A blog devoted to the cards I make in my tiny upstairs space. When my sister stays there, she calls it an "artist's garret". I'm not an artist, but am an enthusiastic cardmaker - hence the title "Cardmaker's Garret".
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Monday, 22 July 2024

Thin Framed Cardinal and Mixed Media Christmas Lights

Christmas Kickstart wants to see a frame on the card.  I did a very thin circular frame around my cardinal.  And Stamping Sensations has a twist of Christmas in July.

I stamped the image and watercoloured it.  I die cut a thin circle out of the panel with the SSS Thin Circle Frame die and watercoloured it the same red as the cardinal. I trimmed the remaining outer part of the panel into a square, attached it to a piece of fun foam, then carefully glued in the thin red circle frame, and then finally added in the circle with the image. Those thin circle die cuts are very flimsy to deal with!

Inkspirational has a different kind of challenge - feature products from 2 or more stamp companies.  This card uses products from several different companies - Mama Elephant, Simon Says Stamp, and Impression Obsession stamps, Tim Holtz and Carta Bella stencils, Versafine, Distress, and Delicata inks, and Tim Holtz and Cosmic Shimmer pastes.  Mixed media is a great way to use different brands together.

On a piece of heavy cs, I brayered different shades of blue ink and sprayed with some mica spray, stamped with a snowflakes background stamp in darker blue, stamped a few bits of tiny stars in gold, and stenciled some larger stars and snowflakes with grit paste.

I stamped some small sentiment stamps on two of the edges with the dark blue ink, and went around the edges with a shimmery blue paste.

Because one of my small sentiments says "love the twinkle lights", I die cut some lights out of gold mirror cs and added them on top, along with a sentiment strip.

 
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Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - SU Christmas Cardinal
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - watercolour paper, off white cs
Size - 4.75" square
Accessories - watercolour paints, SSS Thin Circle Frame die, fun foam

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Mama Elephant long sentiment, SSS small sentiments, Impression Obsession snowflakes and stars background stamps
Ink - Versafine Clair Twilight, various blue Distress inks, Delicata gold
Paper - white cs, gold mirror cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Mama Elephant sentiment strip die, Distress mica stain Frosted Juniper, TH grit paste, TH star stencil, Carta Bella snowflake stencil, Cosmic Shimmer blue opal past

7 comments:

  1. A really striking Cardinal image sitting in the circle, many thanks for sharing at Stamping Sensations challenge.

    B x

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  2. Two beautiful cards, Susan. That thin frame is just perfect on card #1 - really pulls everything together so well. Thanks for joining Leslie and me at Christmas Kickstart, Jo x

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  3. I love the Cardinal sitting on the holly and berries branch Susan, beautifully coloured and a really good size to fill the card, and the second with that wonderful multi media background with touches of gold and finished with the wonderful gold string of lights is brilliant. x

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  4. Two lovely Christmas cards Susan! Beautiful coloring on that wonderful cardinal - and the gold string of bulbs is so pretty strung across your mixed media background! thanks for sharing with us at Inkspirational: Use products from 2 or more companies! Julia xx

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  5. Beautiful colouring of your cardinal, Susan. I love it in the circle with the thin red frame ... really compliments the image. Your Christmas lights are so pretty against your AMAZING mixed media background. Wow! Love all the layers. xx

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  6. This is such a pretty cardinal and he deserves this frame, Susan! Love the mixed media with all the wonderful details! It begs to be touched!

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  7. I love your Christmas card. Beautiful traditional feel and it really pops off the white background. Thanks for joining us at Stamping Sensations this month.
    Pinky

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