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Christmas Card Challenges #13: Photo Inspiration

28 Feb

Good afternoon!  In case you missed it earlier I have several giveaways going on to celebrate reaching 2000 followers on instagram!  You can find more details on how to enter or link up your card by clicking here!  I hope you’ll join in the fun! 😉  You can also find my week 4 review of the 30 Day Coloring Challenge by scrolling down or clicking here!

We’ve got a pretty inspiration photo for you this week at Christmas Card Challenges!

I decided to focus on the ombre wash of colors from the inspiration photo and added a little sparkle to my Christmas tree!

I also experimented with Bee Paper for the first time and was pleasantly surprised with the results.  I saw a recent post by Ruby comparing and contrasting different watercolor papers and decided to pull out the Bee Paper that I’ve owned for almost a year and never touched (#crafthoarder…I know).  I was pleased with how much water it held for a background wash but I’d highly recommend using A LOT of strong adhesive because this paper curls like crazy as it dries!  I smooshed Dusty Concord, Seedless Preserves, and Wilted Violet distress ink onto an acrylic block and spritzed it once with water.  Then I used a wet paintbrush to paint it onto my background.  I applied a first layer, let it air-dry until it was still slightly damp but not dripping wet, and then added a second layer of color.  I let that air-dry for several hours and then stamped the tree from Winnie and Walter onto the watercolored panel with versamark.  I heat-embossed it with white embossing powder and then inked it again with versamark.  I used my MISTI to make sure that the tree was perfectly aligned each time.  The second time I heat-embossed it with snowflake tinsel embossing glitter so that it would really sparkle.  I also flicked on a little watered down picket fence distress ink to create a snowy sky.

I like that the snowflake tinsel embossing glitter has tiny pieces of silver glitter as well as large holographic pieces of glitter for extra shimmer and shine!  Finally I adhered the watercolor panel to a plum-colored card base, stamped and heat-embossed a sentiment from Newton’s Nook onto white cardstock and die-cut it with a fishtail banner die.  I used foam mounting tape to adhere the sentiment to my card for a little dimension.

And now it’s your turn to get crafty!  We provide an inspiration palette or photo each week but really, the only rule is that you create a holiday card!  For even more inspiration, check out what the rest of the Christmas Card Challenges design team has created!

  • Alanna
  • Donna
  • Heather
  • JoAnn
  • Laurie
  • Mandy
  • Margo
  • Marsha
  • Monica
  • Rema
  • Shirley Anne
  • Susan

Thanks so much for visiting and have a fabulous day!

Interested in the products I used?  To make them easy for you to find, I have listed them below. (Affiliate disclosure can be found here). Your purchases help keep my blog running and I thank you for the support!)

Bee Paper Cold Press 140 Pound Watercolor Paper Pad, 9-Inch by 12-Inch
Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Mulberry, 25 pk
Tim Holtz Distress Ink and Markers – Distress Ink Wilted Violet
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad, Dusty Concord
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad, Seedless Preserves
Ranger TDW-31246 Tim Holtz Distress Stain Fluid Water-Based Dye, Picket Fence, 1-Ounce
Winter Woodland
Whispering Pines
My Favorite Things Die-namics, STAX Pierced Fishtail Flags
Inkadinkado Embossing Magic
EK Tools Powder Tool, New Package
Tsukineko Full-Size VersaMark Pigment Inkpad, Clear
Ranger Embossing Powder, 1-Ounce Jar, Super Fine Silver
Ranger Embossing Powder, 1 oz, White
Ranger Embossing Powder, 1-Ounce Jar, Snowflake Tinsel
WAGNER HT 400 650-Degree Heat Gun
Sizzix 660340 Big Shot Plus Cutting/Embossing Machine, White/Gray
InLinkz.com


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You May Also Enjoy:

  • Christmas Card Challenges #25: Photo Inspiration
  • Christmas Card Challenges #10: Photo Inspiration
  • Christmas Card Challenges #19: Photo Inspiration

Comments:
7 Comments
Categories:
card-making, christmas card challenges, crafting, design team
Tags:
distress ink, newton's nook, winnie and walter, wow embossing powder

« 30 Day Coloring Challenge – Week 4
30 Day Coloring Challenge Final Day and Review! »

Comments

  1. Lisaerica says

    February 28, 2016 at 12:49 pm

    Hey Jess, oh so glittery! I think your card should be the inspiration photo. I love this card, I have the stamp set but I’m going to have to get the embossing powder. Thanks for sharing and inspiring.

