This year’s Halloween cards were influenced by two of my favorite designers, Anna Griffin and Tim Holtz. You might find that an odd marrying, and you would be right. Anna creates all things elegant, beautiful and refined. Her niche is high-quality perfection. Tim Holtz, not so much. His esteemed reputation hangs on being the most innovative, hanging-over-the-edge designer in his field. And that is why his designs and products are coveted by artists and crafters.  Like me, Tim loves eclectic vintage.  Things that are unusual, odd, or considered strange. Snarky sentiments that promote thought or evoke laughter. That is what Tim Holtz is all about. But to “box” Tim into one style is impossible, because as soon as you think you know him, he has evolved again.

“Remember, life isn’t about finding yourself–life is about creating yourself.” –Tim Holtz

Tim calls people who have a passion for creating “makers.” It’s a simple word, but it says it all. Makers are on a creative journey, an “artful adventure” as Tim would say. The discovery along the way can be so much fun. Part of what I have discovered is me.

About the Cards

In 2020, Anna Griffin released her Witchy cardmaking kit. It included 5×7 blank cards, envelopes, embellishments, sentiment sheets, and of course, a variety of Victorian witches. I assembled a few of those kit cards and sent them. By this year, my tastes had changed. I am strongly influenced by Tim Holtz Idea-ology designs and keep them in my personal stash. It occurred to me that I could utilize the leftover Victorian witches and push them into the 21st century with Tim’s Abandoned cardstock. That is how I began.

I covered Anna’s cards with Idea-ology Abandoned cardstock, burnishing the edges with gold or silver ink. Next I affixed Anna’s witches, some solo, some in pairs, some in dresses, some without, and adorned each cover with pumpkins, bats, moons, cauldrons, cats, owls, frogs and spiders. All embellishments were first lightly stamped using the Tim’s Shattered stencil. (Crafters love it because it looks like a spider web but is actually shattered glass.) Satisfied the Victorian witches no longer seemed so fragile and proper while still maintaining their beauty, I sprayed my finished work with Tim’s mica paint (pewter, bronze or copper). I lined the insides with black cardstock, after adding a spider web texture with my Cuttlebug embossing machine and pockets to hold bookmark tags I designed from scraps. I do believe I succeeded in pushing Anna’s witches over to the Dark Side. Enjoy.