Serendipitous snowflakes

The last challenge of the year at the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown is nice and open for those last minute cards (or the ones you don't want to enter until they've been received!)

As I have missed a fair few challenges with health issues, this is a chance to catch up on those ones I really wanted to do.

As my favourite colour is purple, I wanted to do the purple and white colour challenge from November.

I started with my gel press plate (the big 8x10 one) and acrylic paints - shades of purple, metallic white and titanium white.

I ended up with loads of backgrounds, but these are my favourites:

This used shades of purple, which I put my Clarity snowflake stencils over, and allowed it to dry while pressing star shaped punchinella into the paint. Once dry I lifted the stencils and used copy paper to lift the wet paint from under the stencils. I then brayered titanium white over and lifted the print. This was about my third print so there were remnants from the previous ones on the plate to add more interest and texture.

This one I added the metallic white paint first, then the stencils and brayerd purple over the top. I lifted the stencils, and stamped into the paint with Clarity snowflake stamps (they work well as they're so deep) and distress oxide inks in purple (I realised I have 5 purples - like I said, my favourite colour!)

This one was a bit of serendipity - it started as a very pale second print that hadn't really worked. But when I lifted the stencils from the previous print, covered in paint, I placed them on here and brayered over to transfer the paint. And I just love how this came out! Unexpected things like this from waste make me very happy.

So this was the first print I used for these cards.

I wasn't sure initially what to do with my lovely backgrounds, then I watched this video from Sam Crowe, and got my inspiration - very different backgrounds but the same layout.

I cut the print to make bases for two 5x7 card blanks (the print is just big enough to do this).

Using some of the waste, as well as the waste from the second print above after cutting a 6x6 base, I cut strips. I stamped on two of these in Gothic Purple stazon, using two very old sentiment stamps, and edged everything with the ink. I also die cut four snowflakes from the second print.

And put together with a lifting flap for movement - with snowflakes matched front and back so it looks good from both sides. This is where you realise your snowflake die isn't quite symmetrical - or the die cuts stretch unevenly while cutting or removing from the die.

This may be a well known card style but I'd never seen it before and really like the movement.

I'd like more contrast between the snowflake and strips on this one if I'm honest.

The paler strips I used here give more contrast, and the sentiment is clearer too.








And I still have lots of purple backgrounds to make more cards with!

To join in with the last 52CCT challenge of the year, head to the blog and enter your final cards.

Merry Christmas!