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.

I’m one of those people for whom October 31^st is so much more than “just” a single day or brief chapter of the fall.

It is #Halloween365 year-round in my house, my heart, my wardrobe, my spiritual path, and most definitely my paper crafting!

To me, themes and imagery of Halloween, Samhain, and autumn time align with my deepest self, and I am often at my happiest when I get to connect with All Hallows’ Eve in ways that are personally meaningful.

If I’m able to share those with others – be they kindred #Halloweeneveryday team members or not – I’m on cloud nine.

Recently I created this fun shaker card which taps into some of the spookiness of Halloween, while still being appropriate at other times of the year – especially if the recipient is a fellow Samhain adoring witch.

Heartfelt Thanks Bat Sequins Shaker Card

While many people are busily whipping up cute, sweet and beautiful Valentine’s Day cards, I’m busily digging through a plastic storage tower for a little container of bat-shaped sequins.

I smile to myself as this point hits me, Halloween patterned papers sprawled across my desk as, outside, it snows for the umpteenth time this winter.

I enjoy a good Feb. 14^th project, too, please don’t get me wrong. At the moment though, my mind is delightfully focused – as per usual – on the end of October.

Like a lot of my paper crafting projects, the idea behind this card came about quite organically. I often pull out various supplies and let them speak to me, if you will, playing around with combinations and ideas until I hit upon one that seals the deal.

I knew that I wanted to create a thank you card with strong components of both gothic and Halloween styling and that a shaker card was the order of the day.

As is usual for me, I started by making a good-sized card base. In this instance, I used that beloved favourite of paper crafters everywhere – kraft cardstock.

The card base for this project measures just over 7 inches tall and 5.75 inches wide (excluding the portions of the design that extend beyond the card base itself.

Layers upon layers upon layers

I love layers. Seriously love them. I genuinely struggle most of the time if I have to make a project with just one or two layers.

That doesn’t mean that everything I create is twelve layers deep, but chances are, there are at least a few layers to give the project a sense of depth, dimension and increased visual interest.

This bat filled shaker card was no exception.

Putting this Halloween Thank You Card Together

After creating my card base from kraft cardstock, I die cut two deckle-edged squares. One in dark rusty orange, the other in a fabulous Halloween floral print piece of paper from DCWV that features teeny skulls in the center of each bloom.

I then used two smaller dies from the same nested die set to cut out the middle layers here. These are the green and glossy black cardstocks you see here (if I could buy stock in Tonic’s glossy black mirror card, I happily would!).

Using the same sized die and a smaller sized die from that set, I created the kraft cardstock frame for the shaker element of this card.

Before I layered the middle layers onto the orange cardstock, I used pinking shear scissors (a nod to the deckle edging of the die cut pieces) to trim a strip of green cardstock. I topped this piece with a strip of the same skull flower paper used in the background.

Once the middle layers were in place (elevated with foam squares), I created the shaker element of this card.

The background orange and black bat print paper that I used for my shaker is from the same DCWV Curiosities 6×6 inch mat stack.

I love using mesh, lace and tulle for shaker cards, so I opted for some finely woven black mesh as the “window” part of my spooky shaker.

Into the shaker card went a mix that I created of olive green, terracotta red, and classic gold sequins, to which I added the star of the show, black bat-shaped sequins.

I attached the shakers window to the middle layers with foam dots. I then embellished the frame of the shaker with bat-shaped black sequins and small black rhinestones (gems), as well as a sentiment strip that was capped off on each end with an ambery gold hued rhinestone.

To give the sentiment strip a greater sense of dimension, I gently curved it in the middle before applying it to my project.

Next, I repeated the skull flower paper with a thin band at the bottom of the card. Immediately above this, I placed an even smaller band of the same dark orange cardstock I used earlier.

After that, I die cut leaves in two different colours of green cardstock along with a stitched heart die cut from the same orange cardstock I’d already used.

