A warm welcome at Christmas

We're back with another sketch at the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown Challenge this week.

I love this design, it's sparked so many ideas. I have several cards half made using this, and some stash pieces from things that didn't work out, but here's the card I finished.

I started with Clarity stencil card, and stamped the wee houses along the bottom, using potting soil archival ink.

I added a mask for a large moon, and also masked the houses (the masks come with the stamps, makes it very easy).

Next I added the sky with chipped sapphire distress ink, using the brayer.

I stamped stars in the background with versa mark, hoping for a resist effect, but they didn't show through the ink.

I used a make up sponge to add ink around the moon and houses, to sharpen up the edges.


With the masks removed, there's a nice contrast.

I brushed a bit of blue across the moon, to tone down the whiteness a little bit.

I stamped a sentiment across the moon, using the Clarity word chains. First time in the potting soil archival.

I took a picture at this stage in case I mucked up the next bit.

I then used aged mahogany distress ink, second generation, for a drop shadow.

Not perfect, could have been straighter and closer to the original, but still like the effect.

I trimmed the card down, and edged with brown sharpie.

Next to add some colour to the houses. I used Faber Castell pencils. Warm yellow for the windows, and red/brown shades to fit in with the line art and words.

For the three squares down the side, I die cut three presents, using a Tattered Lace die.

I cut pieces to fit behind, and brayered ink on in red, brown and blue to coordinate with the background. I didn't like the bows on the die, so cut a different bow using a spellbinders die, and inked though the die to give a white border.

The orginal idea was to have Santa's sleigh going across the moon, which makes more sense of the presents!

This is the first version using that idea, but it was a bit too blue, and I cut it portrait for a 5x7 card base, then didn't have space for the squares. I'll find a way to use this though, maybe add sparkly snowflakes down the side.

This time, I used a 6x6 card base. I mounted the background and the presents on foam tape to raise them up, with the bows on little pads. The top one was off the top of the background, so needed two tiny pads, and a bit of super sticky tape under one of the tails to secure it.

I like the warmth that using the brown tones gives to my favourite blue. It feels much more like a traditional Christmas card.

And I have finally used my wee houses - I wanted these from launch, treated myself in the summer, but hadn't actually put them to use. They're such lovely, detailed stamps.