DIY Calendar Blog Hop: October Painted Pumpkins - Create With Cheryl

Aloha Stampers!

Welcome to the DIY Calendar Blog Hop! For October, pumpkins seemed like the perfect choice, and I had so much fun pulling out my Painted Pumpkins Decorative Masks and playing with my Blending Brushes again.

Creating the Stenciled Background

I started by using the Painted Pumpkins Decorative Masks to stencil the leafy background directly onto my calendar cardstock. I used Lost Lagoon and Lemon Lime Twist, keeping the colors soft so the pumpkins would really stand out.

I love how much interest you can add with a mask and a little ink without adding another layer of cardstock.

Layering the Pumpkins

The pumpkins were my favorite part! These are made by layering several different masks, which lets you build up the color and shading a little at a time.

I used Pumpkin Pie, Poppy Parade, and Cajun Craze for those beautiful fall colors. Once I finished stenciling, I cut the pumpkins out with the coordinating Painted Pumpkin Dies.

I also used the Painted Pumpkin Dies to cut the Lemon Lime Twist leaves and tucked them around the pumpkins.

For the finishing touches, I brushed Wink of Stella over the pumpkins for some sparkle and added a few Radiant Gems. The sparkle is much easier to see in the close-up photo!

🌺 Crafty Tip: When working with layered masks, start with a light hand. You can always add more ink to deepen the color, and those extra layers of shading are what give the pumpkins so much dimension.