Sequins and pearls

As my stint hosting the Christmas Card Throwdown comes to an end, it's time for a stash challenge. We would like to see your cards with gems, pearls or sequins.

I'm not usually one for a lot of gems, and I can't remember the last time I used sequins. But that's the point of a challenge, to push you to do something a bit different.

I decided to go for a busy, mixed media style. Not sure that's how it worked out, but anyway!

I started with a selection of Christmas papers, and cut a base layer then built up smaller pieces on top.

The first one was red colours, as I have red sequins, but then I had other offcuts of paper to use, so made another arrangement, more cream and brown.

These were the pictures I took to remember the lay out as I took them apart to edge and stick them - how organised is that!




I edged each piece of paper/card in gold wax, and scribbled in gold pen around some too. I then stuck them together with tape pen - I was going for a background so wanted flat rather than too many levels to navigate.

This is what they looked like put together, I really like the random, overlapping look.









Next I raided my ribbon bag for crochet lace, ribbon and twine, to create a band across the middle. I raised this on foam tape for the red base.

I die cut snowflakes from a selection of the papers, and gold card, and arranged them around the ribbon band.

I used a wider, mesh band for this base, so the snowflakes ended up more widely spread. I attached this with red tape.

At this point I forgot to take more photos until I'd finished!

I tied a triple bow with the twine and added it to the ribbon. The images are from designer paper that I cut up, I edged them in the gold wax and mounted on contrasting card, before mounting on foam tape. I added another snowflake in the corner, and then the all important red and orange sequins.

I mounted it on cream zeta hammered card, edged with the gold wax again, then onto a 5x7 card base.

For the cream base, I used an image from another design paper. I cut a gold frame with a die from a magazine, and backed with the cream zeta hammered card, with the gold wax. I used 3d glue gel to mount it over the ribbon. The twine bow went on the top corner, and I added pearls and gems to the card. This one I mounted on a dark red patterned paper with, you guessed it, gold wax. Then onto the 5x7 card base. (I also straightened out the pearl on the bow, but after I'd taken the photos!)

If you want to join in with our "gems, pearls or sequins" challenge, pop along to the Christmas Card Throwdown. You have until midnight BST on Friday 16th June to play along.