Joyful Papercrafting: MFT's Card Superstar Innovation Challenge

Today, I've created a card for the My Favorite Things Card Superstar Contest (Innovation Challenge). I decided to have some fun with this card and tried to use one of MFT's interactive die sets in a different way.

The interactive mechanism (sliding bats) is from MFT's Falling from the Clouds Frame Die-Namics set, used a little differently. Typically, crafters string beads on the invisible thread, creating falling rain, stars, etc. I decided to make my bats slide up and down the thread instead.

This card is slimline, measuring 3.5" x 8.5". I stamped all of the images from the "Witch Way is the Candy" My Favorite Things stamp set. I stamped them with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink on Copic XPress-It Blending Card.

After that, I colored everything with Copics and fussy cut each character/image. I probably would've added more bats if I didn't have to fussy cut them, LOL! After I cut all of the characters, I started to work on the mechanism and background.

I needed to overlap the stringing mechanism over the edge of the bottom panel, so I cut my cloud panel at 2.5" x 8.5". I used MFT's Cloud Stencil and Stormy Sky Distress Oxide Ink to create the cloudy background. I cut 6 of the stringing sections from the interactive die set, then attached them with a foam strip, with the slotted part overlapping the edges of the card. (For a demo of how to use this die set, please check out MFT's Falling from the Clouds Frame Die-Namics product page.) I had to trim the sections so they would cover the 8.5" wide card. It looked like this before I stuck the stringing sections on the foam:

Next, I rummaged around in my jewelry-making stash until I found some tube-shaped beads that I thought would work for this project. (I don't make jewelry anymore, but I still have a hoard of beads that I just can't seem to part with!) I strung the beads on the invisible thread, spacing them so each bead would fit under a bat wing. I wanted to be sure the bats would remain stuck to the card and would be well supported as they slide.

I took a thin piece of paper (about 0.15" wide), put double-sided tape on it, and then wrapped it around pairs of beads. I did that to create a stable "bar" for the bat, as I knew the bat would stay attached to paper and the beads would hold their shape/still slide. It looked like this:

Next, I used more double-sided tape to attach the bats to the bars. Since they are attached to a bar, instead of just to the beads, the wings bend outwards... which I love! I verified that they slid up and down easily, then focused on building the rest of the frame.

I die-cut the grass panel with MFT's Slimline Grassy Hills Die-Namics, and then I had another challenge. I needed an 8.5" x 0.8" panel of clouds, but I didn't have a cloud die. I decided to solve this problem by cutting a 1" x 8.5" piece of cardstock and then STENCILING the clouds on, using MFT's Cloud Stencil. Once I was happy with the shape and shading, I simply trimmed the panel along the cloud's humps! I inked both panels with Distress Oxide Inks (Stormy Sky, Mowed Lawn, and Twisted Citron). I die cut MFT's Spooky Fence and inked that with Black Soot Distress Oxide. I lightly splattered the grass panel with water and blotted it dry, just for some texture.

Before I attached the cloud panel, I stamped it with a sentiment from MFT's Sassy Pants Spooktacular stamp set. Finally, I assembled everything, and the final card works this way!

List of all stamps/dies/stencils used on this card: