Christmas In July Delicate Snowflakes

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Scrapbookcom continues their Christmas In July sales. To check out the sales, click on the "coupons" tab located on their home page. They have great sales and free gifts... sales change every couple of days so be sure to check back often. Right now, while supplies last they have an adorable chubby penguin stamp set for the free gift! I have a banner located on the lower right side of my blog that takes you directly to their store. *Affiliate links used at no additional charge to you, thank you for your support!

Christmas In July continues! Today, I have a simple card with a dramatic look of elegance. Even though this card is basically ink blending with an embossed background, the color combination against the colored cardstock with the gold ebmossing gives this card a dramatic look! Ink blending on colored cardstock is a great way to create a gradient background, using the cardstock as one of the colors. Blending black ink around the edges of dark colors is a great way to add further depth and gives that dramatic look. The stamps, cardstock and inks I use today are all from Gina K. Designs and coordinate perfectly together. Even though I have and use the original, older MISTI, I want to let those of you who are interested know, that the brand new, improved version is now in stock in Gina's store!! I will have it linked below. Let's get started!!

I will be doing all of my work today on my Tim Holtz Glass Media Mat.

To start, I take the smaller rectangle die from the Master Layouts 1 Die Set and cut out of Passionate Pink Cardstock, running them through my Big Shot Die Cut Machine. Using my Blender Brushes, I blend Passionate Pink Ink around the sides and corners then fade in towards the center of the panel. I do not want to blend over the center as I want to end up with a dark blend that fades toward the center giving it a highlighted look. *Seeing as my first blend of ink is the same color as the cardstock, it is difficult to see in the pictures. It is easier to see when you are doing the blending, but it is there!

Next, I blend Plum Punch Ink, blending around the sides and corners. I blend and fade into the previous color, being careful not to completely cover it. This is how I am creating my gradient blend.

Next, I blend Black Onyx Ink around the edges and corners, fading into the previous color. I am extra careful not to over power the previous color. With the black, I am only trying to add depth by keeping it to the very edges and corners of the panel. 

To complete my blend, I go back with the Plum Punch Ink and blend over the black ink then fade out into the pink ink. I then go back with Passionate Pink Ink to blend and fade back into the plum ink. *By going through the colors again it helps to blend and fade everything together to give a soft blend.

Once my ink blending is complete, I use my Craft Tool to completely dry my panel. It is very important to be sure the panel is dry as I will be embossing and do not want the embossing powder to stick to anything but my image. To be sure the panel is completely dry, I pour the embossing powder over it. If any powder sticks to the panel I go back and dry it again. I repeat this process until no powder sticks to the panel. Now that my panel is dry, I add Adhesive Dot Runner to the back and place into my MISTI Stamp Positioner. I prep my panel with my Anti Static Powder Bag then stamp with the Delicate Snowflake Background Stamp using Versamark Embossing Ink. I then add Gold Embossing Powder and heat set with my Heat Tool.

I now take the bigger rectangle die from the Master Layouts 1 Die Set and cut out of Black Onyx Cardstock, running them through my Big Shot. Using Terrific Tape, I adhere my embossed panel onto the black panel.

Next, I take a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" piece of Passionate Pink Cardstock and score it down the center at 4 1/4" using my Scor Buddy. (this scoring tool is finally back in stock, YAY!!!) I fold my card base and mount the embossed panel to it using Terrific Tape. 

For my sentiment, I place a scrap piece of Passionate Pink Cardstock into my MISTI. I choose a sentiment from the Sparkling Snowflakes Stamp Set and stamp it using Amalgam Obsidian Black Ink. I then trim the sentiment down using my Tim Holtz Guillotine Paper Trimmer.

To create a coordinating background for my sentiment, I trim a slightly bigger piece out of White Cardstock. I then press this piece onto my Versamark Embossing Ink pad then add Gold Embossing Powder and heat set with my Heat Tool. I then add Terrific Tape to the back of my sentiment and adhere it to the gold embossed piece. I add Foam Tape to the back and mount onto the center of my card front. Using my Jewel Picker (it's also back in stock!!) I add Water Droplets with Liquid Glue and this completes my card.

I hope you enjoyed today's card. Choosing coordinating inks to form a gradient blend with deep colors over colored cardstock is a great way to step up a simple card. Adding gold or silver embossing really gives it a touch of elegance! Come back again tomorrow for more Christmas ideas!

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Happy Stamping and God bless!!

Jeannie