Hello, crafty friends! Today, I’m excited to share a card design that blends two of my favorite themes: florals and Halloween! This Spooky Happy Birthday Card is perfect for anyone who loves giving their birthday cards a little extra character, with a touch of Halloween flair. I used two stamp sets from The Rabbit Hole Designs: Spooky Sightings and Sentimentally Speaking. Whether you're looking to create something unique for a friend with an autumn birthday or just want to stretch your spooky supplies beyond Halloween, this design will inspire you to think outside the box!
Spooky Happy Birthday Card:
Mixing Spooky and Florals
Who says spooky can’t be pretty? One of the things I love about cardmaking is finding creative ways to use unexpected elements together, like combining flowers and spider webs. For this card, I stamped the beautiful floral image with the web detail from the Spooky Sightings Stamp Set in the top left and bottom right corners of a piece of Neenah Solar White 80 lbs Cardstock. I love how this floral image has just enough of a spooky twist to keep it interesting without overwhelming the design.
I often find that using floral stamps can help balance out more playful or seasonal themes. In this case, the spider webs add a Halloween touch, but the flowers keep the card elegant. It’s one of those designs that feels both festive and versatile!
Pro Tip: Stamping for Balance
When working with corner stamps like this one, I like to think about how the overall balance of the design will work. A trick I use is to stamp on opposite corners, which creates a natural frame around the focal point—in this case, the sentiment. It also draws the eye toward the center of the card where the message sits. Give it a try with any corner stamp you have; it's a simple way to make your layout look more cohesive.
Adding a Traditional Halloween Color Palette
For the coloring, I reached for my trusty Ohuhu Honolulu Brush Markers. One of my go-to approaches for this time of year is to use a traditional Halloween palette. It just feels festive! I started with the largest flower, coloring it in shades of orange to really bring that Halloween pumpkin vibe. Then, I worked in some blue violet and red violet shades for the smaller flowers to add contrast and depth. I added yellow centers to the smaller flowers using two different shades of yellow markers, which brightened the design just enough without taking away from the spooky mood.
If you’ve never experimented with traditional Halloween colors outside of pumpkins and ghosts, I highly recommend giving it a go with florals! It’s a fun way to bring those seasonal colors into unexpected designs. Plus, it’s a great way to use up some of those markers you may not pull out very often!
The Sentiment: Stamp Surgery in Action
For the sentiment, I wanted to use the Happy Birthday from the Sentimentally Speaking Stamp Set, but it didn’t quite fit the space between my floral arrangements. So, I did a little stamp surgery. If you’ve never tried this before, don’t worry! It’s simply cutting apart your sentiment stamps so you can arrange the words in a different way. The best part? You can always line the pieces back up on your acrylic block when you need them to go back together.
After carefully snipping the sentiment, I stamped Happy Birthday right in the center of the card, creating the perfect focal point between the two floral corners. It feels like such a clean, polished design this way!
Pro Tip: Don’t Fear Stamp Surgery
I know cutting into your stamps can be intimidating, but it’s one of the best ways to get more versatility out of your collection. Just remember to use sharp, precision scissors, and take your time. You’ll love the extra flexibility it gives you!
Adding Depth with Distress Ink
Once I had my stamped and colored images in place, I felt the edges of the card needed a little something to tie the whole design together. I reached for my Villainous Potion Distress Ink and lightly blended it around the edges using one of my CottonTail Blending Brushes. The rich purple tone gave the card that spooky glow without overshadowing the florals.
When blending, I like to start light and gradually build up the color. You can always add more ink, but it’s harder to take it away! By working in light layers, you can control the intensity and get that perfectly eerie effect without making the card too dark.
Finishing Touches for a Polished Look
To finish off the card, I added a few small but impactful details. First, I used a white gel pen to add highlights to some of the petals. This little touch helps the flowers pop and gives them a bit more dimension. Next, I colored five Matte White Enamel Dots with a black marker and placed them strategically around the sentiment—two at the bottom left and three at the top right. It’s a simple way to tie everything together and fill in any blank spaces.
Of course, no spooky card is complete without a spider! I stamped and colored the hanging spider from the Spooky Sightings Stamp Set, dangling from the top floral arrangement. It’s the perfect finishing touch, adding just a bit of whimsy to this otherwise elegant design.
Wrapping It All Up
I love how this card came together—it's a great mix of spooky, fun, and birthday cheer! Combining florals with Halloween elements opens up so many possibilities for cardmaking, and I hope this project inspires you to think outside the box with your stamps. Whether you want to make a birthday card with a twist or just love mixing seasonal elements, this design offers lots of flexibility.
Remember, the joy of cardmaking is in experimenting with different techniques, colors, and layouts. You never know what magic might happen when you combine the unexpected!
Ohuhu Honolulu Brush Markers Color Combinations:
Orange Flowers - YR3, YR190, Y5
Red Violet Flowers - P2, V070, V210
Blue Violet Flowers - V370, V390, V320
Drop Shadows - CG020, CG2, CG050
Spider - NG03, NG06, NG07
Leaves - GY3, GY2, G190, G470
Flower Centers - YO80, Y3
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Materials Used:
Here you will find the list of supplies that I used to create today's card. All supplies are linked to supply sources below. Compensated affiliate links may be used at no cost to you.
Happy Stampin'
Rick Adkins
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