Joy and Peace

Wishing you Joy and Peace for this holiday season and the years to come! This card features a lovely wreath with a silver background and sentiment but all in a single layer card.

Challenges

Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Saturday challenge: CAS with a Sentiment

Crafty Hazlenut's Christmas Challenge: Silver or Grey
Creative With Stamps: Christmas Stamp

AAA Cards: Christmas CAS

Crazy 4 Challenges: Choose a 2016 Sketch
52 Christmas Card Throwdown: Pick a Previous 2016 Challenge (September Technique: Masking)

Addicted to Stamps and More: CAS
Penny's Paper-crafty: Christmas
Fab 'n' Funky: Glitter and Sparkle
The Sketchy Challenges: Christmas

Supplies

InLinkz.com

Putting It Together

I like single layer challenges because they make me think which can lead to something unusual. My own style leans toward the CAS (Clean and Simple) side, but it can be tough to stay on the CAS side of the line. I also like to combine challenges, even if they might not be easily combined. So.. I wanted to have a silver background, have a stamped image with outline, keep it a single layer, and have it all be CAS. Easy Peasy, right?

Ironically, when I completed the project I decided not to enter it in the challenge for the outline + single layer + CAS. I have another design in mind, now, for that one.

This project uses a stamp set from Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps, Holly Jolly. For a change from my usual, I ended up using every part of this one stamp set and only the one set.

From the Crazy 4 Challenges choose a 2016 sketch challenge, I decided to use the one from 2016.

One of the helpers for a single layer is masking. I wanted to do a background treatment and I wanted to stamp more than one colour on the wreath. So, I stamped the wreath twice on to typing paper and then fussy cut the image on one and the pine cones out on the other.  I added removable adhesive to the wreath mask and also made a mask for the sentiment. (In hindsight, I needed to have pine cone masks, too, but thought I would have a hard time matching them up or not losing them on my table.)

I created a card blank from 140lb watercolour cardstock and placed the wreath and sentiment masks. I also used masking tape to create a narrow margin around the full card. (Hindsight: I should have put the sentiment mask under the wreath to make it easier to stamp the wreath without moving it)

Using the blending tool, I added Weathered Wood Distress Ink to the open area. Then, while the ink was still faintly damp, I brushed on Perfect Pearls Pearl to transform it from a grey into silver. I waved the card through a mist of water to set any loose Perfect Pearls powder.

After removing the masking for the wreath and edges, you can see the white area left in the background. The sentiment mask is still in place so the wreath stamp doesn't cover the area for the sentiment.

Using the Misti, I placed the stamp into the white area (I was a nudge to the left, still working on my layer placement).

With the stamp on the Misti door, I placed the second mask on the stamp, lining up the holes with the pine cones so I could ink them first.

I stamped the pinecones with Chestnut brown Colorbox pigment ink.

I cut the bow to make another mask and stamped the Evergreen (and wished I had made those pine cone masks). I stamped the bow last using masking to isolate it as well.

I removed the sentiment mask and stamped the sentiment. I embossed it with red glittery embossing to add a tough of festive.

I painted the bow to match the sentiment and added a bit of shimmer with Wink of Stella. I also painted the pine cones to offset the errant green stamping on them. I left the evergreen as outline.

Sometimes, while I am writing the post and looking at the pictures of the 'finished' project there will be something about it that feels.. well.. not quite finished. If I am writing late in the evening, as I was with this one, I will leave the post in the draft state, go to bed, and sleep on it, or rather let it rummage around in my head while I sleep until it wakes me up with the right idea to really finish it.

I decided to add an inside sentiment. That looked a little plain and forlorn all on its own, so I decided to use masking (again) to add the bow from the wreath. (Hindsight: If I had done the bow first, I would have put the sentiment a nudge lower.)

I also decided to follow the last design element of the challenge sketch and added 3 metallic dots to the upper corner.

And then it was truly done and I was glad I left it overnight.