Snow on a sunny day

As it was the 5th Saturday of the month, the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown Challenge for this week is "Pick a previous theme". There's quite an archive now, giving me a wide range of choices, so I could basically make any card I fancied!

I've seen a few ideas recently I want to try; the one I have used is a landscape panel. I've done panels before as abstract patterns, but I saw a card on the Clarity Challenge with a landscape panel that I really like, so I thought I'd try a Winter version.

So the previous theme I have chosen is from February 2014, Christmas Landscape.

I used Clarity stencil card, cut to fit on a 6x6 card base. I masked off the central panel, and started by stamping the cabin and the foreground trees, in black permanent ink. This is a Clarity stamp set called cabin in the woods.

Then, using a torn paper mask, and iced spruce distress ink on a make up sponge, I added the first hills, continuing from the snow drift lines around the cabin. They don't show that well in the picture above unfortunately.

I masked the cabin roof (with a sticky note) and added another hill further away. I stamped some more trees, using second generation ink so they were paler, to give more depth. I used the same stamps, but only the top section, so they're smaller.

For the sky, I added a moon mask (die cut from another sticky note) then used the stencil brushes to add iced spruce, then darkened it with chipped sapphire. I used a make up sponge to finish off, sharpening the edges around the panel, moon and cabin roof.

I added a little iced spruce at the bottom as well, to define that edge of the panel.

This is what it looked like so far.

I touched up some of the trees with black and grey pens - really must get that archival ink pad for silhouette stamps!

I added some colour to the cabin walls - I used vintage photo distress ink with a little water, then muted it with black soot ink.

To add interest in the sky, I added snow with a white pen - I love the way this looks, like little twinkles. It also lets me lighten up the area where I was a bit heavy handed with the pen - it's at the base of one of the trees, but I hope you can't tell!

I framed it by edging the card with a black sharpie, then mounting onto a 6x6 white card base.

It felt very strange to be making a snow scene on a beautiful sunny day like we had today - I was playing with my daughter in the garden in between crafting sessions. I even got to take pictures outside. But despite the incongruence, I think this card has turned out pleasingly atmospheric.