I ever-so-lightly inked my leaves in shades of ink just a whisper darker than their respective cardstock colours. I then clustered the leaves and hearts, topped each heart with an ambery gold heart-shaped rhinestone, tucked round rhinestones in the same colour around the horizontal strips of paper in the middle of the card, and set about die cutting the “thank you” part sentiment.

To do this, I used a “heartfelt thanks” word die and cut out two matching sentiments. One in glossy black mirror cardstock, the other in the same olive green used elsewhere on my card. I intentionally offset the two colours to create a layered shadow effect.

I also die cut a stitched heart from the same green paper, which I placed between the two words and topped with one final bat sequins.

For one final hit of sequins, I placed individual orange and gold coloured sequins on four of the green leaves, alternating (diagonally) the colours on the top and bottom sets of leaves (which, I had arranged in the same way, with alternating colours on both sets).

I created my message space inside the card and with that, this festively fall time inspired make was complete, ready and waiting to fly like a bat in the night to its recipient.

Card making tips and ideas from this project

-Use glossy (and/or metallic) papers and cardstock in selective areas to add sheen and really help a project pop.

-Ink or otherwise colour, such as with pencil crayons or markers, your die cuts for greater depth and, in some cases, to help them look more lifelike.

-Repeat the same sequins that you used in your shaker elsewhere on your card.

-When working with bold, eye-catching colours, ground them with a neutral shade. In this case, I used kraft, but white, cream, light brown, or even black could have worked here as well (had I gone with black, I likely would have swapped the glossy black cardstock for a different paper or cardstock).

-Turn square-shaped dies into diamond-shaped ones by rotating the angle of the square when you adhere it to your project.

-Not all leaves need flowers and vice versa. While we often associate the two as going together like peanut butter and jelly, either can look spectacular in its own right – especially if you use two or more colours to help them stand out all the more.

-Curve your sentiment strips. Whether they’re premade or handmade, cardstock, paper, vellum, cork or another type of pliable material, curving your sentiments lends a great sense of dimension to your make.

-Use a patterned paper as the background for your shaker – especially if you’ve primarily, or solely, used solid colours elsewhere on your project.

Patterned paper from smaller sized pads, such as 6×6 inch and 8×8 inch pads, with their inherently smaller sized prints often work especially well for the relatively modest sized amount of space available behind your sequins or other shaker elements (this background are is also a fun spot to place part, or all, of your sentiment – provided it can be read when the card is at rest).

-If you don’t have glossy paper or cardstock, but want the look for your sentiments or other elements of your project, top them with clear embossing powder (Wow Clear Embossing Powder is a good option), Glossy Accents, or a similar clear glaze product that dries to a translucent finish.

Products to help you recreate this Bat Sequins Shaker Thank You Card

-Cardstock in kraft (you could use taupe or light brown instead), dark orange, olive green, and medium green.

-Glossy black cardstock – I used Tonic Studio Glossy Black Mirror Cardstock

-Bat and skull flower print papers – I used two prints from the 6×6 inch DCWV Curiosities Mat Stack

-Sentiment strip – I used a die cut piece from Gracious Elements Die Cuts by Authentique

-Corresponding ink in a shade just slightly darker than that of your cardstock leaves – I used Morocco and Pistachio from Tsukineko’s Memento line of ink pads

-Ink to edge some of the paper and cardstock layers – I used Cottage Ivy and Toffee Crunch from Tsukineko’s Memento line of ink pads

-Pinking shears or pinking edge decorative scissors – I used Fiskars Paper Edgers in Mini Pinking

-Set of deckle-edged square shaped nesting dies

-Thank you sentiment mental die (or use stamps, stickers, rub-ons, or sentiment die cut pieces instead)

-Leaf-shaped metal dies

-Stitched heart-shaped metal die

-Round and heart-shaped dark golden yellow rhinestones (gems) – mine are from the “Crafts” brand sold at Dollarama stores

-Small black rhinestones (gems)

-Black tulle

-Green, orange, and gold round sequins

-Black bat shaped sequins

-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)

Halloween cards, not just for Halloween

Naturally, there are some recipients who would be more welcoming of an October 31^st themed card in the final weeks of winter than others.

