Sparkling

Our first Christmas Card Throwdown for February is a theme challenge.

This one had me flummoxed for a while, I don't have any stamps or dies that fit. Then I remembered I have punch with a design of two champagne glasses. I don't remember where or why I got it, though I did use it for some of the favour boxes at my wedding 4 years ago.

I combined it with my new petite gel press plates. I don't have the round one, so to get a circle for my bubbles I used the moon masks from Clarity. (I tried the bubbles stencil first, but the circles weren't the size I wanted.)

So, to get started, I positioned the mask outer on the card, and used copier paper to shield the rest of the card. I punched out the glasses shape from a scrap of card, and positioned it in the middle of the circle. Then I spread gold and metallic white acrylic paint over the hexagonal gel plate with a brayer, then pressed it onto the card through the aperture.

I repeated below with a smaller circle mask.

Then another bubble this size, and the smallest circle at the top.

I trimmed the card back to fit a 5x7 card base. I then added a fizz of bubbles from the glasses, using white gesso over the painted areas, and the gold paint on the white background.

I used my groovi parchment tool to apply the paint in little dots.

The final part is the sentiment. I used an alphabet stamp set, with versa mark then mica powder over the top, to match the shine of the paint.

Unfortunately, I didn't use an antistatic pad first, and the mica stained a lot of the card. The letters weren't well spaced either. What a mess!

The next attempt didn't go well either. "Sparkling" is blotchy and uneven.

Third time lucky (and very careful and cautious!).

I cut a mount from white card and used a sponge to apply a mix of the gold and white metallic paints around the edge (the bit that would show) to match the bubbles.

And put it together on the card base with a tape pen.

The thing with using the gel plates, is that you can't control how things come out! I really like the pattern on the lower circle, it looks a little like bubbles - and I'd never be able to replicate it! The metallic paint doesn't go onto the plates as well as the matt, but you do get a lovely shimmer as it's spread thin on the card. (The camera hasn't quite picked it up.)

Please do join us over at the Christmas Card Throwdown and share your take on a drinks themed card.