Pretty and slim

The third Saturday of the month is our theme challenge at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown. Goga has chosen "Slimline Cards" for us to play with.

I've been seeing these all over the place for the last little while, but haven't had a go - I'm a bit stuck in my 6x6 and 5x7 cards!

I had a bit of a search to see if there are specific measurements for these cards, but there don't seem to be. It seems to vary - in the US it's based on letter size cardstock, in the UK on A4 (and I don't know about elsewhere!).

I went with a DL card, i.e. A4 cut to two thirds, or 19.8cm along the long side, then folded. This allowed me to use the offcut for my topper, although I matte and layered so cut another.

This card was my play on Mother's Day, so no process photos I'm afraid.

I started with distress reinker in salty ocean, which I dropped onto the corner then spritzed to get it to run, down and across.

The stamping is in pumice stone distress oxide, with some frayed burlap.

I also stamped and drew lines and dots, and embossed in white, on the top and bottom.

 

I blended the browns round the edges, and also swiped a dark brown stazon ink on the very edge.

The holly and pine cone die cuts were smooshed through the brown inks, the snowflake was dipped into salty ocean. I overstamped the snowflake in cobalt blue archival ink.

 

The sentiment was also stamped in the cobalt blue, and edged in the browns.

The other touches are thread wrapped round, some sparkly white net, and a pearl in the middle of the snowflake.

The layer behind is blended with the two brown oxides.

 

I find this so pretty. I love the blue and brown together, and the shabby chic feel.

The different dimensions of the slimline card were fun to play with too. I have a couple of others that I cut and started, so can go back and play some more when I fancy.

To see the wonderful inspiration from my design team colleagues, head over to the 52CCT blog.

This challenge is open for you to share your slimline cards, until Friday 26th March. I really look forward to seeing what you come up with!

A new metallic for me!

It's Goga's colour challenge at the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown this week. She's chosen an unusual combination, but I like it a lot!

My white is basically my card! I started with the grey, and mixed stamps over it, using a grey pigment ink.

I cut this down to size, then overstamped in versamark and heat embossed in the rose gold. I didn't have a rose gold embossing powder, but I messaged Jo at my brilliant local arts and craft shop, and she had a pot. However, when I tried it, I found it more brown than I think of rose gold. It's a nice colour, but not right for this challenge. So, I mixed it with some copper, and it has come out in what I think is the right colour.

 

I also edged the background in the rose gold.

For my topper, I die cut a banner - I didn't have a die long enough so partially cut a shorter one then moved it along and cut the other end. I didn't quite line it up perfectly but I think it's okay. I stamped a sentiment and heat embossed in the rose gold, and then stamped the same holly and ivy as the background in grey.

I die cut the swirls - they are actually the antlers of a reindeer. I heat embossed these in the rose gold as well.

I put it all together on a 6x6 card blank. I decided I liked the background the other way up! So if you were to be unkind enough to look really closely, the music is upside down.

 

 

I really like these colours, they're so elegant! I'm very happy to have rose gold added to my stash, I'm sure this will be used again.

 

 

 

 

I hope you have fun playing with these colours. You can see the inspiration from the rest of the design team on our 52CCT blog, and then share your card.

The challenge is open for a week, until Friday 19th March.

Have fun!!

Faux lace

Goga is our March host at the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown. As always, we kick off with a sketch.

I felt like getting inky for this one! I wanted to make the banner (green in the sketch) translucent or lacey, I had to think for a while how I wanted to do it!

I started by blending ink over my card - distress oxides in Victorian velvet and hickory smoke. I then sponged ink through a snowflake stencil, in the same colours.

I cut a mask for the banner from copy paper, with a knife so I had the outer and inner.

I used the inner first, and stamped across the card (cut to size for a 5x7 card blank), using the same inks and a journal stamp, a fancy swirl, and "Let it Snow" sentiment.

Time to swap the mask for the outer. I stamped snowflakes with versamark, and heat embossed in white.

Using an embossing pen and ruler, I went round the edge of the banner then heat embossed in white again. I went over it twice to get the coverage.

