Merry Christmas

The second challenge for Catch the Bug's 2nd Annual Holiday Chaos series is a sketch challenge. This is the sketch they provided:

I decided to make the focal image round instead of a square. I used this image from Bugaboo Stamps, printing it on a piece of 140 lb. watercolor paper. I die cut it with a Spellbinders "Standard Circles SM" die. For the mat, I die cut & embossed a piece of dark brown cardstock with the largest die from Spellbinders' "Splendid Circles" set. After coloring the ornament on the focal piece with watercolor pencils and a damp brush, and watercoloring the background around the image, I glued the piece onto the brown die cut piece.

I cut 4 pieces of patterned paper from my scrap stash to 2.5" square. After inking the edges with Gathered Twigs Distress ink to give them a little more definition, I glued them in place on a piece of cream cardstock. Because of the fine detail in the die cut mat, I ran the focal panel through my Xyron Creative Station, to apply a layer of adhesive to the back, and adhered it in place over the squares. I punched a 5.5" long strip of white cardstock using the Double Edge Snowflake Trim Punch from Martha Stewart Crafts. I cut another piece of white cardstock to 1.5x5.5", inked it with Gathered Twigs, & adhered it to the card front. I ran the snowflake strip through my Xyron Sticker Maker, and when the Distress ink had dried, adhered the strip on top of the Gathered Twigs panel. Finally, I printed a sentiment on the inside of my card base, and adhered the completed card front to that.

I'm also entering this card in Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday "Christmas/Holidays" challenge.