Herringbone snowflakes

Hali's last challenge for April at the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown is a technique - Herringbone.

This was a new one to me, but Hali has provided some links to "how to" videos - see the 52CCT blog.

This uses strips of paper or card - so should be the perfect technique for me, I have masses of offcuts from previous projects and backgrounds. I went through the shelf where I dump all the leftovers, and had a sort out. This is the pile of strips - the actual backgrounds made three even bigger piles!

I pulled out two sets, one in rich jewel-like colours, one in blues and purples. I cut the wider bits down, to 1 cm, although the ones that were already narrower I left so were a range of widths.

I used sheets of double sided adhesive on copy paper, cut to size for a 5x7 card, then built up the herring bone patterns.

This is the jewel one:

Using such a range of colours and patterns makes it quite full on! I haven't quite worked out what I want to do with this one yet.

And this is the blue one:

I love how these build up. But I didn't exactly have a plan of what to do with them.

I put the blue one through an embossing folder with a snowflake pattern, then gently rubbed a silver ink pad over to pick up the pattern.

To keep it simple, I cut a panel and matt from Centura Pearl card. I took one of my newly sorted backgrounds, added more chipped sapphire ink to darken it, then cut a bigger matt, sentiment and snowflakes. I edged the herringbone with the chipped sapphire.

I put it all together with wet glue and double sided tape - I've run out of tape pens and can't pop to the craft shop as usual! Although our brilliant local one is doing deliveries so I am building up a list to place an order.

So I've made another blue snowflake card! Good job I like them. I do like the herringbone effect. I think a more coordinated set of patterns and colours might make it easier to work with.


To try this technique for yourself, go to the 52CCT blog. You have until Friday 1st May to join in.