Rosi's choice for her theme challenge at the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown is "Choral".
Anyone who knows my cards will know I love using musical notation, so this was a gift, but I had to give them the choral angle!
I started with some more of my shaving foam sheets from last week. These have a pale green which is actually a mix of the previous colours I used, but is similar to bundled sage, then I added lucky clover and seedless preserve. I love this combination!!!
I tried to choose three sheets with maximum contrast, so the next step worked.
I die cut squares from the sheets, one inside the other.
I then swapped the squares around to have a contrast. I was hoping the three sheets were sufficiently different to be able to mix and match, but the two darker ones looked very similar, so I ended up with this:
For the bottom set, I upped the contrast by over stamping the middle square. I used seedless preserve and a musical notation stamp.
As these colours are quite full on and rich, I just used black for the focal points.
The first is a Clarity stamp, perfect for this theme, with the music and words for "Deck the Halls". I stamped with versamark then heat embossed with black powder.
Unfortunately stamping across the joins in the layers made it a little uneven, I had to fill in with a black pen on the seams. But it is legible in real life, the contrast in texture with the background is more apparent than the photo shows.
For the other two cards, I used die cuts. I have two music dies, so out they came, then I went through my sentiment dies for ones that were Christmas lyrics. I'm not religious so didn't want the carols, but found two that fitted perfectly.
I bought this sentiment ages ago, I knew it would come in handy!
You can see the stamped music on this card. I know I say it a lot, but it shows better in real life!
No snowflakes this week for once, but I still got some snow in.
To share your 'Choral' themed cards with us, head over to the 52CCT blog. You have until Friday 24th May 2019 to join in. Have fun, I think we're going to get some great cards this week.
This week we have a colour challenge on the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown. Rosi has chosen brown, silver and turquoise for us to play with.
For this I had a sesion with the shaving foam and made some backgrounds. I used peacock feather and walnut stain distress reinkers. I also added silver mica powder to see if that worked - but it didn't!
These three were just the start - I made a whole stash of prints in different colours, including rainbow prints for May's Berkhamsted Creative Challenge.
I used the top left and bottom prints as backgrounds, and the top right for die cutting. I also painted some card with silver paint, for die cuts.
I used my favourite Tattered Lace Merry Christmas die for the sentiment, then die cut snowflakes, holly and ivy to arrange around the outside.
They were edged in distress ink, then mounted on 6x6 card blanks.
This one, with the snowflakes, is very delicate and pretty. Snowflakes are my go-to answer for Christmas cards, they always work!
This darker background is a bit more rustic. I love this holly die, but always struggle with how to arrange it. Fortunately I remembered a trick I'm sure I've used before, and cut the ivy to go with it.
These are quite simple cards, although all the die cutting took a while - partly because I cut a lot more than I ended up using! They've gone in the stash, nothing is wasted.
To join in with our colour challenge, head over to the 52CCT blog, you have until Friday 17th May to enter.
I got completely derailed this week! It was the first full week of hubby and daughter back at school after Easter, so I thought I had loads of time - then it disappeared. So my plans for this week's 52 Christmas Card Throwdown card changed when I got to Friday afternoon and hadn't started! I was going to do a Groovi card; that'll have to wait.
I did get two cards made, but we had a play date that I'd forgotten about (oops!) so I didn't quite get the blog posted for the challenge launch.
So the good news is that this is definitely a quick card to make, although I don't think it looks like a quick and simple - and it's always useful to have those up your sleeve!
Rosi is hosting the challenge for May, and she has chosen this sketch for us:
I started with an A5 sheet of Sheena's stamping card. I sponged distress oxides over to make a vague sort of night time landcape/skyscape.
I flicked water over this, then blotted, to give a speckled or starry effect.
This worked much better than I expected - I think it's the card, which is not what I usually use. So now I know!
I cut this down before stamping trees, using black archival. I went through my stamp folders to find a suitable stamp, and found this one. It was one of the first I bought from Clarity years ago, and had forgotten about, but it's really beautiful.
I then cut masks for the tree from copy paper, and stamped again using watering can archival, to suggest distance. Where I missed parts of the stamping, I filled in with a light grey drawing pen, and blotted.
I cut this background down to make three panels.
For the toppers, I used sizzix tree dies, in two sizes. After cutting in black, I wanted a greater contrast in size so cut the smaller one down a bit. I also thought they looked a bit plain, so over stamped using the same tree stamp as the background. I used hickory smoke distress oxide, so it'd show on the black, but third generation so it wasn't too strong.
The card went together on a 5x7 card blank.
I love the atmospheric background this has created, and so easy to do! I might bash out some more and use reindeer die cuts, or Santa and his sleigh in the sky.
Just to prove this was a quick card, I made another yesterday afternoon as well, with a music theme.
It occurs to me that as neither have a sentiment they are not identifiably Christmas cards, but I think they have a Christmas feel.
To join in with the challenge, head to the 52CCT blog, it runs until Friday 10th May.
Our stash challenge at the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown this month is to use printed holiday papers. I don't use these a lot, but have a bit of a collection gathered over the years, so it's good to have a reason to use them!
My card was inspired by a technique I saw on Split Coast Stampers, although I adapted it - I'd like to try the original, with a stamped image, sometime.
