Tuesday 19 November 2013

A Christmas Challenge!

Hello and welcome to Magpieheaven and welcome to my newest follower, Sam from 'Hettie Craft'. Christmas preparations are about to make an appearance here I think! I thought I was never going to start making cards, as I am such an easily distracted Magpie. One thing I love though is a challenge! Over at the Arty Inklings blog, there's a Christmas Challenge and not one but three beautiful prizes! Click here to find out more! There are some gorgeous entries and some entrants have managed more than one Christmas themed creation - Jacqui, I think, has excelled herself with four beautiful projects. I set myself the task of creating another card. Not much of a challenge, you might say, but you don't know how easily distracted I can be when it comes to card-making! In order to keep 'on task' I challenged myself. I now have some lovely Christmas paper and three beautiful plates of Christmas stamps, but I decided that I would try to create a Christmas card using non-specific stamps and a tiny scrap of Bo Bunny 'Snowdrift' paper I had left over in my stash from last year. Here is what I created for the Arty Inklings Christmas Challenge!
I used some Ranger Core-dinations canvas style paper in a Peacock blue to give me a nice strong, colourful background to work against and texture without making the card too bulky to mail. I bordered my top and bottom with a Tim Holtz 'On the Edge' snowflake die painted with a blend of Frescos: Ice Blue, Mermaid and a touch of Inky Pool. I then used gems and frantage and Stickles to add a frosty feel. I die-cut some baubles using a Spell-binders die and a little Paper Artsy bird from my last year's paper scraps. The script in the background is a Crafty Individuals stamp used on tissue painted with Frescos.
I love Lynne Perrella's mysterious ladies and I noticed how this image seems to emerge from wonderful embroidery, sequins and beading and to suggest all the glamour of a Liberty Christmas display! To make her more festive, I gave her a party hat, which I highlighted in a white Posca pen.
I used black Archival ink to stamp my ladies. The Lynne Perrella images are from LPC 009 and the party hat is from LPC 003. I turned the coin from 009 into a bauble too!
I didn't want the little bird to be just hovering so I made him a snowy branch from Posca pen with Frosted Lace Stickles and a blue gem for an eye. Thank you so much for dropping by today and taking a look at my latest card attempt. I should like to enter this for the Arty Inklings Christmas Challenge.

13 comments:

  1. Those images fit perfectly with your great colour combo, fab card

    Sam xxx

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  2. Hi Julie Ann, great card - so much detail and a great colour scheme! Claire x

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  3. Wow, so cool, love every detail and the color scheme.

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  4. I'm not a Christmas card maker either - I honestly don't know where I'd find the time! - and also find it really hard to make cards for some reason... but this is a fantastic creation. I love the rich colours, beautiful stamping and all those touches of festive sparkle!
    Alison x

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  5. Great Card, Love the way you have given her a hat :) Jo

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  6. It's only Tues, yikes your on a roll (flight) and with one of these you have to win :O), there are some gorgeous projects over there, holy Magpie that paper looks like a canvas, amazing, and that color eekks to die for, I love how you describe your paints and inks, it's like reading a fantasy, making it look magical, love the bobbles, the sweet bird, looooove how you showcased with the KOOL blue and white reindeer's, Love the branch you made, I just got a big white pen I won in the post today, I can't wait to use it, it looks fantastic on your wonderful piece of art work you call a card, it's been so inspiring visiting you nest twice in one day, hope you have a wonderful week, getting a lot of playtime in to create..((( BIG HUGS))) CUZZZZZ...

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  7. How I love your train of thought - the sequins, the brocade, those rich jewel tones and sumptuous textiles and textures and yes, Liberty.
    You allowed us to step into a world of beauty and magic, it was such a pity I had to re-emerge into the real world.
    Wishes
    Lynne

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  8. I love seeing how your magpie brain works, Julia Ann! This is a magical creation and a total winner in my book!! Hugs, Darnell

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  9. A stunning make Julie Ann, gorgeous colour scheme and one of those projects that you have to keep looking at because there is so much going on.

    Crafty hugs from Shirl x x

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  10. Wow , I love it!
    Gorgeous use of those stamps, lovely the add of the hat. And gorgeous colour, even if not totally Christmassy!

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  11. So gorgeous!!!!

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  12. Wow wow wow absolutely gorgeous, I love how you have used a non crimbo stamp, how wonderful and also bits and bobs left over, you would hate to see my scrap paper boxes!!! Lol lol. I love the vibrant colours and the little bird is beautiful and the hat is brilliant. Lots of hugs :-) Kezzy xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx

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  13. I love this card Julie Ann, it's simply stunning! xxx

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