A Christmas Card with Sparkle and Non Traditional Colors

I have been in the mood to make a Christmas card in non-traditional colors and the 52 (Christmas) Card Throw Down technique challenge to use a sponge or brayer was the perfect opportunity/excuse.  The background was done using the bokeh technique with Pomegranate, Juniper, and Lagoon on the base layer and the circles sponged, not with the usual white, but with Metallic Gold pigment ink by ColorBox.

  After cutting the snowflake with a Tim Holtz die cut and embossing it with the accompanying folder, I used a brayer to ink the ridges with Versamark and embossed them with Ranger Gold embossing powder.  I then sponged the edges with Pomegranate and some Lagoon lightly along the ridges.

After making sure the background was completely dry, I embossed the sentiment and the edges by pushing the bokeh panel edge perpendicularly into the Versamark pad and then into the embossing powder.  I used a paintbrush to remove any excess powder before heating.  Now all that was left was to put it all together and add a sparkle.  And wash my hands because I definitely got inky!

Now you may be wondering how I came up with this color scheme.  I discovered a new (to me)  color challenge blog called Chocolate Baroque.  I have to love a blog with a name like that!  Anyway, there was an absolutely beautiful card and I just had to use those colors.

The next morning it was obvious that I need an Ottlite (are you listening, Tim) because the colors were not quite right.  I felt that the Pomegranate was too purple, so I made a second card using Lagoon, Juniper, and Ruby with the Gold Metallic ink.

Thank you for stopping by!  Until next time, Hansi

Materials used, all Close to My Heart unless otherwise noted:

Paper:  Colonial White cardstock

Ink:  Pomegranite, Juniper, and Lagoon with Metallic Gold pigment ink by ColorBox

Stamp:  Winter Flurries (retired)

Embellishment:  Ranger Princess Gold embossing powder, Purple sparkle

Other:  Tim Holtz die cut and embossing folder

Joy to the World!

When I saw this Freshly Made Sketch I thought of Close to My Heart's Noel Holiday stamp set.

The card actually came together pretty quickly, even with all the embossing.  I am really loving the Ranger embossing powders!  They are finely ground, so they show more detail.  Unfortunately, no matter how I light it, when photographing a white and gold card I can never get the shine to show without the highlights blasting out that detail.

  

To keep with the vintage feel of the stamp set I used a cropped text box cut using the Artbooking Cricut cartridge (page 81) in place of the banner. The embossing and metallic paper provides enough sparkle and interest so I opted not to use any embellishments.

Another Christmas card down.  I don't want to think about how many more I need to make...  Thank you for stopping by!  Now why don't you head over to Freshly Made Sketches for some inspiration and perhaps enter the challenge yourself?  I would love to see your work.  You have until Monday December 7th at 12:00 PST to enter.  Until next time, Hansi

Materials used, all Close to My Heart unless otherwise noted:

Paper:  Colonial White cardstock, Gold metallic paper I ordered on Amazon

Ink:  Versamark

Stamp:  Noel Holiday (retired)

Embellishment:  Ranger Princess Gold embossing powder.

Holiday Expressions with Heart

Oh my goodness!  Is it December already?!  This week the Heart 2 Heart challenge is to use something from Close to My Heart's Seasonal Holiday Expressions catalog supplement.  There is no question that I had to use this year's Christmas theme paper, White Pines.  This week the Atlantic Hearts sketch is a particularly fun one:

I love designs where you can use scraps or create a sampler of the papers in a packet.  Now you may have noticed that the sentiment is on clear plastic.  (It was fun trying to photograph it without reflections.)  This made it interesting to attach to the background.  I finally settled on liquid glass, using a pin to apply the smallest dabs behind the leaf parts.  I think I managed to adhere it without the adhesive showing.  This card is also unusual for me because I did not do any stamping on the front nor did I embellish with any sparkles or Stickles.  I did use a little bit of ink though to edge the lamb in chocolate to help him stand out.

Thank you for stopping by!  Until next time, Hansi

Materials used, All Close to My Heart:

Paper:  White Pines with Fern, Cranberry, Champagne, and Colonial White cardstock

Ink:  Chocolate

Embellishments:  White Pines complements

Other:  Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge

Freshly Made Sketch 214

After a hectic weekend I finally got a chance to play with this Freshly Made Sketch:

I used a Spellbinders Shapeabilities to cut and emboss the snowflake and another to cut the hexagon.  The background and sentiment come from a long retired Close to My Heart Stamp set, Snow Flurries.  Of course I had to embellish with some sparkles...

