Countdown to the Holidays - TBT

Today's blog post is another card for the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge which is having a Throw Back theme.  I threw all the way back to 2013 for this challenge which was "Countdown to the Holidays".

Every year, my husband's family gathers for a family Christmas Dinner.  We book a lodge for this event on the weekend before Christmas and everyone near and far does their best to be there on Sunday for the dinner.  With six children in the family and their spouses we have a small crowd.  With our kids and their kids?  Well, we're numbering in the higher double digits. Each of the siblings and their spouses takes turns hosting and this year is my husband's and my turn. By now many of us have grandchildren that are getting older and in fact, our oldest grandson got married last month.  This means we have the potential to become great-grandparents in the not too distant future.  This both delights and scares me!  I love being a Mimi, though, so whatever happens, it will be okay.

While I have been scrap booking for nearly two decades, I only started making cards this year and not even at the beginning of the year either.  I think I got pretty serious about it in May and it's been a constant learning process and whirlwind ever since.  But since I've started card making, I decided I would create handmade cards for all of my Brothers & Sisters-In-Law this year and I am not one to procrastinate.  Our gathering is less than 8 weeks away.  I want all of the cards to be similar in appearance, using the same design elements and embellishments.  So to that end I started this project today.



I love snowflakes!  They are like diamonds, with no two ever exactly the same. Each one is unique and beautiful and I marvel at the way they look. They shine and shimmer in the light.  I wanted to capture as many of those characteristics as I could in my card.  I also wanted an evening or night sky so the snowflakes would catch in the light and shine in unexpected ways.

I started with a 4.25 x 5.5 inch Simon Says Stamp 120# White Card Stock.  I like to use this heavier card stock when I plan to do some ink blending as I'm not as likely to catch the blending tool on the edge and bend it up.  I used a SU! stamp set called "Snowflake Soiree" and laid them out on my 4 x 6 acrylic block leaving room at the bottom third of the panel for my Sentiment Die Cut.  I like the Inkadinkado Blocks with the side grips for my fingers.

I've searched online everywhere today, but I have been unable to locate where this die came from.  I thought it came from Papertrey, Ink. but they don't have this die.  There are two others in the set of three including "Love" and "Joy".  If anyone knows, please tell me!  ETA:  It did come from Papertrey, Ink but is no longer available!

I stamped all of my front panels and heat embossed them using Simon Says Stamp Silver Fine Detail Embossing Powder.  Using Rich Razzleberry and Pacific Point Ink with a Mini Ink Blending Tool, I inked up each front panel. The color begins fairly soft but the more blending you do, the deeper the color becomes.  Next I sprayed each panel with some Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Pearl.  While that was still slightly damp, I took a pinch of Iridescent Sparkle Embossing Powder and kind of sprinkled it over the front panel leaving a touch of sparkle on there in much the same manner that you would a season a dish you were cooking.  To speed up drying time and to set the tiny bit of iridescent powder I heat set it again.  After that, I die cut the panel using the Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangles in the largest size and cut my sentiment from DCWV Silver Foiled Paper then attached it to my card front using Ranger Multi Medium Matte.  I attached that to my white A2 card base using my Tombow Mono Permanent Adhesive.

Occasionally I will create a very fussy card with lots of layers and some distressing but overall I prefer a clean and simple design that enhances the elegance of a card.



I hope you enjoyed today's project.  I'll return soon with another one but meanwhile, please feel free to leave me a comment.  I promise, I read every one of them.

ETA:  I got a comment on this post several days after the original letting me know that these dies are still available at Papertrey Ink under the category "One Liners". The three of them are $14.00 which is a great price for such beautiful and intricate dies.