Hello! Today I’m sharing my fifth card in my Personal Christmas Card Challenge, a challenge to see how many different ways I can use a seasonal looking background to create my Christmas cards.
Even though this card can’t be considered a true C.A.S. design because the white background is highly detailed, I still used the C.A.S. style as my inspiration. I started by creating a piece of white metallic cardstock using my DIY metallic cardstock technique for a base panel.
As that panel dried, I die cut another piece of plain white cardstock, using the Time For Tea Designs Nordic Star Slimline Die. I then glued the die cut panel directly onto the metallic cardstock. The metallic cardstock shows through the die cut apertures, giving a delicate enhancement to the stars without any need for extra mediums. I glued the combined panels directly onto a 8.5″×3 5″ card base.
Next, I created my tree, using more DIY metallic cardstock. I inked up some white cardstock with Distress inks to create some ombre pieces to cut my tree elements from. For the base layer, I used Forest Moss and Peeled Paint and for the second layer I inked up my cardstock with Peeled Paint and Bundled Sage. I then rubbed the Pearlizing Medium over each piece to blend and add a metallic shine. I also added Pearlizing Medium to a piece of plain white cardstock for the top snow layer of the tree.
Once the panels were dry, I die cut each layer of the tree, using the Sizzix Layered Christmas Tree Die Set. As I was assembling the tree, I felt there weren’t enough top white layer pieces for how I wanted this particular tree to look. So, to fix that, I went back and cut a few extra pieces using the second layer of the die set, creatively trimming those pieces down a little more using scissors. I also cut an extra two layers of the tree base from white cardstock and stacked them beneath the completed tree for dimension. I glued them together with liquid PVA, then glued the completed tree onto the bottom third of my card.
To create a greeting, I decided to use the Merry Christmas Flourish die from Impression Obsessions. I wanted to continue the ombre green across to this element as well so I created another small metallic piece of cardstock in the same way as I did for the tree. I added some wide double sided adhesive to the back of the dried piece and a second piece of plain white cardstock, large enough to cut two extra greetings. I die cut all three pieces and stacked them on top of each other as I did with the tree. I then positioned them in the top third of the card and pressed it firmly into place. This die cut is quite delicate and takes a bit of work to get positioned correctly. I started by cantering the “t” and carefully worked out from that point. The double sided adhesive also makes it so much easier to get positioned without making a mess if I was l using a wet glue. The tape turns the die cuts into stickers that are just so much easier to work with.
I was intending to keep this design monochromatic but the finished card was lacking that extra bling, even though my elements had the metallic finish. I decided to add a few gold flat backed pearls as ornaments to the tree and that gave the design the lift it needed. I arranged them first and went back with drops of Ranger Multi Medium Matte Adhesive to secure them in place. The tiny amount gold was just perfect to finish the card off!
To see the earlier card made for my Personal Christmas Card Challenge, made with this background die, please click on the image below. Thanks so much for spending time with me today, I look forward to next time! 😊
Constantly Carding 