Collage and bauble

Rosi's final challenge as host of the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown is a technique - Partial Stencilling.

She provides some video links on the 52CCT blog with demonstrations.

I still had my stash of backgrounds out from last week, so have made another collage card as a base for my stencilling. Going through the papers is quite fun, I often remember the projects that these were "waste" from!

I used text in the middle as a plainer base for the stencil, and patterns around.

I didn't cover the left-hand side as I intended to add a strip on this side, but changed my mind.

I then trimmed back to 14cm x 14xm - for a 6x6 card base.

 To knock back the colours, I dry brushed with white gesso.

To constrain my stencil - the "partial" element - I cut a bauble mask from copy paper. I used a stamp to create the shape then cut.

The stencil I used was a snowflake from Clarity, I didn't take any photos of it.

I used Clarity stencil brushes to add distress oxides - peacock feathers, with chipped sapphire around the edges.

The bauble hanger I drew in with a gold pen.

I went back and added more collage pieces to cover the left-hand side.

I cut it back...

... and gessoed.

 

Having done this, I decided it needed some of the text in the collage so added some snippets, and then gessoed them.

For my sentiment and to balance the left, I repeat stamped "Merry Christmas" with versamark and heat embossed in gold. Sounds easy - but I had issues with dirty stamps that didn't stick to the block and mis-stamped, so I had to gesso again and restamp. Just one of those times that everything that can go wrong did!

To finish it off, I sponged peacock feathers around the edge, and swiped black ink on the very edge. I added white ink behind the embossing to help it stand out, and then black. I also added some black swirls (from the same stamp set as the sentiment) around the outside.

I can't say this card exactly flowed! And didn't end up as I'd envisaged. Nevertheless I like the final product.

To join in with this technique challenge, pop over to the 52CCT blog. You have until Friday 2nd September to enter your Christmas card.