    Reply
  2. Susan Powell says

    February 28, 2016 at 12:50 pm

    I love the background on your card – it’s perfect Jessica!

    Reply
  3. Celeste Goff says

    February 28, 2016 at 1:07 pm

    What a beautiful card Jess! I would never think to use purple on a Christmas card but this totally works!

    Reply
  4. Shari says

    February 28, 2016 at 9:17 pm

    So gorgeous. ???

    Reply
  5. Shirley-Anne says

    February 29, 2016 at 6:56 am

    Hi Jess, This is so Christmassy . Love the back ground and tree.

    Reply
  6. laurie says

    February 29, 2016 at 5:11 pm

    That background is awesome! Such a gorgeous card, and I love the purple!

    Reply
  7. Lorraine says

    March 2, 2016 at 8:48 pm

    Love your background and the tinsel was such a great touch!

    Reply

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Jessica About Me Photo
Hi, I'm Jess! Thanks for visiting my blog where I share my adventures in cardmaking and papercrafting! I hope I can inspire you to craft with a little sparkle!

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💙💖💜 Today I’m part of a video hop celebrating the Love Letters release from @honeybeestamps and I’m sharing how to create backgrounds from paper scraps! I also have a trick for choosing a color palette when using paper scraps so head over to the video and check it out! 😉 And make sure to hop along for a chance to win a gift card to #honeybeestamps!! 🐝❤️🐝 ••• 📹 LINK - https://youtu.be/nK4ac-LxwQw (clickable link in profile) ••• #paperscraps #cardstock #cardmaker #cardmaking #cardmakersofinstagram #papercrafting #papercrafts #diycards #handmadecards #cardinspiration #cardideas #cardmakingideas #allthesparklejfb

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Instagram post 17866448675260868 🎆 HAPPY NEW YEAR’S EVE! 🎆  Today I’m sharing a look back at my favorite cards from each month of 2020 and hosting a $50 crafty giveaway over on my blog!  I am honored and thrilled to have had the opportunity to work with so many of my favorite crafty companies this year!  These companies are the heart and soul of this industry and I love to support them! ❤️❤️❤️ Swipe for a closer look as well as a look at my favorite cards from 2015-2019! 😳 It is really fun for me to look back and see my growth as an artist and cardmaker (and it shows me that there’s always room to keep growing)!! 😉 I hope you have a safe and happy New Year’s Eve and I’ll see you in 2021! ❤️❤️❤️
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LINK - https://www.allthesparkle.com/mfc2020/ (clickable link in profile)
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Today I’m sharing a card over on the @heroarts blog for the newest Stay Crafty with Hero challenge! We’re challenging you to create a card using a creative team member’s card as inspiration for your card! If you swipe you can see the beautiful card @thecardgrotto created that I used as inspiration for my card! ✨🌌✨ I hope you’ll play along with the challenge! 💙💛💙 ••• LINK - https://heroarts.com/blogs/hero-arts-blog/galaxy-focal-point-inspired-by-michelle-short (clickable link in profile) ••• #heroarts #staycraftywithhero #cardmaker #cardmaking #cardmakersofinstagram #papercrafting #papercrafts #diycards #handmadecards #cardinspiration #cardideas #cardmakingideas #allthesparklejfb

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Instagram post 17915304478546934 Today I’m sharing a card over on the @heroarts blog for the newest Stay Crafty with Hero challenge! We’re challenging you to create a card using a creative team member’s card as inspiration for your card!  If you swipe you can see the beautiful card @thecardgrotto created that I used as inspiration for my card! ✨🌌✨ I hope you’ll play along with the challenge! 💙💛💙
•••
LINK - https://heroarts.com/blogs/hero-arts-blog/galaxy-focal-point-inspired-by-michelle-short (clickable link in profile)
•••
#heroarts #staycraftywithhero #cardmaker #cardmaking #cardmakersofinstagram #papercrafting #papercrafts #diycards #handmadecards #cardinspiration #cardideas #cardmakingideas #allthesparklejfb
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I design for several companies because I truly love their products! Anything I recommend on my blog is something that I genuinely love and regularly use. I do not get paid for product reviews and I will never recommend a product that I do not like or would not use.

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