Color Challenge: cQc #177

 

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I saw the current color challenge over at the ColourQ blog, and immediately thought the colors would be great for a masculine card or for Christmas cards.  I opted for a Christmas card so that I would have a head start on them for this year (and also because I was to lazy to go find my more masculine sets)! 

I also received my most recent order from Stampin' Up! this past week and instead of putting things away immediately, I have decided to challenge myself to use each item at least once before putting it away.  Too often, things get put away and then I don't use them quickly.  So, those items were the Scallop Circle die, the 3-1/2" circle die, the Pool Party Embossing Powder, the Pool Party 3/8" Ruffled Ribbon and the Pool Party Baker's Twine.  All in all, a successful challenge, I think!

So now on to the details...to create this card, you'll need:

Ink: Always Artichoke for the pine branches.  I also broke the rules a bit, and used a tinge of Basic Gray (marker) for the tops of the ornaments and for the sentiment because I didn't have a Cherry Cobbler or Kraft Marker and I thought going with Always Artichoke would make for too much green in that "corner" of the circle. I also didn't have anything in Always Artichoke, so I substituted Old Olive.  I used our Illuminate pad to stamp the snowflakes on the Pool Party and Always Artichoke squares in the background.  And if you plan to emboss like I did, you'll need some Versamark ink.

Cardstock: all five colors from the challenge: Cherry Cobbler, Pool Party, Kraft/Crumb Cake, Whisper White, and Always Artichoke (I used Old Olive).

Stamps: a Christmas sentiment (I used a portion of a stamp from the For the Birds set), pine branches (I used the pine bough from Watercolor Winter), snowflakes or other background stamps for the faint background on the Pool Party and Always Artichoke squares (I used Snowflake Soiree), ornament stamps (I used Ornament Keepsakes).

Other: Big Shot machine, Holiday Ornaments Framelits, ribbon and bakers twine (I used Pool Party Baker's Twine and Pool Party 3/8" Ruffled Ribbon, and some retired narrow ribbon in Old Olive), Scallop Circle Die, 3-1/2" circle die, Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, and Pool Party Embossing Powder, an Embossing Heat Tool and Smooch to paint over the branches for a snowy look.

This picture isn't the greatest - I was having a hard time with glare from the embossing powder - but it does show you the highlights from the embossing powder and smooch.  It also shows you two different ways you can layout your ornaments.

Hints:

• I used Smooch on the branches for a subtle snowy shimmer.  You could also use a Versamark marker and Iridiscent Ice for a blingier effect.
• I used a marker to color just the "Merry Christmas" part of the For the Birds stamp.
• I stamped snowflakes on the Pool Party and Old Olive squares to add sublte interest.  You could use any stamps that works for backgrounds.  You could also use Versamark or Pool Party and Old Olive ink for a more dramatic effect.  Or you could emboss them with any number of our Textured Impressions Embossing Folders.
• The Pool Party ornament is embossed with Pool Party Embossing Powder; the Cherry Cobbler ornament was stamped with Versamark, then Cherry Cobbler ink, then I used Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder on it.
• You can get directions for an Easel Card here.
• The layout of this card inspired my layout.
• You might have also noticed that my card is larger than the standard 4.25"x5.5" card.  I did that to accomodate the Scallop Circle Die, which is almost 5" in diameter.  Luckily, I have some old envelopes in my stash that will accomodate them, so I designed them with those envelopes in mind.  My envelopes are roughly 5"x7".  So my card is 5"x5" when closed.  So for the easel directions, I cut one square of Crumb Cake to 5"x5", and I cut the other piece to 5"x10" then scored at the 5" and 2.5" marks.
• When you decorate the bottom of the base, make sure you add enough layers/thickness that it can hold up the card when it's open.
• Don't forget to decorate the inside for an added surprise!  I will stamp a sentiment or write a note next December when I get ready to mail it.