The back up plan

This card is inspired by one of the entries to last month's Claritystamp challenge, which I really liked - have a look here. So I've done my version. I think the term is CASEing - I saw this on another blog, it means something like "copy and share everything", or "copy another stamper's experiment".

I wanted to try it anyway, but as it uses sponging I'll enter it into the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown technique challenge as well. This was my back up in case the brayered background hadn't worked out! (See previous post.)

I started with a 14cm square of Stamps Away stamp and colour card, to fit onto a 6x6 card base.

I tore masks from copier paper and fixed them into place with masking tape to leave a panel across the card. I then used make up sponges to apply distress ink; I used dusty concord, chipped sapphire and a touch of tumbled glass.

Leaving the masks in place, I stamped snowflakes into the panel, using the dusty concord. I blotted the stamp on scrap paper first, to give a more muted image.

I then moved the masks out slightly, and went back over, very gently, with dusty concord, to give a frame to the panel. I'd not seen this done before, I really like the finish it gives.

I then started to think about what focal point I wanted to use. I'd assumed it would be a sentiment, but when I went through my selection of stamps, nothing seemed to be quite right.

So I went to my stash of spare die cuts, and there on top was my black glitter reindeer from the first 52 CCT card this week. And it looked great on the panel (in my humble opinion!). I tried a few others, and got some ideas for other versions of this card that would look good, but for this panel, the reindeer won out!

So I attached it with PVA, edged the square by running the dusty concord ink pad around it, and mounted it on the card base.

Simple, but I really like it.

As I wrote this tonight, a day after making the card, I thought maybe it was a little bit plain. So I decided to add a few gems. But when I got the card out again, the snowflakes had faded into the background! I checked against the photos to make sure I wasn't imagining it! So, as well as adding the gems, I restamped the snowflakes (retrieving my torn masks from the bin!). We'll see tomorrow whether these fade as well. I hope that stamping onto dry ink will make the difference and they'll stay.

So here's the second (current?) version of the card.

Post script: 24 hours on the snowflakes are still there! Phew! So now I know, wait for the background to dry before stamping over it.