Thank you for stopping by!  Until next time, Hansi

Materials used, all Close to My heart unless otherwise noted:

Paper:  Glacier and White Daisy cardstock, Kraft paper

Ink:  Saddle, White Daisy

Stamp:  Snow Flurries (retired)

Embellishments:  Blue sparkles

Other:  Create-a-Flake Five and Hexagon Shapabilities by Spellbinders

Heartfelt Gratitude

This is my last week as guest designer for Heart 2 Heart Challenges.  Being the week of Thanksgiving is it any surprise that this week's theme is "Gratitude?"  This year I am particularly thankful for family, friends, and modern medicine.  Last month my husband had surgery which, although successful, was followed by a difficult recovery.  I owe so many thank you notes to friends, family, and neighbors who brought or sent food, cut our grass, helped with our daughter, and kept him amused when he got bored.  Most of the cards will not be as elaborate as this one, but seeing as this is an inspiration card for a challenge, I had to up my game.

This card uses the faux tile technique.  If you are not familiar with it, here is a tutorial featuring the card that inspired me.  Basically you score your paper on the diagonal, use a mask to sponge lower the edges of each square, and then stamp over the "tile."  Theoretically the image is broken up because the stamp goes across and not into the scored lines.  I used pigment ink which is more opaque to stamp the flower and may have pressed too hard because some of the ink transferred into the scored grooves in a few places, spoiling the tile effect.  To fix this, I pressed a piece of scrap paper perpendicularly into Colonial White ink and then pressed the inked edge into the groove to cover the Eggplant and Thistle ink and make it look like grout.

The only embellishment I used was Fern twine.  I will have to tell you that the new thick twines did not appeal to me until I saw where someone had unraveled the ends.  Now I love it!  I used the new thin foam tape to attach the card front to the card base and the sentiment piece to the card.  This accommodates the thickness of the twine preventing bumps made by the twine below.

Thank you for stopping by!  Now please go check out the projects at Heart 2 Heart Challenges and perhaps be inspired to enter yourself.  You have until the end of the month to enter any of the November challenges.  We wold love to see your work!  Until next time, Hansi

Materials used, all Close to My Heart unless otherwise noted:
Paper:  Colonial White, Thistle, and Eggplant cardstock
Ink:  Cashmere and Fern with Thistle and Eggplant pigment inks
Stamps:  Paper Garden (retired Stamp of the Month), Variety of Thanks (retired Hostess Reward)
Embellishment:  Fern thick twine

Merry Reindeer

I need some cards that have interest but are easily mailed; in other words, no sparkles and the like.  Because I need to make a lot of them I do not want to deal with embossing.    I started with this reindeer stamp from from the long retired Heartfelt Christmas stamp set.  It just so happens that he Merry Monday Challenge this week is to use a reindeer. 

 The paper is Pear and Partridge, Close to My Heart's Christmas paper from three (I think) years ago.  I added interest with a narrow strip of Gold glitter paper and a dab of Red Glitter Glitz to embellish the nose.  I also attached the reindeer panel with foam tape.  The sentiment is from an old Stamp of the Month, Scandinavian Wishes.  Here is a horizontal version featuring a sentiment from an old Hostess Reward set, Sing Glory.

Both cards were based on this sketch by Sunday Stamps:

There you are, two flat, easy to mail cards.  Now to make a whole bunch of them...  Thank you for stopping by!  Until next time, Hansi

Materials used, all Close to My Heart unless otherwise noted:
Paper:  Pear and Partridge (retired), Champagne, New England Ivy, and Colonial White cardstock
Ink:  Saddle, Cranberry
Stamps:  Heartfelt Christmas, Scandinavian Wishes, Sing Glory (all retired)
Embellishments:  Red Glitter Glitz (retired) 

A Watercolor Christmas

Don't you just hate it when life interferes with your crafting?  It took me over a week to finish this card for Heart 2 Heart's Wonderful Watercolor challenge!  Now I do have to tell you that watercolors intimidate me, but there is a reason why they are called challenge blogs, so I pulled out my watercolors, a brush, and a cup of water and gave it my best shot.  I have always loved this tree from the Always Grateful stamp set.  To get the snow covered effect, I stamped it first with black ink and then after lightly tapping the stamp on Versamark, stamped it just slightly higher than the first image and embossed with Ranger White Super Fine embossing powder.  To balance all the white on the right side of the card, I used some White Enamel Gems.

Thank you for stopping by!  Now why don't you head on over the Heart 2 Heart Challenges blog for some inspiration and maybe enter the challenge yourself?  We would love to see your work!  Until next time, Hansi

Materials used, all Close to My Heart unless otherwise noted:

Paper:  White Daisy, Outdoor Denim (retired), and Indian Corn Blue (retired) cardstock

Ink:  Indian Corn Blue (retired), Black

Stamps:  Always Grateful, Holly Jolly Christmas

Embellishments:  White Enamel Gems, Ranger White Super Fine embossing powder

Other:  Snowflake folder by Darice