The Color Throwdown #526 - January 2019 Guest Designer

Hello there!  I am back with this week's Guest Post for The Color Throwdown Challenge #526, White, Blue, and Aqua.  Even though I live in Texas, I am in a very northern part of the state at a time of year when we might just get some snow.  This time last year our home was under a thick layer of ice and no one could get in or out of the subdivision because the ice was so thick.  Actual snowfall is preferable to ice and comes so seldom in Texas that we try to enjoy it when it actually comes around.  These huge snowflakes in the inspiration image remind me of the snow we got on Valentine's Day 2004 when our grandson, Charlie, was just a little toddler still.  He would have just turned three years old that January and it was a memorable occasion because Papa was home, it was Valentine's Day and the two of them got to build a snowman and have a snowball fight in our backyard.  I have a large double page spread in one of Charlie's scrapbooks documenting that event.

I love a good, thick snowfall that leaves a Winter Wonderland for however long it sticks around before it warms up enough to melt it.  In Texas, that is usually a day or less.  The white is almost always accompanied by blue skies which is such a contradiction in and of itself.  So when it came time to put this card together, I was very inspired by the colors we were to use.  I also wanted to use some sparkling elements because, just as in nature, when those sunny blue skies hit the snow, the sparkle is immeasurable.  But, a girl can try.

I die cut the Bold Borders: Flurries from some white shimmer metallic cardstock and then cut a piece of white glitter paper to put behind it.  I have a few types of glitter paper and this particular one does not die cut well at all.  If you just want to put some sparkle behind a border or frame die, it is perfect for that as it cuts simple shapes nicely.  It just doesn't seem to be able to be intricately cut.  I have several sheets of this that I got several years back and this particular style has a plastic substrate which is the issue with intricacy in die cutting.  The glitter papers with an actual paper substrate cut fantastic in the Gemini.  I still use my Cuttlebug most often for die cutting, but anything that has a lot of detail, like the snowflakes, cuts very well in the Gemini.

For the snowflakes, I used Simon Says Stamp Glitter Cardstock in Teal and Sapphire.  I added little gems to the center of each one with Multi Medium Matte and let that dry before attempting to attach them to my card front.  I made a top folding Horizontal Cardbase from Papertrey Ink's Stamper's Stamper's Select White Cardstock and started adhering everything into place.

I used a sentiment from Papertrey Ink's Two Feet Deep Stamp Set and stamped it with Versamark then heat embossed it with some Sapphire Pearl Embossing Powder from Recollections.  I don't often use colored embossing powder, but this was the perfect match for my card!  I always treat with my powder tool so that I have nice clean embossing.  I used a vertical strip from MFT to put my sentiment on since I was planning to do it on an angle.  This will be a fun card to send to a friend in the Winter months.

I took the inspiration photo quite literally this time around but you sure wouldn't have to.  I can't wait to see what you make for the challenge!

Here's the Blog List:

Barbara Anders

Broni Holcombe

Lisa Henke

Lori Tecler

Lynn Put

Vickie Zimmer

Wanda Cullen

Amy Rysavy

Amy Rohl

Vicki Finger, January Guest Designer (You are here)