I personally feel it is important to be respectful of peoples’ taste, beliefs and interests (if such information is already known to you) when creating projects that you’ll be giving away.

Many individuals live for Halloween and if you fall into that camp, chances are some of your nearest and dearest already know this about you and may quickly understand why there’s holding a bat themed card before the Easter Bunny has come calling yet.

If you have people in your life who adore fall, Halloween and/or Samhain, consider adding a fabulous touch of autumn to their day outside of October by creating a sweet, spooky, silly, or otherwise sensational All Hallows’ Eve related make for them at this point in the year.

Naturally, you can replicate or take inspiration from this design and use other types of materials here as well. This same general design could be used for a ton of different occasions – Valentine’s Day included.

All cards are card maps unto themselves.

And if you didn’t want to go this overtly Halloweeny, you could use a small dose of October perfect products instead. Say pumpkins, a scarecrow, a black cat, bats flying across a full moon, bare-branched trees, a Victorian-style gate, or a pair of pointy-toed witches boots, for example.

If you prefer to make and give Halloween cards when jewel-toned leaves are falling, that is completely okay, too. You could either put together a card like this now and tuck it away for later or save the project idea in your inspiration file or on Pinterest to create come autumn.

Crafting is a year-round activity that grants us the ability to connect with any holiday or special occasion that we desire whenever the urge strikes.

If you want to make Christmas or Yule cards in June, go for it! Canada Day or Independence Day cards in November, why not?

Or, as in this case, Halloween paper crafting projects in February. Have at it!

Life is too short and the giving of cards to those we care about too important not to create what we want, when we want – no matter the current season.

Show me your paper crafting makes!

If you make a project based on or inspired by this card – or want to share any of your other handmade crafts with me – please use the hashtags #WitchcraftedLife and #WitchcraftedLifeMakes on social media so that I see your beautiful creations.

Project share

Pin the image below – or any other in this post – to Pinterest, pop it into your Instagram Stories, post in on Twitter or Facebook, or share it anywhere else you wish to help yourself find it again and to inspire others at the same time.

The post Heartfelt Thanks Bat Sequins Shaker Card appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

By far one of the best things about birthdays is the cards – and all the more so if they’re handmade!

For the inaugural paper crafting project here on Witchcrafted Life, I wanted to share a card that I created recently that encapsulates so much about my personal crafting style, favourite colours, and a time period that positively adore.

Cherish, Live, Dream Victorian-inspired shabby elegant card

This was the first card that I made after the fire happened that I truly loved (yes, for those doing that math, that was more than three years later).

In fact, it’s one of my favourite cards I’ve ever made at any point in my life. I’d even go so far as to say it’s in my top five favourite cards to date.

I tend to favour fairly good-sized cards and this one is no exception. It measures 6 inches/14.2 cm tall x about 6.4 inches/16.2 cm wide.

As a lifelong fan of the Victorian era (a passion that was inspired in part by my paternal grandma’s own love of that timeframe), I was in the mood to create a card that captured a sense of some of the artistic and aestetic styles of that fascinating segment in time.

While the term shabby chic is open to personal interpretation, I feel that this card stops shy of full-on shabby (though it certainly contains some elements of this style), and instead falls under the header of shabby elegant.

Victorian-inspired elements on this card

The majority of the products used on this card were selected because they channel the opulence and elegance that is often associated with the Victorian era.

This includes the text print paper, which called to mind the flowing, beautiful handwriting possessed by many in the 19^th century; the ornate metal dies that I used to create many of the layered pieces, and the detailed white applique trim.

As well as a faux pearl and rhinestone flat back embellishment, the focal sentiment paper (with its own sophisticated yesteryear inspired border design), the paper roses, the dimensional butterfly, and the colour palette of white, grey, and deep red (all of which were used in everything from home décor to fashion, including in the case of white and grey, some forms of mourning attire, during the Victorian years).

