Whimsy Stamps ~ The Haunted House

Hey crafty friends, I'm back with another crafty adventure for Halloween. I've pulled out a stunning Halloween paper pack from Whimsy Stamps called Haunted Houses. This 6x6 paper pack is full of beautiful panels perfect for creating enchanting Halloween backgrounds. I built the scene around this kooky and fun Haunted House and so love the way it all came together. 

I've used a lovely cardstock to create my card base from Concord and 9th. This is their Eggplant Cardstock. I diecut the Enchanted Word Die from the same cardstock. I love the way this word die looks 'floating' there at the base of the design. It doesn't take over, but grounds the piece and I really love how this ended up looking. I added some gentle highlights with a Gelly Roll Stardust Pen, which just gives a little shine and subtly draws the eye to that detail, without crowding the rest of the make.

The frame was diecut from Spellbinders Raven Cardstock and the Itsy Bitsy Spider Die Set. It has a wonderful frame which looks like rustic wooden planks. I ran some white ink over the surface to bring out the wonderful embossed details from the die. I used a Simon Says Stamp Sponge Applicator from their Rainbow Splash Range to apply the ink, just across the surface of the die, allowing the embossed details to remain dark and really feature. Doing this brought the frame from a flat matte black to a rustic weathered wood look. 

I decided I wanted to add a rickety old fence and gate at the bottom of the garden to add to the haunted house vibe. So I diecut one of the fences which I thought was a good fit for this scene from Whimsy's fantastic Rail and Fences Die Set. I had some PaperArtsy Rusting Powder in my stash and decided I'd have a go at relicing this fence. There's no doubt the rust would have been more dramatic on a white fence, but I wanted black and in an effort to bring out the rusty effect more, I added some Distress Crayons in Rusty Hinge (how appropriate!) and Jack-o-Lantern, which is a Mica Crayon, so has some lovely shimmer and sheen to it. There's no lighting that can do this justice really, it needs to be seen in person. But trust me, the rusty look is there and absolutely adds to the ambience of this piece!

Two black cats, Tilly and Tomas linger about this house is if called by someone familiar, but the owner of this run down mansion left this mortal coil moons ago. Their phantom form appears occasionally and loyal to a fault, Tilly and Tomas stay close, waiting for one last glimpse, guarding the old homestead. 

The bats fly above like Winter's butterflies, keeping watch from the skies, lending their hearts and wings should any curious souls get too near. This house feels alive, as though a soul resides there still, an eerie feeling fills the air and like foolish mortals, the curious come, time and again.

Thanks for stopping in today friends and for reading my spooky tale, I had such fun creating this die-cut scene with the beautiful paper as the scene setter. I hope you enjoyed this make and if you'd like to see some of my creative process, you can watch the video of this make below.

If you're creating with any Whimsy Stamps products for Halloween, please do come and enter your makes into the Whimsy Stamps September Halloween Challenge. There's a $50 Gift Certificate up for grabs from Whimsy Stamps for one lucky randomly drawn winner! So it's well worth entering. You can click through on the banner below to head to the challenge.

We have had two amazing releases for Halloween during August and our first one for September was released on the 1st. There is a great mix of dark Halloween for those who enjoy the spookier side of Halloween but also some too cute to spook sets too. Which y'all know is my kind of Halloween fun!

I had such fun with this creation and I'll be back again soon with another crafty adventure, in the meantime, I wish you an enchanting week with lots of crafty adventures of your own! Hugs, Wends xoxo

(I share thumbnails to the elements I design with in order to make your search for them easier, in case you like something I've used. I do use affiliate links where possible, which gives me a tiny commission but costs you no extra whatsoever. I do not make a commission from the Whimsy Stamps Links. But these links help the companies I design for to improve their marketing practice and track my contributions. I am deeply grateful if you use them for these reasons. I am proud to design for the companies I do and always feel happy to share where my inspiration and where my crafty stash comes from. I am occasionally gifted products to use, but I only design for companies whose products I absolutely love and buy for myself. My opinions are always my own.)

Challenge Entries:

A Cut Above: September ~ Use Diecuts

The Sisterhood of Crafters: September ~ Frame It

Crafty Gals Corner: #280 ~ ATG + Optional Fall Foliage

Addicted to Stamps & More: #525 ~ Diecuts and/or Stencils

Creative Inspirations Challenge: September ~ Hello Autumn

Moving Along With The Times: #193 ~ Four Legged Friends (2 cats)

Allsorts Challenge: #857 ~ All Creatures Great and Small (cats and bats)