More "fun with oxides"

Can you believe it's September already? The last few weeks have flown by, and it's time for a sketch challenge at the Christmas Card Throwdown.

Quite a simple one, and crying out for a funky background. I had to get out my new favourites, the distress oxides again!

This time I used them to stamp with. I picked the larger holly and ivy stamp from the Clarity set. Mixing fossilised amber, fired brick and vintage photo on the stamp, I covered a piece of watercolour card.

And spritzed with water.

The oxides react and move, and I left to dry naturally. This was the result the next day, cut into sections for 5x5 and A6 card blanks. The chalkiness comes out as they dry.

Using one of the square pieces, I dusted with a anti static pad then stamped a swirl with versamark ink. I added gold embossing powder, and repeated over the whole piece before heating.

I also ran an embossing pen along each edge and embossed those in gold too. I really like the contrast of the chalk and the shine, the fuzzy oxide holly and the sharp gold swirls.

For a sentiment, I die cut an offcut of the background with a Tattered Lace mini die, and stamped "be merry" in the centre, embossing in gold again. The words didn't show that well on the busy background, so I went round with a white gel pen, which toned it down nicely, and wiped off the embossing easily.

I mounted on another scrap which I'd embossed, then a plain piece of the watercolour card, edged in vintage photo ink.

I chose a gold cord for my cross pieces, so just needed something to add to the centre. I dug out a plain wood button, then decided it needed a little more. 

I stamped on it with versa mark, using the same swirl stamp, and heat embossed in gold.

 I sponged fired brick oxide over it, and wiped off the embossing. Finally, I thread a piece of sari ribbon through it and tied in a simple knot.

I put the card together, with tape to hold the cord, tape pen for the base, then 3d glue gel for the button and sentiment. I tied the cord together at the join first, to hold it all in place, and glued it down to the card.

I'm having so much fun with these oxides, I'm trying to hold off for a while but am itching to order some of the new colour range!






Coincidentally, some cards I made a few years ago use this sketch (more or less) so I thought I'd share them here too - the photos were taken in a rush on my phone so forgive the dodgy colour!

Simple white die cuts used to make a background, and a stamped sentiment 

I pulled out a selection of sentiment stamps and used them together for this background, which I still really like.




Not bad considering I had a 2 week old baby at the time!

To join in with the challenge, head over to the Christmas Card Throwdown blog. You have until midnight BST on Friday 15th September to enter. I can't wait to see what you come up with for this sketch.