I'm back! With a Christmas sketch

My blog has been woefully neglected recently, I've been feeling unwell and everything has gone by the by!

But I'm feeling much more human now, and May is my month to host the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown! So I've been concentrating on my cards for that, and can share them with you now.

Our first challenge of the month is a sketch challenge, and I've chosen this layout:

For my card, I played with my petite gel plates and distress oxides.

I started by cutting the card to size, and masking it off.

I used narrow tape, and a die cut circle of scrap card.

The first stamp I wanted to use was "Newsprint Holly" from Creative Expressions. This is too detailed to lift the ink off the gel plate (I'm so glad I did a test before trying on the card!) so I inked up the square gel plate with antique linen to give a background in the top left square. I then inked the stamp with cracked pistachio and fired brick, and over stamped (masking the other squares first).

For the opposite corner, I reversed the colours - red and green background using the gel plate, then over stamped with antique linen.

For the other corners, I used a snowflake background stamp from Crafty Individuals. I inked up the gel plate with faded jeans, iced spruce and antique linen - a combination Angela suggested at our most recent workshop! I pressed the stamp into it to lift off the ink, then stamped into the corner.

I love this colour combination, and the effect of the ink lifted off. I did the same in the opposite corner.

Time to lift off the masks for the big reveal!

I have to say, I love this! Messy techniques but a really neat card. 

I got a bit stuck here with what to do in the centre (no, I don't usually start cards with much of a plan!) so it stayed at this point for over a week.

In the end, I started it by stamping a sentiment in potting soil archival ink.

I cut a mask with a smaller circle die, and attached it over the card. I sponged antique linen over first, concentrating more on the outside, then iced spruce at the edge.

I used the smallest of the "small snowflake" stamps from Sweet Dixie, dipped in water, to faux bleach the ink. This looked nice, but was a bit subtle next to the corner patterns.

So once it was dry, I over stamped with the same snowflake, using second generation iced spruce oxide.

For a mount, I cut card to size then used the gel plate and the same ink colours, printing around the edge of the card.

The first version look good on its own, but was too light and varied as a mount, so I went over with vintage photo, then with faded jeans, to darken it and make it more even.

I then constructed the card with a tape pen, on a 7x7 card base.

It's good to be back in the saddle with my first Christmas Card in ages!






To join in with the challenge, head over to the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown. You have until midnight BST (7pm EDT) on Friday 11th May to enter. I can't wait to see what gorgeous entries we get!