Putting this layered card together

After creating my card base in light grey cardstock, the colour of which reminds me of a mix between chalk dust and chimney smoke on a cool fall evening, I die cut out various detailed border frames.

I then layered these along with a central piece of Kaisercraft Rose Avenue Collection Silver Notes text print paper (which was also used for one of the frame layers).

I absolutely adore this gorgeous paper. Unfortunately, I only have one (now partially used) sheet of it and as Kaisercraft is no longer producing this paper, I can’t easily stock up on more.

I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for a similar cursive script paper with metallic silver detailing like this beauty.

Though it is subtle to the point of almost being imperceivable in these photos, I applied medium to dark grey ink lightly to some of the edges of my papers and cardstocks.

As with a lot of the cards (and layouts, tags, etc) that I create, I love to raise some of my layers up with foam squares (or tape), pop dots, pieces of craft foam, or other methods that give a project a greater sense of depth and dimension.

I did that here with two of my layers, including the sentiment panel.

Once the layers were in place, I played around with various trim and embellishment ideas. I knew that I wanted an ornate lace and some flowers, and spent a good while digging through my stash until I hit upon the combo that you see here.

The card was coming together nicely at that point, but I felt that it needed more (story of my paper crafting life, let me tell you! ).

I added in some white coloured chunky ball ended floral spray pieces, the sophisticated faux pearl flatback, and a single good-sized butterfly embellishment.

To tie into the metallic silver in the Kaisercraft script print paper and for added eye-catching charm, I applied some Ranger Stickles in Silver to the edges of the petals on the red paper roses.

And, voilà, my card front was ready to go (when, as in the case of this make, I create a card that is not yet indented for a specific person and/or event, I tend to leave the inside very simple or unadorned entirely until I’m ready to prepare the card for its recipient).

Card making tips and ideas from this project

–Centre your project around three main colours, at least one of which is a neutral. In this case, both white and grey are neutrals (as are the small supporting hits of black in elements such as the body of the butterfly and in the text on the sentiment). I prefer if the colours work in harmony, but it is entirely up to you if you want your trio to coordinate.

–Vary the proportions of each colour that use you, allowing one or two to dominate and the other(s) to play more of a supporting role.

–Use a cut-apart from a piece of 12×12 (or another size of) paper, a journaling card, a pocket album/Project Life card, or other pre-printed paper for your sentiment.

Stamping, embossing, letter stickers, rub-ons and other options are great as well, but few can compete with the ease and professional-looking text involved with commercially printed papers.

–Jazz up handmade or premade flowers with things such as Stickles, sparkles, embossing powder, markers (Copics or Spectrum Noir, for example), Liquid Pearls, Nuvo Drops, texture paste, microbeads, small sequins, inks, paint, and other projects that give your faux blooms further eye-catching appeal.

–Frame your sentiment with embellishment clusters on either side (generally left and right, or top and bottom, but you could opt for left and bottom as well, for example).

–Use uneven numbers of products. It’s a well-known design principle that uneven numbers of elements are often very appealing and visually engaging to the viewer.

Here the three main focal embellishments are the two red roses and the single red and black butterfly. There are enhanced by the two pairs of white floral sprays and the single faux pearl flatback (for a total of five additional embellishments on top of the main three components).

–Make a dark coloured sentiment pop by matting (framing) it on lighter coloured paper or cardstock – and vice versa if your sentiment Is light coloured.

Another good option for helping a sentiment cut-apart to stand out is to layer it atop vellum, glitter paper, or metallic cardstock.

–Balance patterned papers with solid coloured papers or cardstock. While designs that rely solely on either can be fab, it can sometimes be easier on the eyes to have the “break” that a mix of both offers up.

Here, the dark red paper is subtly printed (in a moulted type of pattern), as is the Kaisercraft text print paper, which I used for two different layers.

