Drippy colours

For my colour challenge at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown, I've chosen pink, purple and blue. Purple is my favourite colour, pink is my daughter's. I wanted colours next to each other on the colour wheel so I could play with messy colour techniques, mixing colours without worrying about creating other colours!

I had a session making a series of backgrounds with these colours and different media. I added the colours to the top of the watercolour card while holding it upright, then spritzed with water to get drips and runs down the page.

From the left, I used brushos, sprays, distress oxides, distress reinkers, then I have three mop up sheets, printing from the paper towel used to catch the run off and mop up from the craft map.

I used the pieces made from brushos, sprays and one of the mop ups.

In the Black Friday sales, I couldn't resist this frosty bauble stamp from IndigiBlu. I don't usualy go for stamps that make a card in themselves, preferring to have more input, but this was so pretty! And at the moment with home schooling, something quick was appreciated.

I stamped and embossed with silver powder, then cut the cards down to size (14x14cm for a 6x6 card blank).

To finish, I added sentiments, from ClarityStamp, also heat embossed in silver, and edged in silver as well.

 

This is the card made with spray inks. It's the darkest and most dramatic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This uses a mop up piece, much more delicate and pretty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This angle shows the stamp off better - the perennial problem of photographing shiny cards!!

And finally the brushos - I cut away the part of the card with the bursts that I usually love from brushos (although it's in the stash for another time!) so this has a much softer, dreamier feel, with shades of colour that I adore.

However you choose to play with these colours, please visit us at 52CCT to see the wonderful inspiration from the design team, and to share your card. The challenge is open for a week until Friday 19th February.

Alternative gifts

Andreja's theme challenge at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown is 'Gifts"

I had a rummage through my stamps for this one, and found a wooden block stamp of a tower of presents - probably acquired at a charity shop at some point.

I used this with black archival to cover my card to start my background.

I love this as a pattern.

My next step was to stamp three large presents from a set, and heat emboss in gold.

I then spritzed with blue and purple, then spritzed water to encourage them to run down the card. I wanted the embossing to act as a resist and barrier, so the colours pooled.

This was the first attempt, while wet - I love the different shades! But... can you see where I mucked up the stamping in versamark and it's acted as a resist as well?

But I liked this enough to have another go, and got my stamping right this time!

However, I then fell out with it completely - I didn't like the big presents, the background shows through too much, it just doesn't work!

But I did like the background, and I hate waste. So, I cut the top and bottom away from one of the sheets, tore one side, and made a reverse panel card. (I don't know if that's a real thing, but hopefully you can see what I mean.)

I cut a sentiment and present from black card (the gift is a Tattered Lace die, the smaller of the set). Using the silhouette left where I'd cut the gift, I marked and cut out white card to go behind the gift so the background didn't show through the swirls.

Then constructed on a 6x6 card blank, and edged with a black sharpie.

I'm really happy with how this has turned out. I love the background, I think the repeated gifts look great and the colour is gorgeous.




Over to you - how will you make a "Gifts" themed Christmas card? Please share with us on the 52CCT blog - you have until Friday 24th to join in.