I really like the effect, a faux snowflake lace layer over the card.

I got a bit stuck on how to add the other elements of the sketch. I had offcuts of the background to use. I stamped a heart frame, which came with a matching die to cut it out.

I stamped and cut another piece, but after playing with it and cutting it various ways, gave up as it just didn't fit.

In the end I stamped directly onto the card with the "Let it Snow" sentiment, and heat embossed. Where it went over the previous embossing, it got lost. I went around with an inktense pencil and water pen first, then a grey drawing pen, to try to define it. It worked, but is a little inelegant. If I'd planned this upfront I'd have avoided the embossing under the sentiment, but hey ho!

The heart was a little empty, and I didn't want another sentiment, so I used a tiny bauble stamp to add a little something.

I put it together, then added the little touches that finish it but also take a lot longer than you expect! I edged with the hickory smoke and inktense pencil, and added pencil drop shadow around the heart. I used the grey pen around the banner to give dimension.

I love the pretty, French feel to this card. The background stamps work beautifully together - this swirl is one I've had for ages but tend to forget about.

The colours are lovely and soft - maybe not Christmassy, or even snowy, but I really like them.

 

 

 

Please do head over to the 52CCT blog, to see the wonderful ideas from my DT colleagues, and to share your card inspired by our sketch. The challenge is open for a week, until Friday 12th March.

Mixed media, with a twist

This week we have my last challenge as host of the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown.

For my technique/stash challenge, I have chosen "Mixed Media".

 

Mixed media is a broad definition, for this I encourage you to be experimental and loose with your materials, and layer up!

I wanted to make two cards - one with all my mixed media stash, and another to see what I could do using just standard card making materials.

I got the latter made, the first is in progress and I hope to be able to add it later. Homeschooling etc has taken its toll!

I started by getting the materials I thought I'd use together.

Design papers, in lighter colours and sticking to cream, red and green; distress ink in old paper, aged mahogany and brushed corduroy; three Christmas stamps; versamark and versafine clair black (I also used archival black); clear embossing powder; an embossing folder; glue stick; ruler; waterpen; plain card. I also used scissors and super sticky tape.

I started by cutting the card to size, then tearing the DP and gluing to the base. I used a ruler for the sides to match the edge, or distressed with the scissors, so they were straight and fitted.

I then stamped the holly in versamark and embossed in clear, in several places across the card. I was hoping these would resist the ink added below, but they didn't show as much as I'd hoped. But it all adds to the layers!

 

I ran the card through an embossing folder for some texture.

This looked lovely.

 

The next step was to add ink. I applied the old paper ink directly to top of the page, and also to the mat and used the waterpen to pick it up and add drops down the page.

I then added the aged mahogany to the side. Unfortunately, I wasn't paying attention so added it to the right, not the left. Oops! It didn't look right at all, so I added it to the left as well. So it ended up much red/pinker than planned!

Before I took a photo, I also stamped the music stamp, in black archival, in the centre. I wiped the ink off the edges of the stamp to avoid a harsh line.

While that dried, I stamped the sentiment onto another piece of DP - in black versafine clair, and embossed in clear. I tore the edges, and inked.

I did the same for the holly stamp.

 

And then I tore out an image from a piece of the DP, and edged it as well.

 

Then it was a case of fine tuning. I edged the card and the sentiment with black, added more of the old paper to the background, sponged some old paper onto the sentiment, extended the music stamp downwards, tweaking until I was happy with the balance.

So, with basic supplies, and nothing specialist for mixed media, I've been able to create a multi layered card, with loads of texture and interest.

I don't even mind the extra pink I added, although I'm curious how it would have looked with more of the DP showing through.

I do love the richness created with the layers.

To play along with the challenge, visit us at the 52CCT blog. You have a week to enter, it closes on Friday 5th March.

Good luck, and most of all, have fun, experimenting and playing with this great technique.

When is a tag not a tag?

For my theme challenge as host of 52 Christmas Card Throwdown, I've chosen "tags on cards" .

Although this was my theme, I struggled to get this card to come together!