–Don’t be afraid to extend some of your design elements beyond the edges of your card. I do this ALL THE TIME with my projects.

It adds height and/or width, often makes a card look fancier or more elaborate, and can help to further the sense of a dimension on a given make.

–Layer on top of trims and lace. These types of materials can be awesome on their own, but sometimes they sing all the more when you top them with a little something-something!

I’m partial to pearls, rhinestones, flatback, buttons, wood veneer pieces, charms, die cut shapes, flowers and leaves, enamel dots, sequins, and other (often narrower widths of) trim, lace, twine, and the like.

–If you don’t have a die cutting machine or access to one, create ornately edged layers and other design components with decorative border punches, decorative edge scissors, pre-made die cut shapes and trims, pinking sheers, or freehand paper tearing for an extra distressed or shabby chic look.

Products to help you recreate this Victorian-inspired layered card

-Two different shade of grey cardstock or paper

-Dark red, burgundy or maroon coloured paper – I used Elegant Autumn #4 from Ella & Viv

-Sentiment from a sheet of cut apart paper – I used Angelic from Kaisercraft’s Rosabella Collection

-Fancy script text print paper – I used Silver Notes from Kaisercraft’s Rose Avenue Collection

-Various sizes and styles of elegant metal layering dies (see note above about alternatives, if you do not have a die cutting machine)

-Medium to dark grey ink – I used Tsukineko Memento Ink in Grey Flannel

-White applique lace trim

-Generously sized flatback faux pearl

-Paper roses

-Ball end floral sprays/stems (dollar stores, craft stores, and baking supply stores are good sources for these)

-Dimensional butterfly embellishment (the one used here is from Dollarama)

–Silver Stickles or other silver glitter glue, glitter paste, or loose glitter and suitable adhesive

-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)

What occasion would this card be well suited for?

Given the lovely sentiment that this layered grey and red card features, you could give it to someone for a multitude of different occasions. Naturally, if you’re making a similar looking card, yourself, chances are you’ll be using an alternative sentiment.

Between the serene, almost somber colours and the touching sentiment, I feel this card would be well suited to everything from offering support and encouragement to a retirement, anniversaries to birthdays.

If the sentiment was changed (or perhaps even as it stands now, depending on the recipient) this card could also be a good fit for times of sympathy and loss, thanks to its colour palette, flowers and butterfly (the latter a symbol of hope and comfort).

I really do adore this card and the spirit of the Victorian era that it captures and can easily see myself “scraplifting” this general design again (and again!) for future card projects as well.

Are you inspired by certain historical eras or style with your paper crafting makes as well?

What sort of occasion do you see this card working especially well for?

Show me your paper crafting makes!

If you make a project based on or inspired by this card – or want to share any of your other handmade crafts with me – please use the hashtags #WitchcraftedLife and #WitchcraftedLifeMakes on social media so that I see your beautiful creations.

Quick notes about my paper crafting posts in general

As a side note to this project itself, I wanted to mention the following points as today’s post is my first project share on this blog.

-We live in a small house with some, but not a ton, of natural light and, honestly, not that much artificial lighting either. I’m shooting with an iPhone 7 and it’s currently wintertime, so I’m definitely experimenting with available lighting (just as I am with how I style and photograph my completed paper crafting makes).

As such, things may vary a bit on this front, especially throughout my initial project share posts, until I hit on a lighting + backdrop (and/or styling) combo that I’m currently happy with.

-I readily welcome you to share, pin, and repost my photos, I simply ask that you please credit them to me, Autumn Zenith at WitchcraftedLife.com

-Unless clearly stated, none of the materials used or products featured on my blog are sponsored, endorsed, or received gratis from companies, websites or physical stores.

Project share

Pin the image below – or any other in this post – to Pinterest, pop it into your Instagram Stories, post in on Twitter or Facebook, or share it anywhere else you wish to help yourself find it again and to inspire others at the same time.

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