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Wednesday 8 June 2016

Blue and gold ice skater

Blue and gold shabby chic Christmas Card with ice skating girl

I'm early this week for the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown Challenge. I actually had this finished on Monday morning, but am only just getting to blog it as I'm away at my mum's again.

It's a sketch challenge week:

52 CCT June sketch challenge


I decided to go a bit shabby chic with this one.

I started with 8x10 Clarity stencil card, and added colour with distress inks - tumbled glass, iced spruce, salty ocean, chipped sapphire and peacock feathers. I used a mixture of the brayer and blending tool.

Card coloured to be mottled turquoise blue

I cut into this sheet to get my base layer and the side banner for the sketch.

These I embossed with a Tattered Lace set of folders. I got these ages ago - there were 8 sets being sold as a pack, they include the triangle folders for envelope flaps which are very useful. As I haven't used these ones before, this meets my personal challenge of using something that's been sitting on the shelf for ages! I brayered versa mark over the top very gently, and added mica powder - moon gold and truffle were the names of the colours.

Blue and gold embossed card sections

I do like this turquoise and gold combination.

I cut a scrap of the coloured card into a banner for the sentiment, and stamped "Merry Christmas" onto it - I think this stamp set came with a magazine. I used versa mark again and then truffle mica powder.

Blue and gold banner with Merry Christmas sentiment

For the oval, which is my main image, I used some of the Clarity Christmas wee folk stamps. I was going to use the children throwing snowballs, which I haven't used before so they would double up my "stash" challenge, but they didn't fit well into the space, so I went for a personal favourite, the ice skater.

I used more of the card I'd coloured, adding chipped sapphire to define the landscape - a straight line for the frozen pond then a torn paper mask for the hills behind.

I stamped the wee folk Christmas tree behind the hills, and embossed with a platinum embossing powder. Then added the skater, then more tress around the sides and bottom of the oval.

The platinum matches really well with the mica powders I've used.

I used a versa mark pen to draw round the oval (I was using my fiskars cutting plate as a template) and heat embossed the line as well.

Blue and gold oval image of ice skating girl

I then cut the oval out by hand.

I cut the side banner down to size, to fit a 5x7 card base. To edge the two banners, I did the same as I had on the oval with the versa mark pen and embossing powder.

Blue and gold embossed banner


For the background, I used the pen and then mica powder around the edge, to give a slightly softer look.

Blue and gold embossed background

I wanted lots of height and dimension, so to construct the card I used foam between the layers, and applied with glue. Unfortunately I was a bit heavy handed, so there was a little buckling of the card where it got too wet.

I also lost the holly from my sentiment, as it fitted better with that part hidden under the side banner.

Blue and gold shabby chic Christmas Card with ice skating girl

At this point I thought I was done, and took all my photos.

Close up of ice skating girl on blue and gold shabby chic Christmas Card

Look at my little skater girl, isn't she lovely?

The next morning, I remembered the stars from the original sketch, so thought I'd add some gems.

I had pearls and sparkly gems of different sizes that matched the soft gold colour beautifully. I really couldn't decide which to use, but in the end went with these lovely soft pearls. 

Blue and gold shabby chic Christmas Card with ice skating girl

Blue and gold shabby chic Christmas Card with ice skating girl


I'm glad I dug out these embossing folders, I think they look great. For me, this card has a real chocolate box feel. I think it's a combination of the traditional image and the colours. I can definitely see more versions of this making their way into my Christmas card collection.


4 comments:

  1. C'est vraiment une magnifique carte Lucinda, j'aime beaucoup merci de jouer avec nous chez 52cct, biz

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  2. Wow! Love the wonderful shading here and the gold and turquoise is so pretty. Thanks so much for playing along with 52CCT this week! Deborah, DT.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Deborah, I do really love this colour combination, so luxurious!

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Lucinda