adore the fashions and many other elements of times gone by, it is worth mentioning that like most of my fellow vintage enthusiasts I believe in vintage style, not vintage values and am exceedingly grateful for the progress that has been – and continues – to be made in many areas of society these days.

In my mid-20s, while in the midst of an especially challenging time on the health front during which I felt like I was losing a lot of myself and my identity to the ever-present medical issues that filled my day, I launched a vintage fashion and lifestyle blog.

Doing so allowed me to reclaim a greater sense of my identity, happiness, creativity, and purpose in life. Helming that blog for eight years would turn into one of the most rewarding, memorable, exciting, meaningful, inspiring, and enjoyable experiences I have ever had.

That website – which some of my readers here who have known me for a number of years will no doubt remember – ran from 2009 – 2017, only being retired in the wake of the arson fire we experienced. As, at the time, I had to focus as much of my time and energy as possible on rebuilding our shattered life.

Few decisions have ever been more difficult for me than the one that I agonized for months over regarding if I should retire that blog or not. Ultimately, I do not regret my choice and know that it was best for myself and my family at the time.

These days, while I no longer wear mid-century attire (nearly) exclusively and my style has come to envelop a wider range of my eclectic tastes, one can still find plenty of vintage attire hanging in my closet and tucked neatly into my dresser drawers.

I might not be blogging up a storm on vintage related topics, but I have not lost one iota of my passion for the past and continue to study, appreciate, wear, and adore the mid-century era that was at the heart of my previous website.

By now you are likely wondering why I am discussing all of this with you at the start of a paper crafting project share post.

The main reason for such, dear friends, is that the elegant birthday card at the heart of this post features an exceedingly glamorous vintage woman and an overall theme that conveys a charming yesteryear vibe.

I let a lot of my assorted passions shine through in my paper crafting. Vintage is no exception and I love finding ways to weave elements that channel the past into my 21^st century makes.

This particular card was made with a fellow vintage adoring friend in mind.

She is someone I have had the pleasure of knowing for many years and whose friendship + ceaseless support of my online endeavours never fails to touch my heart to its core.

Vintage Inspired “Life is a Party, Dress Like It” Birthday Card

In terms of my personal style of paper crafting, this is not an overly complex or elaborate card. I feel, though, that it still packs a great visual wallop.

As much as I love layers, dimension, and embellishments, I am also the first to say that not every project I make needs to be dressed to the nines – especially if it features an image on it of someone doing just that.

In this lovely vintage illustration, we see a woman sporting a look that typifies the post-war passion for garments that were at once fitted and voluminous at the same time.

Today, we most strongly associate this drastic break from the austerity and fabric rationing of the war years with Christian Dior’s iconic and incredibly beautiful “New Look”.

However, Monsieur Dior was by no means the only designer to embrace a trend towards extremes of femininity, generous amounts of fabric, and chic elegance in the 1940s, 50s, and very early 60s.

That said though, his iconic New Look styles remain my all-time favourite from any decade of the previous century. A point that I doubt will ever change.

I was – and still am – hugely inspired by the glam, sophisticated, creative, and often very well-made attire, accessories, and jewelry from the years spanning the release of the New Look in 1947 to the end of the 1950s.

Just as I am with the broader picture of the 1930s – the early 1960s.

I telegraphed a sense of that period via this card. Its eye-catching colour palette of red, black and cream is powerfully timeless – not unlike the crimson roses, rendered here in paper form, that bedeck this captivating card.

The vintage style filmstrip paper, much like the central image itself, is another nod to the past and one that many of us who were born prior to the advent of digital photography are apt to have plenty of memories pertaining to.

For me, it is also a subtle nod to those days of my early youth spent pouring over old photos.

Not, mind you, that I have stopped doing so since then.

While this particular card is destined to be a birthday greeting, you could just as easily give it for other occasions or reasons as well.

New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, bachelorette parties, congratulations, new jobs, thinking of you, and various other possibilities all lend themselves to a card design like, too.

Given its abundance of red and cream, you could even deliver or post this ritzy greeting out for Christmas as well.

If you’re keen to channel a sense of the mid-twentieth century, too, read on for a detailed list of materials and instructions needed to whip up a stylish vintage fashionista card of your own.