I started with the bird. This is a die cut, which I coloured with inktense pencils, and then added gold paint.

I cut the tag using a Clarity die. I sponged antique linen distress oxide as a base, then added an old holly stamp in green, red and a gold/brown. I went over with white gesso through a brick stencil to knock the colour back. I partial stamped with a checked stamp from IndigoBlu, and heat embossed in gold. I added some black script, also an IndogoBlu stamp, then used the inktense pencils to create a ground for the bird.

I cut a second tag, in a larger size. I coloured it with the green inktense pencil to match the bird, and edged with gold paint.

Finally the base. I sponged antique linen over it, but then didn't like it, so spritzed with water and lifted most of the ink off.

I stamped the sentiment (from Clarity) and heat embossed in black. The holly and ivy stamp matches it, I stamped this around the edge in a mix of distress inks to match the bird again. Finally, I stamped the script stamp in antique linen - it doesn't really show in the photos, but gives more depth in real life.

 

The tags and base I edged with a black permanent pen.

I put it all together, with some sari ribbon I've had forever to attach the tags - they hang freely. I didn't know how to fasten the ribbon on, so ended up sewing it.

 

I didn't manage a photo that shows the richness of this, or the gold touches. You'll have to trust me!!

I do like the movement from having the tag hanging freely.

 

 

 

 

Your card can have a tag like this, or as a sentiment, or as part of an image, or even a tag shaped card!! To join in, head over to 52CCT. You have a week to enter, the challenge closes on Friday 26th February.

Have fun!

Drippy colours

For my colour challenge at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown, I've chosen pink, purple and blue. Purple is my favourite colour, pink is my daughter's. I wanted colours next to each other on the colour wheel so I could play with messy colour techniques, mixing colours without worrying about creating other colours!

I had a session making a series of backgrounds with these colours and different media. I added the colours to the top of the watercolour card while holding it upright, then spritzed with water to get drips and runs down the page.

From the left, I used brushos, sprays, distress oxides, distress reinkers, then I have three mop up sheets, printing from the paper towel used to catch the run off and mop up from the craft map.

I used the pieces made from brushos, sprays and one of the mop ups.

In the Black Friday sales, I couldn't resist this frosty bauble stamp from IndigiBlu. I don't usualy go for stamps that make a card in themselves, preferring to have more input, but this was so pretty! And at the moment with home schooling, something quick was appreciated.

I stamped and embossed with silver powder, then cut the cards down to size (14x14cm for a 6x6 card blank).

To finish, I added sentiments, from ClarityStamp, also heat embossed in silver, and edged in silver as well.

 

This is the card made with spray inks. It's the darkest and most dramatic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This uses a mop up piece, much more delicate and pretty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This angle shows the stamp off better - the perennial problem of photographing shiny cards!!

And finally the brushos - I cut away the part of the card with the bursts that I usually love from brushos (although it's in the stash for another time!) so this has a much softer, dreamier feel, with shades of colour that I adore.

However you choose to play with these colours, please visit us at 52CCT to see the wonderful inspiration from the design team, and to share your card. The challenge is open for a week until Friday 19th February.

My turn to host

Welcome to February. It's my month to host the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown, I hope you enjoy the challenges I've chosen for us all to play with.

As always, we start the month with a sketch. This is what I composed for us:

 

I used an embossed resist for my cards. This is a pearlescent silver powder, although it's more cream than silver. The flower (which I think is a poinsettia) is a stamp I've had for ages and only recently used and realised how pretty it is. The diamonds are from Clarity.

I then added brushos - leaf green to one, and gambodge to the other, with touches of dark brown added later as it needed a bit more drama.

The sentiments are die cut, and then embossed with the same powder.

I edged the cards with matching ink.

 

This one also has some splatters using the brusho as a watercolour. The swirls of different greens and yellow are very delicate and pretty.

 

 

 

 

 

I love the colours of this one, although it's not traditionally Christmassy. There's great movement in the brushos.

 

 

 

  

 

I hope you're inspired to join in and play along with our sketch challenge. To enter, visit the 52CCT blog. The challenge is open until Friday 12th February.