Snowy Scene

I have started feeling the pressure of this time of year, at least in regards to my card-making activities. I have been working on cards for the "Hope You Can Cling To" card drive, to benefit cancer patients at MD Anderson Cancer Center. I want to make cards again this year for the Caring Hearts Card Drive, to send to nursing home residents. And then there is the small matter of our own Christmas cards, and a couple of birthday cards I need to make soon to send to friends. I know it will all get done. I just want to get everything done ON TIME this year! (Just don't ask me about last Christmas' card crunch!)

One thing that is inspiring me to work on holiday cards is the Merry Monday Christmas Challenge blog. Their theme this week is to "Frame It." In other words, create a Christmas card using a frame of some sort. I saw this card by Kristina Werner a couple of years ago, and have been wanting to try a similar design ever since. I finally (kind of) figured out how I might do it with this card!

I used Lawn Fawn's "Winter in the Park" mini stamp set for my scene. I began by die cutting my frame from white glitter paper, using both dies in Mama Elephant's "Femme Frames" set. (These dies are now part of this larger set.) I also die cut the stitched rectangle from white cardstock.

After determining the placement of my bench and the snow on top of the seat, I mounted the snow stamp to my MISTI, and stamped it on the white cardstock panel with Hero Arts Cornflower ink. I masked that off, and stamped the bench in Hero Arts Forever Green ink over it. Because of the masking, the snow looks like it's on top of the bench. I then masked the bench, and stamped the lampposts.

The hard part to figure out--for me at least--was how to get the red strings and bows for the lampposts to remain red over the black posts, as well as with the inking I was doing in the background. (This is the one of the reasons it's taken me so long to CASE Kristina's card.) It finally dawned on me--heat embossing! I stamped the lampposts in Versafine Onyx Black ink, removed the masks from my bench & snow, and heat embossed the lamps with Recollections Clear Detail embossing powder. Then I stamped the strings & bows in Versamark, and heat embossed them with Zing Rouge embossing powder.

For the background, I first tore a full-adhesive-backed sticky note to create an irregular edge. I used that to mask off the ground, and then inked the sky. I used Distress inks in Chipped Sapphire, Dusty Concord, Blueprint Sketch, and a touch of Black Soot at the very top of the panel. I wanted a bit of an ombre look to the sky, to make it seem a little more realistic. After I removed the ground masks, I added dots in the sky with my white gel pen, to simulate either snow or stars. I also used a gold gel pen to add little lights/flames in the lamps.

Because the scalloped frame is slightly smaller than an A2 card, I knew I needed to mat it with something. I decided to do an ombre inking, to mimic the inking I'd done in the sky. So I used the same Distress inks, and inked the front of a white A2-size card base, again having it go from light at the bottom to dark at the top.

I glued my frame in place on the card base, and then decided I needed to add a little something something to the focal panel. So I got some Clear Rock Candy Distress Stickles, and smeared some here and there on the snowy ground, and on the snow on the bench. This gives it a subtle shimmer. I just wish it showed up in the photo better! After that dried, I adhered the panel inside the frame. And that finished this card!

I'm also entering this card in Through the Craft Room Door's challenge this week: "Anything Goes."