I chose my papers, then cut one into brick shapes.
I went round each with vintage photo distres oxide - that took a while!!
I cut the backing paper from another printed paper, and edged with frayed burlap oxide, stamped with vintage photo (using a dotty swirl from IndigoBlu) and distressed the edges.
I then stuck the bricks onto it - I didn't use all the pieces I'd cut.
For the focal point, I die cut a tree and sentiment from a third paper. I added ink to this to darken it to make it stand out from the background. I also added antique linen to the background where they were to go, to add contrast, I think I overdid this a bit, I tried to lift some with water at the end.
After adding the die cuts, I went round the sentiment and part of the tree with a fine black pen, to help it stand out.
This one went on a 6x6 card blank.
I think I like the idea of this card more than the execution - some of the other paper combinations might have looked better.
To join in with the challenge using your Christmas design paper, click through to the 52CCT. You have until Friday 3rd May to enter. Have fun!
It's our theme challenge this week at the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown. EK has chosen:
This prompted a bit of an internet search for appropriate jokes to use! And for stamps that worked with them.
Having made my choice, I found this wine bottle stamp in a set I'd never used. I stamped it in black versafine then heat embossed in clear. To colour it, I used distress inks with a water pen.
For my background, I used distress ink on the gel press plate. I started with a green layer, then splattered over with dark green, cream and dark red, and pulled a print. I splattered the plate with the dark green again, and added to the print, then did a layer of cream/brown, and added this as well to age it. The beauty of the gel plate and transparent inks!
To the base layer, I added a layer of script stamped in brown, second and third generation.
I cut this to size for a 6x6 card blank, then edged with brown ink. I used a holly swirl stamp in archival brown on each side, then used the end section to fill in the top with a holly sprig. I coloured the holly with green and red distress ink and the water pen.
For the sentiment, I used one of the offcuts from the background. I edged with brown and green, and added cream ink to the centre.
For the tag, I printed onto card and cut with a tag die. It reads "Goes well with turkey and difficult relatives". I added cream and brown ink to age it, with black around the edge, and a bit of red to tie in with the background.
I used black thread to tie the tag to the bottle, then mounted the bottle, tag and sentiment using foam pads.
Lastly, I added black distress ink around the bottle, tag and sentiment with a water pen, for a drop shadow.
Once again this isn't a card I'd have made without the theme prompt, but I actually really like it. The background has turned out beautifully, this holly swirl stamp is a revelation, I'll be using it again!
So now it's your turn to get your funny hats on. Go to the 52CCT blog to enter your cards - you have until Friday 26th April to join in and give us all a laugh.
EK has chosen a colour combinaton for us this week at the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown - metallic with one colour.
I have a confession to make - I read this as metallics plus one colour so have used multiple metal colours - I hope I won't get my wrist slapped!!
I chose a dusky pink for my colour - eventually. It's easier sometimes when you don't get a choice!!!
I started by painting a sheet of card with acrylic paint, mixing a colour I liked. I then stencilled through with a swirly stencil and the same paint, for a bit of texture - not sure it really shows but I know it's there.
I stamped across the base with versamark, and added mica powder in silver and pale gold. Mica is one of those old staples that I often forget about then when I use it remember how much I like it!
I cut this down to fit a 6x6 card blank.
To go on this, I die cut a Christmas tree in black. I placed it over a piece of card and pressed versamark all over, so it covered the die cut and the card around it.
To the die cut I added different metallic embossing powders, being cautious to get them in different areas, and heated.
I really like this mixed metallic look!
The waste powder, which is a mix, I added to the background card. This basically looks gold.
Not sure what I'll do with this but sure it'll come in useful at some point. Maybe ink it around the outside, I quite like the white tree.
For the current card, I scribbled round the outside of the background with an embossing pen, added silver and copper embossing powder, and heated.
I adhered the tree to the background with wet glue, then the background to the card blank with tape pen and a bit of super sticky tape. I cut off the corner of the tree that protruded.
As always, the problem with shiny cards is getting a photo that works! You can't see the depth of the pink, or how the tree sits into the background, with the black of the card giving a bit of an "edge". You'll have to trust me!
To join in with the challenge, go to the 52CCT blog. You have until Friday 19th April to enter. Have fun!!
I'm a bit late with my 52 Christmas Card Throwdown design team card this week. I planned to use our week's break last week to get ahead - ah well.
EK is hosting us this month, and she's chosen this sketch for us to play with:
As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to use the sunburst stencil from Clarity for the corner.
But I needed a background for it to go over. I started with green and cream distress oxides, three layers on the card. I then stamped over with a Clarity holly and ivy stamp, and paint in shades of red, green and cream.
Then it was time for the stencil, I sponged through with cream paint. I sponged dark red round the edge of the card, then ran a black ink pad round.
I cut a circle from cream zeta hammered card, and stamped a greeting from Clarity in black versafine.
Lastly it was doodle time - to emphasise the stencil, and around the edge, and to embellish the sentiment.
I'm not sure it's my favourite card ever, but it is quite Christmassy.
To join in with the challenge, head over to the 52CCT blog, you have until Friday 12th April to join in.
