PP day 2 - Bold Christmas

Day 2 of the Pattern Play online card class focussed on patterned paper and stamping, and Jennifer McGuire  showed this cool technique of using emboss resist (using a stamp with a solid pattern) and distress ink to alter your patterned paper.

Jennifer used a bold and solid floral pattern stamp for the resist technique, but since I didn't have anything similar, I used the most solid patterned stamp I had (Tweed background stamp by Hero Arts), to alter the floral paper below.

After heat-embossing the stamped image in clear embossing powder (Hero Arts), I inked the paper panel with distress ink (Broken China by Ranger's). Because the embossed panel proved extremely busy with the glossy embossed pattern, I removed the embossing again (after inking) by placing paper towel on top and heating it with my iron (another technique shown by Jennifer). The paper towel absorbs the embossing power, leaving a clean (or almost clean) paper. In hindsight, I might have gotten the same result by stamping my background stamp in colour right away (due to the type of stamp I used), but at least I got to try this technique and love the result.

I combined my boldly coloured paper panel with two pattened papers from 2 different Kaisercraft 6x6 pads (Chanteuse Collection & Bubblegum Hills Collection) and a small strip of white cardstock. The Christmas tree and sentiment chipboard elements are from a set by Bella BLVD (Christmas wishes) and were adhered using foam pads. I added some gloss and texture to the tree with Glossy accents and 2 Sakura gel pens (clear and white).

I just love how I have turned a flowery paper into a perfect background for a bold and bright Christmas card. It ties in nicely with the "Merry" theme over at the Festive Friday challenge blog that I have just found.

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:

CHNC - 117 Use 3 of something (3 PPs)

CHNC Extra - Always Anything Christmas goes
Totally Gorjuss - 176 Something borrowed (I repurposed the floral PP)
Festive Friday -  FF04 Merry
Great Impressions Stamps- Going green
ABC Challenge - J for Just as you like
A Blog Named Hero - 22 Free Style!

Pattern Play day 1 - Neutral Noel

This week I learned a lot about using patterned papers on my cards. The first day of the Pattern Play online card class focused on how to balance different patterned papers. I decided to combine my card for day one with this fortnight's prompt over at Jingle Belles, namely to use only neutral colours for a Neutral Noel. I also challenged myself to use non-Christmas papers for this one, since I bought a Kaisercraft 6x6 pad quite some time ago that has lots of gorgeous patterns in neutral colours (After Five Collection).

Because the middle PP pane has a rather bold and busy pattern in black, taupe and bits of white, I kept the rest of my card very simple and white. The sentiment (Merry Everything by Simon Says Stamp) was heat-embossed in white Artemio embossing powder, while the angel (set of Christmas clear stamps by Inkadinkado) was heat-embossed in white twinkle embossing powder (Crafter's Companion) onto vellum (Crafter's Companion) and then cut out with a small border and adhered onto the card with foam pads. I finished the card off with some twine from the supermarket and a few Kaisercraft pearls and rounded two of the corners.

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:

CHNC - 117 Use 3 of something (3 PPs)

CHNC Extra - Always Anything Christmas goes
CSAYL - 8 Anything goes
Crafty Catz - 175 Sparkle with a bow
Christmas at Sweet Stampin' - 4 No red & no green
One Stop Craft - 221 Recipe: 1 image, 2 or more embellishments, 3 PPs
ABC Challenge - J for Just as you like

Lots of buttons

For today's card I have combined several challenges, involving a sketch, handmade embellishments (buttons), and pink.

The following sketch is by Lucy Abrams:

I created the buttons by stamping the Tim Holtz woodgrain stamp in Memento Rich Cocao onto some cream cardstock and using a die to cut out the circles. Next, I used a smaller circle die to emboss the inside circle and then pierced the button holes using a real button as a guide. After inking the buttons with distress ink, I threaded all buttons with some button thread and adhered them onto a piece of soft pink Papicolor cardstock (which I've had for ages) using foam tape. The die-cut pink flower and the strips of PP are by Kaisercraft. The pink fibre comes from a very old selection of Kars fibres. The sentiment (Paper Smooches) was also stamped in Rich Cocao.

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

Lucy's sketch challenge - Day 3

A Blog named Hero - 121 Just make your own!

Totally Gorjuss - 173 Anything goes with pink
A Gem of a Challenge - 69 Button it

Simon Says Stamp - Anything goes

Cute Card Thursday - 258 Something old

Allsorts - 196 For a lady

Crafts and Me - 122 Dies and punches

Bearly Mine - 75 Anything goes