Penny Black Elegant Card Challenge 2

This is the second card which I created for the Penny Black Elegant Card Challenge.

Stamps Used:
Penny Black 4200K berry wreath

Penny Black 30-086 let it snow clear set

Other Supplies Used:

Encore Ultimate Metallic Honeydew Ink

Versafine Onyx Black Ink

Liquid Pearls - various colours

Stickles Glitter Glue - various colours

McGill Photo Label Punch

This card was a very quick & easy to make. I love making cards that take minimum effort, but deliver maximum impact - and that's why I love using stickles and liquid pearls. The stickles and liquid pearls dry dimensionally to add sparkle/shine to any project.

To start, I stamped berry wreath with metallic honeydew ink on cream cardstock, then stamped the "very merry christmas" sentiment from the let it snow clear set with Versafine black. I love the mellow soft green colour of the honeydew ink - in fact, I love all the colours in the ultimate metallic range, as I think they produce lovely stamped images with a rich metallic colour, without the need for embossing. For outlining or for stamping greetings, I always use my Versafine black, as it gives a very neat crisp image. Also, I think the versafine also gives the best results with the clear polymer stamps. I find sometimes the clear stamps can "resist" waterbased inks a little bit, and the inks tend to bead up on the stamp, so the resulting impression can be a bit patchy. With the Versafine, I don't get that problem.

The design of the berry wreath stamp is perfect for embellishing with stickles and/or liquid pearls. I like to use a mixture of both to give a bit of sparkle from the stickles, and the subtle shimmer of the pearls. I layered the image onto olive green card, then attached to a dark green card blank. I finished off by stamping "celebrate" (also from the same clear set, just inking very carefully so as not the get the rest of the greeting) with Versafine black onto cream card, and punching out with the oval part of vintage label punch, then mounting onto a punched label. A length of ribbon and a few yellow rhinestones add the finishing touches. Total make time: approx 10 mins.

Penny Black Elegant Card Challenge

This is the card I made for the Penny Black Elegant Card Challenge. It was inspired by Jill Foster's card, which is in the Penny Black Flickr Group Pool Penny Circle.

Stamps Used:
Penny Black 40-075 christmas pride
Penny Black 1999L letter background
Penny Black 30-087 winter wonders clear set

Other Supplies Used:
Distress Inks - Scattered Straw, Antique Linen, Walnut Stain
Brilliance Inks - Galaxy Gold & Pearlescent Ivy
Verasmark Ink & Clear Embossing Powder
Inkssentials Ink blending tool & foam
Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Eight Die
McGill Vintage Label Punch

Following Jill's Video Tutorial, I stamped and embossed the christmas pride poinsettia stamp twice with versamark ink and clear embossing powder on white cardstock. I then sponged the distress inks with the over the image, starting with the lighter colours, working from the middle of the image outwards to the tips of the petals. I also sponged on some brillance galaxy gold ink to give it some shimmer. I then cut out the two images, cutting only the centre portion from one of the images. I mounted them together with mounting foam to make the flower, and added a rhinestone to the middle.

To make the background, I diecut a label out of dark green cardstock using the Nestabilities label eight die and my Sizzix Big Shot, I then trimmed carefully around the outer edge of the green label following the line. I then stamped the letter background over it with galaxy gold ink. To create a mat for the green label, I diecut another label out of white cardstock and sponged the edges with scattered straw distress ink, then layered it under the green label. To create the frame, I diecut a label from corrugated card (which I salvaged from a cardboard box), trimmed it to size and sponged with walnut stain distress ink & galaxy gold brilliance ink, then mounted it with foam tape. I stamped "JOY" from the winter wonders set with brilliance pearlescent ivy, punched it out with the label punch and sponged the edges with distress ink.