Products used to make this chic red and black birthday card

-Ivory or cream cardstock

-Black cardstock

-Red Metallic cardstock – Foil Cardstock Paper from Recollection (Michael’s brand)

-Matte black metallic cardstock – Black Velvet Mirror Cardstock from Tonic Studios

-Red and cream diamond print paper

-Filmstrip paper – Art of Life “Thankful” paper from Kaisercraft

-Ornate frame die

-Vintage woman image – En Vogue 3”x4” Journaling Cards from Carta Bella

-Red cabbage rose die cut piece – Noteworthy Boulevard Die Cuts from Bo Bunny

-Decorative edge scissors – Sunflower Paper Edgers decorative scissors from Fiskars

-Dark red/burgundy ink – StazOn Claret Solvet Ink from Tsukineko

-Black dye ink – Wicked Black Archival Dye Ink from Color Box

-Red paper roses (the ones that I used here are from Dollar Tree’s “Crafts” brand)

-Mini red paper roses (from Ali Express)

-Cream/ivory crochet trim – Tinsel & Twigs Market Trims from The Girl’s Paperie

-Cream/ivory mini burlap bows – Burlap Bows from Recollections (Michael’s brand)

-Red rhinestones or the red bling of your choice

-Dimensional foam, pop dots, or similar to elevate some of your layers

-Adhesive, such as a tape runner, of your choice (I often use my Scotch Tape Glider)

How to make an elegant mid-century vintage inspired birthday card

Begin by making a card base from cream or ivory cardstock. Top it with a piece of red metallic cardstock cut slightly smaller than the front of the card base. Adhere.

Using the decorative edge scissors, cut a piece of Black Velvet Mirror Cardstock from Tonic Studios a little smaller than the red metallic layer. Adhere.

Cut a piece of red and cream diamond print paper slightly smaller than the black mirror cardstock layer. Adhere.

Cut a narrow rectangular piece of the same metallic red cardstock using the same decorative edge scissors, then cut a piece small rectangular piece of Black Velvet Mirror Cardstock.

Fussy cut out a film strip from the Kaisercraft Art of Life “Thankful” paper. Back this piece along the left-hand edge with a piece of cream/ivory crochet trim.

Arrange and adhere the Black Velvet rectangle, the red metallic rectangle, and the film strip piece all at an angle on the left-hand side of the card, as shown.

Die cut an elegant frame from Black Velvet cardstock. Top center of the frame with a piece of red metallic cardstock. Top this layer with the vintage lady image from Carta Bella – inking the edges with black die ink before adhering it in place. Adhere all layers together and to the previous card base layers.

Arrange Bo Bunny red cabbage rose die cut, small and big red paper roses, and cream/ivory burlap bows around the bottom left and center of the framed image, as shown.

Lightly run the dark red/burgundy ink pad across the tops of some (or all) of the red paper roses to give them a subtle hint of additional depth and visual interest.

Arrange and adhere red rhinestones around the paper flowers and bows.

That’s all there is to it with this chic handmade birthday card.

Much as with a wonderfully glamorous outfit, you have put together something timelessly lovely that is sure to brighten anyone’s day.  

Life is a party, dress – and craft – like it!

Naturally, one does not have to have a lifelong passion for the past to avail of vintage themed paper crafting products.

Just about anyone can put together a vintage influenced craft project, and turning to days gone by can be an amazing source of creative inspiration.

Many different paper crafting brands have released – and continue to release – vintage inspired lines and products.

Some of your current best bets on that front include Spellbinders, Pion Design, Graphic 45, P13, Kaisercraft, Carta Bella, Bo Bunny, Simple Stories, Dress My Craft, Prima Marketing, Stamperia, Authentique, Tim Holtz, and Paper Rose, to name but a few.

Vintage images and other aesthetic elements can convey a wide range of things. They are sentimental and nostalgic, but can also be everything from kitschy (in a good way) to solemn, sweet to playful and more often than not, they are stop-you-in-your-tracks gorgeous.

The sentiment on this particular card encourages people to dress like life is a party. Albeit from an introvert’s take on that message, I have long embraced a similar mindset when it comes not only to my wardrobe choices, but also to my paper crafting style.

Clean, understated, and modern designs can look amazing and I sincerely appreciate them, but at the end of the day, they rarely feel like me.

I eschewed acid wash jeans and neon pink slouch socks in favour of frilly dresses and granny boots while still in elementary school, so it is a safe bet to say that I have only continued to lean ever-more into those vintage styles and eras that call to me as I’ve gotten older.

Whether vintage makes you go weak in the knees or not, I encourage you to look to the past sometimes for inspiration and ideas aplenty when making craft projects.

If the 1940s and 1950s aren’t your bag, what about the Victorian and Edwardian eras? How about the exhilarating 1920s, the groovy 1960s, or the earthy boho style that many embraced in the 1970s?

Heck, at this point, even the 1980s and 90s themselves are technically old enough to be classified as vintage. They too can be a super fun way to channel the past in your paper crafting projects.

You know, I rather love the fact that the very decades in which I was born and came of age are now considered old school in some respects. There is a coming full circle element at play there that delights me something fierce.

As does making cards like this one for cherished friends and relatives around the world.

Do you include vintage/antique inspired elements in your craft projects? What is your favourite decade from the 20^th century? 

The post Chic Vintage Inspired “Life is a Party, Dress Like It” Birthday Card appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.