Peace

I love the look of these rich, traditional Christmas colours together. I have ribbon on this card, and I'm giving it to a gentleman colleague, so I hope he doesn't mind! It was solidly attached before I realized what I had done. Hopefully he'll take it home, and his wife will appreciate the touch of feminine.

I coloured the holly with distress markers. Initially, I was afraid they had dried up, but instead I found once I encouraged them on for a bit, they were almost as good as new. I am always impressed how the distress markers blend together so beautifully. Once the main image was coloured, I sponged distress ink on the image using antique linen, tea dye and vintage photo. I also used Slate Adirondack ink, which balances the brown tones nicely.

Initially, this designer paper was very bright and took away from the main image. I wanted to use it anyway, because the texture balanced the card overall. I sponged the daylights out of it using the same inks as for the main image, and I really like the effect.

I really dislike stripes. REALLY, STRONGLY DISLIKE. I stamped this music score stamp over the stripes, and I love the plaid feel it has as a result. I think a script or ledger background will have the same effect, so I think I have figured out how to use all the striped designer paper that I have refused to use to date. So pleased with this epiphany!!

I used some of the designer paper on the inside of the card and stamped a lovely sentiment.

stamps; peace (penny black), sentimental christmas (flourishes), music score (unknown)
ink; antique linen, tea dye, vintage photo, walnut stain distress ink, slate adirondack ink (ranger)
paper; wassail (basic grey), amsterdam, bazzill brown, walnut creme (bazzill)
accessories; distress markers (ranger), brown satin ribbon (offray)

pile it on challenge; p is for - Peace
jelly park; Christmas
simon says stamp blog; anything goes
challenges for everybody; anything goes
allsorts; inspired by a christmas song (the holly and the ivy)
clear it out; stash item (all of it!!), anything goes

Warm Fuzzies and Happiness

And for today, a darling little Christmas card. I just know I won't get all my cards made this year. There aren't enough hours in the day for it to be possible. However, I will do what I can, and likely buy a box of cards for the majority of what we send out this year. *Ugh*

I coloured my image using copic markers and sponged the edges since it felt a little too barren without.

I used a lovely sentiment from Sentimental Christmas by Flourishes to create the greeting banner. I do love this set.

See you soon!

stamps; image (mo manning), sentimental christmas (flourishes)
paper; jovial (basic grey), kraft, brown (bazzill), x-press it (copic)
ink; gathered twigs, pumice stone distress inks (ranger)
accessories; hemp twine (unknown), button (basic grey), copic markers

bella & bronte - don't be square

CAS Bows

Once or twice a year my mailman calls me up and asks me to make cards for his small business that he has when he's not a postal worker.  In his spare time, he runs a high end lemonade stand and does very well for himself and his family.  This year, he asked me to make a Christmas card for his business with a lemon tree, some 'prezzies' underneath and a little star on top.  I bought Life, Love and Lemons from Flourishes just for the cards he has asked me to make for him.  Here is his card for this year which took me 1 1/2 days to make 24 of them;

I know masking is old school, but I think it's a really useful skill to know and I'm going to give you a step by step how to for this technique.  First, I stamped the lemon topiary on carstock;

Next, I stamped the base of the topiary on the top of a post it so that the back of the image was covered in temporary adhesive.  Then, I cut out the image, just inside the line of the image.  I cut off part of the outside line so I wouldn't have a ghost image around the topiary - a thin white line where the ink can't go because of the depth of the paper and the space to the stamp as a result.

Next, I cut out a general mask for the middle present to cover it up while I ink the remainder of the stamp since this is the spot the topiary will go.

Once the stamp is inked, remove the general mask and stamp over the topiary.

The final image;

Colour image as desired.

 I know this is a small image, but I still used 17 copic markers.  *sigh*  I love my copics.

stamps; All wrapped up!, life, love, lemons (flourishes)
paper; coconut swirl, red hot (bazzill)
ink; pitch black distress ink (ranger)
accessories; rhinestone star (discontinued - Queen & Co), copic markers (E30, 34, 39, Y04, 15, G20, 21, 24, 28, 03, 05, 07, 29, R32, 35, 37, 39)