O Christmas Tree ....

.... Hello again! I've ended February with an almost full week of cards - go me!! Today I'm sharing a Christmas card. It's never to early to start on your stash for this year - it makes thing so much less frantic in November!! This card is a bit out of my comfort zone.

Stamps: Visible Image - O Christmas Tree, Sentimental Christmas

Inks: Distress - Black Soot, Chipped Sapphire, Shaded Lilac, Tumbled Glass, Shabby Shutters, Twisted Citron; Versafine - Onyx Black; Memento - Lulu Lavender

Accessories: White Card; Clear Embossing Powder; Imagine Crafts - Frost Sheer Shimmer Spritz; Tim Holtz Stencil - Stars THS115; Viva - Iridescent Glitter Paste

I'm submitting this card to Just Us Girls - JUGS#573 - that inspiration photo is just gorgeous and inspired my ink blended background. I'm also playing along with 52Christmas Card Throwdown - 52CCT08-21 where they want Mixed Media on your card - done!! Finally, I'm joining in with Merry Little Christmas Challenge Blog - MLCCB#31 where it's Anything Christmas Goes.

I used a top-folding A2 card for the base. I used several shades of Distress ink to blend the background. I used Tim's water drop method to add some subtle dot texture on the background and then I spritzed the whole thing with frost shimmer spray - it's absolutely beautiful in sunshine!! Once the background was dry, I stamped the Christmas tree in black Versafine ink and heat embossed with clear powder. To give better definition of the tree, I repeated this step (one of the great things about using a MISTI). I finished the front by applying a layer of iridescent glitter paste through a Tim Holtz star stencil. On the inside, I stamped a Christmas greeting in black and added a tiny lilac start.

I took a photo of the card in direct sunlight - you can really see all the shimmer and sparkle - so pleased with it.

Isn't it wonderful how much better everything feels when the sun shines? And getting decent photos is a real plus too! I'm very pleased how this turned out. I don't usually go full mixed media on a card, but this was fun. That's all for today. Hope to see you again soon.

Snowflake Christmas ...

.... Morning!!  I'm back again.  The title does not refer to the weather in Northop Hall, in fact, it's been incredibly mild for this time of year, it refers to the first Christmas card that I've made in about two years.  So long!  Here it is:

Stamps: Visible Image - Sentimental Christmas
Inks: Gina K - Black Onyx, Sea Glass
Accessories: Kaisercraft DP - Silver Bells; White Lustre Card; Silver Mirri Card; Thread from stash

I'm playing along with this week's challenge at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown - 52CCT1-20 and Just Us Girls - JUGS#517.  It's so nice to be able to play along with both challenges - twice this week for Just Us Girls!!

I'm sure that I'm not the only one with a large huge stash of design paper pads.  While in Michigan I became (and still am) a fan of papers from Kaisercraft and I thought it was time to start using some of the stash.  I adhered a sheet of foiled snowflake paper to the card base.  I used a scalloped trim and sentiment from the same pad of papers, adding a narrow trim of silver mirri card above the scalloped border and also as a mat for the sentiment.  I also cut out a snowflake bauble which I attached with dimensional pads and finished the front with a simple bow.

On the inside I used another sheet of design paper for the mat layer and on the white panel added a lovely Christmas greeting and star from my new Visible Image Christmas stamps.  I must apologise about the quality of the photos - it's a bit grey and I'm still trying to work out the best place to take photos and get the right white balance!!  It will get better.

See you all again soon.