Wacky Holiday Hop - October
International Raccoon Appreciation Day
Good day, fellow crafters. Today I present to you my entry into the Wacky Holiday Hop for October. My wacky holiday is International Raccoon Appreciation Day, which is celebrated annually on October 1. These clever and adaptable creatures have been intriguing wildlife enthusiasts and urban dwellers alike for generations. International Raccoon Appreciation Day was launched in 2002 by a young girl from California who wanted to focus on all the good things about raccoons. She wanted to help to shed light on the often misunderstood raccoon and highlight the importance of coexisting with wildlife in our urban environments. While it may not have a long history like some other international observances, it has gained popularity in recent years thanks to the efforts of wildlife enthusiasts, conservationists, and animal lovers. I hope you enjoy my submission.
To craft this card I began with my foreground element. For the Racoon image, I used a stamp set that I had purchased through Globleland (DIY-WH0167-57-0185) featured left, to stamp out my chosen furry friend in VersaFine Clair ink in the shade Morning Mist onto some white cardstock. To color in the image and to create the soft blue background behind him, I turned to my favorite technique, the ink smoosh method and a water pen brush. I laid out all of my colors, smooshed out some of the ink onto my glass mat, spritzed with water and got to work.
For this pale blue color I used Distress Oxid inks in the colors Speckled Egg and Broken China. As long as the tip of your pen is kept well pointed then it is easy to work around your stamped image to color the background. Next using the Distress Oxide tinted in the color Weathered Wood, I employed the same technique to color in the racoon. I then set it aside to thoroughly dry. Once that had occurred I once again used the VersaFine Clair ink in the shade Morning Mist to stamp a sentiment from the same set into place. This was an important step because it allowed for planning of the window size I needed to cut in the next phase.
To create the main background panel I turned to a Spellbinders Embossing Folder of the Month from September of 2022, called Scattered Fall (EOM-SEP22). To utilize the embossing folder, I took some light green cardstock and misted the back. I recommend doing this with your embossing folders because by adding moisture, even a little bit to the cardstock the fibers will bend into the shape of the folder and have a much lower chance of tearing. Since I began using this method I have never had a tear out. Once the embossing was complete I turned to Hero Arts pigment ink in the color called Unicorn to some needed contrast. Lastly, I used an oval die to cut out the window I mentioned earlier.
The last stage was to assemble and embellish. I started by adhering my racoon image in the window I had created and then trimming the composite panel down to its final dimensions. Then using double-sided tape I adhere it a pre-cut and folded A2 white card base. As for the embellisment, I took my idea from the orginial stamp, which had the racoon looking up at a butterfly. I wanted to keep the same idea but instead of stamping the butterfly I used a colorful butterfly sticker so as to